After the launch of Intel Kaby Lake we have seen many tool and test about the delidding process which looks mandatory if you want keep your CPU overclocked with reasonable temperatures. Although is pretty clear how to perform a delid, no one ever tested different IHS. Our Italian overclocking team member Franco “RULE” Valtulina has performed few test on our forum with the standard Intel IHS and two more made out copper.


Usually a CPU is being delidded to improve core temperatures. As long as the standard thermal compounds is applied the temperatures significantly higher. Applying an aftermarket compound (like Gelid or Thermal Grizzly) allows you to achieve temperatures that are between 15 and 20°C lower. This can help improving overclocking capabilities in the case of air and water cooled systems.

All the test have been conducted on a Intel Core i7-7700K @ 5 GHz with 1.35v and all data is monitored and collected with Quad Channel Type-k Thermocouple Data Logger OMEGA HH374. The test setup include an ASRock Z170 OC Formula motherboard with Apacer DDR4 memory and a Raijintek Triton 360mm all-in-one water cooler. To ensure that the chips produce a huge amount of heat, RULE uses the Prime95.

According to the Rule's test between the stock or copper IHS there is no difference. Although the 4mm copper IHS appears to be slightly better, the fat 10mm copper IHS is way worst even compared to the standard produced from Intel. He also tried Cinebench R15 and only on this benchmark he achieved a more interesting results. According to his data, pushing a bit more on voltages and frequencies he managed to hit 5.4 GHz @ 1.52v using the 10mm IHS. Below you can find his thread on our forum.