I need help with installing the cooler. The push pins on the top side of the CPU, which have support, easily go in and click. However, the bottom two, which are stuck in the middle of the motherboard without support (from screws) won't go in. Everytime I push, the motherboard starts bending, the pin doesn't go in, and I fear I will break it. Since most people have Intel processors with the POS system, can someone tell me the proper technique (or give hints) for installing the cooler?

Remove the board. I know it sounds like a pain in the butt, but in the long run it's easier.

Edit: Check the temps in the BIOS as soon as you boot up to be sure it is fastened properly.

Just rest it on an anti-static pad while fastening? I was debating doing so while first building but opted against it. I'll try this now. Thanks for your reply.

there is a center pole inside the pins that must be lined up after you put the HS on the cpu. THEN push the pins through.

Also, be sure the pins slots on top are correctly aligned before pushing through.

I would agree with zorg that it is better to install the heat sink with the motherboard outside the case. This allows you to look at the result from the back to be certain that the pins are all in evenly. If there is a trick to it, it is to push in diagonal pairs of pins instead of top and bottom sets on the same side. If in this process, you have had to remove the heat sink, do clean off the previous application of material and apply it anew so that it flows cleanly.
---good luck---

That would be the best scenario, but he may not have any additional paste. The paste on the HS will probably still work. It won't have been heated yet.

@nukchebi0, Anti static pad, cardboard, counter (beware of scratching the counter) etc. Ground yourself by touching the refrigerator etc. first. I would hold the mobo on it's side and put pressure on the back at the hole you are trying to seat, carefully.

It has been heated...should I get some more? I think a friend has some leftover. How do I scrape off and reapply paste?

Thanks for the direction on installing it. I find it sad that Intel has better processors but a cooling system designed by a high school freshman.

Take a look at the HS bottom and decide if it needs to be applied. It probably would be wise. Just use some rubbing alcohol and wipe it off with a coffee filter. Make sure it is just pure alcohol with no lanolin etc. mixed in. I don't even use that POS HS, I install this:

Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler - Retail

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm Case Fan - Retail

Newegg's price on that fan fluctuates and is high right now, it goes for about $20.00. Down the road, when you want to OC, this HS runs really cool.

Was going to get Arctic Pro 7 in the future when I had more money. Newegg reviews are stellar.

The Arctic Pro 7 is not near as good as the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme, but it is a lot cheaper. You need to take the Newegg reviews with a grain of salt. Some reviewers have a clue but many don't.

I won't be OC'ing far enough to warrant a 65 dollar cooler. Is the AP7 the best low end cooler?

I'm not personally familiar with it, but from what I understand it is a good cooler. Here is a review of the Ultra 120 against several other coolers. The Arctic Cooler 7 isn't in there, but you could check out prices on some of the other coolers. I would look for a review of the Arctic Cooler, maybe it is compared against some of the other coolers out there.

I have an arctic 7 pro on a friends machine I built, it's a quite good, much better than the stock cooler (around 10-14 degrees cooler @ stock speed, more when OC'd) and slightly quieter

for the money, it's a very good cooler

and it comes with pre-applied MX-1 paste which is handy for those that are worried about the correct amount / how to apply thermal paste

In many cases, the stock Intel cooler does it's job just fine. Only if you have a problem that you want to solve should you bother changing it.
1) If you plan on overclocking, then you will want a more exotic cooler. The better you can control the chip temperature, the higher the overclock.
2) If you value a quiet PC, then a better cooler can help. The stock cooler will speed up the fan if it needs to so that it can keep the chip cool, resulting in more noise. A cooler with a large, slow turning 120mm fan will be more quiet.
Many of these coolers will use the same pin mounting system as the stock cooler. Some will have you install a backing plate that must be done on the motherboard outside the case.

It would be a good idea to get a small tube of a good thermal interface material. Arctic silver 5 is a good one, and not expensive. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835100007 A small tube will be enough for a dozen mounts. Go to their web site for a pictured tutorial on how to use it.

Thanks for all the help. I'll just stick with the stock cooler for now, and a friend said he has some AS5 at his house. I'll get it tomorrow, test it, and report. One final question: Can I use too much paste?

Absolutely, you don't want it squeezing out all over the place. You can check the Arctic silver website for their recommendations or check Google for advice with pictures. I prefer to spread a very thin layer over the whole IHS (top of the CPU).

You want to use as little as possible, but not too little. A dollop about the size of a grain of rice should be enough. Check the flatness of both your cpu and your heat sink. In the best of worlds, they each will be perfectly flat, and you can use very littlle material. If the two surfaces do not mate well, then you need to use a very little bit more, realizing that cooling will not be as good. Also, AS-5 takes some time to spread and achieve maximum effectiveness. The AS5 is not a very good conductor of heat; it's purpose is to fill in microscopic cavities and displace air which is a really poor conductor. You might want to install some sort of temperature monitoring software such as speeddfan. Don't worry too much, the cpu is designed to slow down if it is dangerously overheated.

i agree with geofelt

push the pins in, in a diagonal pattern. top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left..

i don't think you would need any more paste, but it definately wouldn't hurt.

and motherboards are pretty resilient. you can press pretty hard without causing the board to bust. but it has to be totally secured with the screws that screw into the motherboard tray.

As far as aftermarket heat sinks go the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme is pretty much the best (if not the best) you can get for any money with an air cooler. It most reviews I have seen it beats or ties the Tuniq Tower 120. If you are not going to OC then the stock cooler is fine, and you can even get a small overclock safely with the stock retail intel HS.

I was only going small OC, so I'll stick with that. Thanks again for everyone's replies. I report back tomorrow when I have the AS5 and HS installed

get a decent HS... get rid of that stupid intel HS