Build a Kick-Ass $500 Gaming PC, Play Crysis at 40FPS!
Next, locate the small bag of mounting screws that came with your case. Inside, there should be at least eight brass standoffs, though the typical number is nine (one for each screw hole in the mobo). While you’re at it, make sure to take out the screws to mount the motherboard in as well.
Rosewill has marked the interior of the case with where these standoffs should be affixed for an ATX motherboard, but you can lay down your motherboard on the inside of the case to see exactly where they all line up, just for posterity. Twist in the brass standoffs by hand—you can tighten them with pliers if you feel it’s necessary. Once you’ve placed the standoffs, make sure they line up with the holes on your motherboard and confirm that you can clearly see them.

Lay the case down on its side to install the motherboard. Carefully lower the board into the case, making sure you line up the ports on the mobo with their respective slots in the I/O shield. Once you’re certain everything is lined up properly, start screwing the motherboard down, using a Phillips head screwdriver to tighten it down. Be careful not to use too much force, lest you accidentally crack or damage the board.

Keep the case lying on its back for the next few steps.

5. Add Some Long Term Memory
Installing memory is fairly easy. However, if you drop it into the wrong slots, you could hamper the performance of your rig.
Many motherboard manufacturers color-code their slots, which makes installation as easy as connecting two Lego pieces together. Not all mobos abide to the same color scheme, however, so consult your manual beforehand.
The MSI board we’re using follows an alternating orange-and-green color scheme. Before you drop in your matching RAM sticks, pull back the slot levers. Locate the indented notches on the bottom of each RAM stick and match it to the notch in the motherboard slot, then gently press the memory into the orange slots by pushing each end of the stick with our fingers until the levers lock into position.

Inserting the memory may take more force than you think, so don’t hesitate to push. If your RAM is able to rock back and forth in the slot, that could mean you have the stick in backwards. If you do everything correctly, the retention levers should have automatically moved into position with an audible click. Make sure you leave the levers down on the occupied and unoccupied RAM slots, since an extended lever can damage the video card during installation.
6. Pop in the Videocard
With only one x16 PCI-E slot on our motherboard, there’s only one place to fit our Radeon 4870. Thankfully, our GPU is thin enough that it won’t be too hard to install.

Before you plug in the videocard, you’ll need to clear a slot for it in the case. Remove two of the rear PCI card shield on the case by punching it out with a screwdriver. Then, bend it repeatedly back and forth until it tears off.

Keep the GPU perpendicular to the plane of the motherboard so that it properly sits in the slot. Make sure the card makes complete contact with the slot and is fitted all the way in. Once the card is in place, screw the mounting bracket to the chassis.
