Cooling De-lidded, wondering about TIM

Hi Guys. So I was test fitting my build and as I was standing at my workbench I couldn't help but notice the vice sitting there...


And I had this hammer so...


One thing led to another...


Anyway, I have some Coolaboratory Liquid Ultra on the way which will be used inbetween the IHS and die, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for the IHS<>Heatsink?

I have MX-4 and a tube of Gelid Extreme. Would either of those suffice well enough?

 

The Gelid Extreme is excellent as is the MX-4.

Me personally?

Im using Z9 Heatsink compound. It's so cheap for a tube that the small gains in heat don't really matter.

 

Wasn't there some apparatus where you can plant the Heatsink direct to the Die?

 

Yeah MSI have released a "Die Guard" for there boards, not sure if it works with none MSI boards though.

 

There is a thread over at andantech where IDon'tCare has experimented with various solutions:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2261855

 

If you are WCing there is an adapter set that EK sells for its Supremacy blocks, the name of which presently escapes me though...

It lets you put a block straight on the die without bostin' it

 

Yeah, it's a set of screws for the mounting device that limits the weight you can put on the processor. Seems like a must if you're going to W/C this thing.

 

http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-supremacy-precisemount-add-on-naked-ivy.html

This.

 

Thanks for the responses. I remember seeing that ek kit but I'm wondering if it's worth it. I am using a supremacy block but I had planned on re-seating the lid.

Actually now that I think of it, I'm definitely not going to do direct die. From what I've read, the liquid ultra can bond/damage or permanently alter the surface of the waterblock and I don't want to do that. I think I'll give that gelid extreme a shot. It came included with the block

 

Just use a regular TIM and get the kit to go direct to die!

 

Use regular TIM. It's fine. People say it 'dries out,' but I used Noctua NT-H1 between my die and IHS for a number of weeks without any decrease in performance, and I was running high temperatures from the overclocks and benchmarks.

I would say try regular TIM and see how you get on.

 

Thanks guys. The Liquid Ultra is already in the mail so I'm going to use that for the die to IHS connection. In the mean time I've thought about lapping the surface of the IHS while I have it out.

Sent from Bittech Android app

 

I don't see why not. I lapped my IHS because I figured the warranty was gone as soon as I took a hammer to the chip anyway, and a perfectly flat surface from lapping will no doubt increase cooling capacity even further.

Oh, for what it's worth, I lost 25c off of my loaded temps by going from the stock TIM to lapping and delidding it with CLU inbetween the IHS/die. I was hitting into the upper 80s and lower 90s with it at stock and after doing the deed, it really, really struggled to hit 70.

 

Wow that is actually really cool. No pun intended. That's exactly the kind of info that keeps me motivated to do all this stuff haha.

Sent from Bittech Android app

 

It was actually my third chip. My very first one hit throttle temps (100+) under a Silver Arrow SB-E cooler at stock speeds and voltages, my second died a very slow and painful death, so Intel replaced it for me (epic RMA service by the way!) with the third chip that received the hammer treatment.

You'll be surprised by the temperature drops. Let us know how you get on!

 

Liquid Ultra is really the only TIM to use on the internal die.

If only because it just bonds the IHS and die.

 

It bonds well, and it also just has epic performance.

One thing to note is that the IHS does move around so you need to find some way to secure it if you plan to move the chip in and out of the socket a lot. As I am an extreme overclocker, I have artist putty which I use for insulation. I found that if you get four small blobs, and turn them into thin sausage-like shapes, that it will bond the chip and the IHS together, and work surprisingly well at keeping it in place too. I no longer have the chip on hand to show you what I mean, but I can demonstrate with an old NVIDIA GPU core that I have on my keyring if you wish. It may be something to consider, although completely unnecessary.

 

Thanks dutch man but I don't think I'll need a demonstration haha. I'm not going mess with it too much. I intend to put the ihs back on offset to compensate for the retention bracket pushing it as it clamps down.

Do I need to put any LU on the underside of the IHS?

Also I've seen people who do this put an enamel on the voltage contacts to protect them from the LU. I was just gonna put some painters tape on them during the application then remove it when I install. Is it necessary to go overboard to protect the contacts?

Sent from Bittech Android app

 

Definitely do not put it on the IHS. That stuff is, as you know, liquid metal. Be extremely cautious not to get it on anything but the die of the chip. Honestly, it's a bitch to get off, especially if it gets into the little SMD's on the chip (the power circuitry).

There's no need to cover them up. You just need to be very careful with your application. Perhaps tape the up with some form of tape whilst applying it and then remove it. They need to be uncovered as they do get fairly warm, and tape won't help that.

What do you mean by putting it on an offset to compensate for the retention bracket?

All you need to do is apply CLU to the die and then put the chip back into the socket, naked. Get your IHS ready, and place it on top, in the centre of the chip. When pulling the retention bracket back into place, hold the IHS and chip firmly in place with one or two fingers, and do your very best to keep the IHS from moving. Once it's locked down, you're done, and you'll be laughing at your new ... super cool (pun intended) temperatures.

 

Thanks for the tips dutch. I went out and picked up some sand paper and did the lapping process. Did 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 2500. Had a nice mirror finish when I was done.

For the LU I put electrical tape on the power circuitry and applied it to the die. I put a tiny, tiny amount and was able to cover the entire die no problem.

Anyone reading this, you really only need a tiny smear of this stuff, maybe the size of a needle head to cover the whole die. Use the included brush to spread evenly and make a super thin layer over the die.

For the IHS I ended put pretty much just centering it and holding it in place as I closed the bracket as you said Dutch. Haven't powered it on yet as the build is still ongoing but I'm sure it's gonna be awesome

For the top of the ihs I used Gelid GC Extreme with the line method down the middle and two little dots on the either side so the pressure from the block will spread it evenly

Sent from Bittech Android app