I finally got a new--but used--desktop to replace my ancient Compaq PIII. The specs for this system:

-Pentium 4 3.2Ghz
-Intel 945G-M3 motherboard
-1 GB DDR2 memory
-Maxtor 160GB SATA II hard drive
-Sony DVD-RW

everything is still newish (three months old, seller tells me), but the thing that got me sold...black case with clear side (and small clear top) panel with blue LED lights. The front has two clear tube-like thing on either side that lights up blue also (can be turned on and off). The price? Seller wanted $285, but I got it down to $275 (originally asked for $260). So, I must still ask, did I get a good deal?

Okay, when I got it home I decided to remove the huge CPU heatsink and fan. There was some very sticky greyish goo on the part of the heatsink that makes contact with the CPU. What is this goo for? Then curiosity got the best of me and I decided to remove the CPU, and as I did I got a miniscule smudge of goo on the underside of the CPU. I believe two of the circular connector points got touched, so I delicately used a napkin and wiped it off. Did I do anything that may affect the CPU performance? It turned on fine after I put everything back, but I need some confirmation. I should have known better than to mess with anything inside.

I'm not sure what that will to to your processor short term. Try to clean it off as best you can, or it could limit the contact between the small prongs and the board. The goo is a heat exchange material. The heat sink/fan on the processor has a small (usually copper) plate that takes heat from the processor, distributes it across the heat sink (metal folds) and blows it away. The goo makes sure that a perfect heat transfer is set up. If you scratched at it at all, I would get some more (it's called thermal paste) and apply it as recommended. A really thin and even layer is all that is necessary, but any debris caught in the paste could cause a total mess. Plus, it will detract from the heat transfer process and shorten the life of your CPU.

Edit: you can use some rubbing alcohol to clean the thermal paste off of the CPU

It sounds as though you got a good deal for a boxed computer. I'd add on another gig of RAM, though. The difference will be noticeable. I'm partial to home-built rigs, so I can't comment that much on it.

__________________
Andrew

1989 Volvo 745- 202K

doesn't sound too bad of a deal but you didn't mention what O/S you got with it and no monitor and and what expansion ports do you have available?
What will you use the system for? Gaming? business?
Also I would juice up the ram to 2 gb

I wouldn't open the case and I really wouldn't touch anything inside ever again. You can foul out parts inside the computer with static electricity and poof ..there goes the Pentium. What you rubbed off is like a heat dissipation paste that is applied at the factory. You may have ducked a bullet, but maybe longevity of chip life cycle will be shortened.

My advice Plug it in...look at the pretty lights..don't touch the guts...

__________________
Showing up every day isn't enough. There are a lot of guys who show up every day who shouldn't have showed up at all. - James Caan

Hey frosty...

I've built my share of computers. That "grey goo" is a thermal compound. It's designed for one application only. You can get by with reusing it, but it's cheap, and it'll probably keep your temperatures down (the lower, the longer the component's will last). Just look for a small tube of Arctic Silver 5. I love that stuff. They have a "how-to" on their website. Follow it and you can't go wrong.

As to getting it on the underside of the CPU, try to get it all off. Most thermal compounds are conductive or slightly capacitive. That's probably the last place you want a short. I use rubbing alcohol and some type of low lint paper towel to clean off the old stuff.

Other than that, a computer is pretty easy to build. Just plug in the connectors (hard drives / dvd burner - SATA or PATA (IDE), sound connectors / buttons (there should be a pinout on the motherboard, or in the user manual), etc.), plug in the power (motherboard, hard drive, dvd, fans, etc) and go.

Oh, and to answer your original question, CPU's are pretty robust. There's an interface on the bottom (yours is probably flat, whereas my AMD has 939 pins sticking out). Then there's the silicon PCB which the processor resides on. What you actually see on the top is a heat spreader. It's usually copper / zinc. It protects everything, too. Just don't play with it too much, and it'll be great.

To make sure I have everything working properly, I use prime95 to check for computational errors. I run it for 8 hours+. If it makes it through that, it'll be fine. If not, you probably have to change some BIOS settings. There are other tests and tools that I can point you toward. PM me if you want more info.

__________________
1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

Thanks, guys! Yeah, the system is a home-built one. The seller said he built it about three monts ago but decided to upgrade to a bigger rig. The case is probably generic, as I don't see any brand name on it. It's styled in the way of the "see-through" computer cases that seems to be the trend these days, yet it's not outrageous or anything.

About the RAM. There are two sticks, and on each stick there is that sticker that says "Void if removed" it says "1G Kit." So does that mean I have 2GB total? Seller advertised it as 1GB, and if I recall the system specs says 1024GB and then there is 2GB; one is for physical and the other is for virtual or something.

Also, the ad said it has a built-in 128MB video on the motherboard. How can I tell? I asked the seller and he said I could add in a better video card via the PCI slot.

THe system comes with Windows XP Pro w/ the service pkg2 or something. Also seller upgraded OS so that you can make it look like Vista. There are some other software in there, such as MS Office 2003.

Oh, yes, I felt a need to rub some of the goo off on the CPU so that I can make sure it is a P4 Even though I know the system spec page will show you. So it is safe to remove this goo from the CPU with rubbing alcohol and reapply a clean layer?

Next upgrade will be a widescreen LCD! I'm still using a CRT--yes, laugh! In fact, you will laugh at my PIII that I've been using the past many years. I do have a Dell Inspiron 8500, but I use the desktop more when at home.

edit to add: forgot to say that it has a DSL connector already on the motherboard, six 2.0 USB ports (4 back, 2 front), two PCI slots, one black slot above them (don't know what that is), 3 fans (5" back, 3" side, and 3.5" CPU--three extra vents for additional fans), and it has some 7.1 audio thing.

If you really want to know how much memory you have, use this program:

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

There's a tab in there that'll tell you how much you have. I'm betting it's two 512 MB sticks. A 1 gig kit has 1GB total.

If you want information about your onboard graphics you'll have to use Everest. The new versions are not shareware, however, you can use oldversion.com to get a free version with almost the same functionality.

http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=everesthome

So...if you rubbed the goo off to read the top of the processor, you really need to put new stuff on. It allows the heatsink to make good contact with the processor. The Arctic Silver 5 tubes are dirt cheap and are worth it.

http://www.svc.com/as5-3g.html

__________________
1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

This place has a feature that will interrogate your system, and give you a report.
http://www.upgradedetect.com/default.asp

__________________
It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

Thats the thermal compound... go get some more now

Theres really no maintenance involved with your CPU, just keep the heatsink free of dust and stuff. I've seen some so bad that the CPU would overheat, which means the system would reboot so the CPU wouldn't fry. Cleared out the dust and it stopped doing that.

__________________
1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

that small black slot in the mother board might be a "agp" slot (Accelerated Graphics Port) if its like a little smaller than the rest, the white ones(PCI slot) than thats what it is. if you were to buy a new graphics card then it would plug into that. make sure that the card you buy is a agp card and not a pci express card. and the artic silver, get it, it will lower temps by like 40 degrees if nothing is on there.

__________________
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...titled-1-3.jpg
1981 300d

Actually AGP is going by the wayside, though, depending on the age of the computer, you may still have one. PCI Express is the faster bus. AGP is usually black, larger than the regular PCI slots and is located farthest to the left/top when looking at the back of the computer. If your box has the AGP card us it as it's doubtfull it also has PCI x16.

Here's a picture identifying the parts of a typical new MB:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=13-135-047-04.jpg&Image=13-135-047-02.jpg%2c13-135-047-03.jpg%2c13-135-047-04.jpg%2c13-135-047-05.jpg%2c13-135-047-06.jpg%2c13-135-047-07.jpg&S7ImageFlag=0&Depa=1&Description=ECS+NF650iSLIT-A+(V1.0)+ATX+Intel+Motherboard

__________________
-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

I bought a used Dell Laptop that would shut down randomly for cheap. When I got it home and took it apart, I found the CPU heatsink was totally clogged with fuzz (the previous owner had several cats). It's been on almost continuously for a year now without any shutdowns.

__________________
1984 300TD

Note to self:

clean computer this week.

Note to self: Pentium 4 still sucks @ss.