Quote Originally Posted by SoulsCollective View Post
Mirror finish is extremely overrated and often counter-productive, as people tend to get it by using polishing agents, which will hurt your temps. Don't bother sanding any further, 7C drop at load is great, you'll just be wasting your time.
Agreed I've done some lapping before haven't for quite a while. Risks generally don't justify the result. Most good thermal paste will fill in any spots between the heat sink and the chip anyways. Plus you can usually add a better fan or another case fan and drop temps too w/out losing your warranty.

However nice job on your chip. I hope if you spent that much time on it your heatsink is that shiny.