Advice when installing my new CPU.

[cory551]

Alright everyone, I am pretty much building my new CPU, not completely, but most parts. I am keeping my old motherboard and heatsink, and adding a new AMD x2 4200+ 939 socket. This is my first time replacing a CPU, I do have some experience with building computers, but this is a first for me. I am wondering mostly about the thermal paste. I will order a small tube of it, but I watched a lot of instructional videos on where/how to put it on, but I still find it confusing. Now, to my knowledge so far, under the heatsink there is a small plastic square, for heat protection on the processor. Do I put a small dab on that, then rub it on lightly? Where exactly do I put it... I am confused. If I put it on the processor, do I just put it on the top of the unit itself? All help is needed, along with any other advice that will help me out when I install my new CPU.

Thanks, and you all are really great, several computer problems have already been solved by using this forum.

- Cory.

 

[thebigdintx]

i would recommend buying artic silver 5 thermal paste, and there are some great step by step instructions for applying it to your cpu on their website....http://www.arcticsilver.com/instructions.htm

 

[kchi55]

Alright assuming that you bought the retail version of the AMD X2, then they already have thermal compound on it, which would save you the hassle of doing anything. If you still want to put your own thermal compound like Arctic Silver 5 or something then scrape off the thermal compound already there, remember roughly how large the square was and add a dot of thermal compound onto the bottom of the heatsink, "about the size of a grain of rice" and smooth it out with a surface like a credit card or something, then place the HSF onto the CPU itself and you should be set. Your first sentence was a bit odd, building your CPU, that'd be quite a feat to accomplish on your own lol.