What is this metal thing in the center of my motherboard?

Question

its square and has these prong-like things sticking up. it fell off the other night, but luckly it still works. but i really want to know if it should really be on there or how to get it back on there.

i found a pic of something similar. it would be the white thing in the center.
http://www.baber.com/baber/gifs/411gifs/asus_p4be.jpg

Answer 1

Generally known as Heat sink/ Board Heat Absorber

Answer 2

that would be a heat sink. it draws heat away from the heat source which is the chip it used to be attached to.

you need to clean the surface of the heat sink and the surface of the chip. you can use rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball.

then you'll need some thermal grease. put a little dab of it on the chip. it should not be too much. just a small dab in the middle will do because the pressure and heat of the heat sink will help it spread out. then attach the heat sink to the chip.

good luck.

Answer 3

It is a northbridge heatsink, it cools the northbridge chipset, which houses the memory controller and other buses. It is not absolutely necessary that you put it back on, but it would be highly recommended.

To clear up the disagreement above, either thermal grease or thermal adhesive would work, but generally the thermal grease would be recommended. If you do use thermal adhesive, be very careful that you attach it correctly, as once it is attached it is attached for good.

Answer 4

its a heatsink... it keeps whever is under it from overheating. And yes you should put it back on.

The answer below is sorta correct. But not quite. What you need is a thermal adhesive. The instructions below are for replacing the heatsink on you CPU. I am leaving a link to instructions for using Thermal Adhesive (not grease)