How much resistance should I feel when installing an i5?

[Serenity_3]

I have checked multiple times for alignment and for some reason there is a lot more resistance when I try to close the bracket with the CPU in vs an empty socket. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[superninja12]

this is kinda normal, you should feel some resitence to keep your cpu into place

 

[jaslion]

I have checked multiple times for alignment and for some reason there is a lot more resistance when I try to close the bracket with the CPU in vs an empty socket. Am I doing something wrong?

As long as you aligned it well it's no problem. I do notice that gigabyte has made their mechanism harder to push down recently when building pc's for people.

 

[Serenity_3]

It's an ASUS mobo

 

[superninja12]

its all good serenity, make sure you carefully put the cpu intoplace, kinda drop it from 1mm , and make sure the gold triangle is allinged up.

 

[DRagor]

I wonder why nobody asked if by any chance you are not trying to put wrong CPU in wrong motherboard, OP? (no disrespect meant but it happens)

 

[synphul]

Provided the right cpu for the socket is being used, yes there's a fair amount of resistance. Make sure the arrow on the cpu is aligned with the arrow on the socket and that the guide pins fit the notches in the cpu. Rest the cpu in the socket with the lid open, make sure the plastic protector is out of the way. In other words don't try to leave the plastic socket lid on and install the cpu, it's just there to cover the socket to preserve the delicate pins.

With more recent i5's they've relied on lga or land grid array meaning the cpu itself has flat metal contacts (lands). The pins in the socket on the motherboard are angled so that when the cpu is locked into place it presses down and bows all those pins. That ensures tension and sturdy contact between the pin tips and cpu lands. When you close the metal lid to latch the cpu down it's forcing the cpu against all those pins and bowing them over so that's where you're getting tension that's not there when closing the lid on an empty socket.

The first time I dealt with an i5 I was a bit concerned, it seemed like quite a bit of force as well as a concerning and unexpected 'crunching' sound. It's just the pins flexing.