Delidding a Kaby Lake processor such as the i7-7700k does not offer the same overclocking advantages as with previous generations when replacing the TIM gave you more headroom. Instead of being able to push your CPU past 5GHz, popping the lid off of a Kaby Lake reduces operating temperatures and likely extends the life of the processor … or immediately ends it. If you don't have a 3D printer handy to make your own delidder, then take a peek at this review from TechPowerUp. They try out two delidding tools, one from Aqua Computer and one from Rockit which Morry has used; do be aware that any CPUs killed as a result of reading their review is the responsibility of the one who delidded.
"Intel mainstream CPUs have had a bottleneck in cooling due to poor heat transfer from the CPU die to the integrated heat spreader. Thanks to new de-lidding friendly tools released recently, it is now easier than ever before to handle this yourself and get a cooler running CPU. We examine two such solutions from Rockit Cool and Aqua Computer today, both of which promise fool-proof de-lidding and re-lidding"
Here are some more Processor articles from around the web:
- Ryzen For The Masses: A Look At AMD’s Ryzen 5 1600X & 1500X Processors @ Techgage
- AMD Ryzen R5 1600X @ eTeknix
- AMD Ryzen R5 1500X @ Kitguru
- An In-depth Look At AMD’s Ryzen 7 1800X, 1700X & 1700 Processors @ Techgage
The article not just reviews
The article not just reviews two delidding kits and does another test of delid vs no delid, but it also tests package height to see if it has any correlation with temperature. Some think poor thermal paste causes the bad temps while some think it’s the glue causing a gap between heatspreader and die.
In a way the data VSG collected asks us, why not both?
VSG spends most of this time dealing with things related to thermals so his methodology is above average.
I bought the kit but haven’t
I bought the kit but haven’t mustered the courage to do it yet. Any good tutorials you would recommend?
We have an article outlining
We have an article outlining the process using the RockIt kit here:
https://www.pcper.com/reviews/Cases-and-Cooling/Improving-Thermal-Performance-Intel-Kaby-Lake-CPU
Good luck 🙂
Good luck 🙂
Remember, the TIM used is
Remember, the TIM used is perfectly fine, the issue is the separation between IHS and die surface. The TIM replacement is not gaining you any performance, it’s the process of delidding and removing the adhesive that is.
Maybe intel could follow AMDs
Maybe intel could follow AMDs soldered solution like it should have been.
That requires a minimum die
That requires a minimum die size. Ryzen’s die size is about 100mm^2 larger than Skylake, about the same size as Sandy Bridge (the last soldered 115x CPU line). When you go below about 200mm^2, soldering is not a viable IHS TIM material for long term stability. If single-CCX Ryzen dies (without any additional die area usage for GPUs and the like) are released, they will likely fall below the size required for solder and require a non-bonding TIM.
Large Intel dies remain soldered as always.