Do this with the motherboard outside the case, resting on the box it came in. The foam insert supports the board evenly and you have access to the socket from every side — both of which disappear once the board is screwed into the case.
Lift the socket lever: press it down slightly, move it sideways out from under its retaining tab, and only then raise it upright. On Intel boards a metal load plate lifts with the lever, and the plastic cover either falls out on its own or is pushed out as you close it — do not pull it out by hand, and keep it, because a warranty return often requires it.
Orientation: one corner of the CPU carries a small etched triangle, and a matching one is on the corner of the socket or its frame. They must line up. It is the only marker worth trusting — the printing on the CPU lid is sometimes rotated relative to the socket and misleads.
A platform difference worth knowing: on AMD AM4 the delicate pins are on the underside of the CPU, so bending them in a drop usually ends that processor. On AMD AM5 and every Intel socket the pins moved into the socket — now the board is the fragile part, and a CPU dropped onto it can bend dozens of contacts at once. Either way the rule is the same: hold the CPU by its edges and lower it straight down.
Hold the CPU flat above the socket and lower it vertically. Do not slide it sideways once seated. Correctly placed it lies flat and does not rock when touched gently — if any corner stands proud, lift it out and place it again.
Close the load plate and press the lever back under its tab. The resistance is normal and can be surprisingly firm, particularly on Intel, where the frame clamps the CPU with tens of newtons. A grinding sound while closing is usually the frame itself, not the processor. If the lever resists from the very start rather than halfway through its travel, open the socket and check the alignment.
