Installing Processor

[millerlite86]

I'm building a small computer just to be able to surf the net and send email. I have a PPGA Intel Celeron 400 MHz processor that I would like to install and a fan/heatsink. What is the procedure to do this? Are there any types of special thermal compound, ect?

As far as I know I just have to coat the silver top in the center of the processor with some thermal compound and then snap on the heatsink/fan right?

Any tips will be greatly appriciated! :-)

[Atomic Rooster]

There is a nice section with videos on installing heatsinks from AMD. (I know it's a different CPU, but the HSF installs the same.)

[millerlite86]

It says that it is better to use a thermal pad that thermal grease? This is the same for Intel machines too right?

[Front242]

Yes

[jmebonner]

The grease is actually much better if you have it. It really won't make too much difference on that processor as it won't generate a huge amount of heat. A pad would be fine too. Just use whatever you have.

[millerlite86]

The heatsink that I have is only about 5mm tall and the fan about the same. Will this be "strong" enough?

[coldfusion22]

thermal pad is generally not recommended. If you go to any site that reviews temperatures, thermal grease especailly the kind of artic silver always beats temperatures vs. the use of a thermal pad. Most of the time, thermal pads don't totally work. One reason for this is becauese they tend to wear quickly than thermal grease. One other reason is that after long periods of use, they tend to be very hard to clean off and to remove say if you decide to put on thermal grease. Thermal grease such as articl silver III is speacially designed for better cooling operations. A pad that is stock on a heatsink I believe doesn't cool as good as grease. Plus, it would be easier to make sure that there are no gaps between the bottom of the heatsink and where the chip on the cpu is located. Microscopically there are ridges on the core of the cpu, but these can't be seen from the naked eye, thermal grease takes care of this if applied properly.

[coldfusion22]

but since you have a 400Mhz processor, It won't make a difference if use either a pad or thermal compound. However if you have a computer that's 1 Ghz+ then compund is recomended