72 JANUARY2021|COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE395
HOWTOFITTHEMOTHERBOARD
ANDCPUCOOLER
W
ith the core componentsinthe
motherboard, it’stime to fit
everythingintothe case andthen fit the
CPUcooler. Whileyou could fit the CPU
cooler at thispoint,wedon’t recommend it.
Coolers tend to make atemptingplaceto
grab as ahandle, whichcan cause damage
to the motherboard.
The oneexception is if youhaveacustom
cooler that requires arear mounting plate
(stock coolers that ship withyour processor
don’t need one).Havealookatyour case.
If there’salarge cutout behind wherethe
processor will be on the motherboard, you
canfit the mounting platelater.Ifthere isn’t,
youneedtodothisstepnow.Check your
cooler’s instructionscarefully,but in most
cases,you press the rear plate up against
the rear of the motherboardand screwin
the fanbracketsfromthe frontside. 1
ADDYOURMOTHERBOARD
To put the motherboard in the case, slowly
loweritdownsothat the ports line up with
the I/Oshield. When the ports arealigned,
push the motherboard towardsthe rear of
the case untilthe screw holesline up with
the standoffs. Youmay need to gently liftup
acouple of springs on the I/Oshield to get
the motherboard linedup.
While maintaining pressureonthe
motherboard,insert ascrew and tightenby
hand. Youwantenoughpressureonthe
screw to know that it’s in place,but don’t
overtightenit. This first screw will keep the
motherboard in placewhileyou addthe
remaining screws. Addasmanyscrewsas
there arescrew holes, otherwiseyour
motherboard may notsit straight, whichcan
makeadding expansion cardstricky. 2
ADDTHERMALPASTE
TOYOURCPU
If youhaveabrand-newcooler,there’sa
good chance that it is already pre-loaded
withthermal paste. If not, or if you’rereusing
an older one, you’ll need to add your own.
Take the tube of thermalpasteand gently
squeeze apea-sized dollop on the middleof
your CPU.Don’t spreadthe paste: it will
naturallyexpand andcoverthe surface of
the CPU when youput the cooler on. 3
ATTACHANINTELCOOLER
If you’reusing astock Intelcooler or a
third-partymodel with push-pin connectors,
now’sthe timetofit yours.
Take aflathead screwdriver and insert it
into thecooler’sscrew slot. Turn in the
oppositedirection of the arrow until you
can’tturn the foot anymore. This sets the
feet up to lockintoplace; turningthe foot in
the direction of the arrow unlocksthe foot
forremoval. Repeat
forall four feet.
Look at the cooler
and see which side
the powerconnector
sticksout of.Make
surethat this side of
the coolerpoints
towardsthe CPU fan
cooler header on
your motherboard.
Nowlower the cooler
into placesothat the
feet lineupwith the
holes around the
processorsocket.
Start with one foot
and push down on
topuntil it clicksinto
position. Nowgo
diagonally opposite and push down on the
connectoruntil it locksintoposition.Repeat
forthe remaining twofeet.
When the cooler is lockedintoplace,itwill
feel firm; if it wobbles, it means at least one
foot is notpushed throughthe retaining hole
in the motherboard.Undo anyloose feet
(turnagainst the arrow)and pull up to
remove,thenturn thefoottothe lock
position and push down. 4
ATTACHANAMDCOOLER
Official AMD coolers clip on to theretention
framesurroundingthe CPU.Line up the
cooler so that the fancable is closest to
the CPU header on the motherboard.
Open the cooler’shandle, then gently lower
the entireunit on to the CPU.
Fitthe metalclip without the handle over
the retention frameanchors on one side of
the processor. Now, push the remaining
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