Installing a new cpu processor

To make room for your own stuff, silly. New hardware just begs for software to match! These review roundups and software guides can also direct you towards some of the best programs around:. Head towards Ninite when it comes time to actually install all that software. Ninite lets you install numerous free applications of your choice all at once, even going so far as to automatically disable the bundled crapware that many free programs try to sneak in as part of the installation process.

If your new laptop came with Windows 11 preinstalled, you might be uncomfortable with its radical new Start menu and taskbar design. You can have it back to feeling normal in no time. The end is in sight! A clone or image creates a snapshot replica of your drive, which you can use to boot up Windows if your primary drive gives up the ghost.

Having an image of your system in its current updated, bloatware free, customized state prevents you from having to do all that legwork over again if you ever have to reinstall Windows for any reason. Essentially, a clone creates an exact copy of your hard drive on another drive—files, master boot record, and all. Position the processor so both pin1 and hole1 match and then place the processor down.

If properly positioned, now when moving the metal arm to the down or horizontal position, it should firmly connect the processor. If you are installing a LIF socket processor, first examine the top of the processor and locate pin one, located with a small white dot. Once pin one is located, look at the socket and locate pin one on the socket on the motherboard.

The socket pin one is located by finding a missing hole or a small "1" next to one of the four corners. Once the pins are aligned properly, gently press the processor into the socket until it is firmly attached. Finally, if you are installing a slot processor , first move the tabs on either side of the support brackets to the outward position.

Next, install the processor by pressing the processor into the slot. Once installed into the brackets the two tabs should snap into place. Thermal grease is a special compound which you can apply to the surface of the CPU before attaching the heat sink. There are two more variables to consider here: the main motherboard power cable and the CPU power cable.

Motherboard power cables come in 20 pin and 24 pin varieties. Most modern power supplies have a cable that terminates in a 20 pin connector, but features an additional 4 pin connector to accommodate the 24 pin slots.

Depending on the design of your CPU and its power requirements, these can come in 4 pin and 8 pin designs. Some high-performance sockets need separate 8 pin and 4 pin cables for a total of Follow the steps below.

If your home is particularly static-prone, you might want to use an anti-static bracelet. A cup or bowl is also handy for holding loose screws. First, unplug all the power and data cables from your PC and move it to your workspace.

Remove the screws holding the left-side access panel from the case—these are on the back of the machine, screwed into the edge. You can then slide the access panel off and set it aside. If your case is a small or unusual design, consult the manual for precise instructions.

Set the PC on its side, with the motherboard facing up. You should be able to look down at the motherboard with all its various ports and connections. The CPU cooler is the large gadget with a big piece of metal the heat sink and one or more fans attached to it. For our Intel stock cooler, this is relatively simple: we just turn the thumbscrews at all four corners, and then lift it off. More complex water-cooled systems might also require advanced techniques.

Before you lift the cooler away, check the power cable attached to the fan. Gently pull it out, and you can then remove the entire cooler. The gelatinous stuff on top of it is the thermal paste that allows heat to efficiently transfer to the cooler. On our Intel LGA socket, we release the lever and lift the plate. At this point the only thing holding the CPU in is gravity.

Carefully grasp it with your finger and lift it out. Set it aside. Now take a look at the CPU socket on the motherboard. You may need to install a backplate on the opposite side of the motherboard. Now remove the new CPU from its packaging.

Insert it into the open CPU socket on the motherboard. It should slide or sit in place easily, without you putting any pressure on it. Pull it out and try again. If not, then squeeze about a pea-sized drop of thermal paste onto the center of the CPU from the paste tube. It spreads out evenly when you lock the cooler into place.

Now re-install the cooler. Again, the method for doing so will vary based on the cooler design. Replace the access panel and screw it in on the back of the frame.

Now return it to its normal spot and power it on for a test. This is the more complex operation. Also note that replacing your motherboard, especially with a different model, generally requires you to re-install your operating system and restore it.

Really, you should consider this more building a new computer and reusing old parts than simply upgrading your computer. A handy trick is to keep your phone handy and take lots of pictures: snap a photo or two with each cable and component you remove. You can refer to them later if you get confused. First remove the power rail from the top or side of the GPU.

If you get a few drops of alcohol elsewhere in your computer, it's not going to do any harm; just make sure you don't get any stray bits of paper towel in there. Under the heatsink or fan, you'll see the old processor in its housing. There should be a small metal lever somewhere to lift the housing off. Word to the wise: You may have to gently press the lever down and to the side first. As with other steps in this process, if you find yourself pulling hard on a component, you're probably missing a very easy, gentle way to remove it.

Once you've raised the housing, all you have to do is lift the processor out. There's nothing else securing it. In what is, by far, the simplest part of the whole process, gently place your new processor down where your old one used to be. There will be two small indentations on the side of the processor, so make sure that they match up with the indentations in the housing.

You'll know the processor is in correctly when it's sitting flat. Then, lower the housing and secure it with the metal bar again. If you ask online, you're going to get a lot of opinions about the "best" way to apply thermal paste. Drawing an X, making a cross, spreading it in advance, letting gravity do the work — there are plenty of methods, and some evidence in favor of and against each one.

The short version is that unless you're building some kind of supercharged, overclocked powerhouse, how you apply thermal paste is not going to make or break the machine. I personally went with the "grain of rice" method, and made a very small ball right in the center of the processor. The heatsink — and the heat of the processor itself — should take care of spreading it over time. Basically, when it comes to thermal paste, less is more, and you can always redo it if you find that your computer is running way too hot.

It's the most open-ended part of the procedure, but it's not the hardest, unless you drive yourself crazy over it. Whatever you did to take the heatsink or fan out, reverse the process. Screw everything back in tightly, but not so tightly that it will bend or break the cooling unit's structure. You're done!