Delid of our i9-14900K:
Delid and direct die, yes, but why?
It’s a fairly logical question to ask, what’s the point of delidding your processor and opting for a direct die solution, especially when you lose your Intel warranty in the process?
The advantage of delid is to improve heat transfer between the die and the IHS, since when these are not soldered, the thermal paste used is not always the most effective. There are two types of delid. The first consists of removing the IHS to replace the thermal paste with liquid metal, which is much more efficient, and then re-bonding the IHS to achieve a temperature gain.
The second, more ultimate solution is not to reuse the IHS and to cool the die directly , using this EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Direct Die D-RGB for example. This requires extra care to avoid damaging the die by over-tightening. The first solution is still the most common, although some members of our discord are happy to delid your processor and relid it, i.e. replace the thermal paste with liquid metal and then re-glue the IHS.
The tool: the EK-Quantum Velocity² IHS Removal Tool – 1700
As we said in the introduction, we also received a copy of the EK-Quantum Velocity² IHS Removal Tool – 1700. This is a tool that will enable you to delid your processor safely, and is sold separately for 81 euros. It is compatible with 12th, 13th and 14th generation processors. Note that use is slightly different with 12th generation processors. We advise you to refer to the instructions available online or as a bundle.
Inside the box of our EK-Quantum Velocity² IHS Removal Tool, you’ll find both sides of the tool, an Allen key and a nut. We’ll look at how to use them below.
Let’s delid our i9-14900K:
You can find the tool’s EK guide here. The first step is to remove the two M3 screws on one side of the tool, which are only useful when delidding a 12th-generation processor.
The second very important step is to place your processor in the right part, making sure it’s correctly positioned: the little triangle on the corner of the processor next to the one engraved 1, since there’s a similar icon but marked 2.
Of course, you’ll need to start with your processor in position 1 and slide the top part into position 1. Make sure your processor lies flat in the tool before sliding the top part in.
Once this is in place, insert the screw and tighten by hand. The idea of this first tightening is to move the IHS upwards, as there is no resistance on our processor PCB in this area. EK recommends heating the assembly to make the glue holding the IHS to the PCB more flexible. Personally, I used a hair dryer for several minutes.
Now that the processor is in the tool, you’ll need to tighten it to the maximum and hear the first little “clack” when the IHS comes loose the first time. When you’ve tightened it to the maximum, we go the other way and remove the screw. We’ll then be able to see that the IHS has moved upwards.
Reverse operation, placing the processor in position 2, with the upper part also in the second position. The idea is to return the IHS to its original position. Then simply repeat the operation two or three times to weaken the glue. Personally, we had to use a razor blade to facilitate the final separation.
The delid is easy, now it’s time to clean up! A quick video of the operation on our i9-14900K processor.
@cornerjack_occ Delid du processeur i9-14900K avec l’outil EK IHS Removal avant le test de refroidissement du EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Direct Die ❤️ #delid #IHS #14900k #directdie #lm #EK #cooling #cpu #nucleus #intel #aio #watercooling #pc @ROG France @Intel Corporation @EK Water Blocks
Cleaning the DIE:
This is perhaps the most “complicated” of all. What at first glance looks like thermal paste is actually indium that has solidified. Even if it’s not necessary, you’ll first need to remove the glue residue from the PCB using the plastic tool supplied by EK. Next, remove the indium from the die. You can either put Conductonaut (LM) on the die to soften the indium and scrape it off. Several members of the discord use Flitz, which seems to be the perfect and easiest solution.
