stuck processor

[StormRider]

How was the CPU not locked in the socket? I'm having trouble picturing this.

oh, it was still locked in the socket all right. just not when I was done with it

[Technochicken]

Well, since I was offline while I worked on it, my processor is unstuck, and it didn't start having psycho attacks after its alcohol bath. After straightening out a few pins, I put it back on, and it works fine
Now my PC is cooled with the ECO ALC I won from the contest. and that's my first real heatsink change! Yay for progress!

I just got the ECO I won yesterday, and am loving it so far. At stock speed My cpu maxes out at 31 Celsius on all three cores under prime95. With the stock cooler it would easily hit 47-50 degrees.

[StormRider]

huh, mine is MUCH hotter, but that's probably because of the heat in southern California
since mine is so much hotter(39 celsius right now O_O), I may as well ask: is it better to put multiple fans on the ALC, or just stick with one? just asking because i've got the stock fan set up on the bottom of the cooler as an intake. there's a fan shroud and a b-ice gear 120mm blue fan on the other side

[Technochicken]

Temperatures depend on your CPU as well. My Phenom II runs fairly cool compared to a lot of CPU's, even though it is not exactly cool in Georgia. 31 degrees was a push pull configuration. I have changed it to just pull, and max out at around 34 degrees.

[mDust]

I think you're mis-estimating the age of your parents' computer. If it was from the early-to-mid 90's (ie, 1990-1996) it would have been a 386, 486, AM386, AM486, Pentium, Pentium Pro, or K5. All of these were either pin-in-socket or hard-wired onto the MBB. The first ZIF socket to be used in consumer computers that I am aware of was the LGA775 socket, which debuted in late 2004. I think the only AMD CPUs that use ZIF are socket F and G34 Opterons.

Large ZIF sockets are only commonly found mounted on PC motherboards (from about the mid 1990s forward). These CPU sockets are designed to support a particular range of CPUs, allowing computer retailers and consumers to assemble motherboard/CPU combinations based on individual budget and requirements.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Insertion_Force
Nope. It was '94 or '95ish. I was 8 or 9 years old and got in a LOT of trouble for taking it apart. My parents were about to murder me as they, being completely computer illiterate, thought I had destroyed their new $3000 computer. I don't recall what kind of computer it was or any of the specs/components though. I do remember taking the CPU out, as that's when my dad walked in, saw what I was doing and was probably immediately trying to think of where to dump my corpse. Much drama later, my uncle put it all back together (as I was not allowed to touch it) and it worked fine.

Temperatures depend on your CPU as well. My Phenom II runs fairly cool compared to a lot of CPU's, even though it is not exactly cool in Georgia. 31 degrees was a push pull configuration. I have changed it to just pull, and max out at around 34 degrees.

This is true as well. Some chips do just run hotter/cooler than others all else being the same.

[x88x]

Huh, ok, I wouldn't have classified those sockets as ZIF, but I guess they technically are.. The style of socket that is in the picture in the wiki article just kinda clamps the pins with friction when you 'lock' it, versus the recent style (which apparently is called Land Grid Array, which is where Intel got the 'LGA' in their socket names) where the CPU is actually locked down with metal clamps (that's what I thought you were referring to, thus the confusion). Using the pin-friction "clamping" method, there's not really a whole lot of force holding the CPU in the socket, so it's not uncommon for a well TIM'd CPU to get pulled out of the socket when you remove the heatsink.

[mDust]

...(that's what I thought you were referring to, thus the confusion). Using the pin-friction "clamping" method, there's not really a whole lot of force holding the CPU in the socket, so it's not uncommon for a well TIM'd CPU to get pulled out of the socket when you remove the heatsink.

Half the time I'm not sure what I'm talking about, I don't expect anyone else to know. My parents' computer didn't have the metal clasp that LGAs have, but it still didn't just pull out easily. There must have been one helluva vacuum bond to pull a chip out like that. /shrug

[StormRider]

Well, it's official: something's up with my cooler's setup. Now I've got one fan taking in air from the front of the drive bays(empty, of course) and my CPU's still at 36-38 degrees at normal temperature. any other ideas?

[x88x]

What CPU do you have? That's 36-38 C at idle? That's actually pretty good..what is it at load? What's ambient?

[Technochicken]

What CPU do you have? Your system info does not show anything. Also, how tight did you screw down the cooler? But really, I would not be worried about 36 degrees. Mine hits pretty close to that with one fan.

Edit- beat me to it. I think 36-38 was a load temp.