Assembly Process: Step 1 - The CPU

Now that we’ve looked over everything, we can start putting it together.  There’s a general step-by-step process to follow, but it can have many variations.  I decided to follow the steps that I think make the process easiest for learning.

Installing the CPU and Heatsink onto the Motherboard

Let’s start by installing the CPU onto the motherboard.  Touch your grounded power supply and make sure your motherboard is still on top of its static bag to help reduce the risk of ESD.  Some people like to install the motherboard into the case before installing anything else, but I like to enjoy the freedom of movement outside the case for this task.

1. Start by lifting the metal bar alongside the CPU socket.  This will slide the socket a little and open up the holes for each of the pins.  This is called a “zero-insertion-force” or ZIF socket, and it’s used on most consumer motherboards today, no matter what CPU you’re installing.  Note the corner of the socket where the bar is attached is missing 2 pins.  The underside of the processor is also missing two pins in the corner with the triangle or arrow.  As a general rule, the corner of the processor with the arrow points towards the base of the metal bar. 

2. To install the processor, simply align the processor squarely over the socket (ensure the arrow is pointing toward the base of the metal bar) and it should drop right in.  Take care to not bend any pins during this process.  To secure the processor, simply lower the bar to its original position alongside the socket.  The processor should now be sitting flush on the socket.  If it is tilted, raise the metal bar and re-seat the processor.

3. The next step is to install the heatsink into the black plastic heatsink socket on top of the CPU.  For future reference, if you’re using an aftermarket thermal compound, now is when you would apply it.  Note that you can’t use both a thermal compound and a thermal pad (included on the stock heatsink); you can only use one or the other.  In this case, the thermal pad is installed and we simply attach the heatsink.  The heatsink can be attached by placing it into the socket and pressing down evenly for all four corners snap into place.  These full size heat spreaders can sometimes get hung up on the edge of the plastic socket, so precision alignment may be required. 

4. Pull both beige levers down to secure it.  This should require some force.  Sometimes the clips pop off during the lock-down, which happened in my case.  To offset the force on the clips during this process I pushed down on heatsink and fan with one hand while the other swung the lever.  I had to do this for both sides.

5. Now is the best time to unravel the power cable folded into the fan and plug it into the correct socket.  If you turn the motherboard 180 degrees, it will be off the bottom-right of the heatsink.  The keyed ends of the cord connector slide around the keyed header of the power connection on the motherboard.  Step one is complete.

Next, Installing the Memory >>

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