So nobody told me the most frustrating part about building a PC was the goddamn stand-off screws. I don't know if it had to do with whether the case I got was defective or the HAF 932 is just a bitch to get these things in there.

There were a few metal shavings in the case that should have been an alarm, but I put it in the back of mind as I started to just go for it. Lo and behold getting these brass little thumbscrews in the case has been a fucking nightmare. They're uneven, and thanks to the IO panel a complete shitshow trying to shove my motherboard in place.

My brother who's trying to help, god bless him, started poking around with a screwdriver, the top left corner hole now won't grab hold of a stand off screw...

I fear that act destroyed whatever little threading was in the hole, please tell me I'm full of shit and just looking for a scapegoat.

Does anybody have any tips on these fucking things? What am I doing wrong? Am I being too fucking careful?

Could you post a picture? If you're missing a stand-off screw and the motherboard still sits fine, don't worry about it. I use a pair of pliers to twist them in since doing it with fingers can be a pain (especially removing them). Also, your motherboard should more or less just set into place. Come at it with an angle to get the IO parts to line in and then set the rest of it down. You say the screws are uneven though... that's pretty weird. How many are there? In my experience it should be 9 for a standard sized motherboard.

@KingKavik: Of course I make this topic and look through the bag and find a standoff tightener attachment for my screwdriver...

I just skipped the top left one, 8/9 ain't bad right? The mobo is sitting pretty now.

Now I have to install the 670, I'm pretty sure.

I'm using a CoolerMaster HAF case (forget the exact model, but it's HUGE) and I just screwed the little brass stand-off screws by hand into the holes and then screwed the mobo into the holes in the stand-offs. The stand-off screws didn't "fit" as tightly as you might expect (since they are screwed into the very thin metal plating), but they hold. Just make sure you spread them out and have good coverage - it will make your mobo much less floppy and thus easier to work with later. Also make sure you only use the stand-off holes that match your mobo type (ATX, ATX-E, etc.). On a CoolerMaster the locations should be listed right there on the metal surface.

yeah and then doublecheck that you didnt put in more screws than you have holes on the mobo.

sometimes the formfactor guidlines in the cases can be a bit difficult to understand, or just plain wrong for your particular board.

cause if you happen to have a spacer in a place where you don't have a mobo hole, it might reach up and touch some components on the motherboard and short circuit them.

@Devildoll said:

yeah and then doublecheck that you didnt put in more screws than you have holes on the mobo.

sometimes the formfactor guidlines in the cases can be a bit difficult to understand, or just plain wrong for your particular board.

cause if you happen to have a spacer in a place where you don't have a mobo hole, it might reach up and touch some components on the motherboard and short circuit them.

Yeah I definitely didn't do that. I just left out the one screw giving me trouble.

Everything's good now, the new machine is amazing.