northbridge heatsink help...

[bcyyz23]

Okay so I cleaned the old thermal paste off. What came with it looks like a thin square flimsy piece that has a square hole.... I have no idea what this is. Do I need this piece because well its broken. Where can I replace it? Please help. I have no idea what I'm looking at or understand what I'm doing.

 

[DrMrLordX]

It would help if you told us which motherboard it was that has this northbridge heatsink. Pictures for the broken piece would also help.

That being said, it is unlikely that any of the stock interface betwen the NB heatsink and the IC is necessary, except maybe as a spacer. You can probably do better just rigging a copper spacer in there (getting a little slug of copper cut by a metal shop shouldn't be too terribly expensive) and using an aftermarket TIM.

Is the heatsink aluminum or copper?