You have decided to upgrade your CPU, or maybe it is your first build. You are very anxious about everything. How to know if CPU is installed correctly? You might ask, so here is the answer.
First and foremost, if you have installed your CPU into your motherboard and plugged the cables correctly and it booted just fine, then that is a telltale sign that it works and that you did everything correctly.
How to know if CPU is installed correctly but it runs hot? A new CPU that is more powerful than your old one can often run much hotter. But if it is exceeding 85°C under a full load or during a stress test, it means that something is wrong. It is most likely that you have not installed your CPU cooler properly.
In these situations, you should switch off your power supply unit, open the case, and taking the CPU cooler off. Next, clean the thermal compound and try to reapply it more carefully. Even if you are sure that you did everything correctly, you might have created air bubbles while installing the cooler. Reseating it will make sure that it is not the problem.
So, how to know if CPU is installed correctly? If it works, it is all right. If it does not, there are some things that you can do. Keep reading to find out.
How To Know If CPU Is Installed Correctly?
If your CPU and motherboard are compatible, they will work out of the box. Sometimes, if your CPU is newer than your motherboard, a BIOS update might be necessary. You can check the compatibility list on the manufacturer’s website or the motherboard manual.
If you find out that your new CPU cannot run on your motherboard because of an old BIOS, you can check with the retailer that you got the motherboard from. Most retailers will offer free BIOS updates. Simply explain your situation to them and they will guide you and try their best to help you.
If you are new to computers, you might have installed the CPU the wrong way. CPUs always have an arrow in the corner that is supposed to align with the one on the motherboard. If you have installed your CPU the wrong way, take it out immediately. You will see that the pins have bent on the CPU (AMD) or motherboard (Intel). In this case, there is very little that you can do, especially if a majority of the pins are bent. It essentially means that the part is broken and needs to be replaced out of warranty as it is considered a user error.
If you have installed the CPU correctly and notice only one or two bent pins, it is still considered a user error. However, you can easily straighten the pin by carefully bending it using a needle. This should fix your problem. If bent pins are not causing any issues, then you can try to take the CMOS battery out as well as reseating the RAM and graphics card.
Assuming that everything works fine for you, it is a good idea that you download and install CPU-Z or a similar program to make sure that everything works as it is supposed to.
You can also download a stress test to make sure that your CPU is not overheating or has other issues. If you see any problems, updating your chipset is a good idea. If you are upgrading your CPU, it is also strongly recommended that you do a fresh install of Windows to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
Final Words
If your computer works just fine, but you wonder how to know if CPU is installed correctly, then simply updating the chipset and running stress tests while also monitoring the clock speed and thermals is a quick and good way to answer the question. If everything works as expected, then you have installed it correctly.
But if it does not work as it is supposed to, check the CPU and motherboard compatibility to make sure that you have the right hardware. If you need a BIOS update to make the CPU work, check with your retailer to see what you can do.
