Editing Socket A (section)

== Socket A mechanical load limits ==
[[File:Cracked die corner.jpg|thumb|The corners of the exposed CPU dies were susceptible to damage like shown here when coolers were installed incorrectly or systems were handled roughly.]]
AMD recommends that the mass of a Socket A CPU cooler to not exceed 300&nbsp;[[gram]]s (10.6&nbsp;[[ounce]]s). Heavier coolers may result in damage to the [[Die (integrated circuit)|die]] when the system is not properly handled.

All Socket A processors (Athlon, Sempron, Duron and Geode NX) have the following mechanical maximum load limits<ref>{{cite web |title=AMD Athlon Processor Model 4 Data Sheet |url=https://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/23792.pdf |website=AMD |language=en-US |access-date=November 8, 2001 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050407201323/http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/23792.pdf |archive-date=April 7, 2005}}</ref> which should not be exceeded during heatsink assembly, shipping conditions, or standard use. They came with a warning that load above those limits may crack the processor die and make it unusable. The limits are included in the table below.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;"
|-
! style="width:12em;" | Location
! Dynamic
! Static
|-
| Die Surface
| 445&nbsp;[[newton (unit)|N]] (100&nbsp;[[Pound-force|lb<sub>f</sub>]])
| 133&nbsp;[[newton (unit)|N]] (30&nbsp;[[Pound-force|lb<sub>f</sub>]])
|-
| Die Edge
| 44&nbsp;[[newton (unit)|N]] (10&nbsp;[[Pound-force|lb<sub>f</sub>]])
| 44&nbsp;[[newton (unit)|N]] (10&nbsp;[[Pound-force|lb<sub>f</sub>]])
|}
These load limits are quite small compared to the load limits of [[Socket 370]], [[Socket 423]] and [[Socket 478]] processors. Indeed, they were so small that many users more often than not ended up with cracked processors while trying to remove or attach heatsinks to their fragile processor core. This makes installing non-standard or non-certified heatsink solutions a risky business.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}} [[OEM]] aluminium heatsinks typically provided smaller thermal tolerances, so the improper application or absence of a thermal pad or thermal grease or operation in high room temperatures may result in some Socket A CPUs [[Overheating (electricity)|overheating]] and [[Crash (computing)|crashing]], permanently damaging them and rendering them unusable.