IT self care

Today Intel introduced the Intel® Atom™ processor N470. This new, faster Atom processor for netbooks has integrated graphics built directly into the CPU to help enable improved performance and smaller, more energy-efficient designs for the popular netbook category. The single core Atom processor runs at 1.83GHz, with 512k of L2 cache and DDR2-667 support. Major OEMs are expected to introduce systems based on this processor over the coming months to further differentiate their netbook offerings with a higher frequency to deliver additional responsiveness for online and basic computing tasks.

Installing a processor can be tricky and frustrating, specially if it’s your first time doing it and many things can go wrong if you don’t know what are you doing. First of all you need a motherboard on the same socket as your processor. DO NOT attempt to mount a socket 478 processor on a socket 775 motherboard or a socket 775 processor on a socket AM2 motherboard! For this video, we used Asus P5Q motherboard and a Core 2 Quad 8200 processor from Intel. The correct steps to successfully install your Intel processor are as follows (Note: AMD processors are different and they will be covered on future videos!):

1. Remove the motherboard from its box and place it on a flat surface.
2. Remove any paper cover that may exist on your motherboard.
3. Notice the metal lever and press it down and away from the socket to release the load plate.
4. Remove the plastic cover on the load plate.
5. Remove the processor from its box and plastic cover.
6. Notice on the left side of the processor two notches that will fit into the plastic extensions of the socket on the motherboard.
7. Notice on the left-down corner of your processor a triangle that will fit on the left-down corner of you motherboard and it should point towards the metal lever.
8. Now that you know how the CPU wil fit in, hold it by its sides and lower it into the socket making sure it fits perfectly.
9. Close the load plate and press down the metal lever until it snaps back into its original position.
10. Remove the heatsink from its plastic case and notice on the motherboard four holes around the socket.
11. If your heatsink is new, it should be covered and the bottom with thermal compound so you don’t have to worry about that.
12. Lower the heatsink vertically over the socket so that each of its legs line up with the four holes.
13. With the heatsink over the processor, press each of its legs into the holes. You should hear a “click” each time it snaps into position.
14. Attach the power cable to the corresponding connector on the motherboard.
15. You’re done!