New Desktop Computer - Part 8 (The Installation)

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Since the tear down of the old System 76 computer case is complete, this exciting saga (there I go with the horrific hyperbole again ) will move from the previous thread ( viewtopic.php?t=412889 ) to this one.

It's nice and rainy today, resulting in higher humidity that reduces the danger of ESD (ElectroStatic Discharge) frying any components, so I did a test fit of the MOBO in the new, modified case.

Here, the parts from the original case that are going into the new case are laid out on an antistatic mat on top of my washing machine. All that's missing is the rear I/O shield that system 76 had replaced with their own. Since the washing machine is metal and is grounded, I didn't really need the mat for antistatic protection but I already had the mat and it does prevent scratching up the top of my washer, etc.

Tux Jr. (aka Baby Tux) is on duty, keeping an eye on everything to ensure nothing molests the parts. So far, he (she?) is doing an excellent job.

The MOBO is sitting in the case here.

Its wee bit of a snug fit that took a wee bit of care maneuvering to get it in there but nothing had to be forced.

This shot shows how tight the bottom I/O cable clearance is.

I had to carefully arrange the USB 3.2 Gen 1 cables coming from the rear PCI slot covers on the left to be flat and parallel so they "slud" under the bottom of the MOBO without being forced (USB 3.2 Gen 1 was originally USB 3.0; the USB IF that determines the names of the types of USB must be composed of drunken, stoned idiots ). All those cables going under the board to the bottom headers had to be in place already before installing the MOBO since their end connectors would never fit through that narrow gap. Still, the cables have a little bit of wiggle room. All the header connectors have enough length to reach their headers.

The USB 3.2 Gen 2.0 header connector and the USB 2.0 Header connector will go directly to their headers on the MOBO. The remaining ones will connect to the last header on the lower right corner of the MOBO. To simplify sorting out what goes where on that header, Gigabyte (and most other MOBO manufacturers) has a little adapter that all the individual cables can plug into, then the adapter can be plugged into the MOBO header. It saves a lot of headaches. I haven't install the cables into the adapter yet since I just wanted to make sure the MOBO fit and the cables would plug into it.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

There are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers on this MOBO. The one in the below photo was intended to go to the case front panel but I'm relocating the port to a rear PCI cover. The cable connector lines up perfectly with the header although 'tis a wee bit long. I might be able to tuck some of the extra length behind the MOBO tray but, if not, it won't be the end of the world as is.

Normally, when installing a MOBO, the CPU cooler gets attached first. However, in this case (pardon the pun), it would get in the way of connecting the two CPU power connectors at the top of the MOBO. The cooler won't be difficult to install after the MOBO is installed and all the cables are connected but installing that last fan may prove a bit "challenging", especially since the fan cables are way too long and will need to be bundled up to "shorten" them so I can tuck them out of the way.

It's tight but not as bad as it looks here and there is enough slack to get the connectors over two the headers. Still, even with the CPU cooler uninstalled, plugging those in is going to be "fun".

This is a picture of the four SATA data cable headers.

Of course, they had to fall between two cable management holes in the MOBO tray. I'm feeling too lazy to try to route and sleeve the cables so they will keep for a while. I like how Gigabyte makes it clear which socket is which in the header. Besides a diagram in the manual, there is a diagram right on the MOBO.

I've removed the MOBO from the case until I rear I/O shield comes in and I can install it. Mostly, I have a lot of hurry up and wait to do now.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

The basket case MOBO that I bought to cannibalize the rear I/O shield from has shipped and is expected to arrive on Thursday.

Today, I tackled the cable management for the CPU cooler fan leads. I like all the fans in a case to be the same to simplify setting fan curves so I went with the 120mm Bequiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 fans (seven altogether). The 20" fan cables on the fans were pretty much a blessing for the case fans since it was easier to cleanly route the cables to the splitters and MOBO headers without needing extensions.

However, those long fan cables are curse when using the fans on the CPU cooler. For those fans, cables 4"-5" would have been plenty. I wish BeQuiet! had done like some Noctua fans that come with a really short cable (maybe a whopping inch long) and a fan cable extension so one could use their own fan cable extension to get an appropriate final cable length. I could have shortened the fan cables on the two fans being installed on the CPU cooler but I was a wee bit loath (not to mention too cheap) to blow the warranty on two $30 USD fans so I had to get creative instead.

To oversimplify, I had to fold the cables up into loops to effectively shorten them. The long story was I spent an hour and a half (and several of those words Mama told me not to use) messing around with the cables and Velcro thin cable ties before I was finally able to come up with something that would work. Adding to the "fun", and cable length, was the need for a splitter cable.

This is what I eventually came up with.

While from this side of the cooler, it looks like a mess but, when the cooler is installed on the CPU, it will be pretty much hidden from view. Getting the fan cable connector in the lower left of the photos connected to a MOBO fan header after the cooler has been installed shouldn't be too difficult. However, since the middle fan has to be removed before installing the cooler to the CPU, then reinstalled afterwards, connecting the fan cable connector to the one on the splitter (the one in the center of the next photo) is going to be a real PITA, assuming it can be done if I install the cooler after installing the MOBO.

However, if I install the cooler to the CPU before installing the MOBO, I won't have to worry about that center fan's cable connector but then I'll have the delightful chore of installing the two CPU power connectors at the top of the MOBO since the cooler will now be in the way. Sometimes, I can't even win for losing. Once I get that elusive rear I/O shield installed, I'll have to experiment to see what I can get to work. One possibility is to temporarily remove the top fan and let it dangle while I use its hole to put my hand through to install those pesky CPU fan connectors if I have to install the cooler before installing the MOBO.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

After resting awhile (and cooling down), I tackled installing the front panel connectors into the carrier that turns them into a single connector that simplifies plugging them into the front panel header at the bottom of the MOBO. It wasn't difficult or even frustrating but it was rather tedious and bit fiddly so took a bit of time to do. I wound up putting the case on a TV dinner table so I could turn it to where the light was best (I still had to use a lighted magnifier at times; again, old age sucks like a Hoover on steroids) and be able to easily reach inside while sitting in a chair (my old back was extremely grateful for that!).

This is the adapter with the cables installed.

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Plugging in one larger connector is going to be one "heckuvalot" easier than fiddling with six smaller cables and their connectors, especially when they are so tiny.

These are the connectors that will get plugged into the bottom of the MOBO.

The one on the left (edit: the other left, aka the right ) are the connectors I just finished consolidating into a single connector.

To the left of that connector is one that goes to a fan header on the MOBO. It's attached to a fan splitter that connects the bottom case fan and the bottom front case fan.

Above the fan connector is the cable from rear PCI cover mounted pair of USB ports that will plug into the bottom USB 3.2 Gen 1 (aka USB 3.0) header on the MOBO.

The last cable going left is coming from another rear PCI cover mounted pair of USB ports that will plug into a USB 2.0 header on the MOBO.

One of the cables that goes to that "master" front panel header connector is from the case speaker. All this speaker does is send out beeps during boot up to indicate everything during boot is going well or, if all is not well, the number and pattern of beeps may indicate what the problem may be. These speakers are pretty much an anachronism anymore now and are rarely installed in any computers now but I already had several of them so why not install one? The speaker is the little cylinder being held by its cable under a USB cable on the back of the MOBO tray. It won't go anywhere.

That's enough damage for today. It's back to hurry up and wait.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

After a lot of hurrying up and waiting, methinks I finally have all the parts I need to start installing the innards into the new case. The last of them came in Thursday but I was a bit too wasted after staying up way too late Wednesday so I didn't pick them up until today.

Wednesday evening and later that same night (way later ), I cut some pieces of oak to block in the corners of the mini-table the computer sits on to keep it from scootching around (and potentially falling off) and some more oak pieces to keep the min-table from scootching around and potentially getting knocked off.

My first attempt was to use a 2" hole saw to make a hole in a piece of 1/4" thick solid oak, then use a 2 1/2" hole saw around the hole to create a ring I could cut into quarters to block in the legs of the mini-table. That didn't work so well.

Even before I cleaned up the edges with a file and sandpaper, the ring is too narrow. A 3" hole saw for the outer cut would have been a better choice but my collection of hole saws jumps from 2 1/2" to 4" so I moved on to Plan B (better than Plan 9).

I cut another 2" hole in the oak, cut a 3 1/2" square around the hole, cut it into quarters, rounded one corner of each quarter, then sanded the edges to clean up the blade marks. These four pieces will keep the mini-table from scootching around.

Next, I cut out four L shaped pieces and rounded one corner of two of the quarters. These will keep the computer from scootching around on the mini-table. In this photo, I have all eight of the pieces taped to standoffs that are taped to a box to hold them for spraying on lacquer.

I got a chuckle from the directions on the can of spray lacquer.

It says to shake the can for one minute (no marble is present). That non-existent marble sure rattled around a lot while I was shaking the can.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I took the box outside early this afternoon and sprayed three coats of lacquer, waiting 30 minutes between coats, then let the lacquer dry for a few hours. One thing nice about lacquer is it dries fast.

I first positioned the four pieces that are to keep the mini-table from scootching around, using double-sided cellophane tape to temporarily keep them in place, then shot a few pin nails in them to secure them. This is a closeup of one of the pieces.

This is a view of the four installed pieces.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Next, I positioned the four pieces on the mini-mini table and pin nailed them. This is one of the corners.

Here, all four corners have been pin nailed in place.

This shot shows the fronts of the mini-table and the computer nestled into their positioning blocks.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

One of the pieces I was waiting for was the missing rear I/O shield for the MOBO. I couldn't find one for sale anywhere but I did find a basket case MOBO on FleaBay so I pulled the trigger on it. I picked it up today. I'm not joking when I called it a basket case.

Everything that could be taken off had been taken off and a few parts were missing. However, the rear I/O shield was in there and in pretty good condition.

I kept a few parts (a few SSD standoffs and some screws) but the rest went into the dumpster. I'll install the shield and start installing other parts to get the MOBO ready to go into the case tomorrow (hopefully).

[Lady Fitzgerald]

This morning, once I dragged my ample asset out of bed and could keep my eyes open without using toothpicks to prop up my eyelids, I moved the MOBO to my bedroom where I could sit to work and laid it on a piece of cardboard on my bed (the cardboard prevents possible ESD from the blanket on my bed), then I installed the "new" rear I/O shield onto the MOBO. The hardest part was figuring out how it had been originally installed then wiggling it into place. One of the mounting tabs had been bent a little out of shape, probably when the clown who tore apart the MOBO I got it from, and had to be bent back into shape. The amount it had been bent was subtle and was a bit hard to detect at first.

The shield is attached at the MOBO under the PCB with a couple of metal tabs that are secured with two tiny screws that also secure the plastic piece under the left side VRM heatsink. I had to remove those two screws first.

The shield is keyed in place at the top (the edge farthest from the MOBO) by some small plastic posts in a plastic piece that runs under the outer edge of the VRM heatsink that runs on the left side of the MOBO. To avoid removing the VRAM heatsink and the plastic piece under it (that would not have been fun and easy), I had to angle in the shield to get the holes in the flange on the edge to seat to register in the plastic posts. Then I had to just keep wiggling the shield around while muttering "sweet nothings" under my breath until the holes in its face finally clicked over the various I/O port sockets. Then I was able to replace the two tiny screws.

Because of that bent tab, it took three attempts to get the shield installed correctly. This is one of the tabs after I got the shield installed.

This is the one that had been bent a little and gave me a bit of grief until I unbent it (of course, it was the reinforced part that was bent).

And here we have success! (whew!)

Why on Earth (and every other planet and dwarf planet—can't forget Pluto—around Sol) System 76 thought it was a good idea to remove the factory I/O shield and design and manufacture a custom one for this MOBO only (which they quickly quit using) and have to install it on the case instead of just doing like everyone else and just design the case in the first place to use the factory I/O shields that come with MOBOs is completely beyond me. All those extra installation and manufacturing steps is so not cost effective!

[Lady Fitzgerald]

This is the #00 Phillips screw starting screwdriver I used to reinstall the tiny screws that help hold the rear I/O shield in place (I also have the flat blade version). One of those tiny screws is being held in the screwdriver in the first shot.

This screw screw starter works differently than any other I have used. On others, the little claws are bent spring steel that push out past the tip of the screwdriver, then retract to hold the screw head to the screwdriver tip. the jaws are wider and often get in the way of turning the screwdriver. On this one, the claws are rigid steel and stay put when expanded. When the claws are expanded, the screwdriver tip can be pushed into the body of the screwdriver until the claws are inline with the head of the screw, then, when the claws are allowed to close onto the screw head, the tip gets locked into place. When the claws are not being used, the tip of the screwdriver stays locked in the extended position and jaws fit much closer the shank of the screwdriver, making them far less likely to get in the way. This screwdriver is a highly precision tool and has been a lifesaver when working with tiny screws in tight spots. It, and its flat blade version, have more than paid for themselves.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

While waiting for the I/O shield to arrive, I also decided to get a couple of heat sinks for the bare RAM sticks. Besides hopefully making the RAM run cooler, the heat sinks will also make the sticks look a lot better; the bare ones just look cheap (mostly because they are) and Micky Mouse. I looked into replacing the existing RAM with ones that come with heat sinks already installed but the only ones I could find on the MOBOs QVL that weren't bare had RGB LEDs on them. No thanks!

Installing the heat sinks should have been simple but the manufacturer used a 500 lb. gorilla on steroids to installed the one screw they installed for shipping. They need to fire that big ape and replace him with an anemic Capuchin monkey (or recalibrate their tools?).

To get that stupid screw out, I had to carefully clamp the heat sink into a drill press vise...

...then clamp small locking pliers (often called vise-grips) onto the supplied screwdriver to get more torque.

Then, while using my weight to press down on the screwdriver to keep it from camming out of the screw head, I twisted the the screwdriver with the pliers until the stupidly tight screw broke loose. If that hadn't had worked, I would have had to use one of my Grabbits screw extractors that would have destroyed the screw (fortunately, an extra screw had been provided). Once I got that miserable, misbegotten screw out, the rest of the installation went fairly easily. After cleaning everything with an alcohol swab, I applied a thermal pad to the side with the chips, a dense foam spacer to the other side, then sandwiched the DIMM (another name for RAM stick) between the two halves of the heat sink and screwed in the three screws (without the torque the big ape used ) to hold it together.

Then I got to go through the whole rigmarole again for the other DIMM. Stupid ape!

[Lady Fitzgerald]

This is one RAM stick before installing the heat sink...

...and after installing the heat sink.

Here, the two RAM sticks have been reinstalled on the MOBO.

I'm bushed, and in a lousy mood, after all that Baloney Sausage so I'm going to take a break (a long one). Later, I'll slip the MOBO into the case to see if it would be best to install it, then the CPU cooler or install the CPU cooler first, then install the MOBO.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Well, today was a day I "shoulda stood in bed". Anything that could go wrong did...big time.

After setting the MOBO in the case and setting the CPU cooler in, it became painfully obvious that there was no way I was going to be able to install the second CPU cooler fan and connect the cable from that fan to the splitter cable if I installed the CPU cooler after installing the MOBO in the case so I started installing the CPU cooler to the MOBO before installing the MOBO in the case. That was when things started going horribly wrong.

I had planned on use a graphite sheet in place of regular paste type TIM (Thermal Interface Material). I had bought the latest Thermal Grizzly graphite TIM earlier but it was so brittle, it crumbled while trying to trim it to fit. Then I got a sheet of an earlier version which, while not rated as high in thermal conductivity, it is far more flexible and still got good reviews. To make a long story short, I managed to tear the blasted thing. I was livid! I gave up on the idea of using graphite (it's suppose to last longer than paste and be reusable...Baloney Sausage!).

I used Arctic MX-4 paste instead (I've had excellent luck with it in the past), using the latest dot pattern recommended by Noctua (the maker of the CPU cooler) for the AM5 CPUs, then tried to set the cooler on the CPU and screw it down. This is not the first time I've installed, or reinstalled a cooler, including the one I'm using here but I never had the amount of trouble installing it I had this time. It was a nightmare trying to get the blasted screw threads to engage! With all the fighting I did with it, if I hadn't torn the graphite sheet already, I would have while fighting with the cooler this time around. I eventually got the stupid thing installed and took a long break to cool down (seriously, I was sweating like a well lathered horse and swearing like a drunken sailor by then).

Then I tried installing the MOBO into the case. Shoehorning it in was bad but, when I started to install the screws to hold in, using the ones provided by the case manufacturer, I encountered one that had a bad thread and it got stuck so bad, the standoff started to spin. I had to take the MOBO out with the standoff attached to it to get that stupid screw off, then replace the standoff onto the MOBO tray.

I found a screw that would go into one of the standoffs, then used it to check the other stand offs (I had to chase the threads in the MOBO tray when I got the case because they had been threaded wrong and the standoffs wouldn't screw in). Once I determined the standoffs had the correct threads for that screw, I started checking other provided screws and managed to find enough to secure the MOBO (I tossed the bad ones).

Back into the case went the MOBO. I installed all the screws. I had "fun" installing the CPU fans cable to the CPU fan header at the top of the case and the cable for the rear and top fans to the optional CPU header but I eventually was able to get it done. When I started connecting cables to the headers on the bottom of the case, I discovered the stupid USB 3.2 Gen one cable has slipped under the MOBO while I was installing the MOBO.

I had to remove all those stupid screws so I could lift up the MOBO and fish out that stupid USB cable, then reinstall the screws. My blood pressure was probably through the roof by now (again) so I took a short break, then finished connecting all the cables to the MOBO except the two CPU power cables at the top. I'm going to have to temporarily remove the top fan to be able to get to them (next time, if there is a next time, I build a computer I'm going to make some short extension cables I can preinstall and poke through the MOBO tray while installing the MOBO; I wish I had done so here). Next will be the four SATA data cables going to the hot swap bay, and the graphics card power cable (after I install the graphics card, of course).

I had been taking pictures up to when I tore the graphite sheet but they are irrelevant now. I was too mad by then to even think about taking pictures after that. I did take one after I finally got the cooler installed.

I took a couple more after I quit for the day.

Maybe I'll try removing the top fan (that shouldn't be too difficult but then again, with the luck I had today... ) and get those pesky CPU power cables installed. If that goes well, I'll tackle the SATA data cables. I'll probably deal with the graphics card and its cable on a different day.

[diyliberty]

That is quite the ordeal you went through. I do have to point out that I did say that the GameMax case was very low quality a few months back.

I hope things go smoother for you going forward. I can't wait to see your build completed.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I lied. I couldn't stop thinking about the graphics card so, to shut my mind up, I installed it tonight instead of later. After the Baloney Sausage I dealt with earlier today, I was pleasantly surprised that I had no problems installing it. But, I had another problem. I still needed a way to correct graphics card sag, even on a little one like mine.

With the installation of the graphics card, there was nothing left for poor Tux Jr. to guard so I had to let him go from that job. Fortunately, he (she?) is very bright, quite capable of using his (her?) head so I hired him (her?) to prevent the graphics card from sagging.

First, though, a haircut (feather cut?) was in order. I had to give him (her?) a flat top.

Well, it appears Jr. is a bit older than I thought and has been hiding the secret with a dye job. No worries, a new dye job fixed that.

The hair (feather?) salon was closed so, since I didn't have any shoe polish, a felt pen was substituted.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Tux Jr. has reported for work and is now on the job holding up the graphics card, doing an excellent job of it.

All seriousness aside, this was a far cleaner and much less Michael Mouse way to correct graphics card sag (I seriously considered finding or making a miniature medical crutch to hold it up before I found Jr. in the unemployment line). To ensure Jr. doesn't slip on the PSU shroud, I stuck some double-sided carpet tape under him (her?). I don't want to have to deal with Industrial Injury claims.

That power cable going to the graphics card is annoying the snot out of me (or is that my allergies?). I'm limited to what I can do with it unless I splice in some more wire to make the cable longer. I did find a U-Turn connector that will allow the cable to go over the "top" of the card (why does the standard call for cards to be ugly side up?) and ordered it (actually them; I had to order a three pack ). It should arrive on Tuesday. Hopefully, it will help me make that cable a little less obvious.

I'm debating whether to tackle making up and routing the SATA data cables or connecting those pesky CPU power cables. After these last two ludicrous posts, methinks I should make myself the filling of a sheet sandwich for the night first.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

That is quite the ordeal you went through. I do have to point out that I did say that the GameMax case was very low quality a few months back.

I hope things go smoother for you going forward. I can't wait to see your build completed.

Thanks! I was fully aware that the case was less than stellar overall before I bought it. I even knew about the problems with the standoffs from the reviews but felt that it was fixable by chasing the threads like I did or by replacing them (McMaster.com has a huge variety). The bad screws were a bit of a surprise, though. However, even if they were all bad, I have plenty of M.3 screws I could make work.

I still feel this case was the best one I could find for my needs due to the dust filtration and the relative ease of sealing up air leaks (unlike that misbegotten POS System 76 case ). Most of today's problems, most notably the CPU cooler installation, had nothing to do with the case (based on my past experience installing this cooler, I'm blaming Noctua's mounting bars). The CPU power cables have been a PITA in every one of my builds (some were worse than this one). This is my first AMD build and probably will be my last (all my previous builds were Intel).

[diyliberty]

Intel has a lot of catching up to do before they can be competitive with AMD again. That is a good thing as their competition has brought us better processors and lower prices. Intel is not just up against AMD but also the manufacturing expertise of TSMC. AMD is able to leverage TSMC to get smaller transistors. I believe AMD is down to 5nm while Intel is still at 10nm. That is a big reason my AMD CPUs are more power efficient and run cooler. I don't think you have to worry about the thermal paste because of that.

I like your GPU support. What will you do if you install another PCIE board?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...That is a big reason my AMD CPUs are more power efficient and run cooler...

The AM5 7000 series has a reputation for being miniature blast furnaces although much of that can be alleviated by under-volting (something I'm going to try; there are plenty of articles and videos on how to do it). It's also one reason why I replaced the smaller single fan NH-U12s cooler with a massive NH-D15s (the other being I already had one that wasn't doing me any good on the shelf). BTW, that big cooler clears the side panel window by roughly 3/8 inch.

...I like your GPU support. ...

Thanks!

...What will you do if you install another PCIE board?

Cry? Move Junior to the case floor and get him (her) a hat to cover that bad hair/feather cut (just not a red one I wonder where I could find a little Irish flat hat?)?

All seriousness...er...kidding aside, I highly doubt I'll ever need another PCIe card. I can't even imagine what I could possibly ever need. I have all the number NVMe SSDS and SATA ports I'll be needing for a long time (and, by the time I do need more storage capacity, 16TB SSDs, both SATA and NVMe, should be out, assuming I'm still using the same computers and I'm still alive by then).

[MurphCID]

Tux Jr. has reported for work and is now on the job holding up the graphics card, doing an excellent job of it.


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Amazing example of improvise, adapt, and overcome.