Best PC Upgrades

Step-By-Step: How to Install a New CPU

Replacing a CPU is a fairly involved PC upgrade; but done right, it's relatively painless. Here's how to proceed:

[1] Run your PC for about 15 minutes to heat up the thermal paste between the heat sink/fan and the CPU. This should make it much easier to separate the heat sink from the processor.

[2] Turn off the PC and remove its cover. Touch a metal part of your PC's case or use an antistatic wrist strap to equalize charge and ground yourself.

[3] Detach the power cable connecting the heat sink/fan to the motherboard. Carefully remove the heat sink/fan from the CPU. Some types are locked down with a lever, others are attached with screws, and still others use clips to attach directly to the CPU socket.

[4] Remove the CPU by unlatching and pulling up the little lever handle on the side of the socket, thereby releasing the processor. Label the CPU and tuck it away in the new CPU's box.

[5] A notch or an absence of pins on one corner of your new CPU will show you the one way to line up the new chip in your CPU socket appropriately. Gently position it in the socket, and then swing the lever handle over and down to lock it into place.

[6] Most retail CPUs come with thermal grease preapplied to the accompanying heat sink. If yours doesn't, follow the included directions for applying a small amount of thermal compound over the CPU die or the heat spreader on top of the new chip. A small packet of the paste should have been included with your new CPU kit.

[7] If your kit came with a new heat-sink-and-fan assembly, and you haven't yet upgraded to a more powerful cooling kit, use the new parts. Your faster (and likely hotter) upgraded CPU may require additional cooling. Otherwise, reattach the old heat sink and fan.

[8] Turn on the PC, and launch your system's setup program (watch the screen to see what key you should press at the start of the boot sequence). Check to see whether the system is running the new CPU at its correct speed. If it isn't, you may need to update your BIOS version or change some of its settings. For instructions, check the documentation accompanying your motherboard, or consult the maker's Web site.