Workshop: Build your own PC

Step 2. The processor

The motherboard is the most essential part of your PC, as this will hold your processor, memory, graphics card, etc. Put the processor, CPU fan and memory on the motherboard before this is placed into the case, as this will give you easier access to these components. Modern socket 775 motherboards have a protective cap over the socket. Remove this cap, raise the little lever next to the socket and place the processor on the socket. Do not use any force while doing this, as the pins in the socket are very fragile. The processor can only go on one way, indicated on the processor as well as the socket. When the processor is in place push the lever back to where it was and replace the protective cap.

With other processors and motherboards (e.g. socket 478, 939 or AM2) the pins are on the processor, not on the socket. Placing a processor on these socket is similar as described above, again a lever next to the socket has to be raised, place the processor in the socket and push the lever back down to secure the processor. Also with these processors small arrows on both processor and socket indicate how the processor needs to be positioned.