I lapped my i7-860 back when I was doing air cooler reviews as the HDT coolers I had to test were getting poorer temps than stock. As such, it's razor blade/engineering rule flat and makes an excellent impression with TIM subtitute against lapping glass. It's as flat as I could get it without decking it with a flycutter.

So, I find that the Kryos comes with a thick and thin o-ring, and it seems from Vapor's testing that the bowed baseplate works better on an unaltered IHS, but if it's as flat as I can get it wouldn't the stock o-ring actually function better for reducing air gaps and maximizing contact? Or are our temps less a functionality of contact patch and more an issue of contact pressure?

Anyone with a scientific opinion on such wanna weigh in?