How to Build a PC (2025): Hardware Suggestions, Instructions, and More

Go ahead and carefully squeeze a tiny ball (no bigger than a pea) of thermal paste onto the silicon square on your processor. You’ll want it as close to the center as you can get. Now line up your heat sink with the screws surrounding your processor and gently lower it into place. Gently squish the thermal paste, and the goal here is to create a thin layer covering the back of your processor. It’s OK if it oozes a little bit, but if it oozes out and over the edge of the processor, you've used too much. Get some isopropyl alcohol, dab it on a lint-free wipe, and clean the processor and heat sink. Wait till they’re thoroughly dry and try again. Now that your processor is seated, take a look at the shiny square of silicon in the center of it. That’s where your heat sink is going to sit. Your processor came with a heat sink, and on one side of it you’ll see a copper circle. You’re going to be putting the heat sink directly on top of the processor, with the silicone square and the copper ... Read full article.