Intel Core i7-7700K Delidded, Reapplied TIM Reduces Temps By 30C

[Vario]

If you are that nervous I wouldn't do it. Just undervolt that skylake and enjoy lower temps.

Not not buy a used dual core processor from craigslist and practice on that. I've heard some people tried it that way.

I bought a few celeron 420s from ebay for $3 each and delidded them before I did a 3570K.

 

[hapkiman]

That kind of the point. Yes, changing TIM can lower temps. But the chips work just fine as is, and are actually likely to live a bit longer since they will throttle before they damage themselves. Change TIM, and then the CPU can seem to run cool, but can then consume so much current you can kill it easily.

People seem to forget that the CPU cores are but a small part of today's modern CPUs and those other parts.. don't report temperatures. It's like you all think Intel, that makes billions, is either dumb, or purposefully releasing stuff of lower quality just to be a bunch of jerks...

BTW, I have 7700K, 7700, 7600K, 7350K. They are nice chips, if you aren't having unrealistic expectations for them.

Also, my chips appear to be retail as well, but they aren't really retail version. You cannot get retail version of CPU that isn't in retail...

I tell people when the question comes up, stay to 1.325V. Here is a user, pushing higher, and overheating? ROFL. NOT surprised.

He is so right. It may not be the best TIM ever, nor is it soldered which would be preferable, but it does just fine for what it is designed to do, and it runs the processor perfectly within it's safe thermal specs.

I have an i7-7700k running at 4.5GHz (Enhanced Turbo locks all 4 cores at 4.5GHz) so it isn't really overclocked per se, but my temps are fine - very good in fact. I realize I do have a high end cooler (Corsair H115i) but it idles at ~23-25C or so. The i7-6700k did seem to idle a few degrees cooler, but probabaly this could be attributed to the 300MHz lower clock frequency. And more importantly 25C is not bad, in fact it's GOOD. And strangely under load, my i7-7700k seems to hover in the mid to high 40's (C) where the i7-6700k would hit 50-55C and stay right around there (and when I say under load, I mean gaming with multiple other apps running).

Not an end all be all processor, but a very fine one nonetheless. My best bud is waiting for Ryzen and we are going to do his AMD dream build when it comes, so I'm looking forward to that and see how it compares to my i7-7700k/GTX1080 combo. All in all, I'm very pleased with the i7-7700k's temps. It's not worth de-lidding to me.

*BTW I wouldn't recommend upgrading like I did from a i7-6700k to a i7-7700k (kind of a side-ways grade and not really an upgrade), but having a buddy in the "business," I got the ultimate hook-up and came out with a trade of my 6700k for a 7700k for $25. And he bought me lunch that day to boot!

Running it on a Z170A board as well just fine.

 

[FireFox]

*BTW I wouldn't recommend upgrading like I did from a i7-6700k to a i7-7700k (kind of a side-ways grade and not really an upgrade)

And why did you upgrade?

 

[hat]

He is so right. It may not be the best TIM ever, nor is it soldered which would be preferable, but it does just fine for what it is designed to do, and it runs the processor perfectly within it's safe thermal specs.

I have an i7-7700k running at 4.5GHz (Enhanced Turbo locks all 4 cores at 4.5GHz) so it isn't really overclocked per se, but my temps are fine - very good in fact. I realize I do have a high end cooler (Corsair H115i) but it idles at ~23-25C or so. The i7-6700k did seem to idle a few degrees cooler, but probabaly this could be attributed to the 300MHz lower clock frequency. And more importantly 25C is not bad, in fact it's GOOD. And strangely under load, my i7-7700k seems to hover in the mid to high 40's (C) where the i7-6700k would hit 50-55C and stay right around there (and when I say under load, I mean gaming with multiple other apps running).

Not an end all be all processor, but a very fine one nonetheless. My best bud is waiting for Ryzen and we are going to do his AMD dream build when it comes, so I'm looking forward to that and see how it compares to my i7-7700k/GTX1080 combo. All in all, I'm very pleased with the i7-7700k's temps. It's not worth de-lidding to me.

*BTW I wouldn't recommend upgrading like I did from a i7-6700k to a i7-7700k (kind of a side-ways grade and not really an upgrade), but having a buddy in the "business," I got the ultimate hook-up and came out with a trade of my 6700k for a 7700k for $25. And he bought me lunch that day to boot!

Running it on a Z170A board as well just fine.

I find your argument invalid. Of course the H115i will cool that (or any) chip very well. One would be concerned about the paste between the die and IHS if you're trying to use the stock cooler. In many applications, the processor gets very hot, and the stock cooler isn't going to cut it. The other situation where one would be concerned about the die/IHS paste job is if you're overclocking. You can have a great cooler and still be held back by that monkey spit thermal paste. If you redo the job properly yourself, you get much better results.

Most users here should know that heat is not good for electronics. When we get a new Intel CPU and we test it, well, everything is new, and clean. We usually have a decent case with decent airflow to accommodate the components. Even in such a preferable scenario, stock cooling and stock TIM job fails miserably. What happens to one of these chips in an average Joe's Dell a few years down the road? Crappy TIM, crappy cooling solution, crappy case, most likely never been opened and cleaned... I'm sure we all know about overheating processors of yesteryear in such computers, even when the dies were soldered.

Such a crappy TIM job isn't acceptable for anybody, unless you have a good (non-stock) cooling solution and you maintain your computers. 99% of people don't.

 

[FireFox]

unless you have a good (non-stock) cooling solution and you maintain your computers.

You mean like me

 

[hat]

You mean like me

Like most of us here, yeah. For most of the people these chips with the bad TIM job are going to... probably not.

 

[FireFox]

Like most of us here, yeah. For most of the people these chips with the bad TIM job are going to... probably not.

Even if the temperatures are around
35c/40c while playing Games i don't think it's that bad, i have to test my Machine with some Games to see the temperature.

 

[cadaveca]

I find your argument invalid. Of course the H115i will cool that (or any) chip very well. One would be concerned about the paste between the die and IHS if you're trying to use the stock cooler. In many applications, the processor gets very hot, and the stock cooler isn't going to cut it. The other situation where one would be concerned about the die/IHS paste job is if you're overclocking. You can have a great cooler and still be held back by that monkey spit thermal paste. If you redo the job properly yourself, you get much better results.

Most users here should know that heat is not good for electronics. When we get a new Intel CPU and we test it, well, everything is new, and clean. We usually have a decent case with decent airflow to accommodate the components. Even in such a preferable scenario, stock cooling and stock TIM job fails miserably. What happens to one of these chips in an average Joe's Dell a few years down the road? Crappy TIM, crappy cooling solution, crappy case, most likely never been opened and cleaned... I'm sure we all know about overheating processors of yesteryear in such computers, even when the dies were soldered.

Such a crappy TIM job isn't acceptable for anybody, unless you have a good (non-stock) cooling solution and you maintain your computers. 99% of people don't.

What most people do not know, and I couldn't say at the time, is that these chips run @ ~ 1.3V @ stock. Most chips that can do 5 GHz can do it with that same 1.3V. So perhaps the complaints about TIM are simply miss-directed.

IF you don't like the TIM though, that's fine. If it is truly a problem Intel will have a high RMA rate, but I really doubt that will happen.

I had chips nearly 2 months before the launch. Intel had lots of time with these CPUs to make them exactly what they wanted them to be. Frankly, I like my 5 GHz chips, never mind I am one of the lucky people to have a 6700K that can also do 5 GHz. Guess which one runs cooler? ROFL.

 

[FireFox]

is that these chips run @ ~ 1.3V @ stock

Wrong

At least mine at stock is 1.24V

Guess which one runs cooler? ROFL.

For sure not your

 

[thesmokingman]

For sure not your

Haha, exactly!

 

[cadaveca]

Wrong

At least mine at stock is 1.24V

Yeah, some are lower; my 2nd 7700-nonK is also 1.25V. But my first 7700-non, a 7700K, a 7600K and a 7350K are all around that 1.3V. Also had some comments from board maker reps complaining about the "high" turbo voltage. I got another set of retail 7700K and 7600K to play with though, but haven't popped them in yet. My 7350K is ES.

It is possible that those of us that got chips early got chips with higher voltage, too. It'll be interesting to see how things pan out OC- and temp-wise after several months. Early reviews of 6700K from other reviews didn't expect 4.6 GHz to be as easy as it is today.

 

[FireFox]

Mine is at 4.9GHz 1.29V, i want to see how much i can decrease the voltage and get it stable so far 1.29V it's stable, the 5.0Ghz basic OC i did las night was just because i wanted to see the 5.0GHz magic number
btw, after i get it stable with the lowest voltages possible next step is 5.0GHz with low voltages too, i won't have my CPU for 24/7 at 5.0GHz but at 4.9GHz, 5.0GHz and above it's just for Benches and fun.

 

[hat]

What most people do not know, and I couldn't say at the time, is that these chips run @ ~ 1.3V @ stock. Most chips that can do 5 GHz can do it with that same 1.3V. So perhaps the complaints about TIM are simply miss-directed.

IF you don't like the TIM though, that's fine. If it is truly a problem Intel will have a high RMA rate, but I really doubt that will happen.

I had chips nearly 2 months before the launch. Intel had lots of time with these CPUs to make them exactly what they wanted them to be. Frankly, I like my 5 GHz chips, never mind I am one of the lucky people to have a 6700K that can also do 5 GHz. Guess which one runs cooler? ROFL.

It doesn't matter if they run 1.3v or 13v stock. The issue is the temperatures these things run at out of the box, and in most users PCs. Does average Joe know what voltage his processor runs at? Most likely not.

A high RMA rate? How many average Joes do you know realize there is a problem with their computer and RMA the processor? How can a processor be RMA'd when it functions as intended? My complaint is the intended function is bad out of the box. Most people, when they have computer problems, either take it to Geek Squad et al, or they just deal with it until they buy a new computer. I wonder how many people will be in such a situation because their computer is overheating and throttling all the time? Sure, computers need to be maintained... cleaned of dust every so often, which most users don't do... but it doesn't help when you're already so close to the breaking point when it's brand new.

As far as OC talk goes, anyone who's done it know that not only does increasing voltage increase heat, but simply increasing clock speed without touching voltage also increases heat. So I find the entire voltage point irrelevant in all cases.

 

[FireFox]

It doesn't matter if they run 1.3v or 13v stock. The issue is the temperatures these things run at out of the box,

I don't want to contradict what you said but i have something to say.

People knew about the temp issue but it looks like they didn't care and bought the 7700K anyway, nobody forced them to buy the damned 7700K and now they are complaining, my 7700K runs at 18c/19c idle, is that temp so bad?, while Gaming my 7700K runs at 35c/37c and sometimes it drops to 32c, is that temp so bad?

They bought the damned 7700K now if they are not happy with temp they have 3 options,

1 - Sell the 7700K and get something else.

2 - Get a better cooler and stop complaining for your own mistake, nobody forced you to buy it.

3 - Keep the CPU with it's high temp live with it and STFU.

 

[cadaveca]

It doesn't matter if they run 1.3v or 13v stock. The issue is the temperatures these things run at out of the box, and in most users PCs.

I hear what you are trying to say, but until we have a huge number of people with issues with CPU overheat because of TIM, there is no issue, and your are blowing things out of proportion. Contrary to your position, the majority aren't complaining.

I'll agree easily that there are better TIM options for under the heatspreader. I simply don't care about a CPU running @ 90c when at stock. It's perfectly safe.

Enthusiasts positioning is something else entirely, but enthusiasts aren't the majority, so I can understand why Intel does what it does. Intel has already given you an increase in the throttle point from 65W to 91W (non-K locked chips are 65W or less), which is pretty much a 50% increase. You can then OC and get 125W-150W, nearly triple the power consumption, and then the TIM becomes an issue? OF COURSE IT DOES!


Remember the OP... read the last paragraph.

 

[hat]

To counter your argument: you're not an average Joe, so that side of the argument doesn't affect you. You have great cooling and you know how to properly maintain a computer, so you will never be affected by the same issues that average Joe would. You're not gonna have a hot throttling computer.

The enthusiast side of the issue, your case is a bit different. Your cooling is so good the bad TIM doesn't affect you as much as it would as somebody with cooling like mine. With cooling that good, you'll probably just hit the limit of stability before temperatures truly become an issue. Maybe during stress testing temperatures would become more of an issue, but I'm the type of person who wants it to be cool enough and stable even under those tests others consider too extreme...

@cadaveca the majority are mostly those average users who aren't complaining because they don't know enough to complain. If they knew their computer could be facing less issues if Intel had done the job properly instead of what it is now, I'm sure they'd have a thing or two to say as well.

 

[R-T-B]

3 - Keep the CPU with it's high temp live with it and STFU.

or 4.) delid and fix the product, meanwhile legitimately providing customer feedback about how one should not need to do that on a overclockers "k" sku to intel.

 

[Kanan]

It's funny Intel gets defended even when messing totally up things, again going back to cheap stuff pre Devils Canyon essentially betraying everyone, but when AMD messes up smaller things everyone hates the company for decades.

That is really remarkable. Double standard gets a whole new meaning here.

 

[R-T-B]

It's funny Intel gets defended even when messing totally up things, again going back to cheap stuff pre Devils Canyon essentially betraying everyone, but when AMD messes up smaller things everyone hates the company for decades.

That is really remarkable. Double standard gets a whole new meaning here.

I'm not sure you can call AMDs messups "smaller" though.

 

[Kanan]

I'm not sure you can call AMDs messups "smaller" though.

It's a difference whether you betray intended or you mess up mistakenly. AMD did the latter with their FX line. Intel on the other hand most likely wants to dumb down the 7700K to celebrate another Devils Canyon with non-garbage TIM soon. Their primitive strategy is obvious by now.

 

[hapkiman]

And why did you upgrade?

As I've stated before I have a very close friend who works as an IT tech and has a business where he sells/repairs/buys computers and parts. He always hooks me up with the latest parts and tech. If I didn't have him as a friend I would not have done it. But it cost me next to nothing -so why not?

 

[hapkiman]

I find your argument invalid. Of course the H115i will cool that (or any) chip very well. One would be concerned about the paste between the die and IHS if you're trying to use the stock cooler. In many applications, the processor gets very hot, and the stock cooler isn't going to cut it. The other situation where one would be concerned about the die/IHS paste job is if you're overclocking. You can have a great cooler and still be held back by that monkey spit thermal paste. If you redo the job properly yourself, you get much better results.

Most users here should know that heat is not good for electronics. When we get a new Intel CPU and we test it, well, everything is new, and clean. We usually have a decent case with decent airflow to accommodate the components. Even in such a preferable scenario, stock cooling and stock TIM job fails miserably. What happens to one of these chips in an average Joe's Dell a few years down the road? Crappy TIM, crappy cooling solution, crappy case, most likely never been opened and cleaned... I'm sure we all know about overheating processors of yesteryear in such computers, even when the dies were soldered.

Such a crappy TIM job isn't acceptable for anybody, unless you have a good (non-stock) cooling solution and you maintain your computers. 99% of people don't.

Why would anyone buy an unlocked - high end enthusiast level processor, and then run it on the stock cooler (actually there isn't even a "stock" cooler for the i7 7700k)? The reason they dropped the stock cooler on the 6700k and 7700k (just like on the HEDT procs) is because they expect you to be using a decent air or AIO cooler anyway, and people weren't using the included cooler, so it was a waste of $ to include it.

But I too would prefer that they still soldered the heatspreader to the die (I think I already said that).

 

[EarthDog]

I agree..

First.. it doesn't come with a cooler. Second, the stock intel cooler would keep it plenty cool AT STOCK...THAT'S WHAT IT'S MADE FOR. They don't put out coolers that don't work. That's asinine.

 

[hat]

The k series might not come with a stock cooler (Newegg says 4970k does, at least, not sure about 6k or 7k series), but that's a bit of a moot point. The thermal paste issue affects the entire lineup since the 3 series up, unless you buy the HEDT platform. That means it affects average Joe and enthusiasts all the same. Most of us aren't using stock coolers anyway, at least with the k series CPUs, so I find it better they don't include it myself... but that changes nothing about the thermal paste issue.

 

[hapkiman]

The k series might not come with a stock cooler (Newegg says 4970k does, at least, not sure about 6k or 7k series), but that's a bit of a moot point. The thermal paste issue affects the entire lineup since the 3 series up, unless you buy the HEDT platform. That means it affects average Joe and enthusiasts all the same. Most of us aren't using stock coolers anyway, at least with the k series CPUs, so I find it better they don't include it myself... but that changes nothing about the thermal paste issue.

Yes the i7 4790k did come with a stock cooler and it was the last one of the top "k" procs to have it. That was obviously when a light bulb went off in someone's mind at Intel and they figured out they were wasting money. The 6700k and the 7700k did not have one - as I just stated. Find me someone using a stock Intel cooler on their i7 4790k, and I'll show you someone who is confused.

And more importantly I think we are agreeing on the core point here. I get what you are saying.

They should have kept soldering the IHS just like they did with Sandy Bridge.