Epox 5LDA+GLI Motherboard Review - Installation
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Installation
Installation of a motherboard is pretty simple. You will probably have to remove an existing motherboard, if you don’t have a new case. Next, follow the directions to install your CPU on the motherboard chipset, apply thermal paste to the top, and mount your heatsink. Many aftermarket heatsinks come with backing plates which must be installed before mounting the motherboard into the system. This step can prevent the builder from having to rip the entire computer apart to fix a forgotten step. Once the heatsink is mounted onto the CPU you can go ahead and mount the motherboard into the chassis.
Then just install your memory, hard drives and graphics cards. Setting up SLI graphics consists of installing 2 matching graphics cards in both PCI express x16 slots and connecting them via the provided SLi Bridge. The SLi Bridge allows the graphics cards to distribute data across to the other card, which splits the load over both cards for increased performance in 3D applications.
Epox provides a Power Pack, which provides optional accessories for the motherboard. Installing these is always a great idea for prolonging life of the board, and with the Thermo-stick you can measure the temperatures of any component around the board, you can keep tabs on a graphics card at load, or watch your processor temperatures with a secondary probe.
Here we have the Thermo-Stick installed along with the included mini heatsinks. The Power Pack will certainly help out any enthusiasts who are used to chopping up heatsinks and mounting them on the board themselves.
To install the mini heatsinks, you simply peel off the cover on the thermal tape and apply with a little bit of pressure, make sure when you apply mini heatsinks that you do not touch any other component on the board additional mosfets, chokes, or caps you should contact with the mini heatsinks.
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