Removing the A64 IHS

[Liquid3D]

I'm thinking of taking the "Road {much} Less Travelled" and walking that road naked. That is to say, without the protective IHS on my A64 3400.

Two problems:

1.) There's no definitive guide on the Net I've been able to Google

2.) This is a new 3-year warranty bird, and she's a very poor overclocker.

Solution A. Compromise my integrity, and return the chip claiming it's faulty, hoping for a better overclocker?

Solution B. Remove the IHS for another 5C (I belive the benefits of removing this 800lb Gorilla outwiegh that of Northwood temps after removal)?

Solution C. GET THESE DAM PROMETEIA'S FIXED (and give SIlverSink his).

HElp? Anyone Do this? Anyone do this on a Prescott? My 3.0C IHS removal gave me a 7C total temp reduction. My 2.4C only got about 4C. Both performed better, and better contact was made with waterblocks in each case though.

[xxORBxx]

Number 1

I hear the cores crush pretty easy but i dont know.

[sandman]

They're pretty fragile. Screw integrity, go for the overclock.

[xxORBxx]

lol are you just gonna send it back or try and kill it first, and how

[bh2k]

Agreed, return it for a better clocker.

[afireinside]

Kill it with static

[xxORBxx]

lol thats what i was gonna do to mine.

[pkrew]

Did it with my 3400+ gave me 7C better temps and about 50mhz better oc. Very easy to do. Take a standard razor blade make sure its parallel to the IHS. There's and area that's open, start there and very carefully work your way around.

[Naughtyboy]

I´ve been thinking of doing this to....

Liquid Bro.. lemme know how I goes if you do it...and how you did it.

[comment]

Here's a guide to removing the IHS on an AMD 3xxx+ 64Bit CPU.

Edit: Link fix

It's written in danish but with lots of pictures.

[DjTonic]

Originally posted by Liquid3D
My 3.0C IHS removal gave me a 7C total temp reduction. My 2.4C only got about 4C. Both performed better, and better contact was made with waterblocks in each case though.

I have also 3.0C with stepping SL6WU L342, can i safetly remove my IHS ? Because i have read some months ago, about issue with epoxy termal grase and destroyed EE (M0) core...

[Naughtyboy]

Originally posted by comment
Here's a guide to removing the IHS on an AMD 3xxx+ 64Bit CPU

[comment]

Originally posted by DjTonic
I have also 3.0C with stepping SL6WU L342, can i safetly remove my IHS ? Because i have read some months ago, about issue with epoxy termal grase and destroyed EE (M0) core...

You can't be sure not to harm the CPU by doing it I'm affraid. A fellow geek at overclocking.dk killed his P4 3.0C SL6WK trying to remove the IHS - it was soldered og glued to the core

[HKPolice]

I just took the dive 'n removed the IHS on my A64 3200+ and I only saw about a 3C temperature drop.... Probably won't help further overclocking, but any gain is good I suppose. HOPEFULLY I'll get another 2C drop after the AS5 settles, but from my experience, it almost never happens.

Tip: Use a paper thin razor blade, this is the ONLY way to do it.

People who saw higher than 3C temp drops: From my experience with an SLK-948U, the pressure on the CPU die (with the IHS) is insufficient. I could still jiggle the heatsink slightly when it was securely screwed onto the backplate. Therefore I put 2 washers underneath the spring to increase the tension, until the heatsink wouldn't budge.

This is why I think I only got a 3C drop. Anyone using an thermalright heatsink should do what I did with the washers to increase the tension.

Regarding the P4 IHS: I'm 99% sure that ONLY the M0 (including P4 EE) cores are epoxied. All other steppings use thermal paste.

[snowwie]

AS I UNDERSTAND IT:

I was under the impression that Intel has been shifting all P4 packages to have the IHS epoxied on, not just greased

the new packaging started with the P4-EE and subsequent M0 stepping cores, and then prescott packages had the epoxy too.

With the new 30 cap packages the newer D1 stepping cores are getting the same treatment too.

intel just sees it pretty simply: epoxy results in better thermal transfer than the grease they were using before. there are doubtlessly other advantages too.

also, if you look at pictures on the web, you can see that intel omits the nickel plating where the core comes in contact with the IHS, thus further improving thermal transfer.

In the case of the P4 (nearly most that are shipping today), the TIM joint added as a result of the IHS is most likely negligable, not worth pulling off (you'll kill the core), but probably worth lapping down if you're that much worried about it.

as far as the A64, I would pull off the IHS, but all depends on the person

[Liquid3D]

Originally posted by DjTonic
I have also 3.0C with stepping SL6WU L342, can i safetly remove my IHS ? Because i have read some months ago, about issue with epoxy termal grase and destroyed EE (M0) core...

I wouldn't recommend removing the IHS if the processor was purchased in the last 7-months. Since the release of the EE's epoxy is used. Why? It's much better (providing it's silver epoxy) then the Shin-Etsu they were using.

Thank you all so much for replying. Sorry it took so long to get back, I had to edite my email address. I miss it here, and it just goes to shopw there's two sides to every story, issue, coin, Eastern Philosophy, and even your teeth have their back-side (which is often the most important because it's not seen, it's more important one brushes there). Anyway if you don't know what I'm speking on, I can't/won't say in the name of amends, and fairness.

I was thinking of returning the chip claiming it's not performing properly, as fabricating isn't in my spirit, but this has the truth in it. Do you think the Egg tests these returns, or simply ships another?

On another topic. I decided to spend $180 for a Digi-Doc and got this thing by Chaintech called the ZNF3-250. It's resembles a motherboard, but has very limited BIOS options. No multiplier access, and no BIOS updates as yet. Can anyone tell me what these setting do?

DDR Drive Strength
Feedback Drive Strength

options are Normal and 2X

also there's
DDR Skew Adjust
Feedback Skew Adjust

options are 1,2,3 and I beleive Disabled, or 0?

[IvanAndreevich]

I have to warn that AMD SOI cores are very fragile. This is the reason IHS was introduced in the first place.

[Goldlocke]

use some old AthlonXP or Duron rubber pumpers an the edges!

[Naughtyboy]

Well... I removed mine...and with a SLK978 coupled with a Alu fan 80mm @12v i got 4C decrease in idle temps and about 10C decrease in load temps.

Before I removed the IHS I tried to remount the SLK 5 times just to be sure I didn´t got it wrong...but same temps every time.

So in this case I think the modd was worth it.

[comment]

Originally posted by Naughtyboy
Well... I removed mine...and with a SLK978 coupled with a Alu fan 80mm @12v i got 4C decrease in idle temps and about 10C decrease in load temps.

Before I removed the IHS I tried to remount the SLK 5 times just to be sure I didn´t got it wrong...but same temps every time.

So in this case I think the modd was worth it.

Did you get a higher stable clock too?

[Demogorg]

do i have to cut this ihs off when i am using a prommi ??? i will pruchase a a64 in 1-2 weeks and i will purchase (just for this cpu) a second prommi with socket 754 kit (and sell my old prommi with socket a kit ) so it would be cool to know if i have to cut this thing off

Demogorg

[Naughtyboy]

Originally posted by comment
Did you get a higher stable clock too?

Yes about 80mhz

[comment]

Originally posted by Naughtyboy
Yes about 80mhz

Okay, a little better. It seems that the A64's are more clock-sensitive to removing the IHS than the P4's. My P4 didn't get higher clocks and others I've talked with on this issue had the same experience.

[Naughtyboy]

But even thou I didn´t get any significant increase in clocks....I could run it at lower voltage than before even with thoose extra 80mhz added....a good thing IMHO

[Huhn]

is it possible to mount the mach1 on a a64 without that spreader? because i´m thinking about getting a mobile 3200+ and throw it under my prommy. gonna use the retail mounting kit