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4. The Assembly Process
Like I said before, I started by laying out everything that I would need:
I then took out the case and PSU and took a peek at just how I would lay the PSU into the Case. Some cases have the PSU on the top and others, like my CM690, has them on the bottom. I chose a PSU that would have enough power to run my components and then some. You have an option of spending a few more dollars and going with a modular PSU. These enable you to use only the cables that you need. As you will see below, there are MORE than enough cables with the Corsair 750TX:
KEEP IN MIND CABLE PLACEMENT!
Next, I installed the fans for cooling at the top, bottom and sides of the case. I went with 120mm fans throughout. I also elected to go with middle speed fans (Kaze Juni Slipstreams) as they were much less noisy than the others based upon data from NewEgg and other places.
Once done I moved the case and equipment to the kitchen table. More space to work and a bit more light! You should spend some time determining where you want to place your cabling. You "could" just cram it all in the front but that would defeat the purpose of having good airflow for cooling within the case...no number of fans will correct for blocked airflow. I determined that I would run the cables through the hole on the MOBO tray and "hide" them between that and the removeable side panel. I suggest NOT disregarding planning your cable placement. It is a pain in the butt to move everything once installed.
As illlustrated below it can be a TIGHT FIT!
When all is said and done I "wiggled" the PSU into the space designed for it and screwed it in!
Next step for me was to prep the MOBO. Ensure you are grounded while touching sensitive components. I have heard too many times about people frying their equipment by static discharge! I used an anti-static wristband which is a $3.00 investment well spent IMO. I also made sure that the MOBO was on the antistatic bag and the foam provided in the box.
CPU cooling!!!! I elected to go with the Xigmatek S1283 120mm Fan CPU cooler. It is BIG so before you purchase make sure it will go in your case! (Fits just fine in my CM690 but I could not put one side fan in due to clearance). I also elected to go with the bottom bracket as I am not a big fan of "push pins". You can see the cooler below:
I then mounted the bracket to the bottom of the MOBO, taking care to align the holes properly.
The next step was to remove the protective CPU cover on the MOBO. Pull up on the little lever and take the cap off. SAVE THIS FOR RMA! I save everything just in case! You dont want to have those tiny pins bend on you! Also inspect to see that they are all intact and not bent.
Unbox your CPU and inspect it as well. You will have to remove the plastic cover on that too. I suggest handling it by the corners so that you don't get oils on the surface. Note the little alignment cutouts AND the triangle that designates how you should drop the CPU into the MOBO slot. It should fit right in....nice and flat and that the cutouts on the chip fit in the alignment tabs.
Once the chip is in just put the metal cover back on...its hinged...and replace the lever to the closed position. It will take just a little bit of pressure to do this. DO NOT OVERLY FORCE IT! If you require too much pressure it is likely that you put the chip in wrong...not sure how you could do that but it might happen.
At this point, you will need to apply thermal paste to your CPU top. There are some good videos on YouTube on how to apply. I used a latex glove to keep the paste off my fingers (Arctic Silver 5). Just put a little drop the size of a grain of rice and spread it evenly (paper thin) on the CPU. I am sure there are other methods of doing this but I elected to go this route. If you get a little on the metal mobo cover you can remove it with a Qtip but be careful not to leave any "hairs" in your CPU....LOL!
Once you have applied the thermal paste, you will need to attach your cooler. I elected to go with a bigger cooler for Overclocking. There are videos out there for this as well! Gotta love YouTube! I cleaned the bottom of the cooler with Isopropyl Alcohol and a lint free cloth. Then carefully align the screws with the holes in the MOBO. I tightened it down a few turns on each screw using a criss-cross pattern so that one side would not be overly tightened. Continue until it is tight...you don't want this puppy loose! Also don't forget to plug in your CPU fan connector.
I then installed the RAM. Pretty simple. Just read the MOBO manual and insert your sticks. I did all of this with the MOBO outside of the case for ease of access.
<<<Continued>>>
Like I said before, I started by laying out everything that I would need:

I then took out the case and PSU and took a peek at just how I would lay the PSU into the Case. Some cases have the PSU on the top and others, like my CM690, has them on the bottom. I chose a PSU that would have enough power to run my components and then some. You have an option of spending a few more dollars and going with a modular PSU. These enable you to use only the cables that you need. As you will see below, there are MORE than enough cables with the Corsair 750TX:

KEEP IN MIND CABLE PLACEMENT!
Next, I installed the fans for cooling at the top, bottom and sides of the case. I went with 120mm fans throughout. I also elected to go with middle speed fans (Kaze Juni Slipstreams) as they were much less noisy than the others based upon data from NewEgg and other places.

Once done I moved the case and equipment to the kitchen table. More space to work and a bit more light! You should spend some time determining where you want to place your cabling. You "could" just cram it all in the front but that would defeat the purpose of having good airflow for cooling within the case...no number of fans will correct for blocked airflow. I determined that I would run the cables through the hole on the MOBO tray and "hide" them between that and the removeable side panel. I suggest NOT disregarding planning your cable placement. It is a pain in the butt to move everything once installed.

As illlustrated below it can be a TIGHT FIT!

When all is said and done I "wiggled" the PSU into the space designed for it and screwed it in!

Next step for me was to prep the MOBO. Ensure you are grounded while touching sensitive components. I have heard too many times about people frying their equipment by static discharge! I used an anti-static wristband which is a $3.00 investment well spent IMO. I also made sure that the MOBO was on the antistatic bag and the foam provided in the box.

CPU cooling!!!! I elected to go with the Xigmatek S1283 120mm Fan CPU cooler. It is BIG so before you purchase make sure it will go in your case! (Fits just fine in my CM690 but I could not put one side fan in due to clearance). I also elected to go with the bottom bracket as I am not a big fan of "push pins". You can see the cooler below:

I then mounted the bracket to the bottom of the MOBO, taking care to align the holes properly.

The next step was to remove the protective CPU cover on the MOBO. Pull up on the little lever and take the cap off. SAVE THIS FOR RMA! I save everything just in case! You dont want to have those tiny pins bend on you! Also inspect to see that they are all intact and not bent.
Unbox your CPU and inspect it as well. You will have to remove the plastic cover on that too. I suggest handling it by the corners so that you don't get oils on the surface. Note the little alignment cutouts AND the triangle that designates how you should drop the CPU into the MOBO slot. It should fit right in....nice and flat and that the cutouts on the chip fit in the alignment tabs.

Once the chip is in just put the metal cover back on...its hinged...and replace the lever to the closed position. It will take just a little bit of pressure to do this. DO NOT OVERLY FORCE IT! If you require too much pressure it is likely that you put the chip in wrong...not sure how you could do that but it might happen.

At this point, you will need to apply thermal paste to your CPU top. There are some good videos on YouTube on how to apply. I used a latex glove to keep the paste off my fingers (Arctic Silver 5). Just put a little drop the size of a grain of rice and spread it evenly (paper thin) on the CPU. I am sure there are other methods of doing this but I elected to go this route. If you get a little on the metal mobo cover you can remove it with a Qtip but be careful not to leave any "hairs" in your CPU....LOL!

Once you have applied the thermal paste, you will need to attach your cooler. I elected to go with a bigger cooler for Overclocking. There are videos out there for this as well! Gotta love YouTube! I cleaned the bottom of the cooler with Isopropyl Alcohol and a lint free cloth. Then carefully align the screws with the holes in the MOBO. I tightened it down a few turns on each screw using a criss-cross pattern so that one side would not be overly tightened. Continue until it is tight...you don't want this puppy loose! Also don't forget to plug in your CPU fan connector.

I then installed the RAM. Pretty simple. Just read the MOBO manual and insert your sticks. I did all of this with the MOBO outside of the case for ease of access.
<<<Continued>>>