[SOLVED] Installing a new Mobo

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simmyx

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Any tips ? I've bought the B450 Tomahawk Max. Never done a mobo before but i've done plenty of research.
I did the PSU and the Cooler not long ago , so thought i'd upgrade the mobo too

Is it ok to install the CPU cooler whilst it's outside the case as it would make it much easier for me to screw it in. ? ( Last time i installed my CPU Cooler it was tricky doing it in the case )
 
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Newtonius
Yes, do it outside the case. Best practice when building a computer is to install as much as physically possible onto the motherboard before putting it into the case. Examples being, Installing the CPU, RAM, CPU cooler, any m.2 drives you may have, etc. It'll make installing everything else much easier. If you want to go a step further, you can try to install everything outside and then boot it before installing it all in the case so you can test if all your components are working. This is a bit more advance though and requires extra time and technical knowledge.
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Newtonius

Newtonius

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Yes, do it outside the case. Best practice when building a computer is to install as much as physically possible onto the motherboard before putting it into the case. Examples being, Installing the CPU, RAM, CPU cooler, any m.2 drives you may have, etc. It'll make installing everything else much easier. If you want to go a step further, you can try to install everything outside and then boot it before installing it all in the case so you can test if all your components are working. This is a bit more advance though and requires extra time and technical knowledge.
 
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simmyx

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A320 M-H

Fancied an upgrade, something to keep me busy, and so I can have more RAM slots.

The other thing is, in the YouTube tutorials, the RAM looks very close to where the heatsink will be. Is that going to be a problem ?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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simmyx said:
A320 M-H

Fancied an upgrade, something to keep me busy, and so I can have more RAM slots.

The other thing is, in the YouTube tutorials, the RAM looks very close to where the heatsink will be. Is that going to be a problem ?
Click to expand...
Be prepared for a full OS reinstall. It may not be needed, but....prepare.

Also...
For the OS activation, read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
 
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simmyx

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USAFRet said:
Be prepared for a full OS reinstall. It may not be needed, but....prepare.

Also...
For the OS activation, read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
Click to expand...

No problem I have windows 10 on USB. Why would the OS be uninstalled, surely the OS is on my SSD ?
sizzling said:
Are you using 2 or 4 sticks of RAM? If 2 then you shouldn’t use the slot closest to the cpu, the motherboard instructions say which 2 slots to use when running 2 sticks.
Click to expand...

Ideally 4 sticks
 
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USAFRet

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simmyx said:
No problem I have windows 10 on USB. Why would the OS be uninstalled, surely the OS is on my SSD ?
Click to expand...
When presented with a new motherboard, an existing OS often fails to boot up.

Basically, 3 possibilities:
  1. It works just fine
  2. It fails completely
  3. It "works", but you're chasing lingering issues for weeks/months.

I've seen all 3.
#3 is becoming more prevalent. Initially, all seems OK. Success!, right?
Not until later are the "issues" discovered.
 
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simmyx

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Do i need this sata cable ? It came with mobo.
20210108-121041.jpg
 
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simmyx

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Ok I wont take the risk. 16GB is fast enough and I dont do much multi tasking anyway.

So just to confirm the HDD SATA cables which are already connected to my HDD snd SSD will be fine, so no need to use the ones provided
 
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USAFRet

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simmyx said:
Ok I wont take the risk. 16GB is fast enough and I dont do much multi tasking anyway.

So just to confirm the HDD SATA cables which are already connected to my HDD snd SSD will be fine, so no need to use the ones provided
Click to expand...
Correct.

Unless the SATA ports are in such a place and direction that you need the right angle seen on one of them.
And that is only for clearance. Sometimes a straight in cable won't quite fit.
 
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simmyx

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Ok. I'm half way through now, took the old mobo out. Time to fit the new one .
Would have liked to have used the extra 8GB of ram I have spare but not if it could cause compatibility issues. They are all the same brand and model just different sizes .
Oh well learned something new there.
To be fair 16GB is more than enough as when playing cyberpunk the highest usage is only about 50%
 
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simmyx

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As it's my first time installing a mobo I'll keep it simple and take your advice . Then in future I can have a play around and see if it works...

Last question for now, after taking the old mobo out there are 6 stand off screws as it was a mATX one.
6 is enough right ?I'll try screw them in evenly across the board and ensure it doesn't move at all before continuing
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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simmyx said:
As it's my first time installing a mobo I'll keep it simple and take your advice . Then in future I can have a play around and see if it works...

Last question for now, after taking the old mobo out there are 6 stand off screws as it was a mATX one.
6 is enough right ?I'll try screw them in evenly across the board and ensure it doesn't move at all before continuing
Click to expand...
All the mount holes on the new motherboard need to be filled.
 
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