[Hardware] an ATX board does not have the same anchors as a mATX

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When it comes to assembling a new PC from scratch, and although it may seem silly, assembling the hardware components in a certain order will greatly facilitate your task and make your assembly easier, faster and cleaner in every way. Do you want to know in what order you should mount your hardware? Below we will tell you about it and explain the why of each thing.

It may seem something that does not make much sense, but if, for example, you mounted the graphics card before the processor heatsink, it would hinder the assembly, causing you to take longer, that you cannot perfectly adjust the screws, and even that you lean on the GPU and break it. The same happens with other components, and for this reason we are going to explain the order you should follow when assembling your new PC by parts.

Assembling a PC in parts: order is essential
Initially, we recommend that you remove all the hardware parts from their packaging and prepare the corresponding hardware, so that from the beginning you have everything organized and ready to assemble as soon as you need to use it. In this way, when you finish assembling a component and want to move on to the next, you will avoid "stopping" to remove it from its packaging.

The first component you should start working with is the box:

Remove both side covers.
Prepare the brass screws to which the motherboard will be anchored with its specific format (an ATX plate does not have the same anchors as a mATX, for example).
Install additional fans (if you have them) beforehand.
Prepare the wiring on the front of the box to route it through the corresponding holes.

The next component you should work with is the motherboard. Remove all the seals and see where their connections are for the wiring, since in this way you will later know which part of the box to channel each connection cable. Before mounting the motherboard in the box, we recommend that the next step is to install the processor, since you will run less risks if you do it with the motherboard outside than already mounted in the box. Remember that in the case of Intel systems, you must first remove the protective plastic piece from the socket.

If you have an air sink you can also mount it before installing the board in the box, as it will also be much easier for you to do it with the board "open". If you've installed the heatsink, you can also pre-mount the RAM. At this point you can also install the SSDs in M.2 format that you are going to connect directly to the motherboard, and in fact it is the best time to do so.

Mount processor

The next step is to mount the motherboard I / O shield, that elongated piece that shows all the connection ports on the motherboard, into the case. It is important to assemble this piece in advance since if you forget and mount the plate without it, you will have to disassemble it to be able to put it on since it can only be installed from the inside, never from outside the box.

Motherboard IO shield

If you have followed this order when assembling the parts for your new PC, now is the time to install the motherboard. Hold it carefully from its right and bottom area, and first match the connection ports with the I / O shield you just mounted. Then little by little lower the right area of the plate until its anchoring holes coincide with the brass supports of the box. If everything matches well, it is time to screw the motherboard to the case with the screws supplied with your case.

Assemble motherboard

Once you have installed and screwed the motherboard, it is the best time to connect the cables of the case, both the buttons and the USB and audio and the fans that you are going to connect directly to the motherboard. As there are not many components installed yet, this is the best time to do so since it will be very easy to route the cables so that they are well connected and hidden from view.

If you did not do it previously, now is the time to install the processor heatsink, especially if it is liquid cooling, since they are quite bulky and uncomfortable components to handle, so better to do it when there is still not much involved.

The next step is to mount the power supply. If it is modular, simply install it and connect and channel the cables one by one as your equipment needs, and we recommend that the first cable be the 24-pin ATX since it is the largest and most voluminous, and therefore the one that it will cost more to channel later. After this, we recommend connecting the 4 + 4-pin EPS of the CPU and leaving it already connected. At this point we have not yet installed the storage or the graphics, but you can leave the cables prepared and channeled if you want.