Is liquid metal worth it in my case?

[JohanKjeldahl7]

Hey everyone!

I own an i7-8700 non K with a bequiet pure rock slim 2. Since I will be changing Motherboard soon I was wondering if it is worth changing my thermal paste into liquid metal? I only use the CPU for games like Witcher 3 and CSGO and (obviously) can't overclock it so I think it isn't worth it, but I am searching for an excuse to do it just for fun and experience.

Also: Is it worth changing to a bigger cooler? My budget is way bigger compared to back when I bought this one.

[Tan3l6]

Liquid metal is usually not recommended between IHS and cooler, but under IHS, between de-lidded core. 

I'd recommend Scythe Fuma 2 for a good replacement air cooler.

[Lurick]

10 minutes ago, Tan3l6 said:

Liquid metal is usually not recommended between IHS and cooler, but under IHS, between de-lidded core. 

I'd recommend Scythe Fuma 2 for a good replacement air cooler.

Plus liquid metal can/will move which is another reason why it's also done under the IHS and then the IHS is sealed back up to prevent it from leaking out onto other parts over time. I would definitely not recommend just slapping it on the IHS and hoping any amount doesn't leak out and into the socket or onto the GPU.

[JohanKjeldahl7]

15 minutes ago, Tan3l6 said:

Liquid metal is usually not recommended between IHS and cooler, but under IHS, between de-lidded core. 

I'd recommend Scythe Fuma 2 for a good replacement air cooler.

 

4 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Plus liquid metal can/will move which is another reason why it's also done under the IHS and then the IHS is sealed back up to prevent it from leaking out onto other parts over time. I would definitely not recommend just slapping it on the IHS and hoping any amount doesn't leak out and into the socket or onto the GPU.

Ah, I completely forgot about the delidding part... I will not be risking that part, scary stuff. 

 

Thanks for the cooler recommendation!

[Devryd]

What are your current temperatures?
And why do you plan on changing the motherboard on such an old CPU?
Also iirc, the 8700 is not soldered to the IHS yet, so delidding should be relatively easy and safe. It would also give you a huge drop in temperatures

[JohanKjeldahl7]

6 hours ago, Devryd said:

What are your current temperatures?
And why do you plan on changing the motherboard on such an old CPU?
Also iirc, the 8700 is not soldered to the IHS yet, so delidding should be relatively easy and safe. It would also give you a huge drop in temperatures

Ok, so this requires a little longer answer, hope you don't mind that.

 

My max temp during Witcher 3 + Netflix on secondary monitor, so basically the fullest load of my daily use is 68°C/154°F on my CPU. Although: That's with a massive GPU bottleneck (GTX 1060 6GB) and I will soon also upgrade my GPU to either RTX 3060 or 3070 which means it will run harder and probably warmer when the GPU bottleneck isn't here anymore. Idle temperature is 43°C/109°F.

 

Why I am upgrading motherboard: I have the CPU Motherboard combo from a pre built which I changed case, CPU cooler, thermal paste and PSU from. My current motherboard only has a 4 pin CPU connector, I want the regular 8 so my i7-8700 can live up to it's potential especially with a better GPU later on.

 

I thought about delidding, but I am scared that I make a mistake myself taking the IHS off and killing my CPU with it. Of course with tools from der8auer it is usually fully safe if done correctly but, you know... scary stuff.

 

Sorry for my not so perfect english, not my first language.

[Devryd]

4 hours ago, JohanKjeldahl7 said:

Sorry for my not so perfect english, not my first language.

Its not my first language, either, so dont worry about it. As long as we understand each other, the language is sufficient.

 

 

4 hours ago, JohanKjeldahl7 said:

Why I am upgrading motherboard: I have the CPU Motherboard combo from a pre built which I changed case, CPU cooler, thermal paste and PSU from. My current motherboard only has a 4 pin CPU connector, I want the regular 8 so my i7-8700 can live up to it's potential especially with a better GPU later on.

A 4 Pin CPU header should be sufficient for a 8700 non K. It doesnt really take a lot of power, so it shouldnt really be a problem.

To get a little bit of heat out of the system, you could try undervolting the GPU. This could also give you a little more performance, depending on your GPU cooler. But your temps seem fine, so I would worry about liquid metal or delidding the CPU. If you want to do it because your interrested in it, thats a completly different storry, but it isnt really necessary.

[JohanKjeldahl7]

On 2/28/2022 at 10:32 PM, Devryd said:

Its not my first language, either, so dont worry about it. As long as we understand each other, the language is sufficient.

 

 

A 4 Pin CPU header should be sufficient for a 8700 non K. It doesnt really take a lot of power, so it shouldnt really be a problem.

To get a little bit of heat out of the system, you could try undervolting the GPU. This could also give you a little more performance, depending on your GPU cooler. But your temps seem fine, so I would worry about liquid metal or delidding the CPU. If you want to do it because your interrested in it, thats a completly different storry, but it isnt really necessary.

After thinking about it I will not do it. I may try delidding an old CPU from a computer I don't use just for fun but not on my main gaming rig.

Thank you!