Upgrade your CPU for a faster PC NEW CPU compatible with your current motherboard, plus thermal paste, and suitable cooler (new or repurposed). Isopropyl alcohol (90 percent proof) and cleaning cloth required for cleaning components.
IS YOUR PC STARTING TO SHOW SIGNS of age? Envious of the latest MaxPC kit but unable to afford the cost of a full system rebuild? The answer lies in upgrading your current system, and you can deliver a major uplift in performance by focusing on your CPU, a component often overlooked when upgrading your PC.
It wasn’t that long ago that a new CPU inevitably meant a new motherboard, but these days, both Intel and (especially) AMD support the same socket architecture for at least two generations, making it possible—for example—to add a Zen3 CPU from 2022 to your 2018-vintage socket-AM4 mobo.
Even if you’re unable to jump to a new generation, you may find wriggle room within your current CPU’s generation. You might be able to upgrade to more cores and threads, along with a boosted clock speed to turbocharge such pastimes as gaming and HD/4K video encoding.
Upgrading your CPU is more involved than a simple RAM upgrade or hard drive swap, but we’ve got you covered in this tutorial. Read on to breathe new life—and new levels of performance—into your existing system, all without breaking the bank. –NICK PEERS
1
ASSESS YOUR OPTIONS
Start by determining what CPUs your motherboard supports by first identifying its make and model—if you don’t have this information handy, then download and install HWiNFO64 ( www.hwinfo.com). Leave ‘ Summary-only’ ticked and click Start. You’ll see the make and model listed under Motherboard alongside information about the current BIOS version, as well as your CPU.
» Next, head over to your mobo manufacturer’s website, locate your model’s support pages, and in the compatibility section under CPUs, you will find a complete list of supported processors. This list is your definitive guide to what CPUs are supported, and should include details of which BIOS version is required to support the latest models. Compare this with what HWiNFO64 tells you—if your BIOS isn’t up to date, follow your mobo manufacturer’s instructions to update it to the latest version before proceeding further.
2
COMPARE DIFFERENCES
Which CPU you decide to go for is, of course, up to you. You’ll be guided by your budget, as well as the performance jump you can expect. The annotation reveals what key things to look for in your next CPU.
» The simplest way to determine what kind of bump in speed you can get is to make use of benchmarking sites like UserBenchmark ( www.userbenchmark.com)— simply Google your current CPU model plus ‘versus’, followed by one of the upgraded CPUs available to you. You should be able to access a site that will compare the two and reveal the differences in performance. If you want to go further, you can always benchmark your own system using a tool like UserBenchmark’s free app, available via its home page. After the tests are performed, the results will be displayed in your browser [ Image A], which you can then compare against your target CPUs.
» You might think the biggest gains to be had will come by transitioning from one CPU level (such as a Ryzen 3 or Core i5) to another (Ryzen 7 or Core i9), so even if you’re unable to go to a more modern chip, you may still be able to get a decent bump through increasing the number of cores (and threads) available to you. In fact, even if you’re currently running a higher-level CPU, there may be significant gains to be had if you’re able to jump up a generation (say, from AMD Zen2 to Zen3, or Intel 12th gen to 13th gen). For example, we decided to upgrade our Ryzen 7 2700 to a Ryzen 7 5700X. This relatively simple switch promised an increase in performance of up for 40 percent for an outlay of around $190.
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FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Before diving in and purchasing your upgrade, there’s one major thing to consider: the TDP (thermal design power) of your new chip. If you plan to continue using your current cooler, make sure it’s rated for the new chip’s TDP—in our example, both Ryzen 7 2700 and Ryzen 7 5700X come with a relatively low TDP of 65W. Even so, your new chip is likely to run hotter than your old one, so now might be a good time to upgrade the cooler so it can comfortably handle what you throw at it. In our case, while the Ryzen 7 2700’s Wraith Spire cooler could—in theory—accommodate the Ryzen 7 5700X, we decided to upgrade it.
» Make sure your cooler is compatible with your CPU— some models like BeQuiet’s Pure Rock Slim 2 (130W TDP) are rated for both Intel and AMD chips of a certain form factor, but others may only work with specific models. CPU coolers attach to your motherboard one of two ways: those that screw into the motherboard via spacers, and those that clip into place, like the Pure Rock Slim 2 as shown in [ Image B]. You should also measure the dimensions of the cooler to make sure it’ll fit inside your case.
» Also, check to see if the cooler comes with its own thermal paste—the Pure Rock Slim 2 has a thin coat pre-applied to its base. Otherwise, you’ll need to add another item to your shopping list in the form of some cooler paste. A syringe-based option is the easiest to apply.
» Last, but not least, review your current PSU: is it powerful enough to handle the new chip? Do some online research to see what size PSU is recommended for your CPU, and upgrade if required, particularly if you’re switching from a CPU with integrated graphics to one with an external graphics card.
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BEFORE YOU FIT YOUR NEW CPU
Your purchases have arrived, and you’re understandably keen to get on with the task of upgrading your CPU. But as always, an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of care. Start by looking inside your case to locate the CPU and cooler, and determine how it all connects. Sadly, you can’t simply shut down your PC and just whip off the cooler before removing the CPU—there’s a good chance (particularly with AMD chips and stock coolers) that the cooler is practically welded to the CPU via its thermal paste.
» Once you’ve ascertained what needs to be done to remove the cooler and CPU, gather your tools—a small Philips screwdriver if the cooler is screwed in, or a small flat-bladed screwdriver if it’s clipped on. Now power on your PC and—to help loosen that paste—indulge in some processor-intensive activity to bring up the CPU temperature. Play a game, encode some video or
benchmark your PC using a tool like Cinebench R23 ( www.maxon.net/en/cinebench).
5
REMOVE THE OLD COOLER
Once you’ve heated things up nicely, power down your PC. Completely unplug it and place the case on a suitable flat surface like a table at waist height with a good light source to help you see inside. Take precautions to ground yourself and avoid antistatic electricity before opening it up. First, unclip any cooler cables—typically power and RGB—connected to the motherboard. Now, the aim is to remove the cooler without pulling out the CPU at the same time.
» If your cooler is screwed into the motherboard, work in a diagonal pattern and turn each screw counterclockwise, around five turns at a time, until you feel them come free of the retainer. If it’s attached using clips, pull up the lever carefully to switch them to the unlocked position. Unhook the clips.
» Stock Intel coolers come with four plastic retaining screws. You need to turn each one in the direction of the arrow (use a flathead screwdriver or—at a push—a paperclip)—a quarter turn should be sufficient to loosen the screw. Once all four screws have been loosened, pull up each screw. Some force may be required, but you’ll hear a click when it comes free.
» From here, you need to gently twist the cooler clockwise and counterclockwise, or try rocking it in a circular motion to loosen the thermal seal connecting the CPU to heatsink—the hotter the heatsink at this point, the less rigid the seal. If it doesn’t come away easily, get a hairdryer and blow it over the heatsink until it feels almost too hot to touch, as shown in [ Image C] , then continue twisting gently.
» The trick is to resist pulling, but focus on twisting, even if there’s some resistance at first (in which case keep applying the hairdryer). You might even want to consider removing the fan from the heatsink—look for retaining screws if so—to make it easier to get at the heatsink.
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SWAP OUT OLD CPU FOR NEW
In an ideal world, the cooler will eventually come off to leave the CPU in place. If this happens, you can then flick up the retaining clip next to the CPU and remove it carefully from the mobo. If the CPU comes off with the cooler, check out the box opposite to separate and clean the two if you plan to reuse or sell on either component.
» Next, turn over your new CPU and note the pin alignment—AMD CPUs feature an arrow that reveals the square-shaped corner that will fit only one way on your motherboard, for example. Be sure to align this with the correct pin alignment before dropping it in carefully, verifying that it’s in place, and then securing it—typically with a clip, but also sometimes with an additional plate.
» Now, unless your cooler comes with its own thermal compound, place a small amount of thermal compound—around the size of a pea—on the center of the CPU, as shown in [ Image D]. This is more easily achieved using a syringe.
7
FIT COOLER
Next, if necessary, fit the retainer for your clips or screws depending on your cooler type. A clip-based retainer easily screws into the holes on the motherboard—just be sure that the notches are facing outwards, as shown in [ Image E]. A screw-based retainer may be trickier—this needs to be mounted from underneath the motherboard, which almost certainly requires you to remove the other side of your case to gain access. You’ll need to hold the retainer in place—tilt your case slightly to get your hand underneath to keep it in place while you proceed with the next step.
» Your cooler needs to be lined up to fit into the retainer—whether screw holes or clip brackets. Typically, it can only fit in one of two directions. Fan placement is key here—either replicate your previous configuration or ensure the fan is blowing hot air away from the air intake (where cool air is drawn in, typically by a case fan). If the fan is mounted vertically, then positioning is simply a case of ensuring the cooler’s power cable can easily reach the CPU_FAN header on the motherboard and—if applicable—your RGB power cable can reach, too.
» Now, either fit the clips over the little notches before using the lever to tighten them, or tighten each screw— again going diagonally, and not tightening all four