How to Install a Heat Sink and Fan to a PC

Overheating causes the most damage to personal computers. This makes it essential that you install a good heat sink and fan on your motherboard when building your own PC, or possibly upgrade the one that came with your computer.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Affix the fan to the heat sink. This may have already been done for you, but, as is the case with older components, you may have to use the 4 screws that came with the fan to attach it to the heat sink.

2. Spread a thin layer of heat sink compound on the surface of your computer's CPU chip. Again, with newer systems, this may not be necessary, but you may want to do this just to ensure good connectivity between the heat sink and the chip.

3. Attach the heat sink to the CPU, pressing down lightly to assure good contact. This process differs, depending upon which type of heat fan and sink combination you have. Some of the newer heat sinks have clips that attach to the sides of the CPU socket. Bend these clips over the tabs, being careful not to bend the motherboard in the process. Others are held in place by the heat sink compound and just bend around the CPU.

4. Connect the power cable from the heat sink and fan combination to the 3-pin power lead on the motherboard. This is usually labeled "fan" or "CPU fan."

Tips & Warnings

• Check the connection if you're using heat sink compound to link the heat sink/fan to your CPU. Do this by lifting the heat/sink/fan off the CPU and checking to see that all areas of the heat sink are covered. Areas uncovered by the compound indicate areas where the heat sink didn't cover the chip. In that case, apply more compound.
• Use a cotton swab to wipe off any excess compound that may have oozed out the sides when you attached the heat sink.