8600K 4 cores 5Ghz, thermal limit. Worth delid without LM?

dtgq · October 10, 2020

It can easily get 4.8Ghz with all cores, or add another 0.4v for 5Ghz with 4 cores, but even with 4 cores it gets too hot.

It's under a ND-D14 with a single 140mm fan, but it barely feels warm to touch, so I guess the heat is not being conducted efficiently in the first place.

I really don't want to have to delid, but that layer of black glue might be the culprit... if I do, I really don't want to use LM, so it'll be relidded with MX4.

Will this be worth it, i.e. will it stay under 80°C with all cores at 5Ghz?

Noah0302 · October 10, 2020

Why not use LM? I did that almost 2 years ago and my thermals dropped like 15C when applying LM. Also it still holds up really well after all this time

I dont think it will be woth it repasting it with normal paste.

Also why would you consider disabling 2 cores? your performance will drop significantly when you do that, compared to just dropping the clocks

Fast_N_Curious · October 10, 2020

I have a hunch it's your cooler more than poor heat dissipation from the CPU itself.

Keep in mind this cooler does not have PWM fans and this could also be contributing to your problems. It's difficult to fathom an $80 cooler that doesn't come with PWM fan control.

Plus, the cooler is old and there are better air coolers on the market that have superseded it's performance characteristics in the past few years.

I would recommend a 280mm water cooler with PWM fans for fine tuning. Right now, your fan spins at a static speed, regardless of load, which is not good, especially if you are overclocking on a chip like that.

All that being said, you have a couple options, IMO, from here:

1) Buy two new PWM 140mm fans for your cooler and make the fan curve more aggressive to deal with the increased thermals from your OC

2) Upgrade to a liquid cooler and a HEATKILLER water block, something like a 280mm rad should fit the bill.

3) Proceed with your de-lid. Although this may be a little risky and plus once you de-lid your CPU its going to kill your resale value

Litbelb · October 10, 2020

Not only is delidding risky, it’s also expensive. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why you would do it. Personally, I would just get a better cooler, like @Storm-Chaser said.