New Direct-Die Ryzen 7000 Water Block Reduces Temps by 25 Degrees

Der8auer's New Direct Die Water Block
(Image credit: YouTube - Der8auer)

German overclocker Der8auer is creating a new Ryzen 7000 direct die water block called the AM5 Mycro Direct Die cooler, that achieves significantly better thermal performance compared to standard AIO liquid coolers. In testing, the block was able to drop an overclocked Ryzen 9 7900X, one of the best CPUs, from 90C (on a stock 280mm AIO) all the way down to just 65C. The block will be coming soon and cost 100 Euros for the non-RGB and around 130 to 140 Euros for the RGB version. 

The block is a direct-die solution that requires the removal of Ryzen's IHS (integrated heat spreader) to function. The benefit is that the block can make direct contact with the two or three chiplets utilized on Ryzen 7000 CPUs for maximum thermal efficiency. The Mycro Direct Die block works in conjunction with another Der8auer product known as a high-performance heat spreader that replaces the mounting mechanism on the AM5 socket and provides the direct-die functionality of the block at the same time. (Essentially the block and heat spreader are sold together, with the block being installed on top of the heat spreader.)

Der8auer's New Direct Die Water Block

(Image credit: YouTube - Der8auer)

The heat spreader is manufactured with mirror-like diamond-milled precision surfacing that reportedly provides an excellent surface area for the CPU and is designed in a way that is insusceptible to any bending that might occur from high mounting pressure. The block itself is made out of acrylic, with diffused RGB lighting (on the RGB model).

Der8auer demonstrated the thermal characteristics of his Mycro Direct Die block with a Ryzen 9 7900X overclocked to 5GHz (at a core voltage of 1.3v). He tested several different configurations, which included testing with the high-performance heat spreader separately with a standard all-in-one liquid cooler.

Der8auer's New Direct Die Water Block

(Image credit: YouTube - Der8auer)

Stock cooling with an unnamed 280mm AIO resulted in a temperature of 90C, the same AIO paired with Der8auer's AM5 high-performance heat spreader dropped temps substantially to the high-70s. The same solution plus an offset bracket dropped the temps even further to the low 70s. But the best solution was his new Mycro Direct-die solution, which saw the CPU max out at less than 65C.

The result is an impressive 25-degree reduction in CPU temperatures. This should provide Ryzen 7000 CPUs will plenty of temperature headroom to spare for overclocking purposes. It can also be beneficial at stock frequencies where Ryzen 7000's Precision Boost algorithm can increase clock speeds further compared to what it is capable of at 90C.

Aaron Klotz
Freelance News Writer

Aaron Klotz is a freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering news topics related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

  • -Fran-
    AMD, please go ask der8auer how not to suck at making an IHS, please? Ok, thanks, bye.

    Yeah, yeah, I know. But come on... That IHS is horrendous. Like... I don't know what else to even say. I've been whining about it* since day 1 reviews came out and der8auer himself demonstrated how friggen bad it was for the CPU. If they created that IHS just to have vertical "buffer" for whatever stacking they wanna come up with, I have to say it was really toxic to make Zen4 early adopters pay for it in such a crappy way.

    Seriously, AMD, re-consider that pig of an IHS as a viable solution and just make it better. I don't mind paying extra for an adapter on existing coolers to make them compatibles and I'm sure a lot of people would not mind.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • gg83
    You gotta watch his video! It's really good. It's weird how a custom heatspreader can perform better than the stock IHS. The rgb looks really tight too. He also makes a nonrgb version
    Reply
  • gg83
    -Fran- said:
    AMD, please go ask der8auer how not to suck at making an IHS, please? Ok, thanks, bye.

    Yeah, yeah, I know. But come on... That IHS is horrendous. Like... I don't know what else to even say. I've been whining about it* since day 1 reviews came out and der8auer himself demonstrated how friggen bad it was for the CPU. If they created that IHS just to have vertical "buffer" for whatever stacking they wanna come up with, I have to say it was really toxic to make Zen4 early adopters pay for it in such a crappy way.

    Seriously, AMD, re-consider that pig of an IHS as a viable solution and just make it better. I don't mind paying extra for an adapter on existing coolers to make them compatibles and I'm sure a lot of people would not mind.

    Regards.
    Exactly what I took away from his video.
    Reply
  • helper800
    -Fran- said:
    AMD, please go ask der8auer how not to suck at making an IHS, please? Ok, thanks, bye.

    Yeah, yeah, I know. But come on... That IHS is horrendous. Like... I don't know what else to even say. I've been whining about it* since day 1 reviews came out and der8auer himself demonstrated how friggen bad it was for the CPU. If they created that IHS just to have vertical "buffer" for whatever stacking they wanna come up with, I have to say it was really toxic to make Zen4 early adopters pay for it in such a crappy way.

    Seriously, AMD, re-consider that pig of an IHS as a viable solution and just make it better. I don't mind paying extra for an adapter on existing coolers to make them compatibles and I'm sure a lot of people would not mind.

    Regards.
    I wonder if you cant just sand off 1-2mm of the useless IHS on an AM5 CPU and add spacers to the cooler mounts?
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    helper800 said:
    I wonder if you cant just sand off 1-2mm of the useless IHS on an AM5 CPU and add spacers to the cooler mounts?
    You can and der8auer asked Jay2Cents to give it a try when he sent him a "testing" kit for what he wanted to sell for "sanding" the IHS of Ryzen CPUs.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    I've been waiting for someone to do a direct-die water block for AM5!

    The big question I have is: how much did it benefit performance???
    Reply
  • helper800
    bit_user said:
    I've been waiting for someone to do a direct-die water block for AM5!

    The big question I have is: how much did it benefit performance???
    Probably 25-50mghz per 5c or so.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    gg83 said:
    You gotta watch his video! It's really good.
    The graphene thermal pads are neat. Where do you get those? Is that another one of his products?

    I wonder if it makes sense to use those with a lapped heatspreader + lapped heatsink.
    Reply
  • Eximo
    Yes, he is selling those soon as well. I thought it an interesting compromise to improve the cooling to such a point that you don't need paste/liquid metal is good for a delidded solution. I've delidded one CPU, but was never brave enough for liquid metal, just used kryonaut which is still working some five years later.

    Getting a CPU designed to peg 95C to run at 65C is just peace of mind to me. Never did like AMD's idea of that. Even just the heatspreader mod is useful.

    Certainly look into it for myself for Zen 5 / Zen 5 3d. Depending on what Intel manages, quite curious.
    Reply
  • Makaveli
    really should put required delidding the cpu which will void the warranty. And the majority of users don't have the skills to do a proper delid.
    Reply