Then I started building

I started by checking all the manuals, getting my head in gear, and then I started by snapping in the I/O plate, and fitting the MSI P67A-G45 (B3) Motherboard in. With it in place, I start removing the 3 pin to molex power cable converters from all the case fans. Connecting them directly to the motherboard, and hiding the excess cables, would allow me to keep all the wiring neater, and more importantly, out of the way of the motherboard and components, improving the airflow through the case.

Then I installed the 4 Corsair Vengeance Blue 4GB DDR3 RAM modules, inserted the 2 WD Caviar Green 2TB Drives, and a 120GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD. With the drives in place, I connected all the SATA II and SATA III cables and made sure any excess or slack was neatly routed and concealed in the side space.

Finally I connect the various front panel, and case button wires to the motherboard, and tidy the wires that were routed behind the motherboard in the side panel area. I think I did an OK job with it, and it will only get messier when I come to add in the graphics card and power supply from my current machine. I can’t promise that the final build will be as neat, but it will be a heck of a lot better than my current machine, without cable management, and caked in dust.

Which reminds me, I also got my brother to pop to Maplin to pick up a useful tool for when I start taking the bits out of my old PC…