R&D
58 MAXIMUM PC SEP 2020 maximumpc.com
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WHY CHASSIS MANUFACTURERS still do this on budget
cases is beyond us, but we’ve gone ahead and moved that
exhaust fan from the rear of the chassis to the front. This
helps us draw cool air in through the front, through the
dust-filtered meshes, and push the air back to the CPU
fan and the graphics card.
Simply unscrew the fan screws. Move the fan to the
front of the chassis, and then resecure where you see fit.
We’d recommend that if you only have the one fan, you
mount it somewhere in the middle between where your
GPU and CPU are located to give each a bit of cool air.AND HERE WE HAVE our first B550 sample in, the Asus
ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi. At $210 it’s a bit of a
confusing offer. There’s no denying that it looks good:
The integrated I/O plate is nice, the design aesthetic is
classy, and there’s plenty of storage connectivity on offer
here, but it’s somewhat confusing as to why it’s this darn
expensive. For instance, at the same price you could get
the ASRock X570 Steel Legend, Gigabyte X570 Aorus
Elite WiFi, or the MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFi.
One thing to note with B550 boards as well is that if
you’re looking to use these with a PCIe 4.0 M.2 storage
solution, only the top-most M.2 slot is PCIe 4.0 enabled.WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, next up is the memory.
Our 16GB kit comes as two separate 8GB sticks. You’ll
want to install these in the correct channel, so always
refer to your motherboard manual to be sure. Typically,
however, they want to be spaced apart from one another,
in alternate slots. With the B550, lift the tabs at the top
of the memory slot, then align the stick with the bump in
the slot and the notch in the stick, and carefully push it
into place until you hear the tab click back into position.
One thing you don’t want to do is to try and force the
stick into position in the incorrect orientation, as you
could damage the memory stick or the motherboard.FOR OUR STORAGE we’re going with a single M.2 PCIe
3.0 drive in the form of Intel’s 665P. It’s 1TB of pure kick-
ass storage, at a crazy affordable price, and an iterative
update on its 660P predecessor. To install it, remove the
top-most M.2 heatsink from the motherboard. Simply
remove the two screws holding it in place and lift up.
To install the M.2, notice the notch cut out of the drive,
and then carefully line it up with the notch in the slot.
This is there to ensure you place the drive so that the
SSD controller is facing up and can be cooled passively
via chassis airflow or an active heatsink, like we have in
our build. To reinstall the heatsink, remember to remove
the plastic film from the thermal pads, then place the
heatsink back down, and resecure with its two screws.FAN REALIGNMENT MOTHERBOARDS APLENTY
MEMORY MOUNTING M.2 INSTALLATION