Is it dangerous for the heatsink to touch the sheet metal?

[Elaphe]

I have bought this heatsink (or similar), which is very high, so much so that it is less than 1 mm from the lid of the plate (those copper pivots). I wonder if it can be dangerous for it to touch while the computer is on. I am afraid that it could short-circuit. I don't know if I should put some vinyl or something inside the plate to insulate that area.

[Fassou]

You don't have a risk of short circuit, but it's not good for two metals to be in contact creating friction, so at least put some insulating tape, to prevent the heat-pipes from being damaged by the rubbing.

A small DIY that you can consider, is to end up placing a support surface on the side cover, so that the top of the heatsink rests part of its weight on it, reducing the tension it produces on the motherboard.

Salu2!

[Nemo]

In addition to what your colleague Fassou tells you, the contact of both parts can cause vibrations and therefore more noise when your equipment is in operation.

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[Elaphe]

OK, thanks. What I will do is put some adhesive rubber piece to insulate and for the heat sink to rest on it.

[fjavi]

@Elaphe:

OK, thanks. What I will do is put some adhesive rubber piece to isolate and for the heatsink to rest on it.

I've had a lot of heatsinks that touch the metal and there is no contact, what you have to be careful with is when putting the side cover so that it does not displace the heatsink, when tightening the screws it can cause the heatsink to give way a little forward.

But right now I have a computer where the cover is a bit forced because of the size of the heatsink, it works perfectly and I've had it for a long time, it didn't give me contact failures or anything.

regards