WARNING - So you don't want to kill your AMD?

[Jerboy]

First time around installing an Advanced Micro Devices Athlon/Athlon XP/Duron?

I'd imagine nobody here has a desire to fry or chip their Athlon that they've paid for with their hard earned money.

Read the installation guide It nicely explains how to install it and what to look out for.

Hopefully people are willing to spend a five to ten minute reading the above document. I strongly believe it can save people from breaking chips.

my two cents

J

 

[Swanny]

<< I strongly believe it can save people from breaking chips. >>



I strongly believe common sense can accomplish the same objective

 

[Freejack2]

I prefer to use shims (non-conductive). Helps keep heavy all copper hedgehogs from cracking expensive cores of just unlocked athlon xp 1700+'s.
As long as the shim isn't a cheap piece of crap odds are for a perfect install every time.

Now if my 8045 will show up. Is the postal service walking it from California?

 

[TazExprez]

AMD forgot to include instructions on how to install the heavy heatsinks that have to be screwed in, like the Alpha PAL8045 that I just bought. They also forgot to say how to apply thermal compounds, such as Artic Silver II.

 

[AGodspeed]

Good idea Jerboy. Everyone should read that link if they're a first time user.

Installing an AMD CPU isn't difficult, just make sure you're not drunk, high, or half asleep.

 

[Jerboy]

<<

<< I strongly believe it can save people from breaking chips. >>



I strongly believe common sense can accomplish the same objective >>



Unfortunately Athlon requires more than common sense to prevent possible damage. I'm sure lots of people push down on heatsink trying to get that clip on even though they're using their best judgement.

 

[ST4RCUTTER]

I strongly believe common sense can accomplish the same objective


Whoever said common sense was common? Whoever it was surely never met the kind of idiots I routinely have to work with...



That's a good doc by the way. It may not explain all the types of HSF's or how to mate them to your CPU, but it still gives the user a good idea of what to watch out for.

 

[Palek]

I am SURE posting a link here for first-time DIY-ers will prove helpful to some people. I for one did days of reading on the net about all the parts that I bought for my computer. And even after that, when all the bits were delivered, I just unpacked everything, layed them all out on the floor, then grabbed the manuals and read through them several times before attempting to attach even a single cable - especially the mobo and the CPU install guides.

Some people think it is a shame or uncool to read manuals. Well, true, there are some incredibly badly written ones out there, but people like AMD and better mobo manufacturers do put a lot of effort into putting together a booklet that any and every customer benefits from. I think people who make ridiculous statements like, "I never read manuals, I am smarter/more skilled/cooler than all the people put together that wrote this" (or something similar), and encourage others to be "cool", are almost as much at fault for all the broken CPU's as the people who actually broke them. But of course there are always those who need no encouragement to be stupid and irresponsible...

 

[Jerboy]

<< AMD forgot to include instructions on how to install the heavy heatsinks that have to be screwed in, like the Alpha PAL8045 that I just bought. They also forgot to say how to apply thermal compounds, such as Artic Silver II. >>




Dude it was directed toward newbie whose installing the CPU for the first time and needs to learn the main concept and techniques. Its not a good idea for first timer to start with Alpha PAL8045 anyhow.

 

[DoctorBooze]

TazExprez - I kind of agree with you, AMD could be more helpful in instructing users how to apply thermal paste and other heatsinks, but there can be variations, and they can't cover all possibilities; on the other hand, instructions on how to use thermal paste should come with the thermal paste, or from the thermal paste manufacturers, and instructions on how to fit heatsinks ought to come with the heatsink, or from the heatsink manufacturer.

JerBoy - the installation guide is a good idea, if by now slightly dated (a whole year old), but I'd say the Alpha PAL8045 is an excellent heatsink for beginners. It's fiddly, but no more so than other routine household mechanical/electrical tasks. If you get it wrong, you're far less likely to end up with a broken CPU or motherboard. If beginners used them, they'd wonder why other people were using such sh!tty tiny pieces of cr@p, and the general expectations and standards of heatsinks might go up...

 

[cuteybunny]

some of us are4 so excited that we furget to plug in the fan connector, turn it on, and in a few sec, what's that smell?!

 

[MoFunk]

<< JerBoy - the installation guide is a good idea, if by now slightly dated (a whole year old), but I'd say the Alpha PAL8045 is an excellent heatsink for beginners. It's fiddly, but no more so than other routine household mechanical/electrical tasks. If you get it wrong, you're far less likely to end up with a broken CPU or motherboard. If beginners used them, they'd wonder why other people were using such sh!tty tiny pieces of cr@p, and the general expectations and standards of heatsinks might go up... >>



I am by no means a beginner and I took a stab at the PAL8045. I didn't crack my chip, I fried it!. I used the wrong damn washers which caused the heatsink to not have the proper contact with the chip. I am an advanced builder that learned a beginers lesson.

 

[GUN]

<<
Whoever said common sense was common? >>



NOW THATS A GOOD 1

 

[sygyzy]

I have always been an intel person but I am started to build my Athlon XP system. Can someone tell me why in the pictures of the tutorial, the heatsink is making no contact on the die itself? What is the purpose of that? I realize that the clips are not installed yet. So does this mean that when you push down on the clips, the rubber pads have enough give so that the middle of the HS can touch the die? Also, why are there pads to begin with? There are no pads on my Celerons or P3's and I push down pretty hard and they have neve broken.

Sorry for the question, I am a newbie to AMD chips, but not a newbie to the game

 

[Insidious]

The pads were an attempt to help people avoid putting the HS on at such an angle as to damage the CPU.

Alas, as I read in someone elses signature somewhere...


Nothing is foolproof

Fools are ingenious!

(again not mine, but brilliant and worth repeating)

 

[Jerboy]

<<
I am by no means a beginner and I took a stab at the PAL8045. I didn't crack my chip, I fried it!. I used the wrong damn washers which caused the heatsink to not have the proper contact with the chip. I am an advanced builder that learned a beginers lesson. >>




You're an advanced builder or you think you're an advanced builder? There's a difference. Your problem was over-confidence and trying to be "cool" by doing it your way without even reading the manual.

 

[anime]

putting up system together is an adrenaline rush activity where such thing what we call " common sense" is nowhere near

 

[billyjak]

Yea it's easy to be in a rush and overlook something when building a new setup or replacing one.
I always walk away and come back to check and double check my work now.
I learned the hard way, I beleive in a quick break after I think I'm finished only to come back and say, whew., I'm glad I did that.

 

[mooseAndSquirrel]

<< Yea it's easy to be in a rush and overlook something when building a new setup or replacing one.
I always walk away and come back to check and double check my work now.
I learned the hard way, I beleive in a quick break after I think I'm finished only to come back and say, whew., I'm glad I did that. >>



That's excellent advice. Another technique I like to use in programming is to work in teams. I wish I had a buddy who was interested in building PC's, 'cause 2 sets of eyes and hands, 2 brains and the combined experience would surely keep us both out of trouble!

 

[Tetsuo316]

i still read the manual. i've put four amd systems together with four different heatsinks, and i looked over the manual every time. i didn't need to every time, but it's better safe than dorry when dealing with a $100-$200 piece of equipment.

i agree with most every piece of advice given here except for this:



<< Installing an AMD CPU isn't difficult, just make sure you're not drunk, high, or half asleep. >>



this is a fallacy. i actually think getting drunk is the first step in building a computer system. this is years of experince talking.