Shims, Heatsinks & MidTowers

[spwango]

Hey all,

I will be buying my first Athlon rig soon, and I have a few questions reguarding cooling....First of all, with these big, heavy heatsink & fan units, is it safe to use a case that positions the motherboard vertically?

I've seen those shims that fit around those little rubber "feet" on the top of the processor? Are there any benefits or disadvantages to using these?

Thanks,

spwango

 

[Packet]

a shim won't drop your tempature per say, but it will keep a solid flat connection from your CPU and heatsink. It also can offer some protection for your CPU core, preventing any chipping and breakage when you attach your heatsink.

With the casequestion, I assume you mean a desktop instead of a tower?
Should be fine, never herd of a heatsink crushing a cpu or motherboard.

 

[spwango]

Thanks for the reply Packet,

As for the shim, I am a bit paranoid about the installation of the heatsink...the last system I built was old enough it didn't even require a fan...so, if a shim will help protect any goofs my fat fingers could cause, I'm all for that...with that said, aside from paying for it, is there any reason not to get a shim?

As for the case, keeping in mind I'm not overly familiar with these new mobos or heatsinks...I want a mid-sized tower. I worry that a heavy heatsink would pull on the socket if it sits vertically in the case...is this a problem for anyone?

Thanks,

spawngo

 

[Packet]

ahh, I see what your saying as in verticle
no, that won't be a problem.
I don't know many overclockers that don't have a tower of somesort, and I have never herd of the socket being pulled out of the motherboard.

Some people say that shims can be bad for the CPU because it spreads heat from the core to the rest of the CPU. I havn't seen any proof of it, and I use a shim myself and have had no problems.

 

[pbrain]

the problem with using a shim is that if it isn't the exact thickness it can either a)be too thik and keep the hsf from even touching the cpu, thus killing it from heat; or b)be too thin and not do a damn thing.

 

[spwango]

Hey PBrain, thanks for the reply....

If the shim is a bit too thick, won't the thermal compound compensate, since this would be a very small amount?

thanks,

spwango

 

[darth maul]

Ya don't really need a shim. There are little "feet" already on your athlon that will prevent the heatsink from tiping....sure not as much prevention as a solid piece of copper, but really, just use common sense when you put the heatsink on, and be careful. I think shims are over rated.......but thats just my opinion.