Intel’s soldered i9-9900K can offer improved thermal performance though deliding
Intel’s soldered i9-9900K can offer improved thermal performance though deliding
Within that group, we also have more than a few crazies, people who are mad in the best kind of way. People who will test things that others consider too difficult, or simply not worthwhile. der8auer is one of those people, and his deliding antics have started again with the soldered Intel i9-9900K.  Â
Wait… why would your delid a soldered processor? I can hear you guys asking this already. The question you should be asking is WHAT happens if you delid a soldered processor. Overclockers have been crying out for soldered processors for years, but can deliding allow overclocking hyper-enthusiasts to push temperatures to lower levels? That’s what der8auer endeavoured to find out.Â
I’ll recommend watching the video below to have a look at der8auer’s findings, which may come as a shock to solder enthusiasts. Delidding Intel’s i9-9900K can enable much lower thermals than Intel’s stock solder, which means that delidding is far from dead with Intel’s 9th Generation of processors.Â
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After replacing Intel’s Soldered Thermal Interface Material (STIM) with Conductonaut, a liquid metal TIM, der8auer was able to lower the thermals of his i9-9900K by eight degrees, which is a considerable change. He also uncovered another change to Intel’s latest processors, which further limits their cooling potential.Â
When compared to their 8th Generation counterparts, Intel’s 9th Generation processors use thicker pieces of silicon, which fans of thermodynamics will know will make it take longer for heat to pass through the chip. Think of it this way; you will be warmer if you use a thicker blanket. In the same way, a thicker piece of silicon will effectively add an extra layer that heat needs to pass through before getting to your CPU cooler. At this time it is unknown why Intel’s 9th Generation processors use thicker silicon, though the change could be to make the structure more rigid, given the larger die size of the product.Â
der8auer decided to lower the thickness of Intel’s i9-9900K silicon by “lapping” the processor using ultra-fine sandpaper, retesting the processor after removing 0.15mm and 0.20mm of material from his i9-9900K. After lapping his i9-9900K der8auer was able to achieve temperatures that were five degrees lower than his already delided processors, offering a combined 13 degrees drop over a stock/soldered i9-9900K.Â
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So is deliding dead with the i9-9900K? Nope, but the process has gotten more dangerous with solder added into the mix. As always, we don’t recommend deliding your processor unless you are willing to risk your hardware and know exactly what you are doing.Â
You can join the discussion on Intel’s i9-9900K achieving increased thermal performance after delidding on the OC3D Forums.Â