10 Tips: Motherboard & Case Installation(Part 2)

6-Install your standoffs strategically if you don't have enough.

Sometimes a case doesn't come with enough brass standoffs to accommodate your board. You can get by without installing a required standoff or two, but choose any that you omit strategically, making sure there's enough support for the board underneath areas you'll press down on when installing hardware--for example, under the PCI and PCI Express (PCIe) slots, the IDE and Serial ATA (SATA) ports, and the CPU socket region.

7-Use a paper and pencil to install your motherboard correctly.

As noted in Tip 3, you'll need to mount standoffs in your PC's case to support your motherboard. But how can you tell into which holes you should install them? Your case bottom will have lots of holes. Some cases have indicators stamped next to the holes (for example, marking the holes for ATX- or MicroATX-form-factor boards), but it's best to examine the board you have for guidance.

8-Motherboards are delicate--mind how you hold them.

When installing any motherboard, handle it gently and grasp it only by its edges. Boards today are swathed in fragile pins, pin headers, and capacitors, as well as precariously mounted heat sinks. Any of these can bend or break off with careless handling.

9-What are those mysterious cardboard washers for?

Some motherboards come with a sheet of cardboard washers and scant explanation for their use. We've left them off in our builds with no apparent consequences, but they do serve a purpose, albeit a waning one. Any mounting holes in the motherboard that have a metal rim are intended to host their mounting screws as they are. You can feel confident screwing these holes down straight to the case standoffs.

10-Swap out the PC's I/O plate with care.

The "I/O plate" is a crucial item to address before installing your motherboard. It's a removable, rectangular panel in the back of your PC case; many of the PC's expansion ports jut out of it through its matching holes. The plate is usually made of thin metal, and any new motherboard will come with one designed for it.