I'm going to install a copper shim onto my Athlon XP, and I was wondering whether or not I should spread thermal compound on both sides of the shim, just on one side, or only on the contact between my CPU core and the heatsink?

Would like to help, but don't have a clue what a shim is...

Hope these images help explain what a shim is
Most installation guides I have read don't have Artic silver or other past on the underside of the shim. Infact none of the information that I could find about fitting a shim has any mention of putting any thermal paste on the shim at all. Just Artic Silver the core

arris is correct, no compound or anything on the shims, just put it on the core, but what are they for? just better contact? better heat dispersal?

-Bourbon

But doesn't it make sense to spread some on both sides of the shim too? Or is it dangerous...I heard it was on the Xeon, but XP?

I don't believe in shims. The HOT ZONE is the dead center (raised portion) of the cpu core. I'm not a fan of these trick shims etc. as too many people end up cracking or breaking something, throwing off the spring tension of their hsf.

Theory wise, copper conducts heat better, but aluminum dissipates heat better, & one hsf I saw has both! Copper tanrishes, which is why nickel plated hsf are in vogue.

So it's not just a matter of what you like but what AMD recommends.
AMD Thermal Solutions

I'd stick w/ a quality HSF & thermal compound (heat sink paste) like Artic Silver. This is the interface to conduct heat to the hsf, not the shim.

I'm ordering my shim from a site that's been around since '96, so they are very trusted. I would also think a shim can spread out the heatsink's contact with the CPU, because mine only touches the core. Although the heat is mostly generated at the core, I still think the shim would keep the other parts cool, and extend the life of my processor. Plus, the core of every processor is in a dead zone anyway, the fan motor is directly on top of it.

"because mine only touches the core"

so does everyone else's! Did you read my reply? The ceramic "case" part of the cpu does not require cooling. More contact area does not mean better thermal transfer. The Law of Thermodynamics: Heat flows from hot to-cold. You actually may be transfering heat to your cpu!

read this article-->
http://www.pcabusers.com/reviews/shim/tbird.html

Heatsink Guide Testing Methodology-->
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1429

"site that's been around since '96, so they are very trusted"

but it's just another high profit product to $ell. After a die is made, copper shim can be cranked out @ a machine shop for pennies. Your paying $5.95 for a piece of copper that cost 69¢ to manufacture.

"should spread thermal compound on both sides of the shim"

Caution: While much safer than silver greases engineered for high electrical conductivity, Arctic Silver II should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. The compound is slightly capacitive and could cause problems if it bridged two close-proximity electrical paths.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_s...structions.htm

Hi guys, I'm finally back! I see you have gotten this thing about shims a bit wrong here, let me explain.

A shim is only used to protect the very fragile core of a CPU during installation of the heatsink, it's not designed to conduct heat in any way.

Though when you use a shim you might make the heatsink sit a bit flatter on the core and thus increase the cooling performance but it's absolutley not because the shim conducts heat from the cheramic of the CPU into the heatsink; that would be impossible because of this fact:

It's only the core in a CPU that gets hot (and extremley hot at that) now if you don't have any heatsink on the procesor core the heat will have to go down and into the cheramic, but since cheramic doesn't conduct heat your CPU will burn up in a matter of seconds...

But when there is a HSF on the CPU core the heat will go into that and then slowly get radiated into the surrounding air by the fan that sits ontop of the HSF.

Now this is a very slow process and thus the underside of the HSF can get quite hot, if we now have a shim with thermalcompund here so that it actually makes contact with both the HSF and CPU heat will be transfered from the heatsink and back into the CPU because the cheramic is *colder* than the heatsink... not good!

Though if we don't have any thermalcompound here no contact will ever be made because the height of a typical AMD Socket A processor from the cheramic and to the top of the core is about 0,1 - 0,2mm more than that of a shim.

So there you have it, Shim=Protection, not improved cooling...

And the bottom line is: Always use a shim: They only cost a fraction of your CPU but can truly be the thing that saves it's life when you get your clumsy fingers in there and put on the new heatsink or watercooler

I have nightmares about exactly that!:eek:

If you do a lil' research, (link preforementioned) the object of the "non-conductive" shim or spacer is exactly what Per said, "protect the very fragile core of a CPU during installation of the heatsink, it's not designed to conduct heat in any way. "

I have yet to see a test or an ad that says temperatures are lowered by copper shims. Any product that can be marketed, will be marketed.As Seen On TV

All I have seen in reviews of shims is a lot of complaint about rises in temperature and broken chips.

Well then those people can't be very technically minded; I mean there is really noting you can do wrong if you just use that thing between your ears a wee bit...

So I shouldn't get a shim? I'll just get another case fan and some Arctic Silver then :giddy:

Shims were not designed for cooling, but to keep you from crushing your processor. I might be mistaken though, but that has been the major application for them around here.

Hmm. So is it worth it or not?

I have read numerous reports that shims in fact raise the temp.
of the CPU by trapping the heat close to the core, which would
otherwise be free to dissipate.
They do however offer the less experienced system builder a bit
of "protection" from crushing or chipping the core during Heat-
sink installation.
As Per Hansson correctly points out, there is (should be) no
contact between the shim and heat sink, therefore no thermal
compound is needed, the shim is not for cooling, it’s just there
to keep the heat sink square on the core …….and to keep that
extra little bit of heat in there ;-)

STOP, do NOT install the shim on the processor. I read somewhere that shims are NOT to be installed on the Athlon XP systems as they will fry. I will look for a link for you later, but till then do not put on the shim...

If you check that the shim is not/isn't/do not make contact with the L bridges on the CPU everything will be fine!


If you want to go further put a small dab of arctic silver on the core but don't smear it out; Put the heatsink on and then remove it; If the Arctic silver has been squished together everything is fine!

Do you want me to make a small movie of it? It's really not complicated if you just do some fore-thought...

Yea, only an incorrectly installed shim would do that. There are spaces to fit over the various components displayed on the surface. They're specially made for XP's, or whatever CPU is being protected. Thanks for enlightening me on the subject...I now will not install a shim, only Arctic Silver 3 over the core...They really need to design fans to accomodate only the core getting hot, which is right over the fan motor...