Dave said:
Hi:
Please don't laugh, but I'm installing a mainboard onto a chassis for
the very first time, and I have a really simple hardware question.
Does the mainboard (Soyo KT600 Dragon Ultra Platinum) simply sit on
the mainboard tray? Is it supposed to be propped up in any way? Are
there "offsets" that prop it up, and how do you determine which bits
of hardware they are in the pack of screws that comes with the
motherboard?
Thanks.
You should have anywhere from about 5 - 9 standoffs to install in the case,
to match protected holes pre-drilled into your motherboard. These standoffs
can be plastic or metal "clips" that clip onto the case in the area where
the motherboard goes, or little screws with holes in the head for other
screws to attach to. The hardware to mount the mainboard should have come
with THE CASE. Somewhere inside the packaging for the case or even inside
the case itself there should have been a bag of miscellaneous hardware. You
need this to mount all your components in the case. HOPEFULLY, your case
came with the type of standoffs that screw to the case itself, as opposed to
just clipping on.
If so, then you need to examine your motherboard to determine how many
standoffs are needed and WHERE to install them on the case. Then screw (or
clip) the standoffs to the case. Don't forget to install the I/O panel
(comes with motherboard) in the opening in the case. Now when you put the
motherboard in the case so that the connectors match the I/O panel, the
standoffs you installed earlier on the case should match the holes
pre-drilled in the motherboard. Just be aware that the I/O panel has some
"spring" to it, so it wants to push the motherboard out a little. That is,
you might have to put a little gentle pressure on the motherboard to get the
motherboard lined up right. Then it's just a matter of using small screws
(also comes with the CASE) to firmly fasten the motherboard to each of the
standoffs. That is, unless your case came with the type of standoffs where
the motherboard just kind of clips to the standoffs.
BE CAREFUL that you do not have ANY standoffs installed in any areas that do
NOT match the pre-drilled holes in the motherboard.
If the motherboard is installed correctly, it won't feel terribly secure.
If you put too much pressure on it, it will flex a bit. You don't want it
to flex too much, or you could damage it. So while components like RAM and
expansion cards need to be seated firmly, BE CAREFUL installing them. If
your case is large enough, you might want to consider installing the CPU,
cpu cooler and RAM before you put the motherboard in the case. That way,
the motherboard can be sitting on a nice firm surface as you are applying
pressure to it to install these components. But that's optional. If you're
careful, you should be able to add all components to the motherboard after
the motherboard is in the case. -Dave
