Step 2:

This spacer has been designed to use the factory 'pads' to keep it in position on the processor die, and is symmetrical. However, because Athlons are manufactured, those pad positions may vary slightly from chip to chip, and you may find one of yours is out of place slightly.

You will notice there is one corner of the spacer that appears to have been 'chopped off'. This is not a manufacturing mistake. This is the edge which you line up with the 'chopped off' corner on your processor die to ensure you have aligned it correctly. Look at the pictures above as they illustrate exactly what this means (click to enlarge pictures).

Continue by placing the spacer on top of the processor aligning the 'chopped off' corners of both the spacer and the processor die. If you find that installing it with the corners lined up leaves the shim covering any traces on the processor die, or your processor does not even have a chopped off corner, then you may turn the spacer until it is in a position that covers no traces. It is symmetrical and may be installed any way you see fit.. The MOST important thing is to be sure the shim DOES NOT cover any processor die traces when installed. Granted, this shim is non-conductive of electricity, but it is better to be safe than sorry either way you look at it. The shim is completely symmetrical, and can be installed any way that allows all the traces to stay uncovered without loosing its' functionality.

Last, make sure the spacer is not being held off the die by any of the four pads that hold it in place.

If there is a problem with a pad being way out of position, I recommend this.... use a sharp, single-edged razor blade and CAREFULLY remove the out-of-place pad(s). Position the spacer in the desired location on the die, then use a dab of super glue (or any glue that has little or no thickness to it) and re-attach the pad(s) in the correct location, using the spacer as a template.

You are finished! Time to install that heatsink without worrying about it damaging your fragile CPU core!

Don't want that shim sliding around and having any chance of getting out of position? To solve this, I recommend using a SMALL drop of crazy glue (also called super glue) in one corner between the spacer and the processor die to help hold it securely in place. This will ensure the spacer does not shift at all during heatsink installation, while also allowing easy removal of the shim in the future.

Please feel free to send an e-mail here if you need any more help with any of these installation processes, or have any feedback in general.

Note: We highly discourage the use of orbs with this product, unless you remove the raised rib from the bottom. Look at one and you'll know what we mean. This can be deadly! Get yourself a better cooling solution. Also, DO NOT use any type of thermal grease or compound on the spacer itself! It will make it too thick and fry your CPU!!! DO NOT even try!!

However, using thermal compound between the CPU core and the heatsink is REQUIRED for proper heat conductivity. We highly recommend Arctic Silver, which is available from most of our worldwide retailers. Follow their instructions for proper installation of thermal compound.