In: Categories » Computers and technology » Windows XP » Installing a Motherboard and CPU on your PC
Before you decide to launch into a motherboard/CPU swap, carefully read over the following procedure and then visit the nearest bathroom. (No, I don’t expect you to be sick; I want you to stand in front of the mirror.) Look yourself in the eye and ask yourself honestly, “Can I do this? If I can do this, do I really want to do this?” If your answer is a confident “Yes,” by all means continue with your upgrade, and may you have the wind always at your back. If, however, your answer is an uncomfortable “Maybe,” don’t forget that you can always take your PC to a local computer shop and have the techs there install your new hardware for you. With that said and if you’re still reading on then get to work!
Installing an Athlon XP or Pentium 4 CPU
If you didn’t buy a combo motherboard with the CPU already installed, follow these steps to install your processor before you install the motherboard:
1. Touch a metal surface. Static is bad. You know the drill.
2. Locate the CPU socket on your motherboard it’s the largest socket on the planet, with several dozen pins. Check the motherboard manual if you have a problem finding it. The CPU socket is also called a ZIF (short for Zero Insertion Force) socket, which means that you can quickly install and remove the CPU without undue pressure on the chip (and with as little danger of bending the CPU pins as possible). The little lever clamps the CPU firmly to the motherboard, as you will see. Pay close attention to the markings on your new CPU. “What markings?” Well, cast your eyes on Figure 12-1, which illustrates different types of markings on both CPUs and sockets. Look for a stubby corner, a tiny groove, or a dot or triangle on one corner of the chip that marked corner will match up with the socket’s marked corner. If you can’t locate the marked corner, your motherboard and CPU manuals will identify them for you.
3. Raise the ZIF lever on the side of the socket to unlock the socket.
4. Align the CPU chip on top of the socket, matching marked corners and double-checking your pin placement from the side of the chip.
5. Use your fingertips to gently press down evenly on the edges of the chip. The chip should settle in until the pins aren’t visible from the side. Do not force your CPU! If it doesn’t comfortably settle into place, put it down and retreat to the comfort of your motherboard and CPU manuals. Breaking the pins on your CPU will turn it into an extremely expensive, nonfunctioning brooch.
6. Lower the ZIF lever on the side of the socket to lock the CPU in place.
7. Clamp the fan on top of the processor. Note: You might need to apply a special glue or compound between the fan plate and the processor before you install the fan.
8. If your CPU fan has a separate power cable, plug it into the proper connector on the motherboard. The location of the CPU fan plug will be listed in your motherboard manual. Relax. Breathe deeply. Congratulations!
Installing your motherboard
Time to put that granddaddy of all circuit boards inside your case. Grab your screwdriver and follow these steps: 1. Unplug your PC and move it onto your work surface.
2. Remove the cover from the case. Keep the screws handy, naturally.
3. Work that anti-static magic by touching your PC’s metal chassis.
4. Unscrew and remove all the adapter cards, placing them on top of a handy sheet of nearby newspaper.
5. Unplug all cables leading to your motherboard. Note: You might also have to remove sections of your case as well as all internal devices such as hard drives, CD/DVD drives, and your floppy drive. (I told you this was going to be a bear, didn’t I?) Because all cases are designed differently, this might take a little investigation on your part.
6. After the motherboard is completely uncovered, remove all the screws and nonconductive washers holding down the motherboard and put them in a bowl, keeping them separate from any other screws. Carefully note the location of the screw holes and any plastic spacers securing the old motherboard to the case before you remove them. This will save time later. If necessary, grab a piece of paper and a pencil and sketch a quick drawing of which holes you should use when installing the new motherboard.
7. Reach into your PC’s case and gently work the old motherboard free. Take the time to make sure that you don’t scratch the surface of your motherboard on exposed metal or sharp edges. A deep-enough scratch can ruin the delicate circuitry etched into the surface of the board.
8. After the old motherboard is clear, put it in the anti-static pouch that protected your new board, and start wondering who will buy it. (If any plastic spacers were attached, remove them and put them with your motherboard screws.)
9. Holding the new motherboard by the edges, carefully place it inside the case to align it. Keep the memory modules and CPU side facing up and toward you, ensuring that the adapter card slots line up with the slots in your case
10.Check to determine which screw holes in your motherboard line up with which screw holes in your case. Note that your case will likely use three or four screws to actually hold the board, but other spots on the board might need to be supported by those plastic spacers; the spacers slide under metal grooves in the case.
11.If you need to add spacers, remove the new motherboard from the case and push the spacers through the holes from the bottom of the board until they snap into place.
12.If you had to remove your motherboard in Step 11, slide it back into the case (making sure that all the plastic spacers are correctly positioned).
13.Check each corner of the motherboard to make sure that it’s separated from the metal of the case and doesn’t wobble.
14.Secure the motherboard with the screws and washers from Step 6, being careful not to overtighten them.
15.Plug the power cables, hard drive, floppy cables, and case control cables back into the new motherboard. Because every motherboard is different, you’ll have to rely on your motherboard manual to locate what goes where. (This is why I’ve never tossed a motherboard manual in the trash.)
16.Reinstall any drives or case chassis parts that you had to remove in Step 5.
17.Reinstall your adapter cards, connecting any cables that you had to remove back to their original location.
18.After you double-check every connection, replace the cover on your case.
19.Plug your PC back in and boogie. It is now appropriate to book a vacation to Disneyland.
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