10/15: Step-by-step complete assembly

This photo report presents the step-by-step complete assembly of The First, from the mechanical structure to the electronics. The First is delivered with the mechanical structure already assembled. Only the electronics must be mounted.
The chosen configuration is the following:
The First is a case with integrated cooling 100% dismountable. It is composed of the following mechanical parts:
The first step consists in the assembly of the heatsink with the chassis mechanical structure. The following sequence must be respected:
Don’t hesitate to turn the heatsink upside down to ease the assembly process. This will not have any effect on the heatsink cooling capacity and later operations. Since The First is delivered with the mechanical structure already assembled, these photos are for reference only.
Once the mechanical structure assembled, electronics can be mounted. The following sequence must be respected:
Additional remarks: – In this configuration, a small GPU has been used. However, larger cards (up to 270 mm PCB) are also compatible as shown on photo 8. – We recommend at first a trial assembly without thermal grease, to correctly position the components before the final assembly.
Once the GPU is assembled, the following sequence must be respected:
Your electronics cards are hence mounted.
The power supply can be now assembled with the chassis. If you have chosen an ATX format, the SFX mounting plate is not required as shown on photo 15. If you have chosen an SFX format:
Storage is designed as is: – SSDs can be either mounted onto the left-side metal stud (2 slots) or onto the bottom plate (1 slot) as shown on photo 16. – HDDs can be mounted onto the bottom plate, only if a SFX power supply (significantly smaller) as shown on photo 16. The PC electronics configuration is now fully assembled. The right-side metal stud can be put back in place.
The last part of the assembly process consists in placing the aesthetical skins around the mechanical structure. The following sequence must be respected:
The First is now fully assembled and ready for computing!
Additional remarks: – These photos were taken without any cabling and wires to facilitate understanding. – A video tutorial will be soon available with additional details such as fan mounting, graphic card disassembly. – The First is delivered with the mechanical structure already assembled. Only the electronics must be mounted.