Studio 1557 copper shim dimensions/thickness

Hi, have just bought a Studio 1557 off eBay, but only after buying (not yet received) did I read various forum comments, here and elsewhere, about overheating issues (especially for the GPU, the HD 4570).
I want my laptop to last years (hopeful, aren't I!). I've read that several members have managed to put a copper shim (with thermal paste either side) between the chip and its heatsink and successfully lowered operating temps. that way, but can't find any mention of exact dimensions for the shim!
There are a couple of sellers on eBay that offer copper shims for laptop chips but they don't appear to have a stock one for the Studio 1557; they are willing to make one to measure, if I can supply dimensions, i.e. size and thickness.
I'd be grateful if anyone who's successfully fitted a copper shim to the GPU, in particular, of their Studio 1557 could post the exact dimensions, obviously including thickness, of the shim. Cheers!

 

1/2 inch square by 3/64 of a inch thick should be good.

 

Thanks OneCool, just what I needed! Approx. 12.7mm square, 1.2mm thick, since I'm Europe-based
(This is for the HD 4570 GPU chip, right?)

 

Yep.Make sure everything is clean of old thermal paste before you apply the new.When you put it in,cover one side of the shim with as5 and stick it to the heatsink,then cover the gpu's (of course to cpu the same) core with as5 before you install the the heatsink.
Keep a eye on on the thermal pads for the memory,they are very stick and can get creased or folded.make sure they are straight and flat.

 

Great, and many thanks for the detailed pointers. Hopefully I'll receive the 1557 this week, have already ordered a 13mm square, 1.2mm thick copper shim, will try installing it this weekend (I use Arctic Ceramique compound, presume it'll be OK). Once again, thank you!

 

I highly recommend Innovative Cooling's diamond-based compound aka "ICD7" as it conducts better than AS5, and it is thicker as well (makes installation easier)It is similar in price to AS5

Shimming can make a huge difference, I dropped my temperatures by around 10*C

 

Your note prodded me to read on NBR about the IC Diamond compound. Given that its so thick/viscous, would you recommend this instead of the copper shim (for the GPU), or in addition, i.e. applied either side of the shim? (I've bought a tube anyway, to try it... perhaps on the CPU, using the shim+Ceramique for the GPU?)

 

I would also like an answer to this question. Any takers?

 

It wont cover the gap but you can use it on both sides of the shim.

 

Thanks for the feedback OneCool. Just for interest have you read some of the comments on the Official ICD7 Thread? The guys there are saying that it can be used to replace thermal pads because it is very thick, like putty.

 

Yes,I dont believe it either.

Check out their recommend way to apply it from the makers website.

http://innovationcooling.com/applicationinstructions.htm

They say it spreads under pressure and thins under a heat load.

 

How did your copper shim mod go ?

 

Hi mate, i've just joined today after also purchasing a 1557.

I was initally looking through another thread on the application of paste and for some reason i thought it was you, but after searching some of ur previous posts, ive come up with nada

Any chance you could point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance

Evan

 

What exactly do you need help with?

What kind of thermal paste are you applying?

 

After obtaining advice from OneCool and others I have finally copper modded my 1557 and can confirm that when stressed with furmark my GPU temps are down by more than 10 c. I have taken my laptop apart twice so I can just about do this in my sleep now. I was not totally happy with the results the first time around but after applying a little more ICD thermal paste the second time, my temperatures were better. Also, I would advise that you remove the chipset heat sink and replace the thermal pad with paste. The thing is that the chipset is located just underneath the touch pad area and because of the poor thermal conductivity of the thermal pad a lot of heat from the chipset is being dissipated back up into the motherboard instead of the heat sink. The result is that the area around my touch pad is now much cooler after the mod.

 

Well, i've just bought the 1557 studio from a reseller, its a new machine, but doesnt come with warranty and after reading about the high temps and seeing as you did a mod to reduce temps, i thought i should look at doing the same thing.

Can i do only paste applications and will it have a positive effect?

Regards

evan

 

So, after reading this thread and seeing my Studio 1558's GPU hit 90c when playing games, I ordered some ICD7 thermal paste but was wondering about the copper shims. Where is a good place in the US to order these?

 

@pp02442 and techifan1:

Where did you lot purchase your shims from? Ive asked a few sellers on eBay and they say that they dont have that size
Any pointers?

 

If you want to carry out the mod I will post the exact size of shim that I used and the supplier. There are also other things to consider before you carry out the mod.
Are you in the UK.

 

Im all ears and yes im in the UK

 

OK, You can obtain the required shims from the company below; they are based in the UK but will ship to any location.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dell-M1330-Co...ponents_Fans_Heatsinks_SR?hash=item19b75e1b4d

I used the following for my mod.

1 off 10mm X 10mm X 0.9mm Copper Shim. This is used for GPU (HD4570)
For those that have the HD5470. I do not know the size of the GPU die but it is probably the same.

1 off 25mm X 10mm X 0.7mm Copper Shim. Used with the existing thermal pads to maintain Video Ram cooling (I will explain later)

You will have order the items via the telephone as they have to make the second item to order. (Unless they have recently added it to their stock items)

Telephone from the UK 0151 5264777 and ask for John.
You can also e-mail from the eBay link above or e-mail directly to [email protected] to ask any questions and confirm pricing and delivery times.

Regarding the thermal paste this is a personal choice but I used IC Diamond obtained from the following eBay trader.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IC-Diamond-7-...QQptZUK_Motherboards_CPUs?hash=item2c5209839e

I will get back with more pictures/information later.

 

As promised, the reason I used the 25mm X 10mm X 0.7mm Copper Shim.

As you can see from the attached photos there are 3 thermal pads one for the GPU and two for the Video Ram. When the heat sink is screwed down it compresses the GPU thermal pad down to about 0.6mm thickness this then creates a gap between the Video Ram chips and the surface of heat sink of about 1mm and is just enough to compress the Video Ram thermal pads. However after fitting the 0.9mm thick GPU copper shim and taking into account the thickness of the thermal compound applied to both sides you get a total thickness of around 1.1mm. This increases the gap between the Video Ram chips and the surface of the heat sink by about 0.5mm to a total of approx 1.5mm. This gap is then too wide and does not touch the Video Ram thermal pads, making them operationally useless. This is where the copper shim serves its role in narrowing the gap back down so that the Video Ram thermal pads are now compressed between the Video Ram Chips and the surface of the heat sink.

There are users of IC Diamond paste that apparently have bridged relatively large gaps using the compound alone (it is very thick) but I chose not to do it that way. I also appreciated that I could have probably obtained a suitably thicker copper shim and carried out a full copper mod to the Video Ram, but this would in my opinion be way OTT. Also, I figured that to increase the normal/designed thermal conductivity between the Video Ram chips and the heat sink could be counter productive as heat generated by the GPU could find its way back more easily into the Video Ram chips thus causing their temperatures to rise higher than they normally would.
Hope the above makes sense.

I also recommend that you removed the thermal pad from the chipset heat sink and apply some thermal paste. I found that apart from reducing the temperature of the chip set it also helped in keeping the area around the touch pad cooler.

I will get back with pictures and further info.

 

It sucks that the GPU ram is cooled(almost ) on the main side of the motherboard but there is 2 more chips on the opposite side with nothing at all.

I have been thinking about doing some kind of cooling mod for them..... just not sure what yet

 

Wow!!!....great info techifan1, thanks!!
I also want to do this copper mod (my GPU temp is insanely hot!) but i didn't know where to start. I have some knowledge of desktop PCs hardware, but this is my first laptop, so i am worried that i could do something wrong...

I have two question though:

1. What about doing the same thing to the CPU?? Wouldn't this reduce the overall temp??

2. Wouldn't be better then to use a 0.7mm thick shim for the gpu and a 0.9mm for the Video RAM?? or am i seeing this completly wrong?

I am following this thread with great interest!

 

Cheers Techifan1!
Thats an awesome reply...!
One last question tho' did you not modify the North/South bridge chipsets with ICD7? and on a final note... will the warrantly be ok? (could always remove the shim if it has to go back )
Thanks

 

Probably not worth the time and effort IMO. However, I think you will agree that the mods that we have carried out to improve CPU/GPU temperatures are worth while.

 

Yes it does.Makes a big difference in the cooling of the lapper in general.It still heats up to a high temp but it cools back down pretty damn fast.

I ordered some IC Diamond and I have some better shims.When I get a chance this weekend I going to test them and see how it does.Im thinking I can drop it another 2-3c on average.

 

Thanks for the interest.

 

Regarding chipset, see attached photo.

First off, there is no need for a copper shim.
After removing the very thin thermal pad I replaced the heat sink and measured the gap. There was no gap the short metal arms act like springs and press the heat sink down onto the chipset. Also if you remove the nylon spacer washers as in step 2 you increase the downward pressure.

1. Remove the two screws and remove heat sink
2. Remove the very thin thermal pad and clean the surface of the heat sink and chipset.
3. Remove the 2 nylon spacer washers ( This increases the down pressure of the heat sink)
4. Apply thermal paste (IC Diamond) screw down heat sink.
5. Job Done

Regarding the warrantee.

Yes, it is probably a good idea to remove the shims if you have to return it under warrantee.
Try and remove the GPU thermal pad without damaging it if you can. My GPU thermal pad was already split/damaged (see previous photo) but I have kept it just in case.

 

Great, let us know how it goes.

I also recommend you remove the thermal pad from the Chipset Heat sink and apply some IC Diamond paste.

OneCool, since you are going to take you laptop apart again could you please carry out some temperature checks after you remove the centre control cover (The black plastic bit surrounding the keyboard) See attached photo. See if they are lower when removed. The thing is if you look carefully at the rear of the laptop where the air vent is you will see that the top half of the finned radiator grill is partially blocked off by the centre control cover. Now my theory is that with the centre control cover removed there is less of an obstruction to the air flow. Obviously I am not suggesting that we use our laptops with this cover removed but if it can be proved that the airflow is reduced when the cover is on then dell may be able to supply modified covers with additional slots to allow more air flow.

Also, FYI try the following Everest Ultimate Edition 5.30.2054 (beta) dated 2010-03-11 it now shows me accurate cpu fan speeds.

http://www.lavalys.com/support.php?lang=en

 

Yeah,Im going to get the chipset too this time.

Thanks for the Everest link.I will try it.

 

Thanks a lot techifan!!!

 

After discussing the practicalities of copper modding/shimming a 1557 I thought it may be useful to share my experiences on taking the Laptop apart.

First off, it is most important that you print and study the following from the Dell 1557 service manual BEFORE you start taking your Laptop apart. This will give you more detailed information about the removal of the items below.

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/studio1557/en/SM/index.htm

Read the following notes from the Service Manual.

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings.
Before You Begin.
Before Working Inside Your Computer.

Print off from the Service Manual and study the following procedures BEFORE you start.

This is the order for dismantling the Laptop obviously reverse for reassembly.

First remove Battery and Press power Button (This grounds the system board)

Remove Center Control Cover (1 Screw)
Remove Keyboard (2 Screws)
Remove Base Cover (3 Captive Screws)
Remove Hard Drive (4 Screws)
Remove from the bottom of the Laptop 8 Screws (7+1 Short Screw)
Remove Palm Rest (10 Screws, 6+4 Short Screws)
Remove Optical Drive (1 Screw)
Remove System Board (7 Screws)

You will end up with 33 screws (not including the base cover screws which are captive) and you do not want to loose any of them so as you remove each of the items listed above make sure you store the screws in separately marked containers.

Pay particular attention to the following.

After removing the screw that secures the Center Control Cover I found it best to carefully pry apart with your finger nails the Cover upwards and away from the bottom of the Laptop. Start at the rear center, then when it separates work along the rear edge towards the right, then down the right hand edge towards the front. When that is free work along the rear edge towards the left, then down the left hand side towards the front. Do not use any metal blades or screwdrivers or you will damage/scratch the plastic.

When you remove the Keyboard note that the ribbon cables are retained in a latch mechanism and must be released by carefully rotating the latch upwards. The same applies to the Touch Pad Connector ribbon cable.

Before you can remove the Palm Rest you have to remove various cables. Look at the attached photos they show the cable routing and make it easer when you come to reassemble the Laptop.

After removing the 10 screws that secure the Palm Rest I found it best, as before to carefully pry apart with your finger nails the Cover upwards and away from the bottom of the Laptop. Start at the rear left corner, and then when it separates, carefully work along the left hand edge towards the front. When that is free move to the right hand corner, then work along the right hand edge towards the front. Do not use excessive force, if you encounter resistance make sure that all screws have been removed. As before, do not use any metal blades or screwdrivers or you will damage/scratch the plastic.

When you remove the system board be very careful about static charges. Always make sure you touch a suitable earth connection before handling and always hold the board by the edges to avoid touching exposed chips and other components.
Also when working on the system board make sure it is suitably supported and does not flex excessively.

Hope you find the information useful.

 

Excellent!

 

Thanks, much appreciated.

 

Have just logged in after months away (I made the original request re copper shim dimensions) - there've since been contributions which I wished I'd seen before finally carriing out the mod, last night (!).
Yes, techifan1's detailed instructions get the thumbs up: I'd already got hold (eBay supplier) of a 13mm square, 1.2mm thick copper shim. This turns out to be too thick (again, refer to techifan's posts for details). I'm ashamed to say that I fitted it anyway - I had to disassemble heatsinks a second time to replace the thermal pads on the two video RAM chips with something thicker, since otherwise with the thickness of the copper shim (+IC7 compound either side) there was quite a gap between the pad and the heatsink. Hopefully will be OK now.
Re testing the outcome, all I can say is that attempting to stress the GPU (GPU Caps Viewer, running four demos at the same time... stresses sufficiently?) the GPU temps (but video RAM temp??) were max 76°C (CPU high 40s/low 50s).
Many thanks again for all the initial pointers and advice. Re detailed instructions, can't do better than techifan1's posts. Cheers!

 

Techifan1,
If i don't have the copper shims, but i need to mod the gpu/cpu anyway, what would be my best approach say, using IC7 compound only? (i ask because my system shuts down and i need to fix it asap, not time to order shims)
1. Can I: Use IC7 for Cpu heatsink, use IC7 for both gpu & gpu ram. The Question is: Do i remove the thermal pads on gpu/ram heatsink and use IC7 only?
or....Apply IC7 over the thermal pads?? or...leave the gpu/ram as is with original thermal pads and no paste at all?
This answer might be useful for others like me that need emergency fix rather then planned.

 

I would not recommend using just IC Diamond to bridge the gap between the heatsink and the GPU.A copper or aluminum shim is really the only way to go if you want to improve heat transfer and keep the system stable.

 

I agree with OneCool, he is spot on with his reply above.

 

Thanks guys, I am ordering the shims then.

 

late thank you for all in this thread, and special thanks to onecool and techifan1. Modded about 6 weeks ago and am really happy with temps. You guys should be on the Dell payroll for providing solutions!

 

Just modded my Studio 1557 with the copper shims and IC Diamond thermal paste. The temperatures dropped 10 to 15 degrees C. The CPU was reaching up to 84-86 C depending on the core, and now it wouldn't go more than 70 C under heavy load.

I just want to thank the people who provided the valuable manuals and suggestions in this thread, it wasn't quite easy with all the cables

 

Wow... I wonder if there is a class action lawsuit against the studio 1557/1558/1569 they all seem to be plagued with the same failures.

 

What size of shims are you using?
is it same as technifan1's instruction?
I'm going to mod my 1557.
thanks.

 

Same dimensions as described in this thread. Actually the ebay store that was recommended earlier does offer those shims with the right dimensions as a package, probably due to the number of requests they get from studio 1557 owners. I was quite glad they shipped it to the Netherlands as well, as it said, at least on the termal paste ebay shop, that they do not ship internationally. Prices were reasonable as well.

Btw, the original termal pads (or whatever those things were) in the laptop were cracked and damaged so it was definately a good idea to carry on with this procedure.

Now I am trying to figure out how could I clean the radiator mesh without taking the whole damn thing apart again. It is quite a stupid design to have to remove the mobo to reach the heat sink. I miss the old school laptops where you could do the same with unscrewing just two bolts.

 

Just thought I'd tell you that I followed all techifan1's advice and your copper shim guide has worked an absolute treat for my 1555.

Instead of GPU idle temps of 60-65c my idle temps are approximately 37c, and when under heavy load instead of getting gpu temps of 80-90c I'm getting temps of approximately 65c.

Thanks!

Don

 

Hello all, i live in Mexico and i cant buy that cooper shims, i can buy it here but i need to know how tu cut them cuz they are 1 cm longer, and what happen if i only use thermal paste without the cooper shims thanks

 

I strongly advise against using only thermal paste as the GPU/Heat Sink gap is to wide to bridge with thermal paste alone. Maximum GPU/Heat Sink thermal conductivity can only be achieved by using the copper shims as described.
You could try cutting the copper yourself but you must make sure that the shims are perfectly flat and smooth with no rough edges.
Have you e-mailed the supplier as I understand he ships worldwide.

 

Ok thanks for the info techifan1, my copper shims will be arrive soon, but i have a question this procedure is correct? after removing the heat sink from mobo i need to remove thermal pads and clean the surfaces, second i need to stick the two copper shims to heat sink with thermal paste, third i must apply thermal paste to gpu and then put back the heat sink this is right? i dont need to apply therma paste tu gpu memory modules, o much time takes to thermal paste to get dry thanks.

 

I've just done this mod yo my 1557, got a 17+ degree decrease in GPU temp under full load(throttled at 100 degrees before mod, now 80-85 under full load).
The 10mm X 10mm X 0.9mm was the perfect size, however the 25mm X 10mm X 0.7mm was too thin, i guess there is some variation in manufacturing.