Starting your Hardware Prep/Install process...


> prep the case, remove all side panels and place those off to a safe place, so as to avoid them being in your way and to avoid accidental damages to them. Remove the box containing all the screws, lay the case down on sturdy flat surface so the motherboard side is flat, easier to work on most of the starting points when case is oriented this way.

> prep the AIO liquid cooler, how it will go into your case, then attach the fans pointing in the direction of airflow you need it, be mindful of orientation with the hoses

> install the AIO rad w/ fans into the case, be very mindful of the pump, it will have a good amount of weight to it, leave its clear protective cover on at all times to void scratching your case, and also to not disturb the pre-applied thermal paste on the pump surface area. Once Rad is screwed into place, secure the pump out of the way, to ensure not in the way of Motherboard install process.

> prep the Motherboard, install the CPU and RAM fully. Do that on another separate flat sturdy surface, such as the Motherboard's original box, sitting the board on top of this box. This way installing RAM shouldn't be difficult to press down fully/properly. Install I/O shield into your case. Install your mounting bracket for your CPU cooler. This way you do not have to attempt to reach behind motherboard after installed into the Case, that will just make everything trickier.

> Check to ensure Motherboard stand-offs inside Case are all correct based on your motherboard's holes, install motherboard into case; allow it to start inserting at a slight angle towards the I/O shield, until board is able to sit down onto the middle post / stand-off, as that is usually pre-installed in most cases, since that is always used for ATX/mATX/ITX

> Once motherboard is in place and flat, check the i/o shield by visually inspecting the rear of case to ensure ports align properly, nothing should look out of place there.

> Insert the screws for Motherboard but do not tighten any down until all are placed. Best bet is once insert those screws, each one just screw down only a couple turns so it can't pop back out. Once all proper screws placed for those through the board, then go around to each screw down until it feels the need to stop, do not over-tighten them.

> Now you can proceed with installing the Pump portion of your AIO onto the CPU. Avoid getting the tubes twisted up in an odd orientation, not criss-crossing each other, etc. Now ready to remove the plastic protective cover. If the pump surface happens to have another protection sticker on the bottom, remove it now, sometimes this is transparent, so looking carefully. If the surface looks grey colored, that is pre-applied paste, do not touch it.

> At this point you want the securing thumb-screws for the CPU AIO Pump, laid out and ready to go, because you'll need to hold the pump in place with one hand while applying the screws with the other hand. Once 2 out of the 4 screws attached you can free up your hand if needed. Then same basics here, apply those screws that will hold the pump into place, but not fully tighten a single screw all at once, go around to each, doing each a little a time, helps ensure everything stays even-level through-out this process. Now on AIO mount screws, these should simply have a full stop when it reaches a certain point, so that does help.





* I will clean all this up at a later time, for now this will do and it does explain enough detail without being too overboard.