Intel may be launching its enthusiast-segment desktop processor, the Core i9-14900KS Special Edition next week, but the chip is already in the hands of several elite overclockers, such as Pakhtunov from OCN. Once he got his hands on one of these, Pakhtunov wasted little time in de-lidding the chip, cleaning it up, grabbing some pics, before throwing it back in the arena for some before-and-after comparisons.

With its stock integrated heatspreader (IHS) in place, a Cinebench 2024 load sees a boost frequency on the P-cores of 5.90 GHz, in which the processor draws a staggering 376 W (as reported by the motherboard's ACPI to software); and a temperature of 85°C, when cooled with a Deepcool LS720 SE 360 mm AIO CLC. With the IHS removed, and at the same 5.90 GHz clocks and Cinebench 2024 load, sees the temperatures drop to 75°C, and power-draw to 366 W. The story repeats with the more brutal Y-cruncher stress test. The original chip with the IHS in place, and a 5.90 GHz boost on the P-cores, pulls a staggering 432 W, and 89°C temperatures. Remove the IHS, and the temperature drops to 82°C, with 409 W package power. It's worth noting here, that with the IHS removed, Pakhtunov used a liquid-metal TIM application between the die and the cold-plate.

EK, the global leader in premium PC water cooling, is proud to introduce extraordinary EK-Quantum Velocity² Edge Special Edition CPU water blocks for the AM5 socket. After the successful launch of their LGA 1700-based counterpart earlier this year, these Special Edition Edge water blocks confirm EK's commitment to aesthetic excellence. The top cover is at the forefront of this design revolution, featuring a striking assembly of irregular tetrahedrons that transform each water block into a modern artwork. These tetrahedrons create a captivating interplay of light and shadow, adding a dynamic and sophisticated visual appeal to the water block.

Explicitly designed for platforms based on the AMD Socket AM5, they fit Ryzen 7000 series CPUs. The cold plate, precisely machined of the highest-grade 99.99% pure electrolytic copper, ensures unparalleled heat transfer. The top cover of the EK-Quantum Velocity² Edge D-RGB - AM5 Special Edition is available in Black and Silver. These color options allow enthusiasts to choose a style that best complements their PC build, transforming these water blocks from mere components for efficient cooling into central elements of a PC's aesthetic identity. The top cover is CNC-milled out of a 30 mm thick aluminium sheet, separated from the coolant with a layer of acrylic to ensure no mixing of metals.

During the CES 2024 show, EK unveiled an exciting new addition to their premium all-in-one (AIO) CPU cooler lineup—the EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Direct Die D-RGB. As the name suggests, this new 360 mm AIO water cooler is purpose-built for direct die cooling of delidded Intel LGA1700 CPUs. The EK-Nucleus Direct Die stands out with its custom cold plate and mounting mechanism, which are exclusively engineered for exposed CPU dies. The nickel-plated copper base ensures compatibility with liquid metal TIMs like the included Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut, which comes in the package. EK has worked with der8auer to provide delidding service kits and tools to facilitate easy DIY removal of the integrated heat spreader (IHS).

The package also contains a contact frame and protective foam for safe liquid metal application. At the heart of the cooler is a powerful AIO pump EK co-developed with the OEM manufacturer, meaning it is not an off-the-shelf pump found in other AIOs and is capable of up to 500 L/h flow rate. The reinforced, sleeved rubber tubing is fitted with aluminium covers for durability. Integrated omnilink connectors allow daisy chaining of the three included 120 mm D-RGB fans for cable management. The EK-Nucleus Direct Die offers extensive RGB lighting customization with illuminated circle accents on the removable pump top covers. The diamond-cut brushed aluminium side panels and radiator cowl add to the premium aesthetic. The new AIO will be available for the Intel LGA1700 platform, with hopefully more versions later. The EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Direct Die D-RGB is now available for pre-order at €202.90 MSRP price tag.

EK, the global leader in premium PC water cooling, is proud to unveil something extraordinary for enthusiasts and builders alike. With an unyielding pursuit of excellence in liquid cooling aesthetics, EK once again sets new standards in design with its latest Quantum line product - the EK-Quantum Velocity² Edge D-RGB - 1700 Black and Silver Special Editions.

These Special Edition water blocks are a bold declaration of EK's commitment to aesthetic excellence. At the forefront of this design revolution is the top cover, featuring a striking assembly of irregular tetrahedrons that transform each water block into a piece of modern art. These tetrahedrons create a captivating interplay of light and shadow, adding a dynamic and sophisticated visual appeal to the water blocks. Designed specifically for the Intel socket LGA 1700-based platform, they fit Intel's 12th, 13th, and 14th generation Core CPUs. The cold plate, precisely machined of the highest-grade 99.99% pure electrolytic copper, ensures unparalleled heat transfer.

The GPU at the heart of the China-exclusive AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (Golden Rabbit Edition) sparked much curiosity. It is a physically different GPU from the one found in desktop Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX graphics cards. AMD wouldn't go through all that effort designing a whole different GPU just for a limited edition graphics card, which means this silicon could find greater use for the company—for example, this could be the package AMD uses for its upcoming mobile RX 7900 series. AMD wouldn't go through all the effort designing a first-party MBA (made by AMD) PCB for the silicon just for the RX 7900 GRE, and so this PCB, with this particular version of the "Navi 31" silicon, could see a wider global launch, probably as the rumored Radeon RX 7800 XT, or something else (although with a different set of specs from the RX 7900 GRE).

We compared the sizes of the new "Navi 31" package found in the RX 7900 GRE, with those of the regular "Navi 31" powering the RX 7900 XT/XTX, the previous-generation "Navi 21" powering the RX 6900 XT, and the NVIDIA AD103 silicon powering the desktop GeForce RTX 4080. There are some interesting findings. The new smaller "Navi 31" package is visibly smaller than the one powering the RX 7900 XT/XTX. It is a square package, compared to the larger rectangular one, and has a significantly thinner metal reinforcement brace. What's interesting is that the 5 nm GCD is still surrounded by six 6 nm MCDs. We don't know if they've disabled two of the six MCDs, or whether they're dummies. AMD uses dummy chiplets as structural reinforcement in some of its EPYC server processors. The dummies spread some of the mounting pressure applied by the IHS or cooling solution, so the logic behind surrounding the GCD with six of these MCDs could be the same.

EK, the leading liquid cooling gear manufacturer, launches a workstation and a 1U rack-compatible high-performance liquid cooling solution for AMD Zen 4-based EPYC server processors. Code-named "Genoa," these AMD CPUs come with up to 96 cores and 192 threads and have a TDP of up to 360W. These specifications render these processors perfect for liquid cooling, especially in a dual-socket motherboard environment.

EK-Pro CPU WB SP5 Ni + Acetal
This is a dedicated enterprise-grade water block developed specifically for AMD processors. It features three standard G1/4" threaded ports located on the top of the water block and is intended for workstations and taller server racks.

ENERMAX, an industry-leading force dedicated to design extreme performance computer power supplies and cooling solutions, announces that its overclocking-graded AIO CPU cooler, LIQTECH TR4 II series, is now ready for Intel LGA4677 Xeon platform! The CPU mounting kits inside of the new version of LIQTECH TR4 II are designed for Intel Sapphire Rapid-based W-3400 and W-2400 series Xeon processors with socket LGA4677, and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO processors with socket sWRX8 / sTRX4/ TR4, as well as AMD socket SP3 for AMD EPYC processors.

Awarded as the BEST AIO CPU Cooler in European Hardware Awards, the LIQTECH TR4 II series is the world's first AIO CPU cooler tailored to provide 100% full coverage of the integrated heatspreader (IHS) of both AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO and upcoming Intel Xeon Sapphire Rapids processors with unparalleled cooling results. The unbeatable cooling capacity (500 W TDP) makes it the best cooling solution for both Intel Xeon W-3400 and W-2400 series processor (LGA4677) and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO processors designed for workstations and high-end desktops (HEDTs).

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is releasing yet another unique pump-reservoir-water block combo. This time for AMD AM5 Socket, Ryzen 7000-series CPUs, and AM5 socket-based motherboards. It features the latest socket-specific EK-Quantum Velocity² cooling engine, while the CPU water block has an integrated DDC 4.2 PWM pump that is cooled by the metal part of the water block acting as a heatsink. The combo is the perfect companion for ITX (SFF) builds where space for a dedicated pump and reservoir is an issue. This product effectively combines four different products into a single small enclosure for ultimate space-saving.

The product combines a Velocity² CPU water block, a genuine DDC 4.2 PWM pump with a reservoir, and a DDC heatsink. All this is contained in an assembly significantly smaller than the sum of its parts. A total of four products in a footprint of a hefty CPU water block that fits perfectly. EK-Quantum Velocity² series CPU water blocks embed the next-generation cooling engine. They use a specific combination of mounting pressure and coldplate geometry tailored for the IHS and chiplet layout of AMD AM5 socket processors. Low hydraulic flow restriction enables these products to be used in setups with weaker water pumps or lower pump speeds for added silent operation while still being able to easily achieve top performance. The lathe-turned coldplate is made with precision to cover the IHS effectively and put pressure on the die area.

Someone with access to an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X "Zen 4" processor posted one of the first pictures of an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X "Zen 4" desktop processor installed on a motherboard. The picture shows the 7700X seated in the Socket AM5. The retention brace of the socket only clutches against two side protrusions of the IHS. AMD explained in its recent interview with us that the odd shape of the IHS is to accommodate the various electrical SMDs outside the IHS for better thermal management. With the processor installed, we can see that they're exposed and not covered up by the retention brace. The IHS is taller than the brace, so there will be some passive ventilation for the SMDs. Installing a Ryzen 7000 processor on Socket AM5 involves familiar steps to installing Intel mainstream-desktop processors for the past 15 years. This particular processor has the "D" marking on the IHS, which denotes a non-retail sample (possibly a review sample).

An Intel Core "Raptor Lake" engineering sample was de-lidded by Expreview giving us a first look at what will be Intel's last monolithic silicon client processor before the company switches over to chiplets, with its next-generation "Meteor Lake." The chip de-lidded here is the i9-13900, which maxes out the "Raptor Lake-S" die, in featuring all 8 "Raptor Cove" P-cores and 16 "Gracemont" E-cores physically present on the die, along with 36 MB of shared L3 cache, and an iGPU based on the Xe-LP graphics architecture.

The "Raptor Lake-S" silicon is built on the same Intel 7 (10 nm Enhanced SuperFin) silicon fabrication node as "Alder Lake-S." The "Raptor Lake-S" (8P+16E) die measures 23.8 mm x 10.8 mm, or 257 mm² in area, which is 49 mm² more than that of the "Alder Lake-S" (8P+8E) die (around 209 mm²). The larger die area comes from not just the two additional E-core clusters, but also larger L2 caches for the E-core clusters (4 MB vs. 2 MB), and larger L2 caches for the P-cores (2 MB vs. 1.25 MB); besides the larger shared L3 cache (36 MB vs. 30 MB). The "Raptor Cove" P-core itself could be slightly larger than its "Golden Cove" predecessor.

An AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor that's been de-lidded (has its integrated heatspreader or IHS removed), posts vastly better thermals, according to Madness7771 on Twitter, who succeeded in de-lidding their 5800X3D. The stock 5800X3D posts significantly higher CPU core temperatures than a regular 5800X, due to its 3D Vertical Cache (3DV Cache) chiplet design, in which heat from the CPU cores is conducted through structural silicon, to the surface of the die-stack, from where the STIM conducts heat onward to the IHS.

A de-lidded 5800X3D reveals the 8-core "Zen 3" 3DV chiplet (CCD) next to a blob of structural material in the vacant area meant for a second CCD. With the residual STIM cleaned off, Madness7771 used a Conductonaut TIM and a Noctua NH-D14 to cool the processor. Madness7771 also posted some before and after temperature numbers for the processor (using the same cooler). It sees a maximum temperature drop from 80 °C to 70 °C, and average temperature drop from 78 °C to 67 °C, tested with a Forza Horizon 5 gaming workload. They also note that the peak temperature of the 5800X3D no longer reaches over 90 °C. De-lidding processors with STIM is a very risky process, and will destroy your processor if not done right.

It appears that AMD's Zen 4 based CPUs are making their ways into the hands of overclockers and so far at least one has already been delidded. Although we only get to see the IHS itself, it's clearly very thick compared to what we've seen in the past, although it appears to be fairly straightforward to remove, if it wasn't for the fact that the two CCD's and the IOD are soldered to it. Unlike current CPUs, which have a solid seal, the Zen 4 CPUs appear to only have the IHS glued to the CPU packaging in a few spots.

Judging by the looks of the area where the CCDs and the IOD attach to the IHS, this looks like a destructive delidding, although it could just be leftovers from the soldering material. The IHS has clearly been coated with some materials for a good solder interface as well, but this is nothing new, as we've seen this on delidded, soldered CPUs in the past. The person who shared this picture should most likely not have done so and as such, we won't be posting a link to the source.

Intel's next-generation desktop processor socket will be the LGA1851. Leaked documents point to the next-generation socket being of identical dimensions to the current LGA1700, despite the higher pin-count, which could indicate cooler compatibility between the two sockets, much in the same way as the LGA1200 retained cooler-compatibility with prior Intel sockets tracing all the way back to the LGA1156. The current LGA1700 will service only two generations of Intel Core, the 12th Generation "Alder Lake," and the next-gen "Raptor Lake" due for later this year. "Raptor Lake" will be Intel's last desktop processor built on a monolithic silicon, as the company transitions to multi-chip modules.

Intel Socket LGA1851 will debut with the 14th Gen Core "Meteor Lake" processors due for late-2023 or 2024; and will hold out until the 15th Gen "Arrow Lake." Since "Meteor Lake" is a 3D-stacked MCM with a base tile stacked below logic tiles; the company is making adjustments to the IHS thickness to end up with an identical package thickness to the LGA1700, which would be key to cooler-compatibility, besides the socket's physical dimensions. Intel probably added pin-count to the LGA1851 by eating into the "courtyard" (the central gap in the land-grid), because the company states that the pin-pitch hasn't changed from LGA1700.

Thermal Grizzly has developed a new Contact Frame designed specifically to fix bending issues present with Intel's latest 12th Gen, Alder Lake CPUs. Developed in partnership with overclocking extraordinaire Der8auer, the new Contact Frame promises to lower operating temperatures on Intel's Alder Lake. According to the company, this improvement is achieved by fixing that platform's independent loading mechanism (ILM), which has been proven to slightly deflect the integrated heatspreader (IHS), reducing its heat transfer capability.

As tested by Igor's Lab, the new contact frame for LGA 1700 reduced the operating temperature of Intel's Core i9-12900K by as much as 10.19 °C - from 70.48 °C without the Contact Frame and towards 60.29 °C after it was installed. The CPU was configured to run popular stress test Prime95, with Small FFT at a fixed 5 GHz frequency on its P-cores. The processor's E-cores were deactivated so as not to compromise the results, while the memory subsystem was run at DDR5-7000. Thermal Grizzly's Contact Frame isn't the only product in this category, and the company is introducing their product at €39.90 for the German and European markets (~$36). Enthusiasts have likely spent more in cooling upgrades that delivered a lesser final operating temperature improvement.

Taiwanese company Thermalright has recently launched the LGA1700-BCF (Bending Corrector Frame) to mitigate the risk of bending and warping with 12th Generation Intel Alder Lake processors. Intel has previously disclosed that their Alder Lake processors could exhibit mild warping as a result of changes to the integrated heatspreader (IHS) design but that the processors still performed within specification. This new product from Thermalright aims to prevent this warping despite Intel advising that any 3rd party modifications could void the warranty for Alder Lake processors. The Thermalright LGA1700-BCF is now available to purchase for 39 RMB (6 USD) in red and silver color options with support for H610, B660, and Z690 motherboards.

Here is the first picture of a next-generation AMD EPYC "Genoa" processor with its integrated heatspreader (IHS) removed. This is also possibly the first picture of a "Zen 4" CPU Complex Die (CCD). The picture reveals as many as twelve CCDs, and a large sIOD silicon. The "Zen 4" CCDs, built on the TSMC N5 (5 nm EUV) process, look visibly similar in size to the "Zen 3" CCDs built on the N7 (7 nm) process, which means the CCD's transistor count could be significantly higher, given the transistor-density gained from the 5 nm node. Besides more number-crunching machinery on the CPU core, we're hearing that AMD will increase cache sizes, particularly the dedicated L2 cache size, which is expected to be 1 MB per core, doubling from the previous generations of the "Zen" microarchitecture.

Each "Zen 4" CCD is reported to be about 8 mm² smaller in die-area than the "Zen 3" CCD, or about 10% smaller. What's interesting, though, is that the sIOD (server I/O die) is smaller in size, too, estimated to measure 397 mm², compared to the 416 mm² of the "Rome" and "Milan" sIOD. This is good reason to believe that AMD has switched over to a newer foundry process, such as the TSMC N7 (7 nm), to build the sIOD. The current-gen sIOD is built on Global Foundries 12LPP (12 nm). Supporting this theory is the fact that the "Genoa" sIOD has a 50% wider memory I/O (12-channel DDR5), 50% more IFOP ports (Infinity Fabric over package) to interconnect with the CCDs, and the mere fact that PCI-Express 5.0 and DDR5 switching fabric and SerDes (serializer/deserializers), may have higher TDP; which together compel AMD to use a smaller node such as 7 nm, for the sIOD. AMD is expected to debut the EPYC "Genoa" enterprise processors in the second half of 2022.

RockitCool is a new entrant towards the deliding and IHS replacement game, and the company is offering new delid kits that allow users to replace the Integrated Heatspreader (IHS) on their CPUs in an attempt to achieve better operating temperatures - and potentially improve performance. Considered by some to be one of the most daring quests towards extracting the most performance possible from a given chip, the deliding process is, however, not without its dangers, and will void CPU warranties irrespective of the tool - or care - employed in the operation.

RockItCool's website sprung up earlier this year, and the website doesn't count with many user reviews - but those that are there seem to be glowing. The company specializes in providing complete delid and pure-copper IHS replacement kits, taking advantage of copper's higher thermal conductivity as a way to increase the amount of heat that can be pulled away from the CPU - improving its operating temperatures and power profiles. The copper IHS themselves have guidance markings to ease concerns regarding the application of liquid metal itself, which is a particularly risky substance to misapply around electrical circuitry.