10 Tips:CPU & Heat Sink Installation(Part 1)

1-Check the bottom of your CPU cooler for faults.

A CPU cooler's bottom surface, often copper, should be perfectly smooth; if the cooler is a used one and the area is scratched or marred, heat transfer in those spots will be imperfect. Some enthusiasts "lap" their new coolers (polishing the bottoms with fine sandpaper atop a hard, flat surface, such as sheet glass) and even the tops of their CPUs to ensure perfect contact-surface smoothness, but we don't recommend this; simply return to the seller any new cooler that has a defect visible on this surface.

2-How to restore a damaged CPU or socket.

Okay, so it happened: Our advice in Tip 21 fell on deaf ears, and a pin in the CPU socket, or on the CPU proper, got bent. Don't panic. Also, don't try to straighten it with just any tool--you might break the pin off or bend other pins in the process.

3-Old thermal paste can hinder cooling performance.

If you're reusing a CPU cooler, it probably has remnants of old thermal paste on it. Also, if you botch installing your cooler and need to reseat it, you should clean off the old thermal paste and apply a fresh coat. (You want the layer between chip and cooler to be even, without blobs or bare patches.) Remove the old stuff thoroughly using rubbing alcohol and either a lint-free, nonabrasive cloth or paper towels.

4-Don't overapply thermal paste.

Unless your CPU comes with thermal material preapplied to its base (usually in the form of a waxy, square pad), you'll need to apply thermal paste to the CPU's top before installing the cooler. (The paste fills any microscopic grooves in the cooling surfaces, improving heat transfer away from the chip.) Some paste typically comes with the cooler, in a squeeze-out packet or tiny plunger-style applicator.

5-Third-party thermal paste has its ins and outs.

Don't expect miracles from aftermarket thermal paste, as opposed to the generic goop that comes with most coolers--you won't shave off more than a few degrees, tops, with the premium stuff. Also note that some pastes are electrically conductive, while others are not; if you're buying some, we strongly recommend the latter, in case any stray blobs find their way onto motherboard circuitry.