R&D
72 MAXIMUMPC JUN 2019 maximumpc.com
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BEFORE MOUNTING THE MOBO, fit the rear I/O shield that
comes with it into the case. Then it’s simply a matter of
placing the motherboard inside the case; fit it on to the
location peg, and make sure all the rear I/Os are lined up
before screwing it down. The P300’s pre-fitted fan can be
cumbersome, as the mobo needs to fit beneath it; beefier
mobos would demand relocation of the fan. As it stands,
the X470 fits in under it, but it’s a tight squeeze, leaving the
top of the rear I/O block almost flush with the rear fan. If
you’re struggling, unscrew the fan from the back panel
and refit it once the motherboard is installed. Once in
place, we installed the RAM. As usual, this was a cinch;
open the clips on both sides, slot in each stick, and push
it down until the clips snap back into place.WE ARE USING the stock cooler that comes with the Ryzen
5 2600—overclockers may scoff, but this build doesn’t
need to do any real heavy lifting, and the cooler comes
at no extra cost. It’s small and fairly straightforward to
install, with plenty of space even in a smaller case to
screw down the four spring-fitted screws. Keeping the
cooler bracket steady underneath the motherboard had
us wishing we were packing an extra hand or two, but
if you’re doing this solo, your best bet is to prop up the
bracket with a small object until you’ve got at least one
screw in place. These screws aren’t particularly long,
and the springs keep them sitting at the top of their
brackets, so you might need to apply some pressure with
your screwdriver to get them to catch.NEXT, THE PRIME PIECE of this build. MSI’s GTX 1660 Ti
is perhaps more expensive than stock models, but it’s a
slick piece of gear. With Twin Frozr 7 thermal design, it’s
guaranteed by MSI to run cool and quiet, and comes with
flashy RGB lights around the fans. This goes in easily
enough—first, though, you need to remove the bracket
covering the rear GPU I/O shields. Two of these shields
need to come out, and while the bracket does slide up to
give you a little room, removing it entirely is far easier.
Keep the case on its side for this section; the GPU slots in
above the M.2 slot, then screws in to the rear of the case.
Don’t forget to replace the bracket afterward—slide it in
from the outside of the case, before securing it with the
thumbscrews provided.LAST INTO THE CASE are the power supply and SSD.
The PSU is straightforward: Once it’s screwed into the
backplate, the cables need to be fed through and plugged
into the mobo and GPU. This can be tricky, as the gaps
for the cables in this case are small. Fortunately, there’s
some room behind the mobo and beneath the PSU
shroud for loose wiring to be tucked away. There aren’t
too many wires to contend with here, with only the SATA
drive requiring some careful routing. The case does
support Phanteks’s own lightstrip tech, should you wish
to spruce things up with some LEDs, but as we’re not
using it, those cables can be neatly packaged along with
the feeds from the front I/O—Phanteks provides Velcro
straps with the case for tidying up your internals. Side
panels back on (carefully!), and we’re wrapped up.SQUEEZED IN PRICE FREEZE
APPLE OF MY TI POWER STRUGGLE