Is it worth de-lidding my ivb and tim paste? (not for more mhz)

[Nvidiaguy07]

I remember hearing about this a long time ago, but wrote it off, because I only have a small overclock, and my temps are fine at the moment. I am not the type to do something like that (lapping, de-lidding, even watercooling, because I just dont have the time to be bothered with it), Im fine with just a modest overclock.

There was an IAmA today with a CPU architect and designer at intel, and this came up that got me thinking about it again.

Like i said i dont care about getting a higher OC, but i do want my CPU to last for quite a while - 8 years. (I just replaced my Q6600 - which is still being used in a different PC now) Is it worth it to de-lid if all im trying to do is extend the life of the chip?

I should also mentioned that i bought that intel insurance or whatever it is when i bought my 3570k. Would this cover my chip burning out a few years from now? And sorry if this is old news for everyone, I dont spend as much time in this sub forum as i used to.

 

[Kenmitch]

Once you de-lid all warranties are voided so I'd say no.

You bought the optional insurance so why even worry about it at all anyways. The insurance covers the chip for the duration of the original warranty of 3yrs if retail boxed.

 

[dma0991]

Is it worth it to de-lid if all im trying to do is extend the life of the chip?

I didn't de-lid my Core i5 3570K but I fail to comprehend how would de-lidding extend the life of the chip.

1. You've voided the warranty.
2. You might nick the die if you're not careful while de-lidding. Now you have an expensive paperweight.
3. Intel has done extensive testing before deciding that TIM was the way to go.
4. Intel has done internal testing to ensure that the TIM will last for the usable lifespan of the CPU.

 

[coffeejunkee]

Well, I don't know what to think...in reverse order, the very first link Google serves me when searching for Jaketown shows a dieshot where you can clearly see 8 cores: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/06/intel_xeon_2600_server_chip_launch/.

Second, all the leaked Haswell info so far shows VT-d disabled on K chips (rumors ofcourse but the same type of rumors have proven reliable in the past).

And wait a sec, is he actually saying he delids his cpu's for overclocking? Or is he confusing TIM/IHS with stock cooler? Anyway, warranty on cpu's is 3 years so that's how long the TIM should last at least. But the IHS should be airtight so comparing to TIM exposed to open air isn't very relevant. Obviously I wish I knew but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how long the TIM will last.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Delid wont extend the life of the chip. More possible the other way since vibrations and such from the heatsink goes directly in the die.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Second, all the leaked Haswell info so far shows VT-d disabled on K chips (rumors ofcourse but the same type of rumors have proven reliable in the past).

People seem to forget that VT-D requires an entire ecosystem to work. CPU VT-D is only one part of it. And Z77 doesnt have VT-D for example. So by default it makes no sense really to have VT-D on the K models. Unless you bought the K model (3570) for the HD4000 in conjunction with VT-D.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Once you de-lid all warranties are voided so I'd say no.

You bought the optional insurance so why even worry about it at all anyways. The insurance covers the chip for the duration of the original warranty of 3yrs if retail boxed.

Well I'm more worried about what happens after those 3 years. I plan on using this for at least 6 years.

I didn't de-lid my Core i5 3570K but I fail to comprehend how would de-lidding extend the life of the chip.

1. You've voided the warranty.
2. You might nick the die if you're not careful while de-lidding. Now you have an expensive paperweight.
3. Intel has done extensive testing before deciding that TIM was the way to go.
4. Intel has done internal testing to ensure that the TIM will last for the usable lifespan of the CPU.

Im assuming in 3 or 4 years that thermal paste will no longer be doing its job. What does intel consider "the life of the chip"? Not that im that paranoid, but wouldnt it be more profitable for intel if their product only lasted 3-4 years? I think they have reached a point where cpu's are going to be "good enough" for many years to come, so the motivation to buy a new cpu will be much less than before.

 

[ShintaiDK]

What does intel consider "the life of the chip"? Not that im that paranoid, but wouldnt it be more profitable for intel if their product only lasted 3-4 years? I think they have reached a point where cpu's are going to be "good enough" for many years to come, so the motivation to buy a new cpu will be much less than before.

Its usually defined between 10 and 25 years.

You still buy HDs, memory,GFX cards etc with 1 years warranty (Unless EU.). You dont get paranoid over those do you?

 

[Kenmitch]

Well I'm more worried about what happens after those 3 years. I plan on using this for at least 6 years.

If your running stock or baby overclocked then I'd think it would last beyond 3yrs anyways. Doing the de-lid would not guarantee making it to your goal anyways....But it would void the warranty if the chip should fail before the warranty expires.

Keeping your temps lowest as possible can increase the longevity of your chip.

De-lidding if needed after the warranty expires would be the best option.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

I have an Intel® Core™ i5-3570K sitting on my desk overclocked to 4.3GHz: I have had it running at that speed since before the they were officially released. In the end I have no fear of running this processor for years at that speed and not running into a problem.

I do know that even experienced people who de-lid their processors may run into some problems. So the best advise is to not de-lid the processor and enjoy it for a good long time.

 

[dma0991]

Im assuming in 3 or 4 years that thermal paste will no longer be doing its job. What does intel consider "the life of the chip"? Not that im that paranoid, but wouldnt it be more profitable for intel if their product only lasted 3-4 years? I think they have reached a point where cpu's are going to be "good enough" for many years to come, so the motivation to buy a new cpu will be much less than before.

We don't know if its lifespan is 3-4 years. As this TIM is unlike any TIM you could buy off the shelf, Intel could've gone for longevity over thermal performance. I'm sure I've seen user testimonials of aftermarket TIMs that last for 8 years, I don't see why Intel's TIM wouldn't last that long/longer.

While Intel may be in a dominant position right now, I don't think they would trade reliability(which they are known for) for a short term profit. A good reputation is difficult to attain but it is easily lost. There is no reason why Intel would do this as IHS only applies to desktop/server CPUs. This doesn't affect mobile CPUs as they are lidless.

 

[blastingcap]

Get a good heatsink, case, and case fans if you're worried about the "pump" effect. Better than delidding which can obviously cause problems up front.

 

[Idontcare]

I do know that even experienced people who de-lid their processors may run into some problems. So the best advise is to not de-lid the processor and enjoy it for a good long time.

 

[ShintaiDK]

I heard IDC didnt want that 3770K anyway.

 

[Ferzerp]

At least yours died right out instead of having to disassemble the thing after already applying IX because your other TIM pumped out

I've actually considered buying another and trying it since this one is a lemon anyway (or I have awful power delivery on my motherboard that would make them all lemons)

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Like i said i dont care about getting a higher OC, but i do want my CPU to last for quite a while - 8 years.

You're really answering your own question here.

It only has value if you plan on pushing Ivy Bridge over-clock settings to a Sandy Bridge maximum or beyond. If you even plan on OC'ing to a level of common expectation for these IB chips, it's still not worth the trouble or risk.

 

[Ferzerp]

annnndddd speaking of which, looks like it's pumped out again. Later today, looks like I'm disassembling.

 

[cytg111]

... but I fail to comprehend how would de-lidding extend the life of the chip...

Not really far fetched is it, lower temps mean lesser resistence, means lower power, means lesser migration, means lesser wear on the chip.

Why you would wanna preserve a stock chip from, say an estimated 15 years lifetime to, say 20, is also beyond me. Plus your points 1-4, seems like a nobrainer to leave it alone.

 

[Ketchup]

Intel is well-aware of the amount of heat that will damage their chips. That's why they introduced throttling. Chances are, you are running your chip well below that point. As long as you keep the temp and voltage of the chip under Intel's threshold, your chip should last a good long time.

 

[Yukmouth]

De-lid is a shot in the dark, some chips do well by it and others dont.

 

[fixbsod]

I'm thinking that if you have to ask then the answer is no

 

[lehtv]

I'm thinking that if you have to ask then the answer is no

Is it?

 

[Blastman]

I had a Celeron-T 1.1@1.54 that was used from 2003-2010 with my original application of TIM (Ceramique) when I built it, and it ran as good after 7 years as the day I applied the TIM. As long as temperatures are "reasonable" I think you can expect that CPU to last a very long time.