Maximum PC - USA (2019-07)

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the laSt thinG tO GO in is the power supply. The EVGA 450
BT is a pretty standard PSU, without modular cabling, so we’re
going to have some loose cables left over—we’ll deal with
that in the next step. For now, situate the PSU inside the case,
where it sits beneath a metal spur protruding from the mobo
plate. Feed the power cables to the motherboard first—
the 24-pin main supply and the eight-pin CPU supply, not
to be confused with the eight-pin connector for GPUs and
other cards. If you’re unsure, double-check the side of the
connector; the one you’re looking for is labeled “CPU.” Now
take one of the double-connector drive power cables and feed
it through to the back of the case, fitting the two L-shaped
connectors to the drives. Next, plug the cables from the front
I/O and the case fan into the motherboard. These are labeled,
but if you’re uncertain, consult the manuals.

GettinG linUX UP anD rUnninG on a fresh build isn’t nearly
as intimidating as it used to be. Get a blank USB drive and
make it bootable; we use Rufus 3.5, although any similar
software does the trick. Download the most recent version of
Ubuntu Desktop (from http://ubuntu.com), then point Rufus
at your USB stick, and select the Ubuntu ISO. Once Rufus is
done, plug the drive into the new build, and select the UEFI
partition on the USB drive in the boot menu, accessed on this
mobo by hitting F11 on boot. You should see several options
for launching Ubuntu. You can test it without installing it; it
boots from the USB. Ultimately, though, you’ll want to install
Ubuntu to the SSD; this is fairly straightforward, simply
requiring you to follow the steps—just be sure to select the
Crucial SSD when it comes to choosing the install drive.

it’S tiMe tO tiDy the build up. The lack of a PSU shroud for
storing loose cables is a shame, but we can make do. We
started by separating the power cables we’re not using,
bundling them at the bottom of the drive cage, then securing
them neatly with cable ties. There are clips for securing cable
ties on the rear of the motherboard plate, so we’ll use these
for securing excess cable lengths from the front I/O panel and
case fan. The drive connectors and power cables might give
you trouble; try to keep as much of the cable length out of sight
behind the plate, but there’s very little space once the case is
reassembled, so don’t bunch the cables up. There’s not much
to be done when it comes to the motherboard power supply
cables; feed them through the hole at the bottom of the case
and back through closer to their connectors, with the CPU
power cable tucked along the top edge of the motherboard.

there’S a fair Bit tO Be DOne in the BIOS with this build.
Mercifully, the Steel Legend’s BIOS is pretty easy to navigate.
First, ensure the memory is running at full speed, as it may
default to 2,400MHz, which impacts the performance of
the AMD CPU. Turn on the XMP profile, and change the set
frequency from “Auto” to DDR4-3000. You can check that this
is working properly by downloading CPU-Z, and checking
that each slot is pumping out 1,500MHz; the actual figure is
slightly below this, but that’s normal. The RAM timings should
be correct already, but it doesn’t hurt to check. Ensure both
drives are being picked up properly, and the SSD is set as
the first priority drive when booting, now that you’ve finished
installing Linux from the USB drive. Lastly, you can use the
BIOS to adjust the Steel Legend’s RGB effects.

POWERING UP


INSTALLING LINUX


CABLE MANAGEMENT


BIOS WORK


maximumpc.com aug 2019 MAXIMUMPC 33

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