WTB Shim for Duron

[chris64]

Hi,
I am looking to buy a shim for a duron. I have chiped one and another one got chiped when someone bumped the computer so I decided to add a shim to reduce the chances of that happening again.

[pickel]

I run my Duron with just the heatsink and fan, and it runs 30 degrees C. Maybe 40 C. video intensive. Why do oyu think you need the shim ???? Just curious

[chris64]

I just chiped the core on my duron so I wanted to add a shim when I install a new proccesor to make it more stable. Someone correct me if i'm wrong but I don't think the shim would decrease the temp so that's not the purpose.

[chris64]

bump

[Cody]

Someone bumped the computer and the CPU chipped? Then your Heatsink isn't installed right, because that should NEVER EVER happen.

Cody

[chris64]

I checked it and the HSF was on there pretty good but the bump was pretty hard.

[Bovon]

Personally, I would never run any Athlon (or Duron) without a shim...but, do be carefull because the shim could be thicker than the cpu core is tall, which would leave the heat sink elevated above the core a bit. I just measured a copper shim (that came gratis with the heatsink) and it is .002" too thick. By applying thermal compound to the core, then installing the sink..there was no evidence that the heat sink ever touched the core. There would have been an imprint of the core on the heat sink if the thermal compound had come in contact with the core.

I use the non conductive shims, they are made from some sort of compressed insulating material like what is used in electric motors.. In my systems, and the three Tbirds I have, the core is approxmiately 0.025" high above the base. The shim I used is 0.024" thick. When I install the heat sink and then remove it, I have an imprint on the heat sink from where it seated on the core properly. Be sure to do this with any shim so that you will know the heat sink is mating with the core properly. I got mine from CrazyPC along with some other stuff a few months ago.

One other thing...a lot of people have the wrong impression about why a shim is used. It is not, nor has it ever been about heat transfer. A shim does not help transfer heat, copper or not, the ceramic base (where a shim resides) does not transfer heat away from the core...a shim is for protection of the fragle edge of the core of the cpu because the heatsink is extremely diffucult to install or remove and keep it precisely flat and level. When a shim is used, and a heat sink is installed unlevel...the shim will absorb the force instead of the core...but, if the heat sink is allowed to remain unlevel, even after being latched down (it can happen guys) you will experience higher than normal cpu temps.

About this time last year, on another forum..a discussion was going about the use of shims. One guy said he had never used a shim, didn't need a shim...and had installed and removed the heats sink many times without any problems at all. A couple of months later, he came back to the thread and said he wished he had used a shim...he had just crushed the core on a new Tbird, something like $250 bucks at the time.

Chris64, I suspect the heat sink was unlevel, and applying excessive pressure to the edge of the core, and the 'bump' was all it needed to cause the crushing force needed to chip that core edge.

[griobhta]

You also need to take into account that there is a different type of shim needed for earlier durons and athlons than more recent Durons with the morgan core XP's. If you use an older shim you will probably burn out your cpu as it will not sit properly and prevent the hsf from touching the core.

g

[chris64]

So I guess I need one of the newer ones because its a 1.3ghz duron which is probably a morgan core.

[Cody]

Well, some use a shim for peace of mind. If you're careful and don't put your computer in a place where it could be "bumped pretty hard" you shouldn't have a problem.

Cody