The thermal interface material, which is placed between the processor and the heatsink acts as a thermal connection ensuring a good heat transfer. Any movement of the heatsink during or after initial installation requires replacement of the thermal interface material. Below is a procedure you may use during initial installation of the heatsink to ensure the thermal interface material stays intact, however, after you have installed the heat sink once, you will need to use an alternate thermal interface solution. The integrity of the thermal solution is important because the processor will slow down if the thermal solution is not effective and eventually if the processor gets hot enough, the processor will shut down entirely.

When installing the fan heatsink and clip assembly, it is important to not allow the heatsink to rotate or twist on the processor. Securing the fan heatsink while closing the clip levers will ensure the thermal interface material is not damaged enabling the thermal solution to operate correctly.

Make sure to close the clip levers one at a time. Close clip lever (1), while holding the topside of the fan heatsink with your other hand (A).

Prior to installing this product, please check for the latest product and installation information on the Pentium® 4 processor Web site.

If you find that you need to replace your Intel® Desktop Board, you will need to remove the processor and its heatsink. To restore your system, you will need to use an alternate thermal interface material between the processor and the heatsink. Provided with your replacement Intel® Desktop Board will be a tube of thermal grease. Below is a procedure to ensure proper removal of the old thermal interface material, and replacement using the new thermal interface material.

1. Open the socket handle (A)
2. Install the processor by carefully aligning the pins to the socket (B)
3. Close the socket handle (C)
4. Remove all old thermal interface material from bottom of heatsink (D)
5. Apply the entire tube of thermal interface material (thermal grease) to the top of the processor (E)

This applies to:

Intel® Desktop Board D845BG Intel® Desktop Board D845EBG2 Intel® Desktop Board D845EBT Intel® Desktop Board D845EPI Intel® Desktop Board D845EPT2 Intel® Desktop Board D845GBV Intel® Desktop Board D845GEBV2 Intel® Desktop Board D845GERG2 Intel® Desktop Board D845GLAD Intel® Desktop Board D845GLLY Intel® Desktop Board D845GLVA Intel® Desktop Board D845GRG Intel® Desktop Board D845GVAD2 Intel® Desktop Board D845GVFN Intel® Desktop Board D845GVSR Intel® Desktop Board D845HV Intel® Desktop Board D845PEBT2 Intel® Desktop Board D845PESV Intel® Desktop Board D845PT Intel® Desktop Board D845WN Intel® Desktop Board D848PMB Intel® Desktop Board D850EMD2 Intel® Desktop Board D850EMV2 Intel® Desktop Board D850GB Intel® Desktop Board D850MD Intel® Desktop Board D850MV Intel® Desktop Board D865GBF Intel® Desktop Board D865GLC Intel® Desktop Board D865GRH Intel® Desktop Board D865GVHZ Intel® Desktop Board D865PCD Intel® Desktop Board D865PCK Intel® Desktop Board D865PERL Intel® Desktop Board D875PBZ Intel® Desktop Board D915PDT Intel® Desktop Board D945PWM