03 MOTHERBOARD READY

Let’s get this board prepped. If you buy a new unit, the MSI B550i board should come with the standard AM4 cooler bracket (a plastic “hook” bracket on either side of the processor) already fitted around the CPU socket. If not, install that first.

This is easy enough to do; position the metal backplate beneath the motherboard so that the four screw holes line up with the four holes around the socket, then attach the two plastic brackets with the provided screws. Each bracket’s “hook” should be pointed away from the processor if fitted correctly. Place your motherboard on the box it came in (or, if you have a dedicated antistatic building space, use that) and you’re ready to start installing components.