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Thermalright Launches Bending Corrector Frame for Alder Lake Processors

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Uskompuf

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Taiwanese company Thermalright has recently launched the LGA1700-BCF (Bending Corrector Frame) to mitigate the risk of bending and warping with 12th Generation Intel Alder Lake processors. Intel has previously disclosed that their Alder Lake processors could exhibit mild warping as a result of changes to the integrated heatspreader (IHS) design but that the processors still performed within specification. This new product from Thermalright aims to prevent this warping despite Intel advising that any 3rd party modifications could void the warranty for Alder Lake processors. The Thermalright LGA1700-BCF is now available to purchase for 39 RMB (6 USD) in red and silver color options with support for H610, B660, and Z690 motherboards.



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Looks like a very nicely machined piece of aluminium.
 
black and silver? Don't you mean red and silver? :D

but the price is actually O.K. - I'm surprised :)
 
The idea is interesting but… why we do have such an issue ? Intel retain mechanism is not really new. My 12700K doesn’t seem to be affected , with temperatures very low using an Arctic liquid freezer II 360, but I didn’t check it for any bent (and I’m not going to do that before the next upgrade).
 
This modification looks nice at first, but with it CPU pressure on the socket pins will largely depend on how the screws are tightened, whereas the stock LGA1700 ILM will behave more or less consistently even after installing washers or other shims.
 
Kinda reminds me of Athlon XP shims that protected the bare CPU core...
 
Max(IT) said:
The idea is interesting but… why we do have such an issue ? Intel retain mechanism is not really new. My 12700K doesn’t seem to be affected , with temperatures very low using an Arctic liquid freezer II 360, but I didn’t check it for any bent (and I’m not going to do that before the next upgrade).
Click to expand...
Low mounting pressure with the arctic maybe?
 
Hmm to hot to handle? Or is it to early?
 
freeagent said:
Low mounting pressure with the arctic maybe?
Click to expand...
I don't know, but the results are quite good.

CB23 12700K last setting daily.png

even overclocked it stays below 70° (Tamb is around 20°C)

CB23 12700K P49 E39.png

I'm experienced and I did an accurate mounting job, for sure, but it is working very well.
The only precautions I took was to NOT put the CPU in the socket before installing the backplate, in order to have more rigidity on the board.
I don't know if it helped.
 
Solid State Brain said:
This modification looks nice at first, but with it CPU pressure on the socket pins will largely depend on how the screws are tightened.....
Click to expand...
Not if they use screws with stoppers on them.

And for 6 USD, i actually think this is a nice looking piece of CNC Aluminium.

I'm positively surprised.
 
Luckily I don't seem to have this issue with my 12100F and a ID-Cooling SE-224-XT V3 cooler, even with the stock cooler temps were within the normal range of that cooler.
 
? what ?


why and when does my new cpu bend? can anyone please inform me why it would bend when it is in the original socket?
 
I thought the warping was caused by the air cooler weight. If its warping with out of box MB and CPU, maybe there is an issue with the mounting bracket itself and/or the MB.
 
Just Some Noise said:
Not if they use screws with stoppers on them.
Click to expand...
It seems it will come with a 1g syringe of Thermalright TF7 thermal paste and a Torx wrench, but there has been no mention of special screws.
Given the low price I assumed it would only include the frame, so the screws would be reused from the stock ILM.

Baum said:
why and when does my new cpu bend? can anyone please inform me why it would bend when it is in the original socket?
Click to expand...

Due to the increased number of pins and longer package length compared to 11th gen Intel processors, the retention mechanism (or ILM / Independent Loading Mechanism) is now applying a stronger force on the heat spreader (IHS) to make the CPU have good electrical contact with the pins in the socket.

Since it is an overall cheap design, this causes uneven pressure which slightly bends the IHS, causing less-than-optimal contact with the cooler, which is not a big issue under power limited scenarios (e.g. the Intel-specified 125W "base power") where temperatures aren't an issue in the first place, but it can be with overclocking or without power limits.

This can be easily observed by looking at how thermal paste spreads, here is an example:

1650625548481.png


Thermal paste collects in the middle = CPU height is lower there, i.e. it is bending.
 
DeathtoGnomes said:
I thought the warping was caused by the air cooler weight. If its warping with out of box MB and CPU, maybe there is an issue with the mounting bracket itself and/or the MB.
Click to expand...
Baum said:
? what ?


why and when does my new cpu bend? can anyone please inform me why it would bend when it is in the original socket?
Click to expand...
Both Igor from Igorslab and Buildzoid have talked about this problem. The ILM only pushes down on die CPU with 2 little Tabs. Put in Newtons third law and you know that the rest of the CPU gets pushed upward by the socket pins. So you basically get a bend along the axis of the tabs of the ILM.
 
zlobby said:
LOL! Spending so much on an 'elite' CPU, only to find out it needs ghetto mods to stay in place... Bravo, intel, bravo!
Click to expand...
wait til ya see what the graphics card needs to stay in place. o_O
 
12th gen Bendgate is worrying. Will these sockets fail after a few years? I've already put together a dozen 12th gen machines using modest 120mm tower coolers and I don't like the idea that there's a design flaw that could easily cause failure after the warranty ends but long before the expected lifespan of the system is up.

Dammeron said:
Kinda reminds me of Athlon XP shims that protected the bare CPU core...
Click to expand...
It was definitely better to spend $5 on a shim than it is to spend $30 on a de-lidding tool and invalidate your warranty!
 
Last edited:
DeathtoGnomes said:
wait til ya see what the graphics card needs to stay in place. o_O
Click to expand...
Reeks of sarcasm but I'll play along anyway.

Simple physics (or more like applied mechanics) tells us that something small and light like a CPU should have no issues when lying on such a large contact surface.
The fact that is does in intel's case speaks volumes.

Massive and heavy GPU are bound to bend under their own weight (not the scientific term but let's skip the fancy talk for argument's sake). Even a 6th grader can 'sense' that such a heavy GPU would have issues without proper structural design or support.
 
Solid State Brain said:
It seems it will come with a 1g syringe of Thermalright TF7 thermal paste and a Torx wrench, but there has been no mention of special screws.
Given the low price I assumed it would only include the frame, so the screws would be reused from the stock ILM.



Due to the increased number of pins and longer package length compared to 11th gen Intel processors, the retention mechanism (or ILM / Independent Loading Mechanism) is now applying a stronger force on the heat spreader (IHS) to make the CPU have good electrical contact with the pins in the socket.

Since it is an overall cheap design, this causes uneven pressure which slightly bends the IHS, causing less-than-optimal contact with the cooler, which is not a big issue under power limited scenarios (e.g. the Intel-specified 125W "base power") where temperatures aren't an issue in the first place, but it can be with overclocking or without power limits.

This can be easily observed by looking at how thermal paste spreads, here is an example:

View attachment 244513

Thermal paste collects in the middle = CPU height is lower there, i.e. it is bending.
Click to expand...

Here is mine-
IMG_0064.JPG



I'm using the thick EK backplate, but might have a look at one of these to use in combination.
 
By the way, I also have a photo after installing 1.1 mm washers. The thermal paste footprint improved but the issue wasn't completely solved. I haven't been able to fit thicker washers, unfortunately:

1650644765089.png


However, currently I'm not using this washer mod. Every time I tried using them (I did many tests), for some reason motherboard VRM coil whine always increased to annoying levels. Without washers I get 4-5 °C higher temperatures under load without power limits (~200-210W package power), but minimal coil whine.

From this, my conclusion is that there probably are good technical reasons for the pressure used, and the Thermaltake frame might actually make things worse in some aspects like the washers did for me (I've even read about people reporting losing PCIe slot functionality or memory channels with them, although reversibly so—didn't happen to me).
 
So what's the result if you're experiencing "warping/bending? 4-5C hotter on average? 10C hotter?
 
Chrispy_ said:
12th gen Bendgate is worrying. Will these sockets fail after a few years? I've already put together a dozen 12th gen machines using modest 120mm tower coolers and I don't like the idea that there's a design flaw that could easily cause failure after the warranty ends but long before the expected lifespan of the system is up.


It was definitely better to spend $5 on a shim than it is to spend $30 on a de-lidding tool and invalidate your warranty!
Click to expand...
The $30 tool is not even the issue here. The real deal(breaker) is the huge risk involved with de-lidding, even if proper tools are used. Messing around with $500 CPU because someone put toothpaste inside and they didn't think of rigidity? Hard pass!
 
zlobby said:
The $30 tool is not even the issue here. The real deal(breaker) is the huge risk involved with de-lidding, even if proper tools are used. Messing around with $500 CPU because someone put toothpaste inside and they didn't think of rigidity? Hard pass!
Click to expand...
You've gotta melt the solder to do that these days, too. Your warranty is super-FUBAR the instant you put your CPU under the heat gun.
 
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