Your system’s CPU or processor may be powerful enough to run games smoothly and handle productivity tasks with ease, but it’s surprisingly easy to damage if you’re not careful. I don’t know what you are doing.
So, whether you’re building your first PC, upgrading an existing system, or a DIY veteran confused by recent socket changes, it’s important to handle your processors with care and properly seat your CPUs into their motherboard sockets. is. If the CPU is not properly seated in the socket, powering on the system without the CPU properly seated can damage the CPU, motherboard, and even other components.
The good news is that besides general patience and care, there are just two important steps to remember. Follow the steps below for easy and successful CPU installation.
Be careful with pins!
Older AMD AM4 processors use a Pin Grid Array (PGA) with hundreds of tiny pins on the bottom of the chip. The new AM5 CPUs and all Intel consumer CPUs are of the Land Grid Array (LGA) type, with pads on the bottom of the CPU and pins on the sockets. Whichever you use, you need to be careful not to bend the pins by dropping or bumping the CPU or socket.
Bent pins, especially one or more near an edge, can be very difficult to recover. These pins and pads are where the CPU and motherboard connect to exchange data and power, so if even one pin is broken or bent, your system will be unable to boot or disable critical functions such as USB. It may become Keep the CPU in the plastic or cardboard tray until you are ready to install the CPU. And don’t drop it!
prepare the motherboard
You can wait until the motherboard is screwed into the case before installing the CPU, but it’s usually easier and safer to leave the motherboard outside the case. However, this is not the easiest option when upgrading CPUs in existing desktops.
When building a new PC, first place the board on top of the antistatic bag it came in or on the motherboard box to protect the bottom of the board and table/desk from static electricity. other.
open a socket
Then we need to open the socket. For the latest Intel and AMD platforms, this is done by pushing down on the metal lever on the right side and slightly away from the socket. The lever must be pushed down from under the metal piece to disengage it and the bar must be slowly lifted up and away from the socket. Older AMD AM4 motherboards have smaller bars and are held in by plastic clips to reduce resistance. But so is the process of lifting the bar.
On Intel and current AMD boards, you’ll need to lift the silver metal CPU retainer plate on the other side of the socket out of the socket the same way you lifted the metal bar. Note that if the motherboard is new, there should be a piece of plastic in the center of the retainer plate designed to protect the socket. You can take it out now, but you can leave it there until you actually install the CPU. It will be forcibly removed by the CPU. Protecting the socket pins is important, so keep this protective cover on if you plan to store, sell, or give away your motherboard at a later date.
AMD’s AM5 socket is fully open
Retaining plates and bars should be above vertical. This allows the socket to remain open for the next step of putting the CPU in its new location.
line up triangular arrows
Don’t mess with this bit unless you want to destroy your component. Before grabbing the CPU, look for a small triangle/arrow on one corner of the socket or retention plate. It is usually located on the top left (bottom image, AMD) or bottom left (Intel). After locating the arrow indicator on the socket, check if there is a matching arrow on one of the corners of the CPU.
You need to make sure that the triangular arrow on the CPU (see AMD CPU image above) aligns with the same arrow on the CPU socket or retainer plate and in the same corner. Seating the CPU with these arrows misaligned can damage the motherboard, possibly the CPU, and other components when the system is powered on with the CPU installed this way.
Gently place the CPU into the socket
AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X Will Be Plugged Into AM5 Socket
Now that we know where the arrows are, it’s time to plug the CPU into the socket. Align the bottom edge of the CPU with the bottom edge of the socket and gently place the chip in the center of the socket. One final check to make sure the arrows on the CPU are aligned with the arrows on the socket or retention bracket as shown in the image above. Then gently push the top edge of the CPU into the socket.
If the CPU is properly seated over the socket, nothing will appear to be warped.
On modern CPUs, the chip doesn’t click into place. Just make sure it fits completely within the plastic frame at the end of the socket itself. If it looks crooked, or if one edge or corner sticks out more than the other, the CPU isn’t seated properly. If so, gently lift the CPU and reseat it in the socket until everything looks straight and the CPU is perfectly centered in the socket.
lock the CPU to the socket
Once the chip is in place, reverse some of the above steps. But before that, one last check to see if the arrows on the CPU and socket are aligned. Otherwise, you will destroy expensive hardware.
After completing the final checks, lower the metal retention bracket back over the CPU.
Lower the retaining bracket first, then lower the arm and lock it in place.
Then lower the metal lever/retaining bar again. Do this slowly, making sure that the metal lip protruding from the retaining bracket is below the raised portion at the top of the bar, at the bottom or top of the socket (depending on whether it’s an Intel or AMD board).
A firm push is required to get the bar back under the metal clips that hold it in place.
If you slowly push the bar back, you’ll notice an increase in resistance, especially for Intel motherboards/CPUs. This is normal because it takes pressure to hold all the pads against all the pins. As long as you’ve followed the steps above exactly and aligned the arrows to make sure the CPU is centered in the socket, there’s nothing to worry about.
Firmly press down on the retention lever/bar until it is parallel to the motherboard, then slide the retention lever/bar under the metal part on the socket to secure it (shown to the left of the finger in the image above).
Align the arrows, install the CPU into the socket, replace the retaining plate and bar to hold it in place, and the processor installation process is complete.
congratulation! The CPU is now installed in the socket. Then add your thermal paste and your cooler of choice. Both will be covered in other how-tos soon. Or check out our complete guide. How to assemble a PC.
