Installation

Installing the SilentiumPC Grandis 3 EVO ARGB is a bit of a headache. While the mounting hardware is simple, it is not as easy to work with as its competitors. To start with, you need to position the backplate on the motherboard for Intel LGA115X platforms. With that done, gather up all the parts you will need to secure the mounting plate to the backplate, and thus the motherboard; in this particular case, four screws and four plastic spacers.


Once you have all the hardware ready, position the four plastic spacers on the motherboard, put the mounting plate on top, and use the included screws to secure everything. Sounds simple, but trust me, it can be a headache as the backplate, which has a slight friction fit, can fall out when attaching the screws. While you may have better luck on this initial step with a different solution, all I can say is that regular screw pillars that secure the backplate first would have been a far better option. As it stands, everything tends to move and shift around, and while not difficult, it is very annoying.


Once you have the mounting plate secure, apply some thermal paste and secure the heatsink with the two large bolts.


With the heatsink secure, you can now install the fans and plug everything in. To make the process easier, the fans have cables that can be daisy-chained, which helps keep things a bit more tidy and is also the reason a Y-cable isn't provided as it's unnecessary.

Overall, installation was alright, and I would rate it a 6 on a scale of 1 (hardest) to 10 (easiest). The mounting hardware is simple, but the aggravation of everything sliding around as you try to line it up means SilentiumPC needs to refine it a bit. A standoff that screws into the backplate and holds it secure would be far more practical, eliminating the biggest issue here.