Okay, I just bought the E8500 yesterday and placed it in my mobo, and the pins inserted correctly but it seemed to be loose in the socket. I levered the leverage down, placed the HS/F and everything is working. I'm just wondering, does all LGA 775 motherboards do that with processors. I didn't know how much to shift the processor before placing the fan on top of it.

Also, is it okay if some of the thermal grease went on the side of the processor? I tried wiping it off with a coffee filter but that seemed to just smear it more.

And what is the correct method in removing the thermal grease off the CPU? Can I wipe it off with 91 percent rubbing alcohol? Where can I buy 99.9 percent alchohol and how much does it cost? Thank you.