System Build Overview

Building the system was relatively straightforward and honestly a nice change of pace from the typical teardowns. Obviously, I started by mounting the motherboard in the chassis followed by the power supply. I then began to figure out my cable-routing options. With a rough idea of where I wanted everything to go, I installed most of the basic components, such as the CPU, CPU cooler, system memory, and SSD.


Next, I ran a few more cables and installed the graphics card, checking to see how clean the interior looked and if any changes had to be made. The SSD mounting system was a nice change of pace in this case. Being able to attach the SSD to a bracket to then simply slot it in and secure it with a thumb screw made for a quick and easy install. Meanwhile, the space behind the motherboard tray offered enough clearance for easy cable routing unless you plan to pack in everything but the kitchen sink.


All that was left was to install the side panels and remove the sticker. Yes, Cooler Master we know glass is fragile, but having to clean this off was a pain that could have been entirely avoidable. That said, with everything in place, it doesn't look half bad, although I forgot to remove the sticker completely for a nicer photo, my bad.


The RGB LEDs on all the components look quite nice and match up well enough. My only gripe is that the system memory does not fully synchronize with the rest of the components. While simple breathing animations are possible, something like shifting colors will not match up. The memory will cycle between colors smoothly and can do rainbow effects, etc. Meanwhile, the motherboard-controlled headers which allow for control over the CPU cooler, SSD, and front fans only blink between solid colors. Still, the majority of people pick a static color as shown here, which works just fine—red being my preferred color with this build due to the red, black, and gray theme of the Phantom Gaming Alliance.