• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Aqua Computer and Rockit Delidding Tools tested on Core i7-7700K

Joined
Jun 22, 2014
Messages
428 (0.12/day)
System Name Desktop / "Console"
Processor Ryzen 5950X / Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard Asus X570 Hero / Asus X570-i
Cooling EK AIO Elite 280 / Cryorig C1
Memory 32GB Gskill Trident DDR4-3600 CL16 / 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600 CL16
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 FE / RTX 2080ti FE
Storage 1TB Samsung 980 Pro, 1TB Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus NVME / 1TB Sabrent Rocket 4 NVME, 1TB Intel 660P
Display(s) Alienware AW3423DW / LG 65CX Oled
Case Lian Li O11 Mini / Sliger CL530 Conswole
Audio Device(s) Sony AVR, SVS speakers & subs / Marantz AVR, SVS speakers & subs
Power Supply ROG Loki 1000 / Silverstone SX800
VR HMD Quest 3
I really enjoyed this write up, thanks for sharing!

It does make one laugh though that Intel spends billions in R&D to make lower power/lower heat CPUs for devices such as ultrabooks, Surface Pro etc. and something easily done by DIY'ers has had far more impact on temps than generations of die shrinks...
 

SPYUI

New Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Messages
2 (0.00/day)
It there any trouble to delid afterward when relid with superglue ? @VSG have you try it yet ?
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
Messages
177 (0.05/day)
To be fair to Intel, they do. Devil's Canyon was the acknowledgement of this very thing. Doesn't mean they did everything possible though.
The problem is, the "improved" thermal compound they shouted from the rooftops about for Devil's Canyon was still crap. And it's still crap to this day, as these results prove. Intel are obviously well aware of the problem, but they've done next to nothing to address it. And why would they? Using the cheapest thermal compound they can find saves them 0.01 cents per chip and they don't guarantee any overclocking ability. It's good enough to run at stock, so that's fine in Intel's eyes. Especially when you might upgrade faster if you can't get more performance out of your current CPU due to it getting too hot when you try and overclock it...
 
Joined
Jul 29, 2014
Messages
484 (0.14/day)
Location
Fort Sill, OK
Processor Intel 7700K 5.1Ghz (Intel advised me not to OC this CPU)
Motherboard Asus Maximus IX Code
Cooling Corsair Hydro H115i Platinum
Memory 48GB G.Skill TridentZ DDR4 3200 Dual Channel (2x16 & 2x8)
Video Card(s) nVIDIA Titan XP (Overclocks like a champ but stock performance is enough)
Storage Intel 760p 2280 2TB
Display(s) MSI Optix MPG27CQ Black 27" 1ms 144hz
Case Thermaltake View 71
Power Supply EVGA SuperNova 1000 Platinum2
Mouse Corsair M65 Pro (not recommded, I am on my second mouse with same defect)
Software Windows 10 Enterprise 1803
Benchmark Scores Yes I am Intel fanboy that is my benchmark score.
I sometimes wonder if INTEL corporation even bother to read these kind of enthusiast articles. This has been a trend for past couple of years to use a toothpaste instead of soldering. Even the likes of AMD with very low RnD can affoard to solder the chips.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
I delidded my 4790k a few years back, has a small scratch on the pcb surface from where i got a bit impatient handling the razor blade... It still runs pretty warm, up in the 80s under artificial load with an NH-U14S (4.7GHz@1.26v) so I haven't really pushed the voltages up even more, it's not the greatest of silicon as it needs 1.33 to hit 4.8 and 1.38 to get 4.9. I used to get it to run at 4.8@1.28 but it seems to have deteriorated from running that (was a different cooler ran at 85c+ gaming load).


Nice review, but I cant help thinking that this should not be needed on such a cpu. More than 20 degrees improvement should make Intel reconsider their thermal solution. Considering that buyers lose there guarantee by doing this.

As others have mentioned, people were getting 20s regularly on ivy delids. I doubt intel will change their ways, maybe with the ryzen pressure, but I still doubt it.
 

Shoggy

Aqua Computer Rep
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
29 (0.01/day)
Location
Germany
In practice, however, there is a small amount of give on all sides to where you can move the centering tool laterally and along with it the IHS.
And the simple reason for that is that the centering tool has been used in the wrong orientation. The cut-outs must point to the left and right side as also indicated in the manual. Then it will enclose the heatspreader with almost no play :)

 

VSG

Editor, Reviews & News
Staff member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
3,450 (0.97/day)
SuperGlue is one-way ticket bud.
u will fubar PCB, not worth to do it, better to use silicone so u can delid later, just like I did for first time and had to delid it again, ez pz :)

Not necessarily. Have it in the corners, use dilute acetone and it can come off. I have done it, and the Rockit guy has also multiple times.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
1,274 (0.35/day)
Processor i7-4790K 4.6GHz @1.29v
Motherboard ASUS Maximus Hero VII Z97
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S
Memory G. Skill Trident X 2x8GB 2133MHz
Video Card(s) Asus Tuf RTX 3060 V1 FHR (Newegg Shuffle)
Storage OS 120GB Kingston V300, Samsung 850 Pro 512GB , 3TB Hitachi HDD, 2x5TB Toshiba X300, 500GB M.2 @ x2
Display(s) Lenovo y27g 1080p 144Hz
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s) AKG Q701's w/ O2+ODAC (Sounds a little bright)
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 850w
Mouse Glorious Model D
Keyboard Rosewill Full Size. Red Switches. Blue Leds. RK-9100xBRE - Hate this. way to big
Software Win10
Benchmark Scores 3DMark FireStrike Score : needs updating
Was there any thermal material applied to the underside of the IHS? I seen where it was applied to the die. Im curious because I have seen others do this and I thought that they used too much material.
 

VSG

Editor, Reviews & News
Staff member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
3,450 (0.97/day)
And the simple reason for that is that the centering tool has been used in the wrong orientation. The cut-outs must point to the left and right side as also indicated in the manual. Then it will enclose the heatspreader with almost no play :)


Now you tell me! I will blame it on the manual then :p

But seriously though, thanks for letting me know. I will mention it in the article.
 

Shoggy

Aqua Computer Rep
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
29 (0.01/day)
Location
Germany
Now you tell me! I will blame it on the manual then :p

But seriously though, thanks for letting me know. I will mention it in the article.
Yeah... We also feel a bit stupid that no one has realized that at first when reading the review. We were only wondering why you had problems there and after a closer look at the photos I saw what is going on :D
 

VSG

Editor, Reviews & News
Staff member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
3,450 (0.97/day)
Was there any thermal material applied to the underside of the IHS? I seen where it was applied to the die. Im curious because I have seen others do this and I thought that they used too much material.

I did apply a thin coat of the liquid metal. I am not sure I would do the same with non conductive, dense TIM however.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
1,662 (0.34/day)
Location
State College, PA, US
System Name My Surround PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X670E-F
Cooling Swiftech MCP35X / EK Quantum CPU / Alphacool GPU / XSPC 480mm w/ Corsair Fans
Memory 96GB (2 x 48 GB) G.Skill DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X 24GB
Storage WD SN850 2TB, 2 x 512GB Samsung PM981a, 4 x 4TB HGST NAS HDD for Windows Storage Spaces
Display(s) 2 x Viotek GFI27QXA 27" 4K 120Hz + LG UH850 4K 60Hz + HMD
Case NZXT Source 530
Audio Device(s) Sony MDR-7506 / Logitech Z-5500 5.1
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x 1 kW
Mouse Patriot Viper V560
Keyboard Corsair K100
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores Mellanox ConnectX-3 10 Gb/s Fiber Network Card
I always thought you needed to cut the glue with a razor before delidding, but these tools seem to not do that. Is there an advantage to cutting the glue first?

Also, one thing that no one is considering about Intel's stock TIM is that it has to last the lifetime of the processor, which can be a decade or more. The replacement TIMs with better performance aren't guaranteed to work for more than a few years. Yes, reapplying TIM is easy for us, but most people aren't going to ever touch the insides of their PCs.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
1,274 (0.35/day)
Processor i7-4790K 4.6GHz @1.29v
Motherboard ASUS Maximus Hero VII Z97
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S
Memory G. Skill Trident X 2x8GB 2133MHz
Video Card(s) Asus Tuf RTX 3060 V1 FHR (Newegg Shuffle)
Storage OS 120GB Kingston V300, Samsung 850 Pro 512GB , 3TB Hitachi HDD, 2x5TB Toshiba X300, 500GB M.2 @ x2
Display(s) Lenovo y27g 1080p 144Hz
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s) AKG Q701's w/ O2+ODAC (Sounds a little bright)
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 850w
Mouse Glorious Model D
Keyboard Rosewill Full Size. Red Switches. Blue Leds. RK-9100xBRE - Hate this. way to big
Software Win10
Benchmark Scores 3DMark FireStrike Score : needs updating
I did apply a thin coat of the liquid metal. I am not sure I would do the same with non conductive, dense TIM however.
Maybe you could clear this up for me. Do you think it matters with liquid metal to put it on the underneath of the IHS if you have the die completely coated already? I know that by scraping the old silcone you get closer to the die with the IHS. This makes me think that one should put TIM on the underside of CPU cooling blocks if it goes on the underside of IHS as well. I just always thought you wanted to get as little as you could between the cpu and cooling solution. The way I think I would do it is putting liquid metal TIM on the die, reseat IHS as lowas possible, then apply the same TIM to the top of the IHS. I could be way wrong too, I just like to understand a little better for when the day comes my 4790K needs an overclock.
 

fullinfusion

Vanguard Beta Tester
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Messages
9,909 (1.67/day)
Where's @cadaveca and the anti-delidding crew? With all the at-length explanations as to why you should NEVER do this and how RIGHT Intel is to use 3.1 W/mK TIM under the IHS.

:rolleyes:
LMAO I was just thinking the same thing :toast:

Nothing like a razor blade and a water block to do the trick :pimp:

Maybe you could clear this up for me. Do you think it matters with liquid metal to put it on the underneath of the IHS if you have the die completely coated already? I know that by scraping the old silcone you get closer to the die with the IHS. This makes me think that one should put TIM on the underside of CPU cooling blocks if it goes on the underside of IHS as well. I just always thought you wanted to get as little as you could between the cpu and cooling solution. The way I think I would do it is putting liquid metal TIM on the die, reseat IHS as lowas possible, then apply the same TIM to the top of the IHS. I could be way wrong too, I just like to understand a little better for when the day comes my 4790K needs an overclock.
Yes it makes a huge difference, you WANT to use the liquid metal under the IHS and also on the die....

I did 3 delids and when the liquid metal was just used on the die itself it didn't fully take to the underside of the IHS.

see what I mean..

Delid 7700K and applying CLU + results
 
Last edited:

VSG

Editor, Reviews & News
Staff member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
3,450 (0.97/day)
Maybe you could clear this up for me. Do you think it matters with liquid metal to put it on the underneath of the IHS if you have the die completely coated already? I know that by scraping the old silcone you get closer to the die with the IHS. This makes me think that one should put TIM on the underside of CPU cooling blocks if it goes on the underside of IHS as well. I just always thought you wanted to get as little as you could between the cpu and cooling solution. The way I think I would do it is putting liquid metal TIM on the die, reseat IHS as lowas possible, then apply the same TIM to the top of the IHS. I could be way wrong too, I just like to understand a little better for when the day comes my 4790K needs an overclock.

With the use of super glue, the IHS was close enough to where there was good contact of the liquid metal on the underside as well. With silicone glue, go ahead and apply some on the IHS underside separately as you may not have enough contact otherwise. Easiest way to tell is to de-lid again irrespective of the glue used and see if the IHS had a good rectangular TIM spread on it also. If you are not comfortable de-lidding after having used super glue then add a thin layer on the underside since a thicker layer of liquid metal is still going to be way better than not enough contact and an air layer in between.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
Messages
3,890 (0.87/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Motherboard MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK
Cooling AMD Wraith Prism
Memory Team Group Dark Pro 8Pack Edition 3600Mhz CL16
Video Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 FE
Storage Kingston A2000 1TB + Seagate HDD workhorse
Display(s) Samsung 50" QN94A Neo QLED
Case Antec 1200
Power Supply Seasonic Focus GX-850
Mouse Razer Deathadder Chroma
Keyboard Logitech UltraX
Software Windows 11
An elegant well designed product... that ultimately shouldn't even exist.

Great review @VSG
 

fullinfusion

Vanguard Beta Tester
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Messages
9,909 (1.67/day)
With the use of super glue, the IHS was close enough to where there was good contact of the liquid metal on the underside as well. With silicone glue, go ahead and apply some on the IHS underside separately as you may not have enough contact otherwise. Easiest way to tell is to de-lid again irrespective of the glue used and see if the IHS had a good rectangular TIM spread on it also. If you are not comfortable de-lidding after having used super glue then add a thin layer on the underside since a thicker layer of liquid metal is still going to be way better than not enough contact and an air layer in between.
what chip you talking about?
 

VSG

Editor, Reviews & News
Staff member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
3,450 (0.97/day)
what chip you talking about?

The i7-7700K. I saw your post and not sure why CLU broke apart like that. Either way, I agree that it is best to have it applied on the die and IHS underside.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
1,274 (0.35/day)
Processor i7-4790K 4.6GHz @1.29v
Motherboard ASUS Maximus Hero VII Z97
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S
Memory G. Skill Trident X 2x8GB 2133MHz
Video Card(s) Asus Tuf RTX 3060 V1 FHR (Newegg Shuffle)
Storage OS 120GB Kingston V300, Samsung 850 Pro 512GB , 3TB Hitachi HDD, 2x5TB Toshiba X300, 500GB M.2 @ x2
Display(s) Lenovo y27g 1080p 144Hz
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s) AKG Q701's w/ O2+ODAC (Sounds a little bright)
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 850w
Mouse Glorious Model D
Keyboard Rosewill Full Size. Red Switches. Blue Leds. RK-9100xBRE - Hate this. way to big
Software Win10
Benchmark Scores 3DMark FireStrike Score : needs updating
With the use of super glue, the IHS was close enough to where there was good contact of the liquid metal on the underside as well. With silicone glue, go ahead and apply some on the IHS underside separately as you may not have enough contact otherwise. Easiest way to tell is to de-lid again irrespective of the glue used and see if the IHS had a good rectangular TIM spread on it also. If you are not comfortable de-lidding after having used super glue.

What's up with the super glue after delid? Is it much harder to delid or something? Couldn't you bake it in the oven for a bit to warm the glue? I feel like I should have made a forum post but its on topic.
 
Joined
May 29, 2012
Messages
514 (0.12/day)
System Name CUBE_NXT
Processor i9 12900K @ 5.0Ghz all P-cores with E-cores enabled
Motherboard Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master
Cooling EK AIO Elite Cooler w/ 3 Phanteks T30 fans
Memory 64GB DDR5 @ 5600Mhz
Video Card(s) EVGA 3090Ti Ultra Hybrid Gaming w/ 3 Phanteks T30 fans
Storage 1 x SK Hynix P41 Platinum 1TB, 1 x 2TB, 1 x WD_BLACK SN850 2TB, 1 x WD_RED SN700 4TB
Display(s) Alienware AW3418DW
Case Lian-Li O11 Dynamic Evo w/ 3 Phanteks T30 fans
Power Supply Seasonic PRIME 1000W Titanium
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
https://siliconlottery.com/products/delid

Sometime's he runs a delidding sale, got my 6700K delidded for $29.99.

But back then, January 2016, we did not have these amazing DIY delidding tools/options presented in this review. :)l
Cool. Never heard of that site. I'll have to keep that in mind (depending on my CPU choice) when I upgrade my desktop.
 

fullinfusion

Vanguard Beta Tester
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Messages
9,909 (1.67/day)
The i7-7700K. I saw your post and not sure why CLU broke apart like that. Either way, I agree that it is best to have it applied on the die and IHS underside.
it was because I didn't apply the metal to the underside of the lid.. its funny stuff to work with, and why its a bit challenging to get it stick, but once it sticks its easily spread ;)
 
Joined
Jul 20, 2013
Messages
236 (0.06/day)
System Name Coffee Lake S
Processor i9-9900K
Motherboard MSI MEG Z390 ACE
Cooling Corsair H115i Platinum RGB
Memory Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3466 C16
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 2080 Ti XC2 Ultra
Storage Samsung 970 Pro M.2 512GB - Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD - WD Black 2TB HDD
Display(s) Dell P2715Q 27" 3840x2160 IPS @ 60Hz
Case Fractal Design Define R6
Power Supply Seasonic 860 watt Platinum
Mouse SteelSeries Rival 600
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB MK.2
Software Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
Great review. Since these products for delidding are now so readily available, and it obviously DOES benefit temperatures, a simple solution would be for Intel to allow delidding without voiding the warranty.

Just as long as you don't physical crack, bend, or obviously damage the CPU-PCB or the IHS, then you should be covered. There could be some kind of indicator or internal seal that breaks when to delid so a buyer of a second hand proc would know if he was buying a delidded chip.

I'm just saying if they want to use a cheaper thermal material, they have to expect this type of response, and companies developing such products.

Last proc I delidded was with a straight edge razor blade. They didn't even have these things.
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2012
Messages
3 (0.00/day)
I purchased the Rockit kit in anticipation of doing my first ever delid on my 7700k. Are the any more tips and tricks? I was not going to re-lid it as I was going to let the pressure from the cooler handle that.

My worry is in spreading the liquid metal getting some on the PCB when the pressure is applied to the IHS when strapping it in and adding the cooler - so I'm not sure how I would apply TIM to the underside of the IHS without risk of getting it over the PCB for not having it lined up 100%?
 
Last edited:
Top