Looking forward to it too. Hoping I can bump up some sliders in both X-Plane and DCS VR…
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Alright. One panel off and the 2TB m.2 is installed (very easy). Now cloning the 500GB m.2 to the 2TB m.2 to make it bootable. Once it is bootable, the plan is to dig out the 500GB m.2 and replace it with a second 2TB m.2. Now…this looks a bit trickier in that the main m.2 card is under the heat sink on the mobo. From an MSI video…here is a cap. If I take that heat sink off - am I going to have to re-apply thermal paste to the top of that chip?
Pertinent part of the video:
Should be good just to leave it and pop the heatsink back on when done - the TIM should be fresh. Don’t lick it though.
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Let me know how that migration goes. A lot of tools I read up on cannot natively “expand” a partition. So say, when you move the OS from the 500 to the 2TB, you get a 500GB OS partition and 1.5TB free. Windows will let you “extend” it - but it’s not a “natural”/contiguous 2TB partition, which is the result that I want.
Yup that’s what you’ll need Macrium for…
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OK… first (and easiest) m.2 drive is in…
Cloned the 500GB m.2 to the secondary m.2 and then set the boot order in the BIOS to the secondary m.2…that seemed to work.
Then the scary one…the one on the other side. Pretty straightforward though. First remove the fan…
To reveal the heat sink. Four screws out of that and it peels back. I took photos so that I could remember orientation and cable routing…
Under the heat sink the chip…and @fearlessfrog was correct…it is still gooey and I made sure not to let any come off the bottom of the sink…I had goo-cicles hanging off it…
Removed the 500GB m.2 and slid the 2GB one in…just one screw holding that in. Don’t drop it!
All buttoned back up. Said a little prayer, hit the power button…and she booted up! Went into Disk Manager and made the mobo M.2 bootable and will now mirror the secondary m.2 mirror back onto the mobo m.2. I’m not sure that it makes a difference whether the mobo m.2. or the secondary m.2 is the actual boot device, but I figured I’d keep it the way MSI intended it… So just waiting to see if that goes OK.
Yes. I realize I’ve unbuilt and built my new computer. To some degree anyway. 
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I think that the only thing I would be paranoid about is that the CPU/Heatsink connection has a good, even layer of that thermal paste. Any voids and it means a less than ideal connection.
I was certainly able to, so I’m sure you will as well. You have a better CPU too.
That does appear to be what I got. So the end result (and this could probably be done more efficiently):
Intel 2TB m.2 SSD - C: 500 GB and D: 1430 GB
Intel 2TB m.2 SSD - E: 1907 GB
Seagate 2TB 5200 - F: 1842 GB
I probably won’t install anything to the Seagate and replace that slot and the one remaining SATA slot with a pair of 2TB regular SSDs. I looked at 2.5" 7200 drives and for the cost you might as well just go with SSDs at this point.
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yep, wireless combo here
Wired myself - got sick of input delay. Sometimes the wireless receivers don’t pick up well from the back of the tower too.
Most comfortable keyboard I’ve used is still my backup Logitech Wireless Wave MK550.
Yeah. I’ve seen some wireless mice (mouses?) (meece?) get wonky when they are near a powered USB port too.
So I’m currently moving my X-Plane install…it’s been hours moving it because my old computer only has USB 3.1 ports, and I think those are faster that network cable. Once all the files are on the new Mediasonic server I should be able to plug the USB-C cable in to the MSI and probably just run it straight off the Mediasonic. The size of my X-Plane install would swallow up all that sweet, sweet m.2 space…so best not to go there I think…
If the receiving drive is fast enough, USB will be quicker so long as it’s working (send & receive) as USB 3.0+. I’d think less overhead too.
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Unfair - you’ve pre-empted our mockery! 
Basic level PC building (the kind I do) doesn’t get much more complicated than what you’ve done there, hehe. I appreciate the convenience factor, though.
Nice machine, congrats!
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With that form factor? This is custom-built times 10 - level of complexity… 
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Really nice machine Beach. Glad it all went smoothly. 
Wheels
I’m quiet because I’m reveling in it. LOL. 
I’ll pry myself away soon to give some impressions.
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@taubkin it is true - quite a different category to my ham-fisted efforts where you just shove everything inside the case and sit on the bulging side wall to keep it in place long enough to to tighten the screws…airflow? What’s that? 
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I’m just wondering what Beach had to get his wife in return to get that machine?-)
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