2019 Dream Machine Step-by-step build it guide
LENGTH OF TIME: 20–30 HOURS LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: EXTREME
1 TWIN SYSTEM PREP
Our Dream Machine is extra special, because we’re fitting two full systems in one super-tower chassis, under one cooling loop. It’s a complex affair, but the first thing we knew we needed to do was prep both the motherboards. That meant seating the CPUs into their respective LGA sockets, installing the memory, and more importantly, installing the CPU blocks ahead of time.
The Phanteks blocks are actually fairly simple to fit, with the only noticeable challenge being the backplate on the ITX build requiring us to position the stand-offs correctly. Other than that, they also come with RGB cables. Those are a little funky to set up, and if we’re honest, we’re not convinced they add much, so we haven’t installed them (there will be enough lighting shenanigans later on anyway).
2 THE FIRST CHALLENGE
One of the biggest issues we had with this case stemmed from how the ITX motherboard fitted in it. Or, we should probably say, didn’t fit — there was clearly a conflict somewhere stopping the board’s integrated I/O shield fitting in place, and allowing us to line the mobo up with the stand-offs.
In the end, we had to entirely dismantle the backplate (no easy task, as it requires you to unscrew the rear I/O heatsink from the bottom, the sides, and the top, then yank the I/O plate out), break a
