Delid

[pcslookout]

How long does it take to delid a processor?

 

[DrMrLordX]

Depends on how you do it. If you use one of those premade tools for Skylake/Kabylake/Coffeelake it takes just a minute or two.

 

[pcslookout]

Depends on how you do it. If you use one of those premade tools for Skylake/Kabylake/Coffeelake it takes just a minute or two.

Thanks. Is it worth doing ?

 

[fastamdman]

If you have the tool it's absolutely worth it, 100%. There is no reason not to. The lower temps are worth it and you can run higher voltages, with lower temps overall to get better overclocks. I recommend everyone do it, especially if they have the tool.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Delidding can drop temps 10 C to 20 C, depending on CPU. In my case, I didn’t have a tool so I sent my 8700k over to Silicon Lottery to have them delid and bin it. I’ll probably build the system this weekend and see if I can tweak the settings a bit to get lower voltage.

 

[elpokor]

absolutely, specially if the CPU is kinda old. I own a 6600k since november 2015 and the TIM was severely degraded (thanks Intel! /s), to the point that I've improved 30ºC in package temps after delid + liquid metal. This is how the TIM looks and performs in a 2-year old 6600k:

and this is how the same CPU with the same overclock and Vcore performs with liquid metal between IHS-die (I still used Artic Silver 5 seating the cooler, no double liquid metal interface):

Cores #0 and #2 are no longer toasting at +16ºC over cores #1 and #3, and I can push the OC all the way up to 1,45V 4.8Ghz without being thermally constrained. I'd say delidding these CPUs is a must

 

[Ferzerp]

Time it takes? With a tool? 30 seconds to pop the top off, 30 minutes to an hour to clean the black goop off, a minute or two to apply new paste, and then 8-24 hours while your glue cures to hold it on again.

With a razor blade? An hour or so for the first step if you’re being very careful with it. I have done one with a razor. I wouldn’t again.

Make sure you select an appropriate replacement material for under the IHS. Many pastes will pump out due to the thermal expansion and contraction of the die and/or the IHS unlike what you see between IHS and heatsink. This is a huge pain to deal with so choose well. I like to use a liquid metal option (CLU) in this role because I know it will last.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Just an FYI but you don't have to clean off the black epoxy, especially not if it's a clean cut. Just get the epoxy off the IHS and leave the rest on the PCB. Use it as a guide to reseat the IHS before putting on the block/HSF.

 

[bbhaag]

I have a question. When you guys delid do you apply the tim directly to the cpu and then attach the heatsink or do you reapply a better tim then attach the spreader and then put the heatsink on?
Before heat spreaders I used to apply tim directly to the cpu and attach the sink to the mainboard then fire it up. Is that still ok?

 

[Campy]

I have a question. When you guys delid do you apply the tim directly to the cpu and then attach the heatsink or do you reapply a better tim then attach the spreader and then put the heatsink on?
Before heat spreaders I used to apply tim directly to the cpu and attach the sink to the mainboard then fire it up. Is that still ok?

I haven't delidded anything myself, but the guides I've seen include putting the heatspreader back on. Liquid metal tim is usually applied between heatspreader and cpu, then a normal good paste between heatspreader and heatsink.

 

[Ferzerp]

Just an FYI but you don't have to clean off the black epoxy, especially not if it's a clean cut. Just get the epoxy off the IHS and leave the rest on the PCB. Use it as a guide to reseat the IHS before putting on the block/HSF.

Yeah, you kind of do since it is a contributor to a gap between the ihs and the die. It is raising the ihs up off the die a tiny bit of you leave it on.

 

[Paratus]

Gamers Nexus has some decent videos on the subject.

Liquid Metal seems to work really well, just check your material compatibility before using.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Yeah, you kind of do since it is a contributor to a gap between the ihs and the die. It is raising the ihs up off the die a tiny bit of you leave it on.

It wasn't a problem on my A10-7700k. As long as you take off the stuff attached to the IHS, you've reduced the gap.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Yeah, you kind of do since it is a contributor to a gap between the ihs and the die. It is raising the ihs up off the die a tiny bit of you leave it on.

Time it takes? With a tool? 30 seconds to pop the top off, 30 minutes to an hour to clean the black goop off, a minute or two to apply new paste, and then 8-24 hours while your glue cures to hold it on again.
With a razor blade? An hour or so for the first step if you’re being very careful with it. I have done one with a razor. I wouldn’t again.
Make sure you select an appropriate replacement material for under the IHS. Many pastes will pump out due to the thermal expansion and contraction of the die and/or the IHS unlike what you see between IHS and heatsink. This is a huge pain to deal with so choose well. I like to use a liquid metal option (CLU) in this role because I know it will last.

Delidding can drop temps 10 C to 20 C, depending on CPU. In my case, I didn’t have a tool so I sent my 8700k over to Silicon Lottery to have them delid and bin it. I’ll probably build the system this weekend and see if I can tweak the settings a bit to get lower voltage.

My "gain" for CLU-re-lid was 12C. I'm a consummate DIY'er, and the cost of the "tool" mentioned is insignificant.
I initially justified paying Silicon Lottery the $50 to avoid an inconvenience. It only helped my decision that I bought the CPU from Silly-Lotts: there would be a delay in the delivery of the CPU whether I bought it from them or from NewEgg (etc.) An additional justification was the inference that the person or persons behind Silly-Lotts had performed the operation 100s or 1,000s of times already.
Further, as substantiated mostly by Silly-Lotts mention of refining the gap between IHS and CPU die, it seemed important to get this aspect right the first and only time, so going into a DIY episode without previous experience with it prompted me to lean further toward "outsourcing" the de-lid/re-lid.

absolutely, specially if the CPU is kinda old. I own a 6600k since november 2015 and the TIM was severely degraded (thanks Intel! /s), to the point that I've improved 30ºC in package temps after delid + liquid metal. This is how the TIM looks and performs in a 2-year old 6600k:
and this is how the same CPU with the same overclock and Vcore performs with liquid metal between IHS-die (I still used Artic Silver 5 seating the cooler, no double liquid metal interface):
Cores #0 and #2 are no longer toasting at +16ºC over cores #1 and #3, and I can push the OC all the way up to 1,45V 4.8Ghz without being thermally constrained. I'd say delidding these CPUs is a must

Are you using an AiO, custom-water, or heatpipe cooler?
I'm at 4.7 Ghz on a CLU-relidded Skylake i7-6700K. My peak package temperature under IntelBurnTest "High" are about 18C higher than you show with the 6600K @ 4.8. So while I don't question that your 50C result is accurate, I question instead any assumption I could make that the screenie was taken with a heatpipe cooler comparable to mine.
However, I am running with HT Enabled.
So if you're under water-cooling, which AiO or custom components?
Even so, my tests under "Maximum" IBT and Affinitized LinX "max prob size; max memory" show peak package C about 2C lower than an unmodified retail processor at 4.7 cooled with an EXOS external dual-radiator assembly as shown in a published review.
So . . . I'm just curious. . . . .

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Right, I have never delidded before and was afraid that I'd botch my new 8700k. Plus, I figured for the cost of the tool, Silicon Lottery could do it for me. I paid them a little extra to bin it using their standard binning procedures just to see where it landed, and I got a pretty good chip - not the best, but they binned it at 5.1 Ghz.

 

[Ferzerp]

It wasn't a problem on my A10-7700k. As long as you take off the stuff attached to the IHS, you've reduced the gap.

It’s nice that it isn’t a factor on your AMD cpu, but on Intel ones, the gap is typically the source of the elevated temperatures entirely. In fact, 5 years ago, Idontcare tested the Intel tim against nt-h1 after getting rid of the goop and it ended up performing better once the goop was gone (ignoring that nt-h1 doesn’t work long term on a die, this was a short term test).

When I do mine, I clean up the original glue, and even sand the ihs support sides to be certain the ihs is sitting directly on the die.

The only reason not to clean it off is if you fear damaging the pcb, but since plastic razor blades are a thing, there is no reason not too. They’re cheap, softer than the pcb, but harder than the adhesive. It’s a quick 10 minute task.

 

[DrMrLordX]

I guess the way the Intel IHS sits on the PCB is different then. Not gonna be a big issue on AMD CPUs in the future since they will all probably be soldered. I hope?

 

[stockwiz]

I used the 3D printed ones they sell on ebay for 12 bucks and a vice. Very easy. Handbrake temps reduced from 64-71 to around 48-56 using NH-D15. I used Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut. It doesn't take much. Much less than the size of that blob in that above video. You want to spread it around with the black brush or qtip until it forms a thin layer of metal on it's own.

 

[Campy]

I used the 3D printed ones they sell on ebay for 12 bucks and a vice. Very easy. Handbrake temps reduced from 64-71 to around 48-56 using NH-D15. I used Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut. It doesn't take much. Much less than the size of that blob in that above video. You want to spread it around with the black brush or qtip until it forms a thin layer of metal on it's own.

That blob in the video is actually a blooper from their first attempt, they explain that it takes much less and show how little.

 

[Muadib]

I just did my 8700k, but I can't relid it because I need crazy glue, and I didn't know I was out. This was my first time, so I bought the Rockit 88 tool to do it. It wasn't cheap, but it made the job easy. The most time consuming part has been removing the glue from the chip. Doing that took about 15 minutes, because I used my finger nails. Doing the relid will take the most time, because Rockit.wants you to wait 2 hours to make sure the glue drys. The rest of it will be cake to do.

 

[Aikouka]

I just did my 8700k, but I can't relid it because I need crazy glue, and I didn't know I was out. This was my first time, so I bought the Rockit 88 tool to do it. It wasn't cheap, but it made the job easy. The most time consuming part has been removing the glue from the chip. Doing that took about 15 minutes, because I used my finger nails. Doing the relid will take the most time, because Rockit.wants you to wait 2 hours to make sure the glue drys. The rest of it will be cake to do.

Do you have any worries about using super glue? I can't speak to the validity of it, but apparently, people have damaged their CPUs when trying to delid again after using super glue. That pushed me toward using silicone gasket RTV instead, but I've also heard that since glue doesn't expand like the silicone material, it should provide better temps.

 

[Muadib]

Do you have any worries about using super glue? I can't speak to the validity of it, but apparently, people have damaged their CPUs when trying to delid again after using super glue. That pushed me toward using silicone gasket RTV instead, but I've also heard that since glue doesn't expand like the silicone material, it should provide better temps.

I had no worries until I read your post! What do you veteran delidders think?

 

[DrMrLordX]

I would not bother with super glue since it makes it harder to re-delid later if necessary.

 

[Muadib]

I would not bother with super glue since it makes it harder to re-delid later if necessary.

It's too late for me, but what do you use to put the cpu back together?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

It's too late for me, but what do you use to put the cpu back together?

Not the last word on this, but I had read recommendations for using Permatex Silicon Adhesive/Sealant -- or the RTV Gasket variant -- from the auto-parts store. It can be a tad messy, but I can see how one might do it without having done it myself.

You would run the lip of the Permatex tube around the edge of the IHS before applying the latter -- trying for a uniform layer on the lip without any surplus. The next challenge would be an accurate mating of the PCB and IHS without messing up the Permatex.

Even if I'm wrong in my anticipation of a "method," it's just too tedious for this old man to do and I'd rather pay Silicon Lottery.