Ryzen 9 7900X Delidded Achieves Lower Temperatures While Maintaining 5.50 GHz Across All Cores

Die-hard overclockers are already discovering methods to cool down these CPUs and push them to their limits as AMD rolls out its next-generation Ryzen 7000-series ‘Raphael’ processors. This is happening even while AMD is in the midst of rolling out its processors.

According to an article published by ExtremeTech, legendary overclocker Roman “der8auer,” Hartung recently decided on AMD’s 12-core Ryzen 9 7900X CPU and observed that direct-die cooling reduces chip temperature by around 20 degrees Celsius when subjected to severe loads.

Der8auer was able to boost the clock speeds of all 12 cores to 5.50 GHz by increasing the voltage by 30 millivolts. This was accomplished by reducing the temperature of the CPU by around 20 degrees Celsius. Cinebench is a resource-intensive benchmark. Even when all 12 cores were operating at 5.50 GHz, the temperature of the central processing unit (CPU) was only 74.9 degrees Celsius. This indicates that the processor has quite a bit of headroom for additional overclocking.

Integrated heat spreaders, also known as IHS, are there to shield a delicate CPU die (or dies) and guarantee that adequate contact is maintained with a cooling system when conditions are typical. However, IHSs and the thermal interface materials (TIMs) that are used to link them to dies are not always perfect from the perspective of the heat conduction they provide. If you have the confidence to give it a try, removing the IHS can result in more effective cooling and higher overclocking performance. But only if you do it.

The temperature of a CPU may be lowered by 10–15 degrees Celsius by deciding it, which is the process of removing the IHS. The difference in temperature between Der8auer’s AMD Ryzen 9 7900X during the Cinebench R20 test was around 20 degrees Celsius, which is far more than what is typically anticipated. There is more than one reason that might be given for this.

To begin, AMD’s integrated heat spreader (IHS) for AM5 central processing units is unusually thick. This may be an attempt by AMD to retain compatibility with coolers from earlier generations (AM4). Second, Roman “der8auer” Hartung utilized his very own proprietary liquid metal thermal grease, which is not yet commercially accessible but is rumored to be superior to both currently available liquid metal-based pastes and the solder that AMD employs for its CPUs.

The introduction of a new thermal interface will not, on its own, result in a significant drop in temperature, but the combination of direct-die cooling and a novel thermal grease may produce unexpectedly favorable outcomes.

Due to the fact that AMD did not begin selling its Ryzen 7000-series processors until September 27, there are no off-the-shelf tools to delid these CPUs (so the overclocker had to custom-make one), and there are no custom frames to hold a cooling system (so again, he had to invent his own), making it difficult for an average enthusiast to replicate Hartung’s experiment.

Nevertheless, the results of the calculations speak for themselves. A significant change would be the reduction of the temperature by 20 degrees Celsius and the acceleration of all twelve cores to 5.50 GHz. According to Hartung, the delidding tool, as well as a particular AM5 frame designed for CPUs that have been delidded, will soon be made accessible on his website.