Installing the 1151 processor. How to install a processor on a motherboard with your own hands: step-by-step installation instructions

Central processing unit (CPU)

For common user the difference in performance and quality of work of similar models from Intel and AMD is usually imperceptible and lies more in the psychological perception of numbers. You can compare processor performance on our ratings pages (Processor Summary Test and Extreme Processor Summary Test). The type and frequency of the required random access memory(we will talk about it in one of the next parts of our workshop).

If you want a top-end option for powerful game system, then at the moment the maximum performance will be provided by the Core i7-7700K (socket LGA 1151, costs about 25,000 rubles).

The best gaming processor from AMD today is the Ryzen 7 1800X (socket AM4, price about 28,000 rubles).

Intel Core i5-7500 (socket LGA 1151, about 12,000 rubles) and Ryzen 5 1600X (socket AM4, about 16,000 rubles) can be good choices.

A socket is a socket used for installation on a system board. For example, an LGA 1151 socket means that the processor has 1151 working contacts, and the chip itself does not have pins, they are located on the motherboard.

When choosing a processor of previous generations, it is worth remembering that the more cores it is equipped with, the more efficiently it performs calculations. For example, models from Intel, starting from the fifth generation, have eight cores. AMD is currently using eight cores in its home PC processors, and the 16-core platform is already available for the enthusiast. Whenever possible, you should choose the models with the largest cache. CPUs come in two versions: OEM - without heatsink and cooler, BOX - with branded heatsink and cooler. Considering the price and variety of cooling systems on the market, it is better to choose the OEM option and then select the cooling yourself. Motherboard

The motherboard is the link that connects the entire system into a single organism. Speed, stability, interaction, the possibility of installing new equipment depend on the joint venture.

The choice of system (motherboard) board depends on the manufacturer of the processor (Intel or AMD) and its socket. You may need PCI and PCI-E slots to install additional cards, and the more the better. The number of USB, FireWire and other ports should be with a margin.

Cards with multiple PCI-E slots for graphics cards support NVIDIA SLI, or AMD CrossFireX, which allows multiple GPUs to be installed and combined. Important: when installing the motherboard in the case, you should handle it carefully, without bending it and, if possible, without touching the contacts. In addition, an MP with RAM modules and a processor already installed on it is mounted in the case after installing the PSU and case fans into it. After that, control and notification cables coming from the case are connected to it (Power and Reset buttons, LED indicators, speaker).

CHIP option:

MSI B350 PC MATE motherboard

A motherboard that allows you to smoothly switch to new technologies without using the most expensive components. This board supports the newfangled trends and in the future will not become a bottleneck in assembled or upgraded PCs.

There is a set of video outputs, which, together with some processors, allows you not to buy a video card. This model in the future will provide the ability to overclock an aging system or easily replace an old CPU with a newer one.

Average price: 6000 rubles.

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 OEM Processor Not the most powerful member of the new line of CPUs from AMD, but for the next couple of years it will be enough power for any game, and even more so for all office needs. Later, if necessary, it will be possible to replace it with a more advanced model or try to "overclock" it. But it is worth considering that this processor does not have a video core.

Average price: about 15,000 rubles.

Fan ( ) - a device that provides cooling for the processor. As a rule, the cooler is installed on top of the processor itself. There are different models of coolers for different sockets.

Distinguish between active and passive coolers. A passive cooler is a conventional radiator. Such a cooler consumes a minimum of electricity, costs very little and practically does not make noise. An active cooler is a radiator with a fan attached to it or one that emits cold (Peltier chips).

The most widely used are active air coolers. Such a cooler is an active air cooler and consists of a metal radiator with a fan attached to it. Modern coolers are large and heavy. Thanks to the use of coolers, computers are relatively small. The disadvantage of coolers is the additional acoustic noise they emit during operation.

The fan drives large volumes of air through the heatsink fins to ensure normal thermal performance of the processor. There is no need to connect the cooler to the power supply to determine the direction of air flow. The impeller blades will be slightly concave on the side where the air flow is exiting. Sometimes the cooler case is marked with arrows indicating the rotation of the impeller and the direction of air flow. As in any mechanical device, the friction parts of the cooler (rolling bearings, sliding bearings) must be lubricated in time with machine oil. It is prohibited to use vegetable oils (olive, sunflower, etc.) as a lubricant. After a while, this oil dries up, and it will become impossible to even disassemble the cooler.

You will recognize about insufficient lubrication by the gradually increasing acoustic noise from the cooler. If this preventive maintenance is not done in time, then the bearings will wear out intensively, and a new cooler will need to be installed.

Let's consider the main components of the cooler

The heat sink distributes the heat of the cooled object (processor) to the environment. Therefore, he must have direct physical contact with the object to be cooled. For the process of transferring heat from the processor to the heatsink, the contact area should be as large as possible. The side of the heatsink adjacent to the processor is called the sole (base). From the core, heat passes to the base, then it is distributed over the entire area of the radiator and dissipated.

Different materials are used for the manufacture of cooler radiators.

Aluminum has good thermal properties, is light in weight and is relatively cheap.
Copper conducts heat much better than aluminum , but it is more expensive and has a lot of weight (such models weigh about 1 kg).
Some heat sinks are made by combining copper and aluminum fins.

Fans are divided into two types: radial and axial.

Axial fans are most common due to their small size and good performance / noise performance. An axial fan is a conventional fan with a propeller. The air flow in it is directed along the axis of rotation.

In radial fans (blovers), the air flow is directed at an angle of 90 degrees to the motor axis. In radial fans, drums (impellers) rotate instead of a propeller with blades. This type of fan requires more powerful motors. Therefore, blovers are larger and more expensive. But radial fans have their own advantages. The air flow in them has a higher speed, less turbulence and is more uniform.

Fans are also classified according to connection method, bearing design and size.

The fan label contains information about the bearings:

Sleeve - sleeve bearing.

Plain bearings are simply a cushion of oil and sliding materials. These bearings wear out quickly. Their only advantage is their low cost.

Ball is a rolling bearing.

Ball bearings (Ball) are more reliable, durable, and therefore they are mainly used for modern coolers. These are bearings consisting of two radial rings, between which small balls are located.

The most common fan sizes are: 60x60x25, 50x50x10, 45x45x10.

Fans, according to the connection method, are divided into SMART (connection via MOLEX Connector) and conventional (connection via PC-plug connector).

An important parameter of the fan is the noise level it produces. It must be indicated in the documentation for the cooler. For normal operation, this noise should not exceed 25 dB.

Another important characteristic of the fan is the power consumption. Typically, it is 0.8 -1.6 watts.

The rotational speed of the blades is also an important parameter. This parameter displays the number of revolutions per minute (RPM). The larger this parameter, the more air is distilled per minute, but the more noise is produced. The documentation states the amount of air distilled per minute (CFM). All computer fans use DC power.

Installing a cooler on the processor

The process of installing a cooler on a processor is very simple, if everything is done carefully and without haste. It is advisable to install the cooler on the processor before installing the motherboard in the case. And for added convenience and safety, it is recommended to install the cooler on a box of suitable dimensions, for example, from the motherboard. If you have bought a processor in a box (box version with a cooler), then looking at the cooler's bottom, you will see there a thin layer of a special material - a thermal interface. It is installed by the cooler manufacturer.

When buying a cooler separately from the processor, you need to buy thermal grease (KPT-8, ALSIL). One tube of paste is enough for several cooler installations.

Consider installing a cooler for socket 754, 939, AM2

Turn the cooler over and see if there is a thermal interface applied by the manufacturer. If there is, then you can go to point 3. If you have a cooler without a thermal interface and with a protective film, you must remove it.

Take thermal paste. Gently squeeze out the paste to distribute it evenly over the entire contact area of the processor. Consider the fact that when the cooler is installed, the pressure paste will spread over the entire surface, and therefore there is no need to apply it in a thick layer. Apply a very thin layer of thermal paste to make the cooler fit more tightly against the contact pad of the processor. A thick layer will impair heat dissipation (the thermal conductivity of the paste is worse than that of the metal).

Using a piece of plastic, spread the paste evenly over the entire surface. If a little falls on the edges or behind them, then it's not scary.

Install the cooler carefully into the processor socket. You need to install without distortions and shifts. When you put the cooler on the crystal, do not remove or tilt it, do not press or rotate. Removing and moving the cooler on the paste-coated crystal may cause unpaste areas to appear. In the future, this can lead to system instability and local overheating. If you decide to remove the cooler after installation, be sure to redistribute the paste over the crystal.

When you install the cooler on the processor, you need to secure it.

First, hook the bracket over the shoulder of the socket from the edge where the plastic lever is missing. Then do this action from the edge where the lever is located.

Turn the lever and lock it.
Look that there are no distortions, and check that the fastening is secure. If you find any, then open the cooler mounting lever and remove the skew. Then fix the cooler again.
Plug the cooler power connector into the power socket on the motherboard. This connector is usually referred to as CPU_FAN. For the cooler to work, it is necessary to apply a DC voltage of 12V to its windings.

In addition, there are other options for fixing the cooler.

Plug-in coolers

To install such coolers, you need to insert each cooler leg into the corresponding hole on the motherboard and press it until it clicks.

By turning the head of the foot counterclockwise ninety degrees, the spring is unlocked and the cooler can be easily removed.

Screw fastening of coolers

Intel coolers have the problem of increased stress applied to the four attachment points to the motherboard. Some manufacturers use a special mounting plate attached to the back of the motherboard to distribute the load. In this case, the coolers have to be installed using screws.

Such coolers can be installed only before the motherboard is secured in the case, since the mounting plate is installed on the back of the motherboard. The plate must be installed in the correct direction, otherwise the contacts can be short-circuited.

An example of installing a cooler on a processor:

Cooler selection

In terms of functionality, the coolers do not differ, their difference is only in performance and the method of attachment to the radiator. The cooler performance directly depends on the rotational speed and impeller diameter. The rotation speed of all coolers differs little and is equal to about 5000 rpm. Therefore, if you choose a cooler for replacement, you can only focus on the diameter of the impeller. It must be the same size or larger.

Processors from different manufacturers heat up differently. For example, products from AMD will be warmer than products from Intel. Therefore, the more the processor heats up, the more powerful the cooler is required to cool it.

For the bulk of processors, the bundled cooler is enough. In some cases, for example, if the processor is out of order or was purchased without a fan, you will have to choose a cooler separately.

Let's highlight the main requirements for a processor cooler:

low thermal resistance and ensuring adequate cooling.
good cooler compatibility. It should be installed on as many processor types as possible.
good fastening of the cooler. It should be easy to put on and easy to remove.
must provide sufficient cooling for the cache chips.
must be durable.
no vibration should be generated during operation.
large coolers should fit on all known motherboards in size.

In any case, a good cooler is one that does a good job of cooling the processor. The following brands of coolers are best known: AAVID, Zalman, ElanVital, AVC, TennMax.

Coolers for processors

Consider popular CPU coolers that are compatible with modern sockets.

Akasa Venom Voodoo

Added two fans to Venom Voodoo. You can control their speed using a PWM splitter through the motherboard connector. The cooler delivery set allows installation on earlier platforms as well. At the top of the Venom Voodoo cooler there is a grid. It does not affect cooling, and is made simply with the design in mind.

Akasa Venom Voodoo

Cooler Akasa has a fairly efficient design. It has six heatpipes in a checkerboard pattern, quickly dissipating heat from the processor. Akasa's installer kit includes everything you need to install on a variety of platforms, from AMD socket AM2 to Intel LGA 2011.

Mounts for Akasa

Special Akasa standoffs screw into the built-in support bar located on the LGA 2011 socket. The installation process is quick and easy.

The intake fan is installed on the concave side of the radiator, and the exhaust fan is installed on the other side.

The best cooler

Arctic Cooling Freezer i30

AC operates in the market for inexpensive equipment and supports only a few interfaces, which makes it possible to keep an acceptable price. The set includes two mounting kits for LGA 2011 and LGA 1155/1156 sockets. There is also an optional mounting kit that allows the top bracket to be screwed directly onto the LGA 2011 interface.

Arctic Cooling Freezer i30

To keep costs down, this model uses just four heatpipes with one fan mounted on a large cooling heatsink. Heat pipes are installed close to each other to increase contact area and reduce gaps.

The installation kit for this model is very simple and does not support LGA 1366, only for LGA 2011 and LGA 1155/1156 sockets.

Before installing the two adapter brackets of the Freezer i30 cooler, install the metal spacers on the bolt positions specially built into the base plate of the LGA 2011 socket. The adapter plate must be screwed onto the cross brackets with two short screws.

Arctic Cooling Freezer i30

To complete the cooler installation, you need to attach the fan to the heatsink and connect the power supply.

Arctic Cooling Freezer

CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo

The Hyper 212 Evo cooler kit includes: a small tube of thermal paste, an LGA 2011 mounting bracket and a cooler. The Hyper 212 Evo is designed with four heatpipes.

cooler Hyper 212

Heat pipes in contact with the processor are located as close to each other as possible. This technology is called Continuous Direct Contact. The base is well sanded. The mounting bracket is foldable, which allows good access between the radiator fins and the base. The unfolded bracket just needs to be screwed into the built-in LGA 2011 plate. The cooler is fixed with a steel pin on the top plate.

Continuous Direct Contact

The fan is installed on the heatsink and connected to the board.

Continuous Direct Contact

Coolink Corator DS

The cost of the Corator DS allowed us to reduce the minimum installation kit, only for LGA 2011. But there are three holes on the installation brackets, which means the cooler can support smaller processor interfaces.

The fan is located in the middle of the cooler

The cooler has semi-flattened tubes underneath a uniform piece of copper.

Radiator

When installing, first screw the support bolts into the base plate, and install the cross mounting brackets on them and tighten them with nuts from above. The factory bracket is screwed onto the supplied cross brace.

The fan must be installed between the two heatsinks and power must be connected from the board.

Installing the radiator on motherboard

Corsair a70

In this cooler, two fans create a “push-pull” system. Corsair has added a splitter to plug them into one power connector on the board. The fans do not support PWM control and speed control is done via firmware.

The Corsair A70 radiator is concave on one side to improve airflow out of the center. The heat pipes are separated by a layer of aluminum from which the base is made.

Installation uses a snap-on bracket for AMD interfaces. In this cooler, the mounting screws are screwed from the inside of the base of the A70. Support plate and cooler bracket are tightened with nuts and screws.

AMD interface

To complete the installation, you need to install the fans and connect the power.

AMD interface

Enermax ETS-T40

The ETS-T40 adds an aluminum fan strip. This is an advantage among coolers of equal performance.

The installation kit is for AMD and Intel platforms. The bolt set does not require an LGA 2011 socket support bar. The heatsink fins support a two-fan push-and-pull system with a second set of clips. The base of the ETS-T40 is made using direct contact technology.

Gelid gx-7

The GX-7 supports two fans. Intel, AM2, AM3 and AM3 + interfaces from AMD are supported. You can choose the direction of the air flow yourself by turning the GX-7 cooler 90 °.

The concave shape of the front side of the cooler creates a direction of air towards the center of the heatsink. The fan blades are illuminated with LEDs, although the frame itself is not transparent.

Mount for Gelid GX-7

To ensure optimal contact with the processor, the base has been designed in a matte, carefully crafted copper block.

To support the two fans, the center of the heatsink has been reduced to lower the cooling surface. Had to add a fifth heat pipe.

Cooler for Gelid GX-7

SilenX EFZ-120HA5

SilenX provides collectors with the quietest cooling available. The installation kit provides support for AMD AM2 / 3 and Intel LGA sockets. A second set of screws allows you to mount the LGA 1366 bracket to the integrated LGA 2011 support rail.

With the EFZ-120HA5 set of rubber locating pins, it is possible to assemble a push-and-pull configuration with two fans. But the set comes with only one fan with a diameter of 120 mm. The three heatpipes are arranged in a V-shape, which is necessary to remove more air through the center of the radiator.

Radiator for SilenX EFZ-120HA5

The SilenX installation kit contains a bracket that fits all popular sockets (AMD Socket 939 to AM3 +, LGA 775 to 2011), a base plate that supports most common interfaces (except LGA 2011), a set of screws for LGA 2011.

Cooler for SilenX EFZ-120HA5

In the installation of this model, the most difficult thing is to install the fan. First, the four rubber T-shaped buttons are pushed into the special holes on the back of the fan. Then you need the top of the button to slip into the grooves of the radiator.

Xigmatek Venus XP-SD1266

Xigmatek Venus provides support for all the latest Intel and AMD processor interfaces. This model has a slightly enlarged heatsink and a 120mm fan for high performance cooling at an affordable price. This AMD model creates the correct airflow direction. The kit contains special bolts to support the LGA 2011 socket.

The Xigmatek uses a transparent frame with LEDs that illuminate the case well. The degree of illumination can be adjusted. The cooler uses six heat pipes.

Radiator for Xigmatek Venus XP-SD1266

The combination of small size and good thermal capacity is an excellent option for smaller systems. In the Xigmatek installation kit, the brackets are labeled for Intel and AMD. Although the AMD brackets have holes for the Intel interface as well. For the fan, rubber buttons are used as Xigmatek fasteners.

Cooler for Xigmatek Venus XP-SD1266

Hello everyone. Today I will tell you about how to put a processor in a motherboard so that you will not have any problems later. I will write what I know myself, and I have done it well, very many times. So the most important thing in this, as it seems to me, is to be careful. A processor is a device as expensive as the motherboard itself, but the percentage is often even more expensive.

The most important thing is to understand that you do not need to use any force when installing the processor into the motherboard! The slightest negligence and the khan's processor. Well, I have never had any tragedies, although I have been with computers for a long time, already from the 478th socket, this is shorter than 2003. And the processors were dark, the only thing that somehow I always came across only Intel processors, but if you put AMD, then almost everything is the same.

This is not a guide, but important points when installing the chip into the motherboard! I do NOT advise you to put a percentage at all for some instruction in the form of an article on the Internet! If you really want to install percentages, then you first need to watch videos on YouTube, and then put them on! This is the most correct solution, believe me, it is very easy to ditch the percentages! Also, the motherboard, if the percentage was installed incorrectly! In general, all this is very important!

So look. The first thing to understand is that the motherboard is full of all sorts of ports, slots, connectors and other things. And there is such as a socket (socket), it is in the socket that you need to put the processor. This is what the socket looks like:

This is an Intel socket, AMD has about the same. But maybe there are some important differences, I don't know, as I wrote it, it turned out that I only had Intel in my life. This is a socket, it contains contacts that DO NOT NEED TO BE TOUCHED WITH YOUR HANDS, they are so delicate. Well, you can touch it, I just do not advise you to do it! I've never touched

I hope that you understand that both the processor and the motherboard must be under the same socket! The motherboard should definitely support the percentage, otherwise you know, there are motherboards on the 775th socket that do not support quad-cores, although they are also on the 775th socket!

So, this socket has a metal clamping frame, it serves to firmly press the processor to the socket. Of course, it must be removed before installation, it is not completely removable, but leans back, if I may say so. This is the metal frame that opens up to fit the processor:

I will also say this, no foreign objects such as screwdrivers, pliers, and so on, all this must be removed from the board away from the board. These tools can easily damage the board or scratch it, and what is the first thing, what the second, then all this is dangerous. From scratches, the veins on the board can be exposed, this is, so to speak, contacts. Well, when installing the board in the case, you need to be even more careful, I think you already understood this

On the socket itself there are special performances for the processor so that it can ONLY be put correctly. On the contrary, the processor has special notches.

Here is the processor itself and these notches on it:

Here are the projections on the socket:

Once again, I repeat that neither the socket contacts nor the processor contacts should be touched!

After you put the processor on, it is pressed with a special loop and the NECESSARY tight contact is created. It is exactly the right one, no additional physical strength is needed to be used! Here is a view of the installed processor:

I'll even tell you this, you may or may not believe, but it seems like Intel processors can be inserted a LIMITED number of times into a socket. Honestly, I don’t know this, well, that is true or not, but on the other hand, to be honest, I have never installed the same processor more ... well, probably more than five times in my board. Even the one that I have now, I took it out only once in two years (I changed the thermal paste). That is, this LIMITATION still has common sense. For what needs to be done to remove the processor here and there once .. well, for example, twenty times? This is already abnormal

After you have closed the processor, you can already spread the thermal paste. I already wrote about how to smear thermal paste, so if you are interested, you can read it.

This means one more important point. It is better to put the processor on a motherboard that DOESN'T STAND in the case yet. To make it more convenient. The fact is that every bend of the motherboard is not good for it. If the motherboard is in the case, then bends are inevitable, because it stands on bolts, you can even say that it hangs on them! The motherboard can still survive small bends, well, you put something there, take it out, you don't see whether a bend is being created or not. And in fact it is being created! But this is very dangerous, because such bends can lead to microcracks in the board (there are copper tracks inside the PCB) and, as a result, it will NOT work stably!

What else to say. I think you understand that when you set the percentage, there must be cleanliness, no dust, well, that is, everything must be clean, hands must be dry. The processor should be taken ONLY on the sides so that there are no prints left anywhere. Well, prints, I mean that they are a little greasy, and fat is not needed at all for the process, even in a minimal amount.

In general, everything I wrote is my personal opinion, my recommendations. It's just that I treat iron like this, very carefully, carefully and attentively. That is why it works for me for years without a single glitch. In general, I have never broken anything in more than ten years. I honestly say that nothing, even hard drives did not break, although I always took them used, now they are also used by the way

Once again, I will tell you that if you are going to put your own processor into the motherboard with your own hands, then apply thermal paste, then I strongly recommend killing a couple of hours on videos in YouTube. See for yourself how and what to install, how it all looks, how, for example, a metal pressure plate on the socket opens. All the same, you will be using the computer for a long time, so I advise you to be very serious about installing the processor into the motherboard!

Well, that's all, good luck in life and good mood.

27.08.2016

With Skylake, Kaby Lake, and Coffee Lake cores having 1151 contacts. Not compatible with previous LGA1150, 1155 and earlier processor sockets, both mechanically and electrically. At the time of this writing, within the LGA1151 socket, there was a division into early motherboards with 100 and 200 series chipsets and new motherboards with 300 Series chipsets. Sockets within these platforms are mechanically compatible, that is, any processors with the specified socket can be installed in them, but they are not electrically compatible, which makes it impossible to use Coffee Lake processors on boards with old chipsets, and Skylake and Kaby Lake cannot be used on new ones.

Pin locations in the old (left) and new (right) LGA1151 sockets

Which processors are suitable for installation with the LGA1151 socket?

Core processors of the sixth, seventh and eighth generations are suitable for installation in the LGA1151 socket. For the sixth and seventh generation processors to work, the motherboard must be equipped with one of the Intel Z270, Q270, H270, Z170, Q170, H170, B250, B150, H110 chipsets. To support the eighth generation processors, the motherboard must be equipped with the Z370 chipset, or chipsets that will appear a little later, such as the H370, Q370 or Z390. To distinguish among themselves Core processors of different generations, just look at their labeling. The first character in the digital marking of processors denotes a generation, for example, Intel Core i5-8600K refers to the eighth generation. Detailed characteristics of processors and their comparison can be found by clicking on the button:

Which Skylake, Kaby Lake, and Coffee Lake processors are faster?

In line with the release chronology, processor performance has increased. Especially strong performance gains are observed in processors of the eighth generation Core family, since for the first time since the transition to the name of the Core i type, the number of cores has changed in them.

Core i7 Processor Performance Rating
Intel Core i7-8700K LGA1151 6 cores 3.7 GHz 50.6 Intel Core i7-7700K LGA1151 4 cores 4.2 GHz 36.7 Intel Core i7-6700K LGA1151 4 cores 4 GHz 34.2 Core i5 processor performance rating
Intel Core i5-8500 LGA1151 6 core 3 GHz 37.6 Intel Core i5-7500 LGA1151 4 core 3.4 GHz 24.1 Intel Core i5-6500 LGA1151 4 core 3.2 GHz 22.3 Core i3 processor performance rating
Intel Core i3-8100 LGA1151, 4 cores, 3.6 GHz 24 Intel Core i3-7100 LGA1151, 2 cores, 3.9 GHz 17.1 Intel Core i3-6100 LGA1151, 2 cores, 3.7 GHz 16.4 Pentium processor performance rating
Intel Pentium G5600 LGA1151, 2 cores, 3.9 GHz 16.8 Intel Pentium G4600 LGA1151, 2 cores, 3.6 GHz 15.4 Intel Pentium G4500 LGA1151, 2 cores, 3.5 GHz 12.1

What type of memory do Skylake, Kaby Lake, and Coffee Lake processors support?

All processors with LGA1151 socket support dual-channel memory operation. Skylake supports LV DDR3 up to 1600MHz and DDR4 up to 2133MHz. Kaby Lake supports LV DDR3 up to 1600MHz and DDR4 up to 2400MHz. Coffee Lake only supports DDR4 up to 2666 MHz.

How many PCI-E 3.0 lanes are there in the controller built into the Skylake, Kaby Lake, and Coffee Lake processors?

All processors with LGA1151 socket support the same number of PCI-E 3.0 lanes - 16 pcs. Additional lines contain motherboard chipsets, due to which there is a fairly large number of boards that support configurations with multiple video cards.

What coolers are compatible with LGA1151?

The cooler seats for LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1155 and LGA1156 are identical, so older CPU coolers are compatible with new ones. Considering that the TDP of processors has practically not changed, the transition from the old platform to the new one does not require replacing the cooling system.

The central processing unit is the brain of every computer. In more technical terms, the central processor is an extremely complex microcircuit that performs machine code processing, taking on the task of performing all kinds of operations and controlling peripheral devices in the system. In general, the CPU has a vital role in every computer.

In this article, we will walk you through the process of installing or replacing a CPU on a motherboard in detail. Believe me, the process is quite simple, designed for users who do not have deep knowledge of electronics or computer technology. If you are assembling a new computer or want to replace an old, outdated CPU in your PC, follow the information below and you will not have any problems.

CPU installation guide to motherboard

So first, let's ask a pretty obvious question that many users have who have never replaced a part in their PC: does it matter what kind of CPU I want to use for the setup process? The short answer is no. A slightly more detailed answer - there are some nuances, but they do not relate to the installation process itself, but to your motherboard and such a thing as sockets, which we will touch on a little later. The installation process itself, i.e. placing the "stone" on the motherboard is practically identical for the CPUs from all manufacturers.

Sockets and heatsink requirements

Let's now talk about those very nuances - sockets. So what exactly is a socket? Basically, a socket is a small hole or connector in a computer's motherboard that houses (or installs) a CPU. It is the differences in the sockets that will determine whether you can install this or that CPU in your motherboard or not.

At the moment, there is an incredibly huge number of sockets for both Intel and AMD processors. The newest sockets from these companies, at least at the time of this writing, are AM4 and LGA1151v2. Each processor will only be suitable for a specific socket. For example, do you want to build a budget-friendly assembly on a supported AMD FX 4300 processor? To do this, you need a socket AM3 motherboard. Or, for example, you wanted to build a gaming machine based on the i5 7600k processor? Here you need to buy a motherboard with an LGA1151 socket.

In general, you get the idea. If you want to install a specific processor in your motherboard, then be sure to make sure that you have the correct socket. However, everything is not limited to the required socket. There is one more small detail that you need to consider when choosing and installing a CPU. This thing is TDP - CPU heat dissipation under heavy, but not maximum load, which its cooling system must cope with. So yes, TDP is primarily intended specifically for the selection of a processor cooling system. Among other things, the TDP of the CPU will also tell you if it will go on your motherboard or not, i.e. whether she can fully cope with it or not.

You can find out the supported TDP of the motherboard on the box of the motherboard itself or on the manufacturer's official website. For example, let's take the same processor from Intel - the i5 7600k. Its TDP is 91 watts. In accordance with this requirement, you need to select a motherboard for this processor that can support this or higher heat dissipation, for example, 125 watts. This begs the logical question: what happens if I install a 125 watt CPU in a motherboard with only 95 watt support? Well, there are several options - and none of them can be called satisfactory: the CPU may not be detected by the BIOS / UEFI, work at underestimated frequencies, or work, but extremely unstable.

Handling the processor

Let's now touch on the next extremely important point: handling the processor. When replacing or installing a new "stone" for your motherboard, you must be extremely careful with the pins of the processor chip as they are incredibly easy to damage. It is best to take the stone by the edges, and if you need to put it somewhere - with the contacts up. Among other things, do not place the CPU on a surface that can generate static electricity. Basically, that's all you need to know about handling PC processors. Let's now move on to the main part of the material - installing or replacing the processor in the motherboard.

Installing the processor into the motherboard

So, having read in detail everything stated in the article, let's proceed directly to installing the processor into your motherboard. Put your system unit, for example, on a table, having previously disconnected all the wires from it, and then open. Before installing a new processor, you need to remove the old processor from the motherboard. Disconnect the power supply for the cooler first:

After turning off the cooler, disconnect it and the heatsink from the motherboard, and then clean the surface of the processor from the thermal paste, if it is still there. Next, open the latch on the socket - if there is one - and remove the processor. Then follow the instructions below.

If you bought a new motherboard, then just put it in front of you and get a brand new processor. Ok, let's look at the installation using the example of a motherboard with socket AM4 and a Ryzen 1200 processor. A budget version of a brand new system, which, however, is not so important in our case. This is what socket AM4 will look like on an MSI B350M PRO-VD PLUS motherboard:

Now we unpack the processor and carefully examine it for the following symbol:

As you might have guessed, you need to put the processor into a socket by relating these two triangles to each other:

However, before inserting the processor into the socket, you must first open it by lifting the clamp lever to the top (you can see it in the screenshot). With the socket open, carefully place the processor onto the socket according to two triangles. You don't need to push anything or try to wiggle the processor in the socket - it will go there right away. Once it is in the socket, lower the latch lever and close it. This completes the processor installation.

However, this is not the end of your business. It's time to move on to connecting the processor power, applying thermal paste to its surface and installing the cooler. The simplest thing is to power the processor. Find the four-pin connector on your power supply and plug it into the following connector:

The screenshot shows an 8-pin connector, but our Ryzen 1200 processor only needs a 4-pin, so we take and connect one 4-pin to the connector. Now you need to apply a very thin layer of thermal paste to the processor (or cooler heatsink). If the layer is dense or even thick, then it will crawl out of the processor boundaries when you put a cooler heatsink on top of it, and this should never be allowed. Often, users use plastic cards or thick cardboard to apply thermal paste.

However, you may not need to apply thermal paste if it comes with a boxed cooler or a third-party cooler. In this case, just carefully place the cooler with a heatsink on top of the processor and fix it in accordance with the holes in the motherboard. All that is left for you is to connect the processor cooler to the onboard power supply. Typically, this connector looks like this:

That's it, we're done. Of course, the processor installation may differ slightly depending on the socket, but you definitely won't notice any dramatic difference. Yes, it’s that simple. Replacing other components in a PC, for example, a video card or RAM, takes even less time and effort.

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