Copper Sheet Metal/Plate, where to get? Or Alternative

[limitedaccess]

Not even sure if this is the right place to this, but I'm wondering if anyone knows where I could buy copper sheet 1-1.5mm thick (haven't measured yet), that is cut to smaller then 5cmx5cm?

The reason is my laptop currently uses a thermal pad to interface between the heatsink and the GPU. Directly using heatsink->paste->gpu, would create a gap between the gpu and heatsink. What I'd like to do is heatsink->paste->copper plate->paste->gpu, rather then replacing the pad (cheapest I can find is $4.50), as in theory it should cool much better.

Preferably if the location is locally in Vancouver. I tried searching, but could only find orders for much larger sizes, and I have no tools (or access to) to cut copper sheeting.

Another possibility would be to hammer an old copper penny flat, though I've heard this being done, I'm not sure how people controlled the thickness.

[gingerbee]

any local metal shop place or a recycle yard should have you covered

[_dangtx_]

AND MAKE SURE TO LAP IT WITH AT LEAST 1K GRIT :)

damn caps :p

[jcmaz]

I don't think it will cool better but insulate the processor even more coz you are putting additional layers for heat to be spread..

[gingerbee]

Originally Posted by jcmaz

you are putting additional layers for heat to be spread too

fixed that for ya only time adding shims of copper will increase heat is if heat is not being removed from said heatsinks if heat is not a problem to begin with then i doubt he'd be looking for these. you are right to say you can heat down if heat is not a problem then yes in very very rare cases it acts as insulation and this is if no active cooling is present.

[SugarJ]

Try these guys in Langley: Metal Mart , ferrous and non ferrous materials Langley, Surrey, Vancouver BC Canada

Or these guys in Burnaby: METALSUPERMARKETS: Store Finder

[limitedaccess]

Thanks, I'll try those places and get some quotes.

I'm not having heat issues on the gpu per say, I actually just reseated and reapplied paste because the chipset temp jumped up to 60-65C+. But sometimes these pads break on moving the heatsink, and I might as well replace it with a copper shim since it should perform better, especially if its not much more costly/timing consuming ( a new pad is 4.50 anyways), plus it'd be fun to do.

[peter.t]

I've actually used this copper shim trick in one of my older laptops. Hopefully you’re not doing this in a HP DV series laptop because it will only delay a complete VGA/motherboard fail; HP DV series is known to overheat and burn out. That aside, replacing the thermal pad with a copper shim IMO is a good idea. Because the thermal pads expand and contract over time it will degrade in its ability to dissipate/transfer heat. If you can't find any local suppliers I actually have a couple pieces of copper 1"x1" left over. It’s somewhat perfectly smooth on both sides so you won't have to lap it. An added bonus is that am located in Calgary so shipping won't be too long. Pm if needed.

[bushwhacker]

I can provide whatever small size you want in ~.5mm copper sheet for free (including shipping).

[limitedaccess]

Thanks for the offers, I'd of course be wiling to pay for shipping though.

What I would need is -

19mm x 11mm x 1-1.1mm for the gpu (though stacking 2x 0.5mm should be acceptable)
16mm x 12mm x 0.3-0.5mm for the chipset (currently stacking aluminum foil for this one)

The small variances in thickness is due to a lack of precision measuring equipment, and leeway for sanding.

I guess let me know through PMs what information you need (shipping address etc.) and how to transfer payment.