There was a longer post but it took so long to write IE9 forgot who i was and when i clicked posted it wanted me to log in and i lost all my words...AGAIN.

Any way came home at 5:30AM this morning and PC started saying the CPU had overheated. Basically i discovered two of the four pins holding the fan in place weren't actually on. So bad contact is bad afterall. I'm a little amazed it's been running since before LAN when the pins weren't properly on till now.

What type of securing mechanism do you guys use. I doubt i'll use this variety again. I'll find pic later.

Currently using the Intel push pin method, it's a bit tricky at times and easy to get wrong, but not too much hassle. Previously used a screw method, which was a massive hassle, though very secure.

I think I'm using a clamp. AM2 come with a plastic socket mount and makes it really easy to squish it all down on to the chip.

Don't get me started on those Intel push pins.

They're not too bad. The old lever arch style of clamp was horrible to fit (though, admittedly more secure). I've had a few issues with the push pins, namely missing getting 2 of them in once, but you just have to be a bit careful.

Ideally, I think, would be to use the screw method as standard, but with the screws made somehow easier to screw in.

Intel Push Pins. They were frustrating at first, now they're a piece of cake

They are unless one of them is slightly misshapen and refuses to lock.

Are the push pins the ones where you have to rotate them after you've pushed them through?

I don't think this PC or the one I did at home has all 4 of those secure... It has 3 tops, but the 4th usually just point blank refuses to lock in lol and then I'm worried I'm going to damage the Mobo

Yes, those are the ones.

You do have to be surprisingly forceful, but it's unlikely you'll break the motherboard. The problem is that for optimal cooling, there needs to be a lot of pressure on the CPU, making attaching it very difficult.

I guess everyone knows what one i had then, these stupid pins >.<

my dad was retting the whole time the motherboard was gonna snap in half

People think you have to put a lot of force on them, but you don't really, it's just the diagram explains it so INCREDIBLY badly. You have to push the little white-ish plastic pegs in first whilst holding each black pin up as you push its corresponding white peg. Then you push the black pins down. You don't turn them in as you push them/after you've pushed them, they should be in position when you push them down. The manual should explain it, but for reference on my Q6600, the black pegs had these lines on the top, and they had to point roughly towards the center of the heatsink/fan. If that fails, just turn them clockwise until they won't turn anymore before pushing down.