How to install an AMD Ryzen CPU and stock cooler on an AM4 motherboard (step by step)

Step 1: Get the parts ready and work static-safe

• Have the processor (with its heatsink in the box), the RAM and the motherboard on the bench.
• If you have an anti-static wrist strap or gloves, use them, especially on a high-end build.
• If you don't, treat every part as if you had static on your body: don't touch pins or circuits.

Caution: Don't touch the CPU pins or the bottom of the heatsink: fingerprints on the contact area stop heat from transferring properly.

Step 2: Unbox the motherboard and keep the accessories

• Inside you will usually find the board, a SATA cable, the manual and paperwork, and a driver disc (many new PCs no longer have a DVD drive).
• Keep the small M.2 bracket/screw for NVMe drives that mount directly on the board – don't lose it.
• Set the I/O shield (the plate for the rear input/output ports) aside for when the board goes into the case.

Step 3: Take the board out of the anti-static bag by the edges

• The board ships in an anti-static bag; slide it out with a finger on the side.
• Grab it by the heatsink, the plastic parts or the edges – never by the circuits.
• Do the same when you turn it around: edges only.

Step 4: Open the AM4 socket lever

• Remove any cover and lift the socket lever all the way up.
• Make sure nothing hits or damages the processor while you work.

Caution: If you bend the CPU's pins (legs), you're in trouble – handle it gently.

Step 5: Line up the gold triangle and drop the CPU in

• Find the little triangle mark on the socket and the gold triangle on the CPU corner.
• Hold the CPU by its edges, line up the marks and let it fall into place – no pushing.
• It should settle in quickly; in the video you can hear it click.

Caution: If it doesn't drop in by itself, the orientation is wrong. Don't force it.

Step 6: Close the lever to lock the processor

• Lower the lever back down until it latches.
• The CPU is now locked and ready for the heatsink.

Step 7: Check the stock cooler's pre-applied thermal paste

• The stock cooler comes with thermal paste already applied, so you don't have to add any.
• The cooler's screws go into the motherboard; the fan should spin freely.

Caution: Don't touch the paste or the contact base with your fingers.

Step 8: Remove the plastic retention brackets for a screw-mount cooler

• AM4 boards come with a plastic locking mechanism (retention brackets) for clip coolers.
• For a cooler with four screws, unscrew and remove those brackets; an electric screwdriver makes it faster.
• The metal plate on the back of the board stays in place – the screws go into it.

Step 9: Screw the cooler down evenly

• The mounting pattern is a rectangle: turn the cooler so its screws match the closest holes on each side.
• Put the screws in and tighten them with the screwdriver until the cooler stays firmly in place.

Step 10: Plug the fan into the CPU fan header

• Find the fan headers near the socket; the board labels them (CPU fan and chassis fan).
• The connector only fits one way: line up its gap with the guide on the header.
• Push it on until it seats.

Caution: If it won't go in, it is turned around – don't force it.

Step 11: Alternative: clip-style AMD cooler on an older board

• Older AMD coolers use a metal clip that hooks on the plastic bracket instead of four screws.
• Hook one end, then the other, make sure the cooler sits completely flush, then move the lever to lock it firm and tight.
• It's faster, especially if you build a lot of PCs.

Caution: Those plastic brackets can break over time; the cooler comes loose and the CPU overheats. Four screws are very unlikely to fail at the same time.

Note: Dusty heatsinks like this are what you can expect when fixing an old computer.

Step 12: Tidy a long fan cable

• If the fan cable is too long, you can make it shorter by tying a knot in it.
• Remember the connector has small gaps so it fits in only one position.