The MATRIX case follows the tool free philosophy, meaning that a user is able to a full PC without the need for screws or screwdrivers.

There's a couple of things you'll have to take into consideration before commencing with the installation procedure. First of all, the tool free installation isn't entirely tool free and can require some unscrewing to be done. If you are going to be installing more than one 5.25" drive unit or more than one 3.5" drive, then both side panels need to be removed. In each drive bay, there's a protective metal plate in each slot except for the topmost for either the 5.25" and 3.5".

To remove this metal plate, you have to remove a screw located on the right hand side as you look at the front of the case. On the left hand side, there is a tool free clip which you can then use to clamp your drive in place. Tools will also be necessary when installing the PSU.

Let's take a quick look at the procedure.

1. We first removed the side panel to get access to the inside. We installed the motherboard in a flash, using the screws that come with the case. There's also a user manual which along with the screws are initially inside the case.

2. We then installed the drives (optical and HDD) and the power supply control panel for our Thermaltake PSU. Since we are going to be using more than one 5.25" drive bay slot (one for our DVD burner and one for the power supply control panel), we need to remove one 5.25 drive slot metal plate. Since these plates are held in place with a screw, you'll need to also remove the other side panel to gain access.

The above photo shows the screws which hold metal plates in place.

3. After the drives were installed (including the HDD), we moved on to installing the Power Supply Unit. We installed the Thermaltake PurePower 550. Note here, that we had to remove a PSU clamp (see photo below), in order for the PSU to fit in.

4. After removing the clamp, the PSU slipped right into place, and we moved on with installing our GPU card.

5. The installation in expansion slots was fairly easy, the easiest part of the installation in the MATRIX case.

We removed the metal plate occupying the PCI slot where we wanted to install our card. We lifted the green clip and installed the GPU card, then locked down the green clip to hold the card firmly in place.

6. All in all, a fairly simple and straightforward assembly. The only hitch was when we had to remove the side panel to install a second unit in our 5.25" drive bay.

Everything installed, the system up and running, with plenty of space left inside the case.