Why buy a shim - Tech Support Forums

joker_927 · January 1st, 2003, 06:18 PM

I was told by numerous people that I MUST buy a shim. MUST MUST MUST! So okay I went to a ite and found a shim for $8 and $15 shipped. That's a lot for a thin piece of metal. The website says that they are highly NONconductive and the shims go through an extensive treatement to make them that way. I go over to CompUSA and I see a copper shim for $2.99. I didn't look at the back of the box, but I read the front, and it said nothing about conductiveness. If conductivity is a MAJOR problem with shims, how can they sell copper ones? Also, isn't a shim a shim? It is it then I'll just run down and pick this $3 one up, and save me some time and money.

Are there really different quality shims?

joker_927 · January 1st, 2003, 06:21 PM

Everyone recommend these shims.

This is the shim in CompUSA although priced differently

chris64 · January 1st, 2003, 06:26 PM

I bought a copper shim for $4 shipped and all I did was put a little scotch tape over the L bridges.

woodbutcher · January 1st, 2003, 06:31 PM

There is a lot of articles and disscusions here and at other forums about "shims".
Personally I don't use them and never have.
Someone had posted the same question a week or two ago about this and I think it was surreal that had said that shims are not recommended.

WB

joker_927 · January 1st, 2003, 06:38 PM

Well, If you buy a 550 gram Heatsink and put a fat fan on top on it, when you turn your computer right side up, that is a lot of pressure, so I'm going to buy a shim. I just can't decide which one.

One site I looked at said that only difference between a copper and anodized was thir conductiveness. The ONLY bad thing about a coper shim, was that is it ever moved, it could short out your bridges and fry the chip. Well with a 550 gram Heatsink, a fan, and the fact that the shim sits on the four rubber feet of the processor, I don't see how that shim would EVER move.

I'll see who replies, and what else I can find on the interent, then propbably just go buy the darn coper one at the store. I wish the stor sold anodized ones, that would be the best. Know nay stores that sell anodized shims?

Kc2iLq · January 1st, 2003, 06:47 PM

If you look at the shim, you will see that it doesn't sit on the four pads, it actually has cut-outs to go around them. The shim helps the HS sit firmly on the core. A good shim will not only be an electrical nonconductor, but a thermal nonconductor as well. Some of the new socket A chips get very hot, and hopefully, most of that heat is transfered to the HSF. When the HS gets hot, it will heat up a thermally conductive shim, hence melting and scotch tape protecting the precious bridges.

Your best bet is probably something like this .

-Kc2iLq

joker_927 · January 1st, 2003, 07:01 PM

Wow, I like the description on that one.

Seems too simple because all it has is an outline. Still, you may have persuaded me to buy ANOTHER product from coolerguys.

I buy a lot from them.

Aaron_J · January 1st, 2003, 07:28 PM

Personally I think a good non-conductive shim is a great way to prevent core chipping when installing the cpu fan.

<---- Has a 1.4 T-bird in the closet with more chips than a can of Pringles. (r&r'd the cpu WAY too many times. a shim would have been a big help)

On the other hand I have fried a 1gig T-bird with a copper shim so I would stay away from those.

joker_927 · January 1st, 2003, 10:22 PM

Cool.

About the 2400+ being 2.0 ghz,

Is this site crazy? Tons of sites advertize the OEM version as 1.93ghz. WHY!!!!

jak · January 1st, 2003, 10:40 PM

ok heres what i think, if you chip your core, you did not take care in installing a cpu, amd makes their cpus to withstand the pressure of heatsink clips, in fact the pressure helps ensure the best thermal removal properties, shims are nice i spose if you are removing and putting the cpu on often, but amd designs their chips to be installed without a shim, just a thought
jack