[Guide and thoughts ] Deliding ivy bridge CPU's .

Coaxialgamer · January 4, 2016

Before i start this guide , you should know that I am not responsible for any damage to your cpu if you decide to attempt this project .

Those who have seen my previous posts know that i accidentally damaged my cpu will trying to delid it.

I was using the vice method ( a popular deliding method ) . The cpu went flying , which in turn , damaged the pins on the back :

The cpu wouldn't post at first , but after re soldering the pins on the back , it worked. This would have probably made anyone stop cold and abandon the project . Not me ( though I wonder why not ).

It is well known intel used cheap thermal compound on ivy bridge and haswell cpu's ( do not attempt this on anything prior to ivy bridge , or on any enthusist grade cpu on socket lga 2011)

In fact , the better TIM was one of the main selling points for devil's canyon cpus like the 4790k.

Before trying anything , i stressed tested the cpu in order to get a baseline for temps .

At 4.6 ghz , 1.32V (VID , vcore set to 1.325v in bios ), the cpu would reach 90C on the hottest core using intel burn test ( at the "maximum" preset . Prime 95 only seemed to get it to 50C , odd...).

Ambient temps are 20C; with idle temps sitting around 23C

This is pretty high , and prevents extra overclocking.

There are two methods for deliding: the vice method and the razor method.

The vice method , despite seeming dangerous in theory , is supposed to be the safest.But because of my bad experience with it , i chose the razor method .

My specs : i7 3770k @4.6ghz

CM nepton 240 aio cooler with stock fans in "push"

r9 290x tri x

ecs z77h2 a2x deluxe 2.0 motherboard.

cx 750m

Step 1 :

First of all , find a clean , clutter free work space to do this.

Make sure to ground yourself before removing the cpu.

remove the old thermal paste using isopropol alcohol .

Step 2 :

Use a clean razor to do this .

Push the razor firmly under a corner of the IHS. Make sure not to cut the PCB . Do not perform a cutting motion , as tis will damage the PCB .

Be sure to be careful and not touch the die with it .

Be patient. You DO NOT want to mess this up.

Repeat for every corner and the sides until you have removed the IHS.

Note : on haswell , be also careful about the VRM's on th"e PCB.

Step 3 :

After removing the metal heat spreader , you will see the die .

We can see the cheap thermal paste used on the die , as well as the black gasket that used to keep the heat spreader onto the PCB .

Clean off the old TIM until the die is perfectly clean.

Next step is removing the gasket.

Use a credit card or a flat screw driver to remove it ( i used a screwdriver , just be sure not to scratch the PCB , so be careful )

Once that is done , you should be left with something like this :

Step 4 :

The next step is to reapply thermal paste on the die.

A popular choice for delidded CPU's is CL liquid ultra , a liquid thermal paste with excellent heat dissipation .

I had none on hand , so i used plain old noctua NT H1 ( still much better than stock TIM)

This is where you have to decide whether you want to go " naked" ( cooler has direct contact to die ), or to put the IHS back on .

I put it back on . While this can yield slightly higher temps , it is safer and needs no additional equipment to make the die make contact with the cooler..

Do not apply too much thermal paste and put the IHS back on .

Step 5 :

Put the cpu back in the socket , while making sure the IHS is in its correct position .

Apply thermal paste and put the cooler back on .

This is the moment that will determine if you have correctly done this ,n and if you damaged you cpu.

Aftermath :

Sure enough , the computer booted up just fine.

I got to the desktop , and used the same stress test as before .

Temps did not exceed 70C !

That's a massive 20 degree difference !

Note:; temps with prime95 and xtu where about 55C

The cooler temps also made it possible to set the vcore to 1.22V , while remaining stable.

This made the temperature drop by a few more degrees ( about 65C on the hottest core )

It did not , however , give me extra OC headroom , as i had already hit a power wall , and could not go any higher , without adding a LOT more votage.

To end this guide, i will say i found it worth delidding my cpu.

Temps dropped drastically , and I was able to appy less voltage , thanks to the fact that cooler running chips need less voltage.

For more information , you can also check out the numerous guides and youtube videos covering the topic.