Installing cpu into socket question

J

Jamin43

banned
I picked up my $199.00 Core i7 today from my local microcenter. It's the C0 Step - but I couldn't pass up on such a sale price.

Now I got a Power Supply and Processor - got to finalize the rest of my list to put the order in ( GPU is the one piece still in flux ).

But Microcenter offered a service if I bought the MOBO there. They said for $10.00 - they would seat the chip in the motherboard for me. I really don't think it'll be a big deal to seat the chip - but then again I've never done it - and if I screw up the pins on this puppy and void the warranty - I can't afford to start over with a new MOBO and CPU at that price point. I guess that's the price I pay for choosing an i7 as my first build instead of a budget PC - eh!!!

My question is - how big a deal is it to seat a chip - is there alot of room for error. Should I just have this guy seat the chip for me and be done with it?

Thanks
 
Well ive only done it once. And when i tried it i had no idea what i was doing. And i did it just fine. My mother board had a socket 462 ( or socket A ). So idk if thats any easier then other sockets. Anyways for me it was pretty simple... but that was just me (=
 
Waste of money. Its like putting a piece in a puzzle. Line the pins up and let go. Even if its not aligned it will just sit there and you can turn it around to whichever way its supposed to be.
 
Sounds good,

I went out and got some Thermal Compouind from Best Buy - going to remove and reset my CPU on my Oldest Dell PC so I know what it's all about.

Should I be cleaning the old thermal compound with Rubbing Alcohol before I newly set it? Or is there some other cleaner recommended?

At first I was a little excited about the guy setting my CPU for me - one less thing to worry about - then I was thinking - I wanted to do it myself - build the whole thing soup to nuts - so I know if I have any problems later - I can fix it myself.

Also - the MOBO's come with a Socket cover - do the Intel Chips also have a cover on em similar - that keeps all the pins aligned while it's boxed?

I found a guide online - what exactly are the pins that could be bent? Is it all the gold contacts - or are the pins - that center configuration?

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2385&page=3

installLGA1366_2155.jpg
 
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Jamin43 said:
Sounds good,

I went out and got some Thermal Compouind from Best Buy - going to remove and reset my CPU on my Oldest Dell PC so I know what it's all about.

Should I be cleaning the old thermal compound with Rubbing Alcohol before I newly set it? Or is there some other cleaner recommended?

At first I was a little excited about the guy setting my CPU for me - one less thing to worry about - then I was thinking - I wanted to do it myself - build the whole thing soup to nuts - so I know if I have any problems later - I can fix it myself.

Also - the MOBO's come with a Socket cover - do the Intel Chips also have a cover on em similar - that keeps all the pins aligned while it's boxed?

I found a guide online - what exactly are the pins that could be bent? Is it all the gold contacts - or are the pins - that center configuration?

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2385&page=3

installLGA1366_2155.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah, just use 97% isopryprol alcohol and q-tips to clean off any old thermal paste, drop a small(rice size grain) of thermal compound onto the cpu, and put the heatsink back on. The i7 you dont have to worry about bending the pins on, as its an LGA cpu, the pins are on the motherboard, older intel cpu's(such as socket 478) and any amd processors have pins on the cpu and contacts in the socket. Just line up the notch until it seats, pull down the tray and lever, seat the heatsink/thermal paste, plug the fan in, and your ready to do the rest of the things, such as connect hdd, power supply, optical drives, video card, etc.
 
bomberboysk said:
Yeah, just use 97% isopryprol alcohol and q-tips to clean off any old thermal paste, drop a small(rice size grain) of thermal compound onto the cpu, and put the heatsink back on.c.
Click to expand...


I've got some 70 % isopropyl alcohol. You wouldn't recommend using it?

Can I find 97 % in any drug store?

Edit: I found some denatured Alcohol in my workshop - but I can't find the concentration anywhere on the label. It does say
Specific-purpose cleaning solvent

Thins Shellac, Cleans glass and Metal. Clean burning fuel for marine stoves

Klean Strip SLX Denatured Alcohol is a superior, fast-evaporating cleaner. Use full-strenth to clean non-lacquered jewelry, and printing inks from rubber rollers and metal parts. Dilute one part SLX Denatured Alcohol with two parts water to clean glass, porcelain and piano keys.

http://www.academyfloor.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=128
Click to expand...

slxalcohol.JPG
 
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Jamin43 said:
I've got some 70 % isopropyl alcohol. You wouldn't recommend using it?

Can I find 97 % in any drug store?
Click to expand...

Anyone should have 97%, walmart, rite-aid, walgreens, etc. I would recommend 97% over 70% as think about it, whats the other 30%? Water, alcohol evaporates much quicker than water does, so if you use 70% it will work, but take longer to dry.
 
The Best rubbing alcohol I could find was 92 % and I popped off the Heatsink this a.m. It had a layer of bubblegum like substance ( I'm assuming this was Dell's Thermal Compound ) on it - that I peeled off - and buffed out with a Diaper cloth and the Rubbing alcohol.

When I took the CPU out - there was no resistance - it just slid out - and dropped back in. If it is lined up - it drops in - if it's not - it wouldn't go in until you turned it to the right position.

Is this pretty much how all CPU's go into a motherboard?

I heard from the guy at the store people come with Bent Pins on some motherboards - Based on the P4 I just removed - cleaned - and replaced - I don't see how somebody being careful could do that.
 
Jamin43 said:
Is this pretty much how all CPU's go into a motherboard?

Based on the P4 I just removed - cleaned - and replaced - I don't see how somebody being careful could do that.
Click to expand...

Like bomberboy said, the LGA socket has the pins on the motherboard, and the word "pin" is a slight exaggeration.

They are very thin, easy to bend strips of metal, not like the P4's solid shafts.

The LGA socket and cpu have grooves around the outside so the cpu can only fit in one direction, but the chip must be set straight down.

The LGA cpu installation takes a bit more care in my opinion, but it's not hard.
 
I'm gonna install it myself. I'll feel better about my PC if I do eveything myself when it's all built. I also will be more comfortable upgrading heat sink later on when I want to try overclocking :good:

Thanks for everybody's input
 
Jamin43 said:
The Best rubbing alcohol I could find was 92 % and I popped off the Heatsink this a.m. It had a layer of bubblegum like substance ( I'm assuming this was Dell's Thermal Compound ) on it - that I peeled off - and buffed out with a Diaper cloth and the Rubbing alcohol.

When I took the CPU out - there was no resistance - it just slid out - and dropped back in. If it is lined up - it drops in - if it's not - it wouldn't go in until you turned it to the right position.

Is this pretty much how all CPU's go into a motherboard?

I heard from the guy at the store people come with Bent Pins on some motherboards - Based on the P4 I just removed - cleaned - and replaced - I don't see how somebody being careful could do that.
Click to expand...

I would recommend using cotton swabs(q-tips) for this, as they dont leave any residue after the alcohol dries;)
 
what people have been saying about the LGA scoket, when you stick the CPU in and you have the little latch, is it supposed to make a scraping/grinding sound, only mine does every time. I thought it was fine as it has no problems and my old P4 did the same, but just out of curiosity :P
 
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