1600XP shim

[explorer]

I have seen "shims" on numerous sites and I was wondering what the point of them is, do they contribute to better cooling?

Thanks,
Explorer

[AntmanMike]

No, they do not. They keep the heatsink of moving and rocking. basically, they keep the heatsink level with the core. now that you know this, Dont get a copper (or other metalic) one. Get a nonconductive one. I highly recomend it.

[azhari]

Actually, there is some evidence that they may warm up the cpu by 0.5 to 1 degrees. But they are really used to protect the cpu core from the heatsink. A common problem is that during the installation or uninstallation of the HSF the core gets chipped. This usually, but not always, kills the cpu. Shims reduce the chances of this happening by stabilizing the HSF during the mounting and dismounting (not letting it rock on the core).

Obviously, the need for a shim depends on the type of HSF you have. If it's one of the HSFs that is easy to mount and dismount then you don't need a shim, and I would recommend not using it. But if you an HSF would those really hard to manipulate clips, then shims are great insurance.