Why do PC builders put in cpu & ram on mobo before putting mobo into case??

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

I have no clue ...

cooler mount/ backplate sure has to be mounted first, but other stuff just make the mobo bulkier and increase chance in unforgiving accidents.

[Yukiyama]

for testing purpose?

also in some cases it's really hard to do that

[minibois]

There is literally no reason why you wouldn't, especially just RAM and CPU.

For a cooler there may be reasons why it's easier to install when the mobo is in the case, but with certain coolers it's just as easy to install outside of the case.. It can make it easier to hold the mobo too.

 

Many PC builders also like testing the PC outside of the case, so it's kind of obvious to not disassemble it entirely.

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

2 minutes ago, Yukiyama said:

for testing purpose?

I would rather not mount psu for just testing, a movable mobo looks risky though

[GoldenLag]

for ease of installation. its harder to work inside a case than outside of one. 

 

putting the case on its side and then putting in the mobo with all the components is usually the easier option. 

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

3 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

its harder to work inside a case than outside of one. 

you had to put in much bigger GPU / AIO anyway as well as i/o connectors to work around , so doesnt sound that easier to me 

 

[greenhorn]

It really pays off to do it this way when mounting a CPU cooler, because everything is easily accessible and also easier to see. The CPU itself has to go in before the CPU cooler and the RAM sometimes has to be mounted before the CPU cooler because some slots might be blocked afterwards.
That's one way of doing it, you could also mount the motherboard first and then install everything. As for the backplate, many cases have a cutout on the back of the motherboard tray that allows you access to a CPU cooler backplate.

[GoldenLag]

7 minutes ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

you had to put in much bigger GPU / AIO anyway as well as i/o connectors to work around , so doesnt sound that easier to me 

 

IO connectors have to be put in when its installed in the case. and GPUs usually arent in the list of stuff you install before putting it in. as its a relativly easy install with putting it in the PCIe slot and connecting power cables. 

 

tower coolers can be a real hazzle to mount inside a case. 

 

 

and AIOs are also not in the list of stuff you pre-install before putting the board into the case. 

 

its usually limited to CPU, Cooler, m.2 SSD and Ram. 

 

 

[BigRom]

I would much rather install everything, give it a test fire to see if everything is powering up before I shove it into a case. Because having to unscrew and take out the motherboard again once you've put it in sucks, if I put it into the case I don't really plan of taking it out again

 

Besides its much easier to see where all the slots and labeling on the motherboard for certain things (DIMM slots labels, jumpers, fan headers) when its not inside a case. I don't know why anyone would shove the motherboard into a case before installing at least the CPU/RAM/cooler tbh

[mariushm]

Because it's easier to install it this way.

 

Memory is not tall, doesn't make it harder to work with the parts, doesn't obstruct anything usually and doesn't make it more cumbersome to position the motherboard in the case when done.

 

Some CPU coolers are difficult to screw in when the motherboard is installed in the case, because the screw locations may be under fins of the heatsink. Also, on some heatsinks there's barely any space between the fins and the ram sticks, often it can be a couple of mm of room.

 

You only need CPU and RAM (and video card if no integrated graphics) to attempt a boot and at least see if you get some BIOS text. You can simply have the motherboard on the cardboard case it came in and connect things and start it up.

You may have a bad memory stick, or the memory stick wasn't seated properly, or you accidentally inserted the stick in the wrong slot and booting the board outside the case may give you the chance to more easily re-seat ram.

 

Once the CPU cooler and memory are installed, the CPU cooler becomes another place you can use to hold everything. The motherboard is usually quite light compared to the cpu cooler, and the cpu cooler should be by now screwed quite well to the board, so you can safely hold onto the cpu cooler when moving the motherboard to insert it into the case.

So you can hold it with one hand by the cooler and the other by the pci-e slots or the edges of the motherboard - much better than getting your fingers close to metal contacts on the back side (risking ESD, zapping various pins on board with static electricity)

 

Once the IO shield is inserted, you can just get the whole mb+cpu+ram combo at a slight angle, slide the io shield connectors under those tiny spring things on the IO shield and then simply wiggle the motherboard until it's positioned well... then get the screws and screw everything.

 

[WkdPaul]

As stated above, ease of installation and to make sure everything works ; putting EVERYTHING in the case only to realize you have to undo all of it because something is DOA is frustrating AF, been there, done that. Won't do that mistake again.

[Zodiark1593]

I'm rather lazy, and I'd loathe to invest time and energy into using defective components. Installing the cpu is also significantly easier to do without the case being reached into, which is nice as a slip up could potentially cost you a board (Intel), or some time and swear words in fixing the cpu (many AMD parts).

 

Also, this serves as a brief test for the PSU.

[WkdPaul]

14 minutes ago, VegetableStu said:

misaligned power switch header ( /)_(\

 

 

Been there, done that too!

[Alan G]

Anyone who has done mITX builds realizes that installation of the CPU, RAM, and air cooler (if used) outside of the case is the only reasonable way to go.  I've built in a couple of very small cases over the years and it's near to impossible to do these installs once the MoBo is in the case.  Some low profile air coolers for office PCs do not have mounting brackets and if your case does not have a cut out there is no way to mount it.

[Tristerin]

It all depends on the case for me.  I have some roomy cases and some not-roomy cases.  Ive learned through the years its more painful in the smaller cases to not pre-assemble anything you can first.  Its not that you have to, but the fun times you can have building a PC can get frustrating if you let it.

[Touch My Hamm]

I like to test all components before you install them into a case as once you screw everything in and find 1 thing is DOA then you have to remove that part and it could be a big pain. Its just one of those "better practices".

[SpookyCitrus]

Basically, you install as much as possible onto the Motherboard before installing it into the case, the usual suspects are CPU, Ram, and an Air Cooler if you're using one. GPU, AIO, PSU are all things that have to be mounted into the case as well as connected to the motherboard, and are also bigger, bulkier components so it's easier to install them after you install the motherboard. It all comes down to how difficult you want the build to be, if you install an empty motherboard into the case it can be pretty difficult getting CPU, Cooler, and Ram installed with the limited work space inside the case. Another big reason why most experienced builders do this is because most will bench test the components to make sure everything is functioning before installing the components into the chassis, and that means Ram, CPU, and in most instances Air Cooler are already installed and ready to go so just installing it in the case while it's pre-assembled is just simpler. 

 

To clarify, CPU, Ram, and Air Cooler pre-installed on the Motherboard before putting it in the case is easy. Installing those components afterward is a hindrance. You don't want to install an AIO or GPU before putting the Motherboard in the case because that would be a bad idea with the bigger bulkier components, more room for error, but just CPU, Air Cooler, and Ram it's no biggie.

[TVwazhere]

Every build I've done for myself (except ITNOS) or helped a friend build, I've assembled the system outside the case and tested it first. I never recommend trying to install the motherboard first. ESPECIALLY if you bought a cheap case that say has a terrible motherboard tray cutout for your heat sinks, that could actually make it impossible in some cases to install your CPU cooler.

Spoiler

 

[Kisai]

22 hours ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

I have no clue ...

cooler mount/ backplate sure has to be mounted first, but other stuff just make the mobo bulkier and increase chance in unforgiving accidents.

 

It's VERY VERY hard to ensure parts are inserted with enough force (particularly RAM and cooler mounts) if the motherboard is already in the chassis. 

 

If you can assemble all the parts outside the case first and give it a test, that saves having to dismantle everything again if a part doesn't pass the burn-in tests. With that said, at one point in time, some chassis had a removable "tray" for the MB itself. that you could just slide out the back, or drop out the side of the chassis. Some Apple (and I think Dell) chassis also had the desktop motherboard half of the chassis flip out, so replacement of parts or upgrading was super easy.

 

Like above (source 

)

[sandvich64]

its not easy to install a heatsync while its in the case and its just overall more of a straightforward build process

[mr moose]

I still don't understand why people don't put their socks on first. 

 

It seems to be the same logic here to me.

[SaviorSix]

A lot of aftermarket CPU coolers have backplates and a lot of cases don't have a cutout to install it afterwards. A lot of aftermarket CPU coolers go over the memory, also. The heat sink also makes the motherboard easier to manipulate in the case.

[65Watts]

Putting the mobo into the case before installing the cpu and ram is like pouring milk before the cereal.

[Falkentyne]

On 9/26/2019 at 1:04 AM, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

I have no clue ...

cooler mount/ backplate sure has to be mounted first, but other stuff just make the mobo bulkier and increase chance in unforgiving accidents.

Putting CPU in before installing a motherboard into a case is very highly recommended, because it makes installing the heatsink backplate much easier.  Then you just drop the CPU in after since after all, it's in front of you.  Plus you have much better lighting and can see the alignment better as well.

 

RAM can be put in whenever, but since it's there, it's nice to get it out of the way.

[Falkentyne]

On 10/3/2019 at 8:29 PM, SaviorSix said:

A lot of aftermarket CPU coolers have backplates and a lot of cases don't have a cutout to install it afterwards. A lot of aftermarket CPU coolers go over the memory, also. The heat sink also makes the motherboard easier to manipulate in the case.

Most current cases have cut out case for backplates, but there are still quite a few that don't.  Corsair's Carbide series included cutouts years ago.  That being said, I don't see that as a huge issue if you don't change your heatsinks or waterblocks, but it is a major annoyance not to have one, if you do.