STEPBY-STEP GUIDE
ONCE YOU’VE GOT ALL OF YOUR COMPONENTS READY, FOLLOW OUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO ASSEMBLE THIS VERSATILE $500 PC
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PREPARE FOR BATTLE
Our preparation time is going to be a little more detailed this time around. All the usual rules apply: Make sure you’ve got a nice open surface to build on, a small bowl or other container to keep loose screws in, and all the tools you’re going to require for this build (namely a Phillips head screwdriver, cable ties, and some thermal paste). There’s one more thing to consider, though: You’re going to have to set up the motherboard outside the case, so the BIOS can be updated before we assemble the system. Slot in your chosen Ryzen 2000 processor by lifting up the metal retention arm and dropping it into place before resecuring it, then fit a stock cooler. You’ll also want to put any sticks of RAM on the board now, to prevent potential issues with booting the BIOS. With that done, you can place the motherboard on a heat-resistant surface and connect it to the power supply. Turn it on, and make sure you can reach the BIOS screen.
You shouldn’t need a drive attached at this stage—as long as you can access the BIOS, you’ll be able to do everything you need to do to update the mobo’s compatibility.
FLASH AND THUNDER
The Gigabyte X470 Aorus Ultra Gaming needs three BIOS updates. On a different PC, go to www.gigabyte.
com, locate the mobo’s support page, then scroll to the BIOS updates, starting at F2 and ending at F42d. Head into the BIOS and check your version. If the board is new, it should be F1. We’re leaping to F31, followed by F40, then F41. If you’ve got F31 or F40, you can jump ahead. Download the file, unzip it, and slap it on a flash drive. Plug it into the X470 board, select “Q-Flash” in the BIOS, then “Update,” and locate the file on the flash drive. Once updated, restart, then repeat the process for F40, then F41. F42d primarily just fixes AMD compatibility issues for Destiny 2, and Gigabyte advises against it unless necessary. Once F41 is installed, swap out the CPU to the Ryzen 3 3200G, and check the BIOS acknowledges it. If it does, unplug everything and move on.
OPEN ’ER UP
The MasterBox Q500L is something of a strange beast in the world of computer cases, with its removable front I/O, vertical PSU mounting bracket, and feedthrough power cable. The I/O can be switched to different sides of the case, but we’re going to be leaving it in the default position for this build; therefore, when you strip down this case to get ready to build, just leave the I/O in place, and tuck the cables out of the way. The PSU bracket, however, can come out—remove the magnetic dust filters from the case, detach both side panels, then unscrew the bracket from the perforated metal frame of the case. Set the bracket aside for now— we’ll be needing it later on. There’s not much else that has to be done at this stage; leave the case fan cable tied up (it gets in the way of the mobo installation otherwise), and remove the drive mounts behind the motherboard plates, setting them both aside for later, too. We are ready to start building!
MOUNTED AND LOADED
Take the bracket you set aside, and screw the CX450 PSU into place, making sure the long side of the bracket is on the same side as the PSU fan. When the PSU is installed, the fan should face outward through the case’s dust filters. For the actual installation, put the case on its side and line up the bracket in its original position. Before screwing it in, feed through the power extension cable, and plug it in. When it’s time to screw the bracket in place, ensure it’s lined up properly; there is a subtle line on the case exterior that shows where the PSU needs to line up. Take care not to damage the front I/O’s cable connectors—remember that the I/O can be removed and put back once the PSU is in place.
COPY PASTE
Set the case aside, and get the motherboard ready to go. Unless you have an antistatic work surface, use the box the X470 came in as a workbench. Your processor should already be in place, so grab the Wraith Stealth cooler that came with it—be careful when removing it from the box, as there’s a layer of thermal paste on the bottom. Make sure the correct AMD bracket is fitted to the underside of the mobo, then screw down the cooler on top of the CPU, making sure all four screws are tight. Next, pop open the clasps on the second and fourth DIMM slots heading away from the CPU socket (labeled DDR4_1 and DDR4_2), and insert the Corsair Vengeance LPX memory, pushing down on both ends until it clicks into place. If you installed the RAM earlier, give yourself a pat on the back. On to the next step!
A TIGHT FIT
The MasterBox Q500L has an unusually pronounced bezel around the window panel, which, combined with the bulky PSU bracket, leaves only a narrow space to slide in the motherboard (don’t forget to fit the rear I/O shield to the case first). We found the best option was to insert it diagonally, rotating it as you go. Fitting it under the rear case fan is also a struggle, as there’s little room to maneuver. Once it’s inside, fit it on to the central mounting peg, and screw it down to the nine standoffs, first double-checking that the rear I/O is lined up correctly. Once done, connect the motherboard and CPU power cables by feeding them behind the mobo, then back out of the closest hole in the mounting plate.
DRIVE BY
This section is mercifully quite simple. Take the two drive mounting brackets from the case, and screw the Western Digital HDD to one, and the Crucial SSD to the other. They will be mounted at right angles; the HDD should face to the left once installed, while the SSD will face downward. Due to the PSU placement, this case is a bit top-heavy, so we fitted the HDD to the lower bracket with the SSD above it, but you can align them the other way around if you like. Reinstall both brackets to the case by slotting them in on the right-hand side, then securing the thumbscrew on the left. Simple! We’ll get ahead of the game with cabling here, too. Connect the accessory cables from the power supplies—you need two, as the Corsair CX450’s multi-connector cables won’t reach far enough— then plug in the SATA connectors and feed them to the far-left of the case, before bending them around the edge of the mobo plate, and connecting them to the board in slots 0 and 2 (labeled on the board), making sure the SSD is in slot 0, because it will be our boot drive.
MEMORY SETUP
Back into the BIOS we go. We’re going to get everything set up here now the system is built. Get the system plugged into your display and enter the BIOS. Our first step is to restore the default optimized settings; you can do this with a simple click on the BIOS’s exit page. If you bought your board second-hand, this step is vital; otherwise, it’s still worth doing to clear out any possible niggles. Next, we need to check our memory is running at speed. It should be active at 2,666MHz; it might manage to hit this by itself, but if not, switch on the XMP profile under memory control. You can check the operating speed outside of the BIOS using a system monitoring program, such as CPUID. Lastly, check the boot priorities; both of your drives should be blank at this stage, but make sure that the Crucial SSD is at the top of the boot priority list.
MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
With all our components set up, this build needs some tidying. The first stage is to separate the unused cables from the PSU, neatly bundle them together, secure them with a cable tie, and tuck them behind the front I/O. The Q500L is a good case, but it lacks space for concealing surplus cables. With no PSU shroud and minimal cable routing space behind the motherboard, we’ll have to settle for tying up our loose cables like this. Leave the front I/O cables loose; the USB and HD audio cables need to be threaded along the bottom of the case behind the motherboard plate, then brought through to be plugged in. As for the tiny front I/O control connectors, we found it best to plug them in directly, then draw back the slack, and tie it up with the rest of the bundled power cables. There are plenty of clips on the rear of the mobo plate for you to secure cables back there.
INSTALL WINDOWS
Yo u need your copy of Windows 10 on a USB drive, as this system doesn’t have a DVD drive (unless you have one lying around). It’s a fairly simple process: Plug in the USB drive, fire up the system, and follow the installation instructions. Make sure the OS is installed on the MX500 SSD, and delete any partitions on either drive. We recommend going with custom rather than express installation, and turn off any features you don’t want to engage in your version of Windows, such as Cortana’s personal assistant settings, or personalized ad data. Once installed, make sure it boots properly, and check that the HDD is also accessible in the file explorer. If you’re serious about performance, now is the time to stress-test your build with benchmarking software such as Prime95 or Cinebench. Otherwise, this build is complete, so let’s take a look at the numbers….
Without Window s 10, this build would cost $490, which we’re pretty happy about. The 3200G performed above expectations; in fact, we’d say it’s the best-value CPU with integrated graphics on the market. Under $100 for performance that can comfortably carry out normal work functions and even cope with light gaming strikes us as an excellent deal. We managed to get an average of 30fps in Rise of the Tomb Raider by running it at low graphical settings in 1080p; less demanding titles such as Fortnite or 2D indie games run smoothly in 1080p.
There are a few things we’d do differently. When it comes to components, turn the page to see which parts we suggest upgrading. There were some challenges in the build process, too; using an ATX mobo was a tall order, as the Q500L case has an enormous lip around the internal edges once the window panel is removed. Were we to build it again, we’d consider installing the memory and cooler after the mobo is mounted, as they add to the weight during installation, which makes things trickier. On the other hand, installing components inside this already cramped case would be harder than doing so outside—it’s a trade-off, with no simple answer.
The complications caused by the case, BIOS, and cable management meant that it took us longer than expected to fully assemble. The latter was a particular point of contention; the Corsair CX450 power supply had a large number of leftover cables to tidy up. A modular PSU is the obvious answer, but that would have added too much to our total price, and doesn’t solve the problem of excess cable lengths. Again, there’s no easy solution; a bit more time spent routing cables will improve things, though, along with liberal use of cable ties. If you can get your hands on shorter SATA connector cables for the two drives, that’ll help, too.
This system was conceptualized as a blank canvas, from which it can be shaped into whatever machine suits your needs. We think we’ve succeeded in creating such a PC; the potential here for this build be upgraded and adapted to fulfill different purposes is significant. This system has two unused DIMMs, three unused PCIe x16 slots, two unused M.2 ports, and more. There’s also room for more case fans, or a radiator for an AIO CPU cooler, and comfortable headroom for a larger air cooler on the CPU. This case can also be reconfigured to lay on its side, should you want to slot the finished PC into a space with minimal height clearance. In short, there’s nothing this system can’t do; what direction you take it is up to you.