AMD has already received a lot of criticism for using a proprietary design for the integrated heat spreader (IHS) in its Zen 4 processors. So enthusiasts are trying to find ways to improve cooling. One of his hacks is to remove the IHS entirely, but reportedly shaving the heat spreader to reduce its thickness is a bit less risky.
Jay’s Two Cent (opens in new tab) (via Andreas Schilling (opens in new tab)) shaved off 0.8 mm from the Ryzen 9 7950X’s heat spreader, lowering the processor temperature from about 94-95°C to about 85-88°C (depending on thermal paste) at the same 5.10 GHz full core frequency. Already used. Additionally, pushing all cores to 5.40 GHz raises the temperature to 90.65 degrees Celsius. A simple change requires a special frame from Roman ‘der8auer’ Hartung, grinding tools and a lot of time and sweat, but the rewards look very promising. Unfortunately, it will void your processor warranty.
AMD has equipped its latest Ryzen 7000 series processors with a very thick (3.6mm) heat spreader to make them compatible with coolers originally designed for processors in the AM4 form factor. Compatibility means owners don’t have to spend money on new and expensive coolers, but the thermal conductivity of IHS, which is thought to be over 1mm thicker than typical heat spreaders, makes these It also makes it harder to cool the CPU. That means higher temperatures. Low boost clock and poor overclocking potential. AMD says the Ryzen 9 7950X is safe to reach 95 degrees Celsius, but enthusiasts disagree.
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Roman ‘der8auer’ Hartung (opens in new tab)Renowned overclocker and engineer has proven that deriding the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X can reduce temperatures by up to 20°C. However, molting is a relatively dangerous process. Additionally, the CPU cooler is for processors with his IHS, so the removed CPU requires a modified cooling system mounting mechanism.
Making the IHS thinner is a whole other story. Done right, it seems less risky, but it takes more time, polishing tool skill, and an extra tool to clean (and dry) the chip after polishing. Also, you don’t necessarily need to drastically change the cooler’s retention mechanism. Of course, you’ll still need to find the right combination of washers and screws, but it’s easier than changing the entire retention mechanism.
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Both dellid and grind void the warranty and removing the heat spreader will drop temperatures by up to 20 degrees, but dellid is the preferred mod as removing 0.8mm from the IHS will drop the temperature by 7-10 degrees. However, even a thinner heat spreader will protect the die from accidental damage, so it’s all a matter of personal choice.
