Question Computer part question, HP PAVILLION p6774y

[Cometstorm]

What a greaet forum! Where have you been all my life?

My (circa 2010) HP P6774Y desktop is a home backup.

I recently replaced the GPU card with a GT 1030 (I'm not a gamer). Works great! I think it replaced a 7550x6 which seems to have failed causing constant booting hangs.

Anyway, this part fell out. It looks like it "frames" the interior openings of the rear slot options. The only one (of four) I use is for the GPU. It appears to be a pressure fit.

I would think its some kind of dust barrier, but why metal? Am I overlooking something? Being metal, is there some electrical facor I'm missing?

Its wafer thin metal, VERY flexible, shiny metal.

Just wondering if leaving it out is OK. I suspect so....
Thoughts?

Thanks so much!

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/y175/Cometstorm/IMG_9092.jpeg

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

It's not a dust barrier, it's a shim used to help secure/fasten an expansion card to your prebuilt's chassis. It goes between the cards' expansion cover and the chassis. If there's no visible gap showing between the card)hard to tell since you only included one image) and the case, you're fine.

 

[Misgar]

It's an EMI gasket, designed to improve grounding between the rear panel of the computer case and the plug-in PCI/PCIe card brackets. You don't really need to fit the gasket, but if you leave it out, your machine may fail UL or CE compliance (not that you're likely to submit it to an EMC test lab for approval tests).

https://peridotcorp.com/2012/10/custom-made-rfi-emi-shielding/