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shim!!!!

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match the cut corner of the shim with the cut corner on a processor

They are refurring to the little triangle printed on one of the corners of your cpu.

The triangle on your chip should be pointing to the pivot of the lever on the socket.
 
K just a qick Q, why do people buy these things? They CPU has the black foam circles on them, don't they bot hdo the same thing
 
Well, some heatsinks (Thermaltake heatsinks in particular) have a tendency to crush your CPU with little or no effort.

Poorly designed heatsinks (Thermaltake heatsinks in particular) are also extremely difficult to get on and off without applying undue pressure to the processor while getting the retention clips over the socket - crushing the processor.

Myself, I just avoided crummy, poorly designed heatsinks (like Thermaltake heatsinks!) when I used air cooling, and used the little white foam pads that come with all Thermalright SLK heatsinks instead of a shim. Shims raise your temperatures, and they cost money.
 
Well, the shim keeps some of the heat trapped near the processor - the shim is made of copper and will absorb heat, and make a sort of "heat-seal".

They work really well for protecting CPUs, but will raise temperatures by a good degree or two.
 
which is fine if your cooling can cope! like mine! Ive only got a shim because I crushed a core with my heatsink so didn't want to do it again!
 
MameXP said:
shim raise your temp? Hows that possible. Didnt they measesure the height?

Ye but i know shim doesnt help much.

MameXP,

Shims work by having themselves in contact with both the substrate and HS when you mount it. This contact reduces the likelihood of expensive sand but also decreases core contact pressure. Decrease in pressure = worse thermal conductivity from core -> HS.
 
K just a qick Q, why do people buy these things? They CPU has the black foam circles on them, don't they bot hdo the same thing
It's also cheap insurance. The foam circles will give a lot more than a metal plate will, and there's a higher chance of crushing your core that way. This is especially true with heavier heatsinks, and especially waterblocks.
 
Decrease in pressure = worse thermal conductivity from core -> HS.

Makes more sense than a "Heat absorber/seal", which is what I *thought* was the reason for the temperature increase ;) :eek:

If you are watercooling with a socket mount block, or using a prommie, than a shim is a cheap safety blanket. I remember reading a post by a guy who had just installed his new prommie, only to find thet he had crushed his Barton - a $10 shim woulda saved him probably.
 
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