Have you de-lidded an Ivy Bridge CPU?

[chronicfx]

And charge extra..

 

[SonDa5]

For those that have done this and had problems and participated in the poll please take some time and share your bad experience and provide photos if possible. Thanks.

 

[beto]

If this bullshit continues with Haswell I'm going to buy AMD. Congrats on fixing Intel's retarded change.

Right there with you. I was so pissed that I waited around for IB. In the end I went ahead and bought a 2500K. It is always funny to me what lengths people will go to to make themselves feel really good about something that they want to feel good about even if it doesn't deserve it. I mean, I know some of it is just tinkering - hardware aficionados tend to like to tinker - but having to take the lid off is just sad. Intel stunk up the joint with the TIM rather than solder decision.

 

[SonDa5]

Right there with you. I was so pissed that I waited around for IB. In the end I went ahead and bought a 2500K. It is always funny to me what lengths people will go to to make themselves feel really good about something that they want to feel good about even if it doesn't deserve it. I mean, I know some of it is just tinkering - hardware aficionados tend to like to tinker - but having to take the lid off is just sad. Intel stunk up the joint with the TIM rather than solder decision.

The people that are willing to delid are the ones that are going to appreciate the improved operation and performance.

Clock for clock IB is better than SB and it uses less voltage. The only problem that many people think the IB has is the high heat out put. I am one of the people that think the IB runs hot and I enjoy modding and building for performance so the IB delid experience to me is enjoyable.

I also think that Intel hurt IB performance with the design of the IHS to make more money now and later on.

From what I have researched online the fluxless solder that Intel uses in the SB cpus is far superior to any available TIM that is available to put on a delidded IB.


I really think the IB has been crippled to keep the performance down and to allow Intel to have a future product line up where Intel can use the fluxless solder IHS design to greatly improve thermal performance.


So it sucks having a crippled CPU like IB because of the known poor IHS design that Intel uses with IB but at the same time it has been fun delidding IB and modding to improve performance.

 

[chronicfx]

if ivy had fluxless solder then everyone would be running them at 1.45v lol but what a beastly cpu it could be!

 

[SonDa5]

DeLid or suffer the heat. :toast:

Delidding is in the air. I can't wait no more. *I'm running a 20 pass LinX stress test right now for my before delid test information. *In a few minutes I'm going to delid my 3570k. *

I wouldn't do this unless I was confident that I can do this and that my 3570k will benefit from it.

Right now my water cooled rig only has 1x120mm HWLABS Black ICE GTX Stealth radiator.

This is the testing water loop configuration for my first De-lidding test.

I have another radiator on back order at FrozenCPU and wanted to wait for it but I couldn't wait no more.

Photos from my adventure.

Officially Delidded. *No going back at this point in the game.

Cleaned up and ready to GO!

Contact Paper pressure test is a go!

Here is contact paper pressure test with my DT SNIPER water block on 3570k IHS and then 3570k direct die.

With IHS.

No IHS direct DIE! :rockout:

Before Delidding.

Ambient Temp 26C

TIM IC Diamond 24

Temps under LinX load 83C 93C 89C 84C

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2531026

De-Lidded results.

Direct DIE Contact

Ambient Temps 25.5C

TIM IC Diamond 24

Temps under LinX load *70C 80C 78C 74C

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2531139

Conclusion: By de-lidding my IB i5-3570k I was able to lower average core temps from 87.25C to 75.5C!!!!!



Intel left it to us to effectively cool IB. This works!!

Share your methods, lessons learned, and temps.

Updating temp post.

My IC Diamond seems to be cooling better after a few days.

Also I have been able to tweak my voltage a little more than before for stability.

Under load at 4.5 GHZ my 3570k is stable with 1.13v.
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2537884

10 pass in diagnostic mode with maximum memory Intel Burn Test
Ambient Temps 24C.
Temps under IBT 63C 72C 71C 66C

My temps at 4.5 GHZ have now lowered to 68C average per core. That is a 19.25C per core average temperature drop so far since I de-lidded.

I didn't think IC Diamond had a break in period. The only things I have done is lower my CPU voltage from 1.17v to 1.15v in BIOS and I have raised my PLL voltage from 1.5v to 1.60v and lastly I hand tightened my cpu mount set screws just a little where they felt lose. I'm being as careful as possible to not crack the die with the block. (NO IHS)

As I tweak it for lower temps I will update with changes.

 

[ccityinstaller]

Glad to see you joined the club Good Sir! I have just gotten Win7 reinstalled, and my early testing with the hot ass GTX480 in my loop is still wonderful! At 4.5Ghz I have been seeing temps about 12-15C below yours, but I am in a cool room..My goal is to head to 4.9+, considering the thermal head room..

Also, I would HIGHLY suggest you stay with the IC Diamond since you are running direct die mount like I am.. IC does have a break in period, they clear say so..I saw my temps drop a bit after a 24 hr stress test..The metal pastes MIGHT give you 1-3C lower temps, but the chances of them running due to thermal pump out turns the idea off for me..I am not willing to risk $1000 in hardware for a few degrees to be honest..

There is a long thread over at Anandtech started by IdontCare that has some great information...I would really appreciate you posting your data over there..What we have been seeing with normal TIM compounds is that guys are getting great results like ours, but after 2~4 weeks, they are sky rocketing back to the stock TIM levels..Keep in mind it only appears to happen to the guys that are reusing the IHS, where we are not, but some long term data from us would help a lot of other users..

 

[ccityinstaller]

SonDa5,
Would you be willing to run 10-15 passes with IBT(make sure you have the latest binary packs installed) under "Xtreme Mode"? If you aren't familiar with Xtreme Mode, you simply right click on the Start button that would normally start the IBT test..I want to see what your temps look like under that mode..I will do the same and report back with some screenshots as well...

 

[SonDa5]

Glad to see you joined the club Good Sir! I have just gotten Win7 reinstalled, and my early testing with the hot ass GTX480 in my loop is still wonderful! At 4.5Ghz I have been seeing temps about 12-15C below yours, but I am in a cool room..My goal is to head to 4.9+, considering the thermal head room..

Also, I would HIGHLY suggest you stay with the IC Diamond since you are running direct die mount like I am.. IC does have a break in period, they clear say so..I saw my temps drop a bit after a 24 hr stress test..The metal pastes MIGHT give you 1-3C lower temps, but the chances of them running due to thermal pump out turns the idea off for me..I am not willing to risk $1000 in hardware for a few degrees to be honest..

There is a long thread over at Anandtech started by IdontCare that has some great information...I would really appreciate you posting your data over there..What we have been seeing with normal TIM compounds is that guys are getting great results like ours, but after 2~4 weeks, they are sky rocketing back to the stock TIM levels..Keep in mind it only appears to happen to the guys that are reusing the IHS, where we are not, but some long term data from us would help a lot of other users..

I've read a few of the threads from Idontcare and that person is extremely detailed and informative in the few threads that I have read from him about the dimensions of IB processor and testing with IHS of and on. Good stuff. I have never posted over there but I will join your guys soon. Over at over clock.net there is de-lidding club as well that just started up less than a week ago. Seems like more and more people are de-lidding or thinking about doing it with IB to lower temps and improve performance.

Would you be willing to run 10-15 passes with IBT(make sure you have the latest binary packs installed) under "Xtreme Mode"? If you aren't familiar with Xtreme Mode, you simply right click on the Start button that would normally start the IBT test..I want to see what your temps look like under that mode..I will do the same and report back with some screenshots as well...

I'd like to do that right now but I am not sure if I have the latest binary updates. If you could post instructions on how to update the binaries or to a flavor of IBT or LINX with the updates I'd appreciate it.

I will do the test and post temps with the IBT flavor that I have soon.

 

[ccityinstaller]

I'd like to that right now but I am not sure if I have the latest binary updates. If you could post instructions on how to update the binaries or to a flavor of IBT or LINX with the updates I'd appreciate it.

I will do the test and post temps with the IBT flavor that I have soon.

Don't worry about replacing the binary..As long as you are using IBT v2.54 that was updated in July of 2012 then we are able to apples to apples..

Here is a quick shot of a run I just did with my fans set @ 7V..Please excuse the fact it is hard to see, I don't know what Photobucket is doing..The picture was 1080P, but they re-sized it way smaller and I can't seem to fix it

The temps are 59, 64, 63, and 62C with an ambient of 23C..I have all the voltages on "Auto" settings aside from a fixed Vcore of 1.128V..

I haven't tried anything lower, this was the stock setting that the MB was feeding the chip when Vcore was set to "Auto"...

In this second shot, I raised the voltage on my Gentle Typhoon AP-15s to their normal 12V..Temps dropped 3-4 degrees, they are 56, 64, 60 and 60C

What do you guys think of these temps? I am blown away!!

 

[SonDa5]

Don't worry about replacing the binary..As long as you are using IBT v2.54 that was updated in July of 2012 then we are able to apples to apples..


What do you guys think of these temps? I am blown away!!

I have IBT v2.54.

I think your temps are great but your Gflops are much lower than mine.



Here is my run I just did with IBT set to maximum, booted to Windows Diagnostic mode with the Extreme box checked in IBT.

Ambient Temps 23C.

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2538966 1.135v on vcore under load.


My voltage is set higher than yours but I think I can go lower on the voltage to possibly match yours. Not sure. My ram is at CL10 2400mhz and that could explain the higher Glflop and IB IMC
heating up more.

I am going to see if I can lower my Vcore and PLL a little more to lower temps a little. I am already at the lowest voltage I have ever been at for this type of IBT stability test. De-lidding appears to lower temps and the decreased temperature also lowers the electrical resistance which allows the cpu to run more stable with lower voltage. My logic based on my test results and electrical theory.

 

[ccityinstaller]

I have IBT v2.54.

I think you your temps are great but your Gflops are much lower than mine...

My voltage is set higher than yours but I think I can go lower on the voltage to possibly match yours. Not sure. My ram is at CL10 2400mhz and that could explain the higher Glflop and IB IMC heating up more.

I believe the ram speed is the reason for your Gflops being higher..I am running 16GB of G.Skill DDR 2133, but it is currently only running @ 1600mhz with relaxed timings (im talking CAS 11), since I wanted to isolate the ram from being another variable when stress testing..Are you running your ram timing @ 1T, or 2T? Im curious if timing makes a difference with IB..running @ 1T was much better on 1366, especially when Folding..

 

[SonDa5]

I believe the ram speed is the reason for your Gflops being higher..I am running 16GB of G.Skill DDR 2133, but it is currently only running @ 1600mhz with relaxed timings (im talking CAS 11), since I wanted to isolate the ram from being another variable when stress testing..Are you running your ram timing @ 1T, or 2T? Im curious if timing makes a difference with IB..running @ 1T was much better on 1366, especially when Folding..

2T.

1T or 2T does make a difference in glfops and other memory intensive benchmarks. My memory is finicky at anything over 2T.

It's been awhile sine I had 1366 so I don't remember how gflop performance was on it.

I am positive that higher memory over clocks will also heat the CPU IMC more as well.

 

[SonDa5]

No go on lower voltages than what I have posted for IBT Extreme stability test.

Testing Prime95 27.7 with AVX with large FFTs for max temps. Will post results for that.

 

[chronicfx]

I haven't delidded at all and using an air cooler. I don't think my temps are much higher than either of yours. But I am not sure if I can run 4.5 at 1.128v either. I think I am more around 1.18v but I will give it a try tonight if I get a chance. I will also see if I can get away with the lower voltage you guys are using with IBT. I have been finding to pass prime I need to jack the voltage higher than it needs to pass IBT. I will use extreme and 2.54. Unfortunately I still am not sure how to post screen shots because you guys do it from the web? somehow. Is there a way I can just grab these shots from my hard drive and post them?

 

[chronicfx]

Hi Sonda5. Are you gonna run your chip at 4.5 24/7? I saw you were getting more out of it last week. 4.7 or 4.8 at good volts (low 1.3's)? I like 4.7 at 1.296v the best for my system right now. I can do 4.8 or 4.9 but they are 1.35v and 1.4v respectively. I have been basically running the 4.7 as a 24/7 and haven't had a freeze or a hiccup since i dialed it in sometime over the summer.

 

[ccityinstaller]

I haven't delidded at all and using an air cooler. I don't think my temps are much higher than either of yours. But I am not sure if I can run 4.5 at 1.128v either. I think I am more around 1.18v but I will give it a try tonight if I get a chance. I will also see if I can get away with the lower voltage you guys are using with IBT. I have been finding to pass prime I need to jack the voltage higher than it needs to pass IBT. I will use extreme and 2.54. Unfortunately I still am not sure how to post screen shots because you guys do it from the web? somehow. Is there a way I can just grab these shots from my hard drive and post them?

Keep in mind that I am running a 3770K, which is WAY hotter then the 3570Ks you guys are running..Also, the goal here is getting decent temperatures when you start breaking 4.7-4.8ghz+..That is where delidding/replacing the TIM really starts to make a HUGE difference..

I will be working on 4.8Ghz tonight, and then go from there..Will also test with the Prime95 version mentioned as well..

SonDa5, you don't want to run the memory @ anything over 2T, it kills performance and most modern ram is designed for either 1 or 2T, so I see why it gives you issues heheheh...I raised my ram up to run @ its XMP profile of 2133 11-11-11-2T (haven't tightened timings yet), and did a 25 pass Stress Test @ Xtreme Mode last night..Temps were 59, 64, 63, 62C and my Gflops came up to 112..

 

[SonDa5]

ccityinstaller try turning off hyper threading to see how temps and gflop out put are effected on 3770k.


Chronicfx 4.5 is just a good point to be at. I think most people are able to get 4.5 GHz oc. It's my base OC setting that I am using to learn to tweak my temps with the de-lidding experiments I am doing. Once I find the sweet spot for 4.5GHZ I will then tweak for higher over clocks. Right now I am going for consistency later on I will tweak over clock for higher speeds and performance.

 

[chronicfx]

I just burned at maximum with xtreme stress checked at 4.5GHz in diagnostic mode at 1.154v on load. LLC was @ 2 and 1.165v bios using 7317MB of ram.

Temps were 60-64-64-62 during the 3rd pass where I shut it down because I don't run that setting anyway. The reason I compared this was not to negate your de-lidding results or to say "hey my chip is better thermally". What I am trying to figure out is whether I would need to de-lid to see any effect from going to water. I have seen a review where the RASA kit beat a D14 by 15 or 20 degrees on a heavily overclocked CPU.

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/xspc_rasa_750_rs360_watercooling_kit_review/1



Now obviously I have "some" thermal transfer going down if I am getting "similar" temps than you guys that are bare die and on water.. I even made a thread about this in the cooling section. Do you think I could see a benefit without de-lidding. I mean there is NO WAY in my mind that my chip is at 65 degrees during xtreme IBT at 4.5 unless it were transferring heat readily.

 

[leeleatherwood]

I just burned at maximum with xtreme stress checked at 4.5GHz in diagnostic mode at 1.154v on load. LLC was @ 2 and 1.165v bios using 7317MB of ram.

Temps were 60-64-64-62 during the 3rd pass where I shut it down because I don't run that setting anyway. The reason I compared this was not to negate your de-lidding results or to say "hey my chip is better thermally". What I am trying to figure out is whether I would need to de-lid to see any effect from going to water. I have seen a review where the RASA kit beat a D14 by 15 or 20 degrees on a heavily overclocked CPU.

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/xspc_rasa_750_rs360_watercooling_kit_review/1



Now obviously I have "some" thermal transfer going down if I am getting "similar" temps than you guys that are bare die and on water.. I even made a thread about this in the cooling section. Do you think I could see a benefit without de-lidding. I mean there is NO WAY in my mind that my chip is at 65 degrees during xtreme IBT at 4.5 unless it were transferring heat readily.

You would not notice a difference at those volts. You have really low volts, therefor very little heat. (Voltage is the number 1 producer of heat.)

I would not de-lid if I was you.

 

[SonDa5]

I just burned at maximum with xtreme stress checked at 4.5GHz in diagnostic mode at 1.154v on load. LLC was @ 2 and 1.165v bios using 7317MB of ram.

Temps were 60-64-64-62 during the 3rd pass where I shut it down because I don't run that setting anyway. The reason I compared this was not to negate your de-lidding results or to say "hey my chip is better thermally". What I am trying to figure out is whether I would need to de-lid to see any effect from going to water. I have seen a review where the RASA kit beat a D14 by 15 or 20 degrees on a heavily overclocked CPU.


Now obviously I have "some" thermal transfer going down if I am getting "similar" temps than you guys that are bare die and on water.. I even made a thread about this in the cooling section. Do you think I could see a benefit without de-lidding. I mean there is NO WAY in my mind that my chip is at 65 degrees during xtreme IBT at 4.5 unless it were transferring heat readily.

I saw your other thread.

3 passes really isn't much with IBT. I would have at least let it run the standard 10 passes. Screen shots would be helpful.

There are a number of factors that could effect the overall heat that Intel Burn Test creates when running the benchmark. For an apples to apples comparison you need to make certain of the following.

1. Do you have Windows 7 SP1 update for proper AVX processing?
2. Are you running Intel Burn Test v2.54 which supports AVX processing?
3. What are your memory speed and CL timings?
4. What are your ambient temps?
5. What is your Gflop out put line per line over 10 run pass? The Gflop out put should be close to the same for each line if your CPU is stable. IF its not stable it will throttle and you notice Gflop out put differences in the passes. Also if Gflop out put is low it means your cpu may be throttling or the AVX is not properly working.


Screen shots of IBT, Real temp, and CPU-Z with valid URL verification show all of the above. Without this information its hard to determine how thermally efficient your 3570k is.


Many people have posted results on de-lidding and one of the best studies that I have seen so far has been by Idontknow at Anandtech forums.

He found that the best thermal conducting away from the IB CPU was by direct mount between DIE and a heatsink/waterblock. No IHS.

This is Idontcare's chart he made to show how performance was with IHS or without. Without IHS direct DIE mount was the coolest.

It's a matter of physics. When you improve the TIM between the surface areas of the DIE+IHS+HEATSINK/WATER BLOCK and are able to get optimum contact pressure you will lower the resistance to the thermal heat transfer and will improve heat transfer.

The best scenario for heat transfer is removing resistance of multiple TIMS and surfaces areas by having a direct mount between 2 surfaces and 1 TIM.


I think all IVY BRIDGE CPUS that have the crappy Intel IHS design can benefit from proper de-lidding by improved operation in the form of lowering temperature and improving electrical performance of IB CPU. When you lower the temperature of IB CPU you are also lowering the electrical resistance of it and improve electrical performance of the entire CPU.

 

[Glyphic]

This poll makes it look like only a 53% success rate on delidding.

 

[SonDa5]

This poll makes it look like only a 53% success rate on delidding.

I seriously doubt it. Probably just people voting to lower sucess rate.

 

[ccityinstaller]

I seriously doubt it. Probably just people voting to lower sucess rate.

Agreed 10000%..Even in the thread that I mentioned to you over @ Anandtech, there were quite a few "power/uber tech level" users that were chiming in to say how much better SB was, or even a few that were "oh I should try this on my 2500/2600\2700K" without taking a second to realize that those cpu's are soldered and therefore are already performing at their best...

I am going to play around with some bios settings Sonda5 and see happens..I have been working on a few systems so I haven't had much time to o/c..been using this box to grab drivers etc..

 

[SonDa5]

I just got done doing my first 27 hour Prime95 v27.7 with AVX long FFTs (hot selection).


Ambient temps ranged from low 20C to high 27C.
3570k@4.5GHZ 1.15v.
TIM IC Diamond 24 De-Lidded NO IHS

Hottest temps were recorded during the 15th hour of testing.

Max Temps recorded

64C 72C 69C 64C

 

[chronicfx]

grats! Now go play some games finally I am getting my second card hopefully next week. If I can get about 99% usage on them both at whatever game I am playing at the time then I will probably scale back to 4.5 as well. I like that nice low voltage and temp. Gaming under 50 degrees C is definitely good for the longevity of your chip. Then I will begin saving my next $200 and I will de-lid then. If successful I will use that $200 for a xspc kit. If not another chip.

 

[SonDa5]

grats! Now go play some games finally

I play games all the time. It was tough to not play games for 27 hours.

 

[wixter]

Ok I don't quite understand something. Once you've removed the lid and cleaned it all up, are you inserting the cpu back into the motherboard without the lid? Does the clamp close properly without it? Will it damage it? Will a heat sink attach properly without it?

Or, if you are keeping the lid on, but as I surmise from the photos putting in your own thermal compound, is the compound enough to keep the lid in place properly to clamp it down?

 

[leeleatherwood]

Ok I don't quite understand something. Once you've removed the lid and cleaned it all up, are you inserting the cpu back into the motherboard without the lid? Does the clamp close properly without it? Will it damage it? Will a heat sink attach properly without it?

Or, if you are keeping the lid on, but as I surmise from the photos putting in your own thermal compound, is the compound enough to keep the lid in place properly to clamp it down?

Remove the lid and remove the clamping mechanism from the motherboard.

 

[wixter]

I'm not understanding though how the cpu will stay in place. All of my builds have the motherboard vertical, plus I use some rather heavy heat sinks...Antec Kuhler for example. It'll pull that cpu right out of the socket without any problem.

 

[SonDa5]

I'm not understanding though how the cpu will stay in place. All of my builds have the motherboard vertical, plus I use some rather heavy heat sinks...Antec Kuhler for example. It'll pull that cpu right out of the socket without any problem.

My DT SNIPER water block is the only thing securing the Die.

 

[leeleatherwood]

I'm not understanding though how the cpu will stay in place. All of my builds have the motherboard vertical, plus I use some rather heavy heat sinks...Antec Kuhler for example. It'll pull that cpu right out of the socket without any problem.

How is the heatsink going to pull the CPU out of the socket when the heatsink is secured to the motherboard mounting holes?

What you are describing is not physically possible.

 

[Saint001]

I'm not understanding though how the cpu will stay in place. All of my builds have the motherboard vertical, plus I use some rather heavy heat sinks...Antec Kuhler for example. It'll pull that cpu right out of the socket without any problem.

Coolers like the one you're speaking of usually have relatively strong back plates that will secure the bare IHS-less CPU to the cooler itself.

 

[SonDa5]

Coolers like the one you're speaking of usually have relatively strong back plates that will secure the bare IHS-less CPU to the cooler itself.

I went with a EK-LGA115X TRUE Backplate with my Mpower Z77 MB and it works well with my DT SNIPER water block.

From the front before securing the DT SNIPER water block.

[

 

[ccityinstaller]

I went with a EK-LGA115X TRUE Backplate with my Mpower Z77 MB and it works well with my DT SNIPER water block.

From the front before securing the DT SNIPER water block.

[

SonDa5,

I am glad you posted that picture, because I think you used WAY too much IC Diamond..I have found that applying a small amount on the die, then heating it with a high powered hair dryer to make it soft is the best way..Once heated, the IC Diamond is as easy to spread as any other TIM...I used a credit card to spread a nice thin layer across the die...If you attempt to to do this without heating the paste first, it will tear since IC Diamond is mostly diamond dust..

I have a picture of mine after I spread it, and will post it for you tomorrow..In other news, I am now stable @ 4.8Ghz, temps are 64,74,74,and 73C @ 1.224Vcore..

I ran 15 passes under Xtreme Mode with all Ram and temps were the same, but I forgot to get a screenshot..I have been able to boot into Windows @ 4.9Ghz, and even run 10 passes under "Standard Mode". but it requires 1.32V, and while 3 of the cores were in the upper 70's, one spiked to 85C for some reason..

I also confirmed that AVX was running via the Intel Cloth Demo, and I disabled Hyper Threading and with 4 Cores @ 4.8Ghz my GFlops came up 25-27 more, so I guess having HT enabled is what is causing them to be longer then yours, along with my ram only running @ 2133 11-11-11-1T..I tried increasing ram speed, but even with a bump in IMC voltage, it results in a no POST..I am assuming that either this ram is clearly binned right at it's limit, or the IMC doesn't want to play nice with it..

Based on this testing, I feel that 4.8Ghz is where I will most likely stay..I was really hoping to see 5Ghz with temps under 85C long term, but the voltage wall with Ivy just isn't going to allow it..It will be interesting to see if Intel does a respin and releases a new stepping, ala the Q600 B3 to G0..I doubt they will, but one can pray to the OverClocking Gods

 

[ccityinstaller]

grats! Now go play some games finally I am getting my second card hopefully next week. If I can get about 99% usage on them both at whatever game I am playing at the time then I will probably scale back to 4.5 as well. I like that nice low voltage and temp. Gaming under 50 degrees C is definitely good for the longevity of your chip. Then I will begin saving my next $200 and I will de-lid then. If successful I will use that $200 for a xspc kit. If not another chip.

You have nothing to fear by De-Lidding the chip unless you are a total idiot(I kid I kid)..Honestly, if you are worried you may cut to far or have unsteady hands, then I would recommend using IDontCare's hammer (yes, I said hammer) method..While I did it with just a razor knife, the hammer method does indeed make it eaiser to control the amount of force you are applying as long as you do not get overzealous!

 

[SonDa5]

SonDa5,

I am glad you posted that picture, because I think you used WAY too much IC Diamond..I have found that applying a small amount on the die, then heating it with a high powered hair dryer to make it soft is the best way..Once heated, the IC Diamond is as easy to spread as any other TIM...I used a credit card to spread a nice thin layer across the die...

I ran 15 passes under Xtreme Mode with all Ram and temps were the same, but I forgot to get a screenshot..I have been able to boot into Windows @ 4.9Ghz, and even run 10 passes under "Standard Mode". but it requires 1.32V, and while 3 of the cores were in the upper 70's, one spiked to 85C for some reason..

IC Diamond is designed to be placed in the center of IHS like a pea size ball or like a grain of rice then pushed down. IC Diamond is works best with direct pressure according to IC testing. Mine is probably a little too much but with proper pressure the die is completely covered and good contact pressure results in good temps. I really think my application is working out. I've read by many that spreading IC Diamond isn't optimum because it can lead to air bubbles in TIM while using a drop or grain rice application will spread evenly with pressure when mounting and works the best.

When I run IBT in standard mode my Gflops are lower.

Here is 10 run pass of LinX in standard mode just to compare to your results you posted. My Gflops are still higher even though my 3570k is lower at 4.5GHZ.

 

[chronicfx]

I have read that 3770's get lower Gflops in IBT because of hyperthreading. It is normal for this type of application.

check post #8

http://www.overclock.net/t/1253882/3770k-intelburn-gflops-question

 

[Zoson]

lower GFlops in IBT is 2 fold.
1. Hyperthreading does have a negative impact... The real cores are overloaded and can't handle all the instructions.
2. Like this guy, he only tested with 1024MB ram. You have to test _ALL_ memory in order to get highest performance AND truly test stability.

We've been over this before Sonda!!!

 

[chronicfx]

forgot about the hard buyers link But I was able to snag a GTX680 FTW off of amazon for $469 today $449 after rebate. So I will be SLI'd sometime next week and can begin saving for a backup chip for de-lidding. The plan is in motion.

Is there any type of discount from using the buyers links?

edit.. aww shit.. it's to keep the site free. You have 1000 apologies for the noob mistake. I will use them for now on and not forget.