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Most microprocessors will produce a lot
of heat, which if not efficiently dissipated can cause the system to
operate intermittently or fail completely. One way to dissipate heat
from processors is to use the heat sink and cooling fan. Proper installation is crucial to this unit performing its role
effectively. Although the heat sink can be mounted before installing
the processor chip on the motherboard, there is a risk of causing
damage to the pins on the chip. Only on Pentium II processors is the
fan attached before the CPU installation.
The following step-by-step applies to socket 7 and other socket
type processors:
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Step 1
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If the CPU fan did not come with the heat sink already attached
to it (in most cases, it will be attached), use the screws that came
with the fan to attach it to the heat sink.
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Step 2
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Apply the heat sink
compound to the surface of the chip. Some setups use heat sink
compound or thermal grease. Apply a thin layer, just enough to cover
the surface of the chip. In practice, the heat sink compound in some
of the setups where clips are used to hold the heat sink down may be
skipped, but bear in mind that using the compound is still a good
idea. The heat sink compound or thermal grease improves contact
between the CPU surface and the heat sink, thereby permitting better
heat dissipation.
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Step 3
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Now attach the heat sink. Proceed with care at
this point. Place the heat sink squarely on top of the processor, and
press it down gently. Most of the newer heat sinks actually use a set
of clips on each side to hold them down. A little force may have to be
used to bend the clip in place. In fact, if the orientation is not
right, the clips will be quite challenging to bend down into the right
position. Sometimes it takes a few trials to get the right orientation
(this is especially true for the new AMD socket A). In other cases,
the heat sink simply wraps around the processor with the heat sink
compound being the only real attachment.
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Step 4 |
At this point,
double-check to make sure the heat sink maintains a good contact with
the processor chip surface. Usually when the heat sink is inserted
backwards, the chip surface and heat sink become staggered. If this
happens, remove the heat sink, turn it around, and try to reattach it. |
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Step 5
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Some heat sink compound or thermal grease
may have oozed out the sides of the contact surfaces when the heat
sink was pressed down. Wipe up the excess compound.
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Step 6
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Plug the power cord from the fan to the fan power pins
provided on the motherboard. Make sure to observe the proper
orientation.
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Processors that come with the fan and heat sink already attached to
them are more convenient. These are called boxed processors. Boxed
processors cost a bit more but are safer to install since it lessens
the chance of breaking the pins. The above steps can then be skipped.
They also have better warranty coverage than those without the fan and
heat sink attached.
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