| STEP 5 : Install the CPU |
| Installing the CPU is a pretty straightforward process.
The real risk is to the CPU. Doing this step too fast or carelessly can result in damage
to the processor. Therefore, don't get nervous. It is an easy step, but do it with care. |
| There are two common interfaces for CPU's, Socket 7 and
Slot 1. Socket 7 is the most commonly used. All Pentiums use it, along with all Cyrix and
AMD chips. Slot 1 is the Single Edge Contact (SEC) interface used by the Pentium II family
of processor. Therefore, depending on the processor you will be using, the CPU
installation will be different. Therefore, this step will be divided into two sections. |
| Socket 7 |
| Almost all Socket 7 systems make use of the zero-insertion
force (ZIF) socket. Therefore, this procedure is relevant with that setup. |
| To install a Socket 7 chip, follow this procedure: |
| 1) Check the pins. Turn the chip over and inspect the pins. Are they bent? They should
all stick straight up. If many of them are bent, then it is best to request a replacement
processor. If only a couple are bent and the bend is not that much, then you may be able
to use a screwdriver to gently bend the pins back into place. Do so VERY carefully. |
| 2) Orient The Chip. This involves locating Pin 1 on both the chip and the socket. This
is easy to do. The chip is always marked at Pin 1. The mark may be a little dot on one
corner, a slightly notched corner, or a mark at one of the pins under the chip. On the
socket, there is usually a notch on one corner, or a big "1". These corners will
be matched up for correct installation. Notice how the corner of the CPU is notched and
dotted, and that there is an arrow on the motherboard pointing to that particular corner
of the socket. |
| 3) Open ZIF Socket. This is done by grabbing the lever on one side of the socket and
opening it. Pull the lever from the closed, level position, to the open, vertical
position. You may need to pull the lever out a bit before it will open. Do this slowly and
don't force it. You don't want to break the socket. On the way up, you may experience a
little more force. This is normal. The top part of the ZIF socket will slide over a bit. |
| 4) Insert Processor. Bearing in mind the orientation determined in Step 1, insert the
chip into the socket. With a ZIF socket, the chip should install very easily. It should
almost fall into the socket with all pins lining up. That's why they call it the Zero
Insertion Force socket. If not, the socket is probably not open all the way. If you do not
have a ZIF socket (God forbid!), you need to exercise extreme care. Lay the chip on the
socket. Make sure all pins line up. Then, slowly push the chip into the socket. Use your
thumb and push on one side of the chip until it starts to go in. Then proceed to another
side and repeat. Do this around the chip several times until it is completely installed. |
| 5) When done, there should be basically no gap between the
bottom of the processor and the socket. |
| 6) Close Z IF Socket.Just close the lever. You will probably feel some resistance. This
is normal and it should close anyway. If you really need to lean on it, though, check to
be sure the chip is installed correctly. When down, make sure the lever snaps into place.
You're done. |
| Slot 1 |
| As said before, only Pentium II's and the Celeron
processor use Slot 1. The slot is basically like a long PCI slot, although it is not
white. It runs parallel to the SDRAM slots. On each of the four corners of the slot will
be a receptor for a screw. Now that we have it spotted, let's install the chip. |
| 1) Install the Pentium II Rack. Basically, this rack serves as a guide-rail and support for the CPU
to rest in. Since the Pentium II processor sticks up high off the board and is rather
slim, it would simply be too loose in the slot without the rails. The rails usually come
with the motherboard. They will be about the height of the processor and have two built-in
screws on one end. Position a rail on each end of the Slot. Use a screw to tighten it into
place onto the motherboard receptors. Do this for each side of the Slot. When done, you
should have one rail on each end of the slot. |
| 2) Install the Cooler onto the
Processor. It is much easier to do this, usually,
before you push the chip into its slot. All coolers are a little different in the way they
attach to the CPU, but most use the little holes on the metal side of the processor to
lock into place. With some coolers, you will need to use a support to keep it off the
motherboard. This support comes with the rack setup, and you only use it when needed. |
| 3) Insert the Processor. It is time to insert the Pentium II processor into the Slot. The
processor has one card-like edge at the bottom of the black cartridge. This edge is keyed
so that it can only insert into the slot the correct way. So, push the processor into the
guide rails and down all the way to the surface of the slot. Make sure the cooler(or fan)
is facing the side near the motherboard's chipset. When you get to the bottom, you will
feel some resistance. This is normal. Work the processor in until the little levers at the
top of the guide rails click into place, locking the chip in. |
| STEP 6 : Install the Heat
Sink |
| Now that the CPU is installed in the motherboard, you need
to install the heat sink and fan. Although you can perform this step before installing the
chip, by doing that you risk damage to the pins on the chip. |
| The following procedure is for a Socket 7 processor. On a
Pentium II processor, the fan is attached before CPU installation. Simply lock the fan
into the small holes on the metal side of the processor. |
| 1) Attach the fan to the heat sink. This step is often already done for you, but if not, you must do it
yourself. This is done using the four screws that came with the CPU fan. |
| 2) Apply the Heat Sink Compound. Most setups use heat sink compound. Apply just enough to cover the
surface of the chip. If you have portions of the chip higher than others, apply compound
only to the raised areas. The layer should be thin. More won't hurt anything, but will be
a mess when you press the heat sink down. On some setups, you can skip heat sink compound.
Instead, some clips hold the heat sink down. While, in some cases you can skip heat sink
compound, keep in mind that even this setup can benefit from the increased contact
provided by heat sink compound. More on this next step. |
| 3) Attach The Heat Sink. Place the heat sink squarely on top of the processor, pressing down
lightly. Most newer heat sinks use a set of clips on each side to fasten itself down.
These clips attach to a pair of tabs on each side of the socket. It will probably take a
little bit of force to bend the clip down over the tab. Other heat sinks wrap around the
processor, then just sit on top, and the compound being the only real attachment |
| 4) Double-Check Contact. You need to make sure all areas of the chip are in contact with the
heat sink. The best way to do this is to temporarily remove the heat sink again and see if
there are any areas of compound that remain smooth because it didn't touch the chip. Apply
a little more compound to any such areas, then refasten the heat sink. Repeat this until
all areas are in contact with the processor. |
| 5) Clean The Mess. If you applied too much compound, some will have oozed out the
sides. Wipe this up. After that, you're done. |
| STEP 7 : Install the Cache Module |
| On many late-486's and early Pentiums, external cache,
or Level 2 cache, was installed in a slot. This was later abandoned in favor of on-board
cache, which most modern boards have. If you are installing a newer board with on-board
cache, you can skip this step. |
| The cache module is usually called the COASt module. It
is not universal. Like RAM, there are different types, and you need to make sure you are
installing the right type. |
| Follow this simple procedure to install your COASt
module, if you have one: |
| 1) Line it up. This is
pretty easy. COASt modules are keyed to prevent incorrect installation. This is done by
placing an indent on some point other than the halfway point, thereby leaving a different
amount of contacts on one side of the indent than another. |
| 2) Insert the Module.
Again, easy. Once lined up, push the module into the slot. This may require a bit of
pressure, but don't force it. Make sure the motherboard is on a flat surface so that you
don't flex the board. Like a card, it may be easier to rock the module, installing one
side, then the other. |
