BUILD YOURSELF THE BEST GAMING PC OF 2022

LENGTH OF TIME: 2-3 HOURS

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM

1 BOXING CLEVER

IT’S BEEN FIVE ISSUES since I did my previous build for Maximum PC. In that time, I’ve read enough guides from our writer Sam to know it’s always a good idea to kick things off by getting the case as empty and accessible as possible. As the NZXT H7 Elite is a mid-tower case, there’s plenty of room to work with without making the case ridiculously big, like the massive Corsair 7000D Airflow from our October issue. We removed the side, front, and top panels from the case, all of which can be detached without tools, took out the three pre-installed 140mm F Series RGB Fans that come with the case, and removed the mechanical hard drive cage from the base of the machine, as we won’t be using it.

2 PROCESSING THE INFORMATION

WITH THE CASE EXPOSED and ready to be filled, we next turn to the motherboard, which we populate with components before securing it into the case. We like to use the motherboard’s box as a base when building, as it’s the right size and protects the underside of the board from damage and slips. After removing the board from the anti-static bag, take off any protective plastic film (or leave this to the end if you’re worried about scratches). Next, pop up the retention arm for the CPU, place the processor so the text is the right way up, and push the arm back down to lock it in. Any plastic coverings will pop off once the chip is in place.

3 GOING TO THE TIPPITY TOP

PCIE DEVICES SUCH AS M.2 SSDS nearly always go in the uppermost slots available, as these usually offer the fastest speeds. Not on this board, though. The Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero comes with a ‘Hyper M.2 Card’ expansion board which is the only way you can take advantage of PCIe 5.0 drives, as the three M.2 slots on the board are PCIe 4.0. No problem though, as that’s what we’re using here. We remove the reassuringly enormous heatsink below the CPU by unscrewing two small screws, take the blue plastic off both sides of the thermal pads, insert the PNY SSD at a 30° angle, and use the plastic retention clip to secure the drive in place. Finally, we screw the heatsink back on and that’s the storage sorted.