EKWB De-Lids an AMD Processor for Better Cooling

By Niels Broekhuijsen
published

EKWB de-lids the AMD APUs.

We've long heard of folks de-lidding Intel Ivy Bridge and Haswell processors, but we have not heard of de-lidding AMD processors; that is, up until now.

EKWB claims that it is the first to support cooling of de-lidded AMD A-series CPUs. The de-lidding is only supported with the Llano, Richland, Trinity, and Kaveri APUs. Any socket AM3+ CPUs do not support de-lidding, plainly because the CPU dies are soldered to the IHS.

The product from EKWB that makes this possible is the EK-Supremacy PreciseMount Add-on Naken APU. This is a rather long name for what is essentially a different screw set that allows EKWB's water blocks to be mounted lower, actually reaching the CPU die while providing sufficient pressure.

Note that if you de-lid your processor, your warranty is void; if you fail in the process, only you can be held accountable for any damage done.

EKWB has listed the screw set on its webshop with a price tag of $5.48.

Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • -Fran-
    I know there are guides and even YouTube videos showing how to de-lid a CPU/APU, but I really want to know how feasible it is. For a rookie de-lidder, what's the % of fail? Is it really helpful?Cheers!
    Reply
  • ShadyHamster
    This would be handy if it was possible to de-lid the am3+ line up of cpu's.
    I don't think anyone would go to the expense to custom liquid cool an apu.
    But i'm sure someone has done it so feel free to prove me wrong.
    Reply
  • clonazepam
    De-lid, water cool, and overclock that AMD APU so you can get the max fps at 720p in all games, and some at 1080p.... OR... the money spent on water cooling goes toward a real GPU.... decisions, decisions.... (yes there are exceptions where a real GPU does not fit, I get it)
    Reply
  • Nintendo Maniac 64
    The article isn't entirely accurate; last time I checked all AMD CPUs that are 65w TDP and lower do not have a soldered IHS and can be delidded, regardless of socket. This applies all the way back to the Athlon 64.

    In my experience 100w TDP and lower are also not soldered and can be delidded, but I do believe that several 95w TDP Phenoms and FX CPUs are soldered.

    And lastly, AMD has used the exact same mounting method since AM2, so anything that supports de-lidded FM2 will work on delidded AM2/AM3 as well.

    For reference, I use a Cooler Master X6 Elite on a delidded G2 Brisbane 4800+.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    12568666 said:
    For a rookie de-lidder, what's the % of fail? Is it really helpful?Cheers!
    Some de-lidding techniques seem awfully simple and relatively fool-proof if they really work as well as shown. Not sure how helpful it is on AMD's deliddables but on Intel chips, the main benefit is eliminating the 100+ microns thick thermal paste gap between the CPU and IHS caused by the IHS glue acting as a shim, preventing the IHS from making physical contact with the die. Removing the glue and putting the IHS back on reduces Intel chips' core temperatures by 8-15C. Putting paper shims to replicate the stock gap and using "better" thermal paste between the IHS and CPU produces worse results, indicating that Intel's "crap paste" actually outperforms the vast majority of "high-end" aftermarket pastes.
    Reply
  • dgingeri
    Is there really a point to delidding these processors? They'll never overclock enough to be competitive to Intel processors. The money is better spent on a better processor.
    Reply
  • hotroderx
    I wonder why manufactures even went to the lidded setup. I remember the old AMD 2500 bartons the chips where uncovered on those.
    Reply
  • dgingeri
    Intel's socket 370 chips also came out without lids. They added a lid on the Pentium 4 socket 423 models.

    The uncovered chips received broken corners quite often because of heatsinks that were installed unevenly. The heatspreader was more a way of protection for the silicon of the chip rather than more evenly spreading the heat. A decent heatsink could spread the heat as well if not better.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    12569845 said:
    I wonder why manufactures even went to the lidded setup. I remember the old AMD 2500 bartons the chips where uncovered on those.
    Many people were accidentally crushing their CPU dies and another problem is that without a minimum amount of thermal mass attached to the CPU die, the CPU could overheat and destroy itself faster than thermal management could shut down clocks.

    The IHS eliminates or significantly reduces two of the most common failure modes in retail CPUs.
    Reply
  • 06yfz450ridr
    12568934 said:
    Is there really a point to delidding these processors? They'll never overclock enough to be competitive to Intel processors. The money is better spent on a better processor.

    kind of if you are on a budget, the gpus on board are better for decent gaming compared to intels offerings if you dont have a dedicated gpu.
    Reply