what kinda heat sink should i get for this set up?

2700+ On a Asus A7N8X-E Delux

I would suggest one of the slk series..

I have the Thermalright SLK-900A and its definately the best ive ever used. You can find it at newegg.com for a descent price.

anything like under $35?

i had a "?" about the shim and the grease too

how much grease should i apply

and do i just pop the shim on?

[obviously this is my 1st time dealing with this]

If you can swing it, the SLK-900A's the way to go. Otherwise, I'd recommed... another Thermalright.

You might want to check out this Socket A Heatsink Roundup at overclockers.com. In it, the SLK900A is ranked #1 out of 99 heatsinks, but there are others near the top that go for less cash.

For instance:

#2 (tie) - Thermalright SLK-800U - $38
#7 (tie) - Thermalright 947U - $34
#14 - Thermalright SLK-700 - $14
(Note: prices don't include shipping, and I didn't search around much so you might get better deals)

Two places on Pricewatch claim to have the SLK-900A for under $39 shipped, but conveniently, neither has it in stock.

I love Thermalright brand. Even my discontinued Thermalright AX-7 (tied at #11 in that article) that I bought for $22 a couple years back still performs great. With my CPU fan at full speed, it keeps my overclocked AMD 2100+ at 30C at full load, according to MBM (Details: 400MHz o/c on a T-Bred B core, Enermax 80mm fan).

BTW, I used a shim once, but it was a micron too thick, so the heatsink didn't make good contact and the temps were way high. I took it out. Far as I know most other people have good luck with them.

The grease should be applied in a pretty thin, even layer.