© MICROSOFTR&D
11 12
EXCITED TO GET ALL of the case panels back on and
the system powered up, I was halted in my tracks by my
less-than-stellar cable management. To my credit, I had
been feeding excess cabling through the case’s velcro
ties but, as a result, created thick bunches of cables that
put pressure on the side panel, preventing it from locking
into place. In the process, I also pulled on one of the RGB
cables and damaged two pins of the controller, which I bent
back into place. I then spent 15 minutes releasing some of
the cabling out of the ties, running it up to the holes in the
top of the case, then tucking excess power cables behind
the PSU, where there was plenty of space. The result isn’t
the cleanest looking back-panel I’ve managed, but MSI’s
various cables were nice and long and it won’t be visible.AFTER PUTTING THE CASE BACK TOGETHER, I headed
to the Microsoft site on my laptop to create a Windows 11
installation disk and waited for it to download. After an
installation error, a different USB stick fixed the issue.
Windows 11 was installed within an hour, and one hour
later, I’d performed the latest Windows updates, installed
Nvidia’s graphics software, and downloaded MSI Center
from the Microsoft Store. Having one app to control all
the computer’s functions, from lighting to temperatures
and overclocking, makes a nice change from using a
myriad of different software. It also makes it easy to keep
the motherboard drivers and firmware up-to-date to
maximize the system’s performance. MSI apps won’t win
any design awards, but it’s all there if you want to tinker.TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN! WIN-D’OHS