I delidded 6700K. Allow me to share my experience. (It didn't work out that well--until it did.)

[Business Corgi]

I was not getting excellent temps or a particularly great OC out of my i7-6700K so I decided to try my luck delidding it. I used the razor method and had good luck with ultra thin razors used for shaving. The old school ones. They're very thin and bendy though so I suggest being extremely careful. I started with the corners and worked my way around the IHS making sure not to cut too deep. I managed to remove the IHS and clean ALL the glue residue without damaging anything. They sell products specifically for delidding these processors and I would recommend those to the faint of heart. I used the floating method instead of re-gluing the IHS to the PCB and I'm very glad I did for reasons I'll get into later.

 

I HAD BAD LUCK AT FIRST.

 

I used Arctic MX-4 thermal paste between the die and the IHS and my temps did not improve significantly. At 1.335 on the VCORE I would hit 80C with a 4.6Ghz clock pretty soon after starting AIDA64. I tried several reapplications and eventually switched thermal pastes to Noctua NT-H1 and experienced similar results. I was very disappointed.

 

THEN I TRIED SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

 

So yeah, I was pretty bummed that I voided my CPU warranty for nothing. So I did some digging to see if there was anything I could do that might significantly improve temps. I looked into things like mounting the cooler directly onto the die but decided it was too dangerous/too much work. Eventually I came across peopled talking about having good results with Coollabratory Liquid Ultra TIM being on their hot running Kaby Lake CPUs. I have got to say... WOW.

I've been running AIDA64 for the last hour minutes or so and instead of shooting up to 80°C+ right away I'm still sitting at 56°C on the hottest core. My CPU fans would obviously hit 100% before and now they aren't coming anywhere close to that. So lower fan speeds and temp differences of close to 25°C. This is absolutely insane. For the record, ambient temps in the room are always a steady 70°F or ~21°C.

 

The liquid metal TIM made a huge difference but it's not without its faults. It's a pain in the ass to apply and I got some on my my plastic/vinyl place mat and it must have had some sort of weird chemical reaction because it looks like it left a burn on the mat. Be really careful not to get this stuff on anything. BTW, it IS conductive so be extremely careful not to get it on any contacts of your MOBO or CPU. I only used the stuff between the IHS and the die. I did not use any between the heatsink and the IHS because you need to scuff up both surfaces for it to stick properly to those surfaces. I used the Noctua NT-H1 TIM for use between the Noctua heatsink and the IHS.

 

My recommendation if you're going to try it: I used tape around the PCB and left the die exposed. I was able to brush on the thermal compound without having to worry about any of it touching the PCB. I then took this same tape and used it on the underside of the IHS to apply a thin layer there. Dead center, exactly the same size and shape as the die. I used regular scotch tape that was pretty hard to work with being thin and sticky and all. It might be better to use the tape to get the perfect size and shape of the die and then apply the tape to a piece of construction paper and cut a die sized hole out of the paper. That way you don't have to deal with anything sticky.

 

TL:DR. I had a completely opposite experience w/ my delid experience as Linus did in this video and this video. Although unlike Linus' liquid metal vid, I applied the TIM to the die and not the top of the IHS.

 

 

This build was heavily inspired by this LTT review as you can see :P

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/MgYrxr

 

Conclusion: Worth the risk. As I said before, I was extremely disappointed with the delidding results prior to using the liquid metal TIM. At that point it was absolutely not worth voiding the warranty. However, I really couldn't have asked for a better final result. I've heard that Thermal Grizzly makes a product that's even better than what I used but I still can't fathom better results than what I got. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I won't run into issues down the line but for now I'm very happy. I was getting pretty unacceptable temps at very reasonable voltages before and now, well, you can see for yourself. This gives me a lot more headroom to overclock in my little ITX case, and/or gives me peace of mind that I'm not going to slowly kill my CPU with heat.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Umm.. bro, what is that wallpaper?

[FilipSebik]

1 minute ago, Factory OC said:

Umm.. bro, what is that wallpaper?

Yeah what the f...?

 

This seems to be ultimately good example of that liquid metal TIM performance

[Business Corgi]

5 minutes ago, Factory OC said:

Umm.. bro, what is that wallpaper?

 

Kidding.

 

 

I used to do the /r/spaceporn wallpaper thing until some recent major health issues. Looking at that orangutan cheers me up the way cold empty space never could.

[iamdarkyoshi]

Yeah that liquid ultra stuff is great. I've got it on my 6700K and it was the difference between throttling at 95 degrees, and 70 degrees max.

 

I also used it in my gaming laptop and it is now as quiet as your average barebones laptop. I'm also very impressed.

 

I'm managing 4.7ghz on a 7cm tall cooler.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

 

Kidding.

 

 

I used to do the /r/spaceporn wallpaper thing until some recent major health issues. Looking at that orangutan cheers me up the way cold empty space never could.

Thanks for clearing that up, lol.

[Business Corgi]

I'm curious about trying it on my GPU but I'm much more worried that it'll screw something up on that end.

[iamdarkyoshi]

2 minutes ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

I'm curious about trying it on my GPU but I'm much more worried that it'll screw something up on that end.

Didn't help at all on my GPU, perhaps because of the gaps between the heatpipes not being filled by gobs of thermal paste

[19_blackie_73]

15 minutes ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

is there even a mobo?

but sounds good

maybe some day before building a new system I try that on my xeon just for fun.

[Business Corgi]

The biggest problem I've run into now is that my case fans don't ramp up while gaming. This set up needs strong air flow for the GPU due to the lack of clearance between the bottom of the GPU and the case basement. The case fans used to increase in speed with the CPU which scaled fairly well with the GPU.

 

Now the GPU temps run away while the CPU stays relatively cool and the case fans don't ramp up the way they used to. Is there a way I can tie the case fan speed to the GPU? I imagine SpeedFan could get the job done but I ****ing hate SpeedFan. Is there a more elegant solution than SpeedFan or messing about with thermal probes? Would be a non-issue if I'd gotten the Strix GPU or a Hybrid cooled GPU. Sigh.

[hamchurger12]

19 minutes ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

The biggest problem I've run into now is that my case fans don't ramp up while gaming. This set up needs strong air flow for the GPU due to the lack of clearance between the bottom of the GPU and the case basement. The case fans used to increase in speed with the CPU which scaled fairly well with the GPU.

 

Now the GPU temps run away while the CPU stays relatively cool and the case fans don't ramp up the way they used to. Is there a way I can tie the case fan speed to the GPU? I imagine SpeedFan could get the job done but I ****ing hate SpeedFan. Is there a more elegant solution than SpeedFan or messing about with thermal probes? Would be a non-issue if I'd gotten the Strix GPU or a Hybrid cooled GPU. Sigh.

You may need a fan controller...

[SCHISCHKA]

25 minutes ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

The biggest problem I've run into now is that my case fans don't ramp up while gaming. This set up needs strong air flow for the GPU due to the lack of clearance between the bottom of the GPU and the case basement. The case fans used to increase in speed with the CPU which scaled fairly well with the GPU.

 

Now the GPU temps run away while the CPU stays relatively cool and the case fans don't ramp up the way they used to. Is there a way I can tie the case fan speed to the GPU? I imagine SpeedFan could get the job done but I ****ing hate SpeedFan. Is there a more elegant solution than SpeedFan or messing about with thermal probes? Would be a non-issue if I'd gotten the Strix GPU or a Hybrid cooled GPU. Sigh.

You should be able to take the signal from fan header to drive another pwm fan. Might need to use a transistor because power will be from different source

[iamdarkyoshi]

7 hours ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

The biggest problem I've run into now is that my case fans don't ramp up while gaming. This set up needs strong air flow for the GPU due to the lack of clearance between the bottom of the GPU and the case basement. The case fans used to increase in speed with the CPU which scaled fairly well with the GPU.

 

Now the GPU temps run away while the CPU stays relatively cool and the case fans don't ramp up the way they used to. Is there a way I can tie the case fan speed to the GPU? I imagine SpeedFan could get the job done but I ****ing hate SpeedFan. Is there a more elegant solution than SpeedFan or messing about with thermal probes? Would be a non-issue if I'd gotten the Strix GPU or a Hybrid cooled GPU. Sigh.

You could always build my cardboard masterpiece, it has zero case fans

 

Or if you're knowledgeable in basic electronics, I have a design for a sub 10 component fan controller that adjusts based on temp

[done12many2]

8 hours ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

TL:DR. I had a completely opposite experience w/ my delid experience as Linus did in this video and this video. Although unlike Linus' liquid metal vid, I applied the TIM to the die and not the top of the IHS.

 

That's not a surprise at all.  Everyone who has actually taken the time to do it correctly has has much better results than Linus did. 

 

8 hours ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

Conclusion: Worth the risk. As I said before, I was extremely disappointed with the delidding results prior to using the liquid metal TIM. At that point it was absolutely not worth voiding the warranty. However, I really couldn't have asked for a better final result. I've heard that Thermal Grizzly makes a product that's even better than what I used but I still can't fathom better results than what I got. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I won't run into issues down the line but for now I'm very happy. I was getting pretty unacceptable temps at very reasonable voltages before and now, well, you can see for yourself. This gives me a lot more headroom to overclock in my little ITX case, and/or gives me peace of mind that I'm not going to slowly kill my CPU with heat.

 

Not only did you drop temps even more with the CLU, but you also inadvertently avoided future issues.  When using a regular paste on the die, two things happen that aren't good.  They dry up a lot faster requiring more frequent reapplication and the paste pumps out from between the die and IHS.  A lost of people notice a nice drop when they initially use paste, but see rising temps very soon after.  Drying up and pumping out does not occur with CLU.

 

Congrats on the delid and the system looks great.  

[Business Corgi]

2 hours ago, done12many2 said:

 

That's not a surprise at all.  Everyone who has actually taken the time to do it correctly has has much better results than Linus did. 

 

 

Not only did you drop temps even more with the CLU, but you also inadvertently avoided future issues.  When using a regular paste on the die, two things happen that aren't good.  They dry up a lot faster requiring more frequent reapplication and the paste pumps out from between the die and IHS.  A lost of people notice a nice drop when they initially use paste, but see rising temps very soon after.  Drying up and pumping out does not occur with CLU.

 

Congrats on the delid and the system looks great.  

I ABSOLUTELY noticed this. Very accurate statement regarding rising temps using standard TIM on a delidded CPU.

[stconquest]

9 minutes ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

I ABSOLUTELY noticed this. Very accurate statement regarding rising temps using standard TIM on a delidded CPU.

Two things I have learned about CLU, that have not been mentioned:

 

1.  CLU will have to be re-applied every two years or so.  Yearly , or every 18 months would be better.

 

2.  Do NOT use CLU on an aluminum surface.  Just like your mat, it will eat it.

 

Please, anyone, correct me if I am wrong.   

[Business Corgi]

Something else I noticed: much more stable temps across all cores.

There used to be ~15 degree variations between the hottest and coolest cores. Now we're talking 3 degree differences.

[iamdarkyoshi]

6 minutes ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

Something else I noticed: much more stable temps across all cores.

There used to be ~15 degree variations between the hottest and coolest cores. Now we're talking 3 degree differences.

At least they aren't a mess like mine

 

This was before a delid but they are still a mess lol

[done12many2]

13 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

At least they aren't a mess like mine

 

This was before a delid but they are still a mess lol

 

WTF?  That's after your delid?

[knightslugger]

we de-lidders need our own Master Race subforum.

 

My De-lid was a great success. Very nice. High five. I bought a Rockit88 delidding tool and it was a SNAP (/horrible pun). used tape to mask off the CPU die and put about a .1ml spat of CLU on the die and began brushing it out. it wasn't so bad. PITA it was not. I lightly brushed what was left on my brush on the underside of the IHS, but i soon thought it ain't worth it. i placed the IHS back on the die, using the re-lid too and a few spots of kRaZy glue and tossed it in this afternoon. ran a bench for an hour before doing it, and after... and when i saw the after i was so excited i forgot to screen clip and i bumped it up a multi.  1.370v for 4.6GHz and 65*C and CB15 scores over 1050. @done12many2 can I go more, what do you think?

 

Before, Intel crud between die/IHS and AS-5 between IHS nad h115i

 

After, CLU between die/IHS and AS-5 between IHS and h115i & a full clock cycle up.

 

As the OP had noticed, I too found that the temperature spread between all the cores was a lot more even, and I will have to play with my fan curves as well since the fans only cycle when the CPU hits 60*C, and it barely does that.

 

I can't believe i waited. this was so worth it.

[SubLimation7]

13 hours ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

-SNIP-

 

Yep delidding Intel is a must.

1st in USA for air cooled 6700k  same cooler as you have.

Added some OCCT shots as well, ran for over an hour (at 4.7ghZ)

Keep on delidding, use this to challenge yourself on the next one!

But seriously congrats those are good results.

[iamdarkyoshi]

1 hour ago, done12many2 said:

 

WTF?  That's after your delid?

That was before. They are just as spastic now, but at lower temps

[done12many2]

56 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

That was before. They are just as spastic now, but at lower temps

 

Okay and sorry I didn't see that you stated that originally.

 

Did you crank down the sample times on your monitoring software?  It's updating fast.

 

1 hour ago, knightslugger said:

we de-lidders need our own Master Race subforum.

 

Too funny and hell yeah!

 

1 hour ago, knightslugger said:

@done12many2 can I go more, what do you think?

 

I think you should create a couple of saved overclock profiles on BIOS and switch between them at will.  I have a bunch of them saved in BIOS and on USB drives for different occasions.  Switch between different CPU clock speed, cache speed, and memory speeds/timings is super easy that way.  The same thing can be done via OC software provided with your motherboard, but I prefer BIOS/firmware based overclocks.

 

You have some thermal overhead to go a little further.

[Business Corgi]

I ran an hour of AIDA64 at 1.415V 4.7Ghz. Max temps are 64°C. Unfortunately, I accidentally closed AIDA64 instead of clicking minimize which was what I meant to do. Thankfully, the it kept some of the info when I restarted it. It did NOT crash, I just accidentally closed out of it without hitting stop.

 

[done12many2]

6 hours ago, Ducks_McGoo said:

I ran an hour of AIDA64 at 1.415V 4.7Ghz. Max temps are 64°C. Unfortunately, I accidentally closed AIDA64 instead of clicking minimize which was what I meant to do. Thankfully, the it kept some of the info when I restarted it. It did NOT crash, I just accidentally closed out of it without hitting stop.

 

I hate to break this to you, but your AIDA64 actually crashed.  I say this for two reasons.  Firstly, AIDA64 won't let you close during a stress test without stopping the test first.  Secondly, the red warning area with the information stating "stress test session terminated unexpectedly" only appears when it crashes.

 

You might need more Vcore to stabilize that overclock.  Also, try hitting it with a variety of tests just to make sure that you're good.  It only needs to be as stable as you need it to be, but I've found that AIDA64 is just way too easy to "pass". 

 

Good luck man.