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FrankenPad T601 Nvidia Copper Shim Mod?

T60/T61 Series
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nightninja96
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FrankenPad T601 Nvidia Copper Shim Mod?

#1 Post by nightninja96 » Sat Aug 11, 2018 9:26 am

Hello, I was doing some research on shimming a T601 Nvidia system, and I couldn't find much information. Has anyone done this before, if so can you please explain the process?

Screamer
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Re: FrankenPad T601 Nvidia Copper Shim Mod?

#2 Post by Screamer » Sat Aug 11, 2018 12:16 pm

I did this before, but there is no point to it unless you had no thermal paste for the graphics chip. The factory-provided T61 heat-sink for the NVIDIA-powered systems always had the thermal paste on it, that's why there is no point for a copper shim to be used.

The ATI-powered T60 and the R60 however, actually needs a copper shim for proper thermal conductivity. This is due to how it uses a poor conducting thermal pad that did not transfer heat very well, leading to high temperatures if I am not mistaken.

nightninja96
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Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:06 am
Location: Susquehanna Pa.

Re: FrankenPad T601 Nvidia Copper Shim Mod?

#3 Post by nightninja96 » Sat Aug 11, 2018 1:29 pm

How about for the north bridge?

Screamer
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Re: FrankenPad T601 Nvidia Copper Shim Mod?

#4 Post by Screamer » Sat Aug 11, 2018 4:16 pm

There is no point to that either, as the northbridge already has thermal paste pre-applied when it came out of the factory.

Remember, copper shims are not replacements for thermal paste, because they do not fill in the gaps caused by impurities in the 'flat' surface. Copper shims should only be used when thermal paste can't cover up a certain level of thickness, such as acting like a heat-extension bridge which allows for taller gaps to be covered. A proper usage of copper shims, would be to place it in-between a die and a heat-sink whose gap is too tall for thermal paste to cover up. An example:

Code: Select all

|======the heatsink=======|
<----the thermal paste---->
[-----the copper shim-----]
<----the thermal paste---->
|=========the die=========|
The die = The processor's core / The graphics chip's core / The northbridge's core / etcetera (please don't cool a southbridge for the sake of it)

p.art
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Location: Norway

Re: FrankenPad T601 Nvidia Copper Shim Mod?

#5 Post by p.art » Mon Aug 13, 2018 10:00 am

I've been trying copper shims in the past in different laptops and different usage scenarios. With mixed results. Now I only use good thermal pads and advise you to do the same. Take a look at Gelid pads - https://gelidsolutions.com/thermal-solu ... p-extreme/ - very happy with them. Flexible thermal pads are better in long term than copper shims. You get lower mechanical stress on CPU/GPU die when they get hot or when you move you laptop around. Look for high thermal conductivity when choosing pads - Gelid has 12 W/mK, true or not they work very good.

Raidriar
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Re: FrankenPad T601 Nvidia Copper Shim Mod?

#6 Post by Raidriar » Thu Aug 16, 2018 4:04 pm

copper shims are dangerous. There wasn't meant to be an extra layer of hard material between the die and the heatsink, period. Get decent quality thermal paste like IC diamond or phobya nanogrease extreme to make a suitable airtight thermal interface. The danger with copper shims is when you use them between the heatsink and die, you run the risk of crushing the die/chip underneath, and then you have a nice brick. If your heatsink is ill fitting, you can try buying a different one or use a thick paste like IC Diamond
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