Fixing Ivy Bridge high CPU temps: IHS removal video

I thought it was proved that removing the IHS doesn't give better temps.
This gives me some hope to ivys.

Wrong. There are dozens (maybe hundreds) of before/after testing, many with screenshots as proof, across the various forums on the interwebs..
 
Or you can use a negative offset if your CPU is requesting more voltage than it needs. Core: I have the same CPU/heatsink/mobo as you (non-TB version). Here is how I achieved my 4.5GHz @ 1.2V via offset.

1) Used Asus TurboV Evo "extreme" tuning to get a general idea of my CPU could do, ended up at 4.5GHz at ~1.3V (too high/too hot).
2) Went into the UEFI (all settings still default), changed to XMP mode (to run my RAM at spec) and then changed voltage to manual mode, started at 1.3V and kept dropping it by 0.01V and doing 30min of LinX stress testing. Kept dropping it until I got a crash (around 1.19V) and kept all other voltages stock.
3) Once I figured it needed around 1.2V at load to remain stable, switched to offset mode Kept LLC on lowest setting, rebooted with default offset (0) and ran LinX to see what vcore would result, it was too low (1.175) and crashed, so I started bumping offset 0.01/0.005 at a time to get it stable.
4) Played a bit with LLC to optimize the idle/medium/max load voltages.

I'm at work so I don't have my exact settings, but I think it's XMP mode, offset +0.03V, LLC low (25%), everything else default settings. I have my NH-D14 fans spin down to 500rpm at idle and max speed when CPU hits 60C. My CPU cores are 60-67C in gaming load (BF3) and 70-79C in LinX AVX/Prime95 27.7 after a few hours.

Thanks a lot for your help, much appreciated! :cool:

I now understand that I got the offset mode all wrong. I thought that a negative value of – 0,100 volt would work on top of the auto voltage, so when the mobo would supply 1,27 Volt, I could get it down to 1,17 by dialing in a negative -0,100 Volt. Not so! :eek:

I’m going to test with a positive offset mode at 0.100 Volt this evening and see whether that is enough to drive 4,2 GHz at full load.

One last thing: You mention to keep LLC on lowest setting? Does that mean that the mobo ups the voltage less aggressively than on the default settings? If so, it makes sense because my Ivy Bridge absolutely hates high voltages!
 
I thought it was proved that removing the IHS doesn't give better temps.
This gives me some hope to ivys.

More like, removing the IHS and mounting the heatsink directly to the CPU die didn't do much, most likely due to the difficulty of getting proper contact. On the other hand, removing the IHS, replacing the TIM inside, and putting the IHS back on did improve temps.
 
a huge problem i'm having after doing this to my 3570k @ 4.5ghz

using noctura paste on the core and the IHS with good water cooling.

After first doing this, i get temps idling around 31c-32c on all cores.
Load temps with intel burn test would show 62c max on any given core.

after a few weeks of this computer running almost 24/7 (not under load, mostly idle)
I get the same idle temps, but load temps hit 90c on a couple cores(i stop IBT before it goes on longer than a couple seconds)

this has happened 3 times now and each time, after i pull the ihs off and replace the thermal paste, the temps come down again.

it makes great contact at first, but given enough time it stops working well.

what could i be doing wrong?
 
a huge problem i'm having after doing this to my 3570k @ 4.5ghz

using noctura paste on the core and the IHS with good water cooling.

After first doing this, i get temps idling around 31c-32c on all cores.
Load temps with intel burn test would show 62c max on any given core.

after a few weeks of this computer running almost 24/7 (not under load, mostly idle)
I get the same idle temps, but load temps hit 90c on a couple cores(i stop IBT before it goes on longer than a couple seconds)

this has happened 3 times now and each time, after i pull the ihs off and replace the thermal paste, the temps come down again.

it makes great contact at first, but given enough time it stops working well.

what could i be doing wrong?


I'd try a different TP.

Also what type of water block are you using? Might also tighten mount screws if possible.
 
xspc raystorm, already pretty dang tight.

Not sure how rigid the TP that you are using is but some IC Diamond which is kind of rigid and hard to work with may work a little better.
 
This video would have been about 17 hours long, and most of it would have been cursing if I made it.
 
Not sure how rigid the TP that you are using is but some IC Diamond which is kind of rigid and hard to work with may work a little better.

using antec formula 6 right now as it's what I had handy. temps under load are around 76c.... :-/

big difference from the 59c-60c load that i was getting with the noctura
 
I found that Arctic Ceramique worked very well when I delidded my Opteron 175 back in the day. The temps never changed with the passing time. They always remained consistent.

I would never use IC Diamond on a bare core. Tried it once but the temps were no better than when using Ceramique. The IC Diamond was thrown out after those results.
 
Hi guys, I just removed the IHS off my IB processor and thought I'd share this "tutorial" video and results.

I got a huge 40°C lower on one of the cores . If I average temps from all cores before and after the mod, then it's 79.25°C before IHS removal, and 59°C after IHS removal. That's still 20°C difference, which is quite amazing. I just got a really bad chip out of the box. It couldn't even run stock voltages because one of the cores hits over 100°C. After undervolting to 1.07v @ 4ghz OC, one of the cores still hit 98°C, so this mod was pretty much required for me to get good temps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXs0I5kuoX4

Hi guys, just a quick update. It's been almost 2 months since I've done this mod, and I tested temps again for consistency. Reason I'm doing this is because there are reports that temps will slowly start to climb after this mod.

I just tested temps again with the same parameters, and it's about 1°C higher on all cores with ambient 1°C lower. So there is some change in temps, but right now that delta is too small to conclude anything. It might be within margin of error, or it could be actual increase in temps. If you also did this mod, can you test temps again and post back if your temps are climbing?
 
Great job with the video! I will be watching this again if i decide to do it. I think with those temps you could have easily put the stock heatsink on and shown the thermals out of spec and gotten an rma. If you got 98 degrees with an aftermarket hs you could have throttled it with the stock and shown screenies. Anyways grats on your temps and your soon to be better overclock!
 
Hi guys, just a quick update. It's been almost 2 months since I've done this mod, and I tested temps again for consistency. Reason I'm doing this is because there are reports that temps will slowly start to climb after this mod.

I just tested temps again with the same parameters, and it's about 1°C higher on all cores with ambient 1°C lower. So there is some change in temps, but right now that delta is too small to conclude anything. It might be within margin of error, or it could be actual increase in temps. If you also did this mod, can you test temps again and post back if your temps are climbing?

Are those temps from coretemp/realtemp? If so I am sure the margin of error using their style of temperature measurement is larger than 1 C
 
I just did your test with my non-de-lidded 3570k chip using prime 12k fft @ 4GHz with 1.06vcore cpu-z (1.08 bios) and my temps are 53 57 57 53. (and yes before someone asks.. its 27.7) Does that mean that de-lidding will not net me big gains? How come my chip is getting better temps than yours if the intel TIM is that poor?
 
And I also noticed your prime is not current or using AVX.. So add some degrees for that too I guess, how many I don't know. Can you re-test with prime 27.7 using 12k fft @ that same voltage in the video?
 
chronicfx, yeah I can do a quick test stressing with AVX on. The reason I didn't test with the newest p95 and AVX is because it was just a test of temps before and after the mod, it wasn't for stability under every condition. For my daily clocks, I'm running at 4.5ghz with 1.28v. I'll test using AVX with the same settings in the video and report back.

As for your question on why you have better temps than me without even doing the mod: There are too many variables other than just same vcore and clock speeds. We have different coolers, different fans, orientation, and thermal paste (between the IHS and cooler). And it looks like your chip is not terrible out of the box like mine was. I'm most certain you'll see better results when you redo the paste under the IHS, but it probably won't be a huge of a difference like mine was.
 
As long as your happy with it no need to go out of your way. I wanted to do the mod myself. I even went as far as ordering the coollabs liquid ultra for under the IHS and an extra tube of noctua thermal paste for under the D14 heatsink. I am just worried about destroying my chip in the process of cutting. My second son is gonna be born in about 5 days so I am thinking is it really wise to be risking chips and money when I have a pretty sweet overclock already? I may let the chip age a year or two and then go for it.
 
I think some of the IHS are not flat and even if the TIM is redone the IHS prevents good contact for best cooling. Good contact with bare die seems to be the best route to go if delidding is going to be done.


This is my contact paper test on the IHS with DT Sniper water block.

CPTDIEhorizontalDTSNIPER.JPG


The pink color is where proper contact is made for optimum cooling. As you can see in the photo most of the pink is on the outer edges of the IHS leaving the center/horizontal die area with weak contact.

To get over this problem wtih the IHS the IHS needs be lapped for high contact over entire IHS.

I think delidding and making proper contact directly on die is the best method for cooling.

When I delid I am going to use contact paper test to see how well the contact pressure is directly on the die.
 
Nice vid WhiteFire, good articulation and explanations. I would seriously suggest trying this with completely removing the IHS from the equation and put your hsf directly on the die. Get a good solid mount and your good to go. Works much better
 
I need to find a better way to remove the glue. That was the worst part of the whole process. I still have a little left to clean up.
 
I need to find a better way to remove the glue. That was the worst part of the whole process. I still have a little left to clean up.


Did you try Goo off?


You going to go direct die? with direct die it probably doesn't matter if you leave the glue on it.


Interested in how it all turned out. Please share the experience.
 
I took off my IHS on my 3770K and attempted to use goo off for the black sealant... Didn't do squat. The sealant is more of an hard epoxy than any kind of goo. I ended up just scraping it off flat with a flat razor. I then used liquid metal pro under the IHS with engine Gasket sealant around edges and then some old Arctic Silver I had lying around on top of IHS.

Unfortunately for me, the b2 stepping p8p67 motherboard I received as a replacement from ASUS for the original p8p67 SATA bug wont take the later BIOS's which only seem to apply to the v3 boards.. Fucking ASUS! Using the most current BIOS it will take allows it to recognize the IB CPU and works (even though the official list says this BIOS won't work with this CPU), but it won't let me go past 4GHz without the MB going wonkers at bootup.
 
I took off my IHS on my 3770K and attempted to use goo off for the black sealant... Didn't do squat. The sealant is more of an hard epoxy than any kind of goo. I ended up just scraping it off flat with a flat razor. I then used liquid metal pro under the IHS with engine Gasket sealant around edges and then some old Arctic Silver I had lying around on top of IHS.

Unfortunately for me, the b2 stepping p8p67 motherboard I received as a replacement from ASUS for the original p8p67 SATA bug wont take the later BIOS's which only seem to apply to the v3 boards.. Fucking ASUS! Using the most current BIOS it will take allows it to recognize the IB CPU and works (even though the official list says this BIOS won't work with this CPU), but it won't let me go past 4GHz without the MB going wonkers at bootup.



So how are your temps at 4GHZ?
 
With a cheap air HS, it was around 48-52 under Prime95 load for about 3 mins before it BSOD (the BIOS is too flaky). I'm waiting for another motherboard before I make any more attempts with this processor. Kinda pointless on such a flaky board/BIOS.
 
This debate is what gots me worried about going with a Z77 setup with a 3770k over a core i7 3820 although I much rather have the beutiful maximus v formula board over any other board under 350 for the x79 platform :( what to do what to do???

thats always the question. you will hear something different from almost everyone
 
I said screw it last night.
i needed to replace my tubing anyway, so I removed the heat spreader and left it off and mounted the xspc raystorm directly to the die(after removing the retention bracket on the mobo)

at 4.4ghz on my 3570k under load the temp only reached 56c. I need to tweak some settings some more and get the voltage down a bit(its at 1.2v now) and i can drop temps even more so.
 
Did you try Goo off?


You going to go direct die? with direct die it probably doesn't matter if you leave the glue on it.


Interested in how it all turned out. Please share the experience.

I won't be doing direct die. The die is way too small for me to feel comfortable mounting a waterblock on the bare die.

I'll probably try the buffing wheel on the dremel. I've heard that works well for getting the glue off.
 
I said screw it last night.
i needed to replace my tubing anyway, so I removed the heat spreader and left it off and mounted the xspc raystorm directly to the die(after removing the retention bracket on the mobo)

at 4.4ghz on my 3570k under load the temp only reached 56c. I need to tweak some settings some more and get the voltage down a bit(its at 1.2v now) and i can drop temps even more so.


ROCK ON!
 
Ok, I tried it, removed the IHS and thought I was careful enough, but I got a nasty cut in the CPU circuit board. Please have a look and see whether I'm screwed:

http://sdrv.ms/Px4QCO

Do I need to cover with tape, paint before putting the IHS on again? Thanks for any advise, I'm kinda freaked out now. :eek:
 
Ok, I tried it, removed the IHS and thought I was careful enough, but I got a nasty cut in the CPU circuit board. Please have a look and see whether I'm screwed:

http://sdrv.ms/Px4QCO

Do I need to cover with tape, paint before putting the IHS on again? Thanks for any advise, I'm kinda freaked out now. :eek:
Honestly... It's probably toast, now. I'm sorry. :(

I think putting a patch of tape over it before you test it again would be a very good idea.
 
Honestly... It's probably toast, now. I'm sorry. :(

I think putting a patch of tape over it before you test it again would be a very good idea.

Yeah, I don't have a good feeling about this. :(

Any risk of doing a short circuit when trying the CPU out. Don't wanna loose the mobo also.
 
Yeah, I don't have a good feeling about this. :(

Any risk of doing a short circuit when trying the CPU out. Don't wanna loose the mobo also.

I'm not sure. I suppose it's possible, but there probably isn't a way of finding out without trying to fire it up in a motherboard.
 
Just tried to fire it up, and that was a no-go. Dead. Gone. The mobo shows it as an memory error, not CPU, so I guess that the cut killed some memory lanes.

You win some, you loose some.

Next (man) up.

New CPU ordered, but no more IHS removal for me. Just hope it is going to be a better IB batch than the hottie I just killed.
 
Just tried to fire it up, and that was a no-go. Dead. Gone. The mobo shows it as an memory error, not CPU, so I guess that the cut killed some memory lanes.

You win some, you loose some.

Next (man) up.

New CPU ordered, but no more IHS removal for me. Just hope it is going to be a better IB batch than the hottie I just killed.

have you tried all memory slots?

also try to re-seat it...and take a look at the cpu socket pins (if they are bent you'll get the same error)

maybe you bent some pins when you tried to install it

memory error or dram_led red is given by a short somewhere as well
 
That sucks man. I slipped with the dremel a couple of times when cleaning the epoxy off of the pcb and was scared shitless.

I just cleaned up the epoxy a bit better, lapped the IHS, and lapped the base of the IHS just a bit and now I see a serious drop in temps.

NblSI.jpg
 
have you tried all memory slots?

also try to re-seat it...and take a look at the cpu socket pins (if they are bent you'll get the same error)

maybe you bent some pins when you tried to install it

memory error or dram_led red is given by a short somewhere as well

Nah, I think it is dead, no signs of any issues with the socket pins. I should be getting a new CPU tomorrow then we will see if the rest of the system is still healthy. :eek:

I just hope that I'll get lucky and get a smoother running chip cause this one was no love affair from the get go.

Anyway, I think that the scratch came when I had done the corner and was pressing towards the middle edge. I think the corner of the razor blade got to much action so for anyone trying this out: Be very careful NOT to cut with the corner/end part of the razor blade, only use the middle part. Hope it makes sense.
 
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