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Intel’s new Skylake-X chips still use low-quality TIM

Back in December last year, we broke the story that Intel's mainstream Kaby Lake processors benefit hugely from being delidded and having their TIM replaced. Unfortunately, it seems that the new Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X chips are no different as Intel is still using low-quality TIM instead of solder.

This news comes directly from reputable sources in the overclocking scene who have confirmed that Intel is still using TIM, instead of solder, with its new chips. Consumers can expect temperatures of around 85C+ from a 10-core i9-7900X at 1.3V using high-end air cooling. Given that 1.3V is still far from the highest Vcore many overclockers will be dialling in, this is certainly a disappointment.

Furthermore, our sources tell us that many consumers will struggle to go above 1.3V while overclocking on air due to a lack of thermal headroom, indicating that Skylake-X chips may be no better than Broadwell-E CPUs when it comes to overclocking. We are hearing that this lack of thermal headroom is directly linked to Intel's poor-quality TIM.

Finally, delidding the chips and replacing the stock TIM with liquid metal could drastically help matters, as we are again hearing of temperature drops in the 20-30C region. This makes sense as we know a delidded i7-7700K can run around 30C cooler than stock.

KitGuru says: Given the bad press Intel has received about its low-quality TIM in the past, I am a bit surprised to hear they are not changing anything for the new X299 chips. What do you guys think – surely the cost of using solder would be negligible for a company of Intel's size?

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13 comments

  1. I knew it. Well I guess Threadripper is gonna be for me 🙂 Intel has really gone greedy to the point where they decrease quality for products. Well if that’s the case, then im not buying any more CPUs from intel until they don’t fix their shit. AMD is going to take them on with Ryzen, and as we all know Ryzen kills in Hyper threading.

  2. planned obsolescence at its best.

  3. nah, they do not recommend OC for any CPU, and that’s result

  4. Nikolas Karampelas

    well this is the result of near monopoly, I hope amd will do good with ryzen.

  5. they make unlocked CPU because they KNOW their consumers want that option. but they intentionally gimp the ability because overclocking can increase the viable lifespan of a CPU by years.

  6. They’re pushing everything out the door; slapping X’s & TIMs on their 14nm w/ higher TDPs.

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  8. Đenan Hajrović

    And this is why I am going with ASUS X399 Zenith and an 12 core thread ripper

  9. Deplorable_Cubs_Fan

    Yes, Nikolas, you are exactly right. I’m disappointed yet, sadly, not surprised. It may be a long while before Intel stops behaving like the proverbial 800 pound gorilla. I’m quite happy to return to AMD.

  10. pathetic apologetic wanker, explain the K series then moron.

  11. intel 8C/16T HEDT before RYZEN – 1085 USD MSRP
    intel 8C/16T HEDT after RYZEN – 599 USD MSRP

    and reportedly the slides at the computex presentation from intel only showed 4c/4t up to 12c/24t for X299. Only the press kits handed out to journalists AFTER the presentation were updated ones showing 14/16/18 core models at all, so both RYZEN and Threadripper seem to be shaking up things quite nicely.

    P.S.: my R7 1800X has been the first AMD CPU for me since a Dual Opteron 244 in 2003, and i couldn’t be happier.

  12. Meanwhile people with overvolted/clocked sandy bridge chips are doing just fine. Cheap asses. Fuck intel

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