Ryzen 7 9800X3D owners keep running into the same wall: the chip throttles under sustained gaming loads even with a 240mm AIO bolted on, because AMD’s stacked 3D V-Cache die traps heat faster than the solder and integrated heat spreader (IHS) can move it out. The fix that keeps showing up in overclocking forums and YouTube teardown videos is delidding, physically removing the IHS, swapping the factory thermal interface for liquid metal, and in some cases running the cooler straight against the bare silicon. This tutorial walks through the process end to end, using the same tools and liquid metal that Thermal Grizzly uses on its own factory-delidded 9800X3D units, which it sells with a two-year warranty for $599 excluding VAT (about $699 with VAT in Europe).
Delidding is not new. Enthusiasts have been popping IHS lids off Intel chips since the Sandy Bridge era. What changed in 2026 is the audience: AMD’s Ryzen 9800X3D and 7800X3D both ship with 3D V-Cache stacked directly on the compute die, which concentrates heat in a smaller area than a traditional monolithic chip. Reddit’s r/overclocking board has multiple 2025-2026 threads documenting 9800X3D delids that combine direct-die mounting with liquid metal, and one widely shared post reported a 20°C drop after switching from the stock IHS setup to a direct-die Frozn A720 cooler with liquid metal. This guide covers the full process: verifying your CPU is worth the risk, the physical delid itself, cleaning solder residue off the die, applying liquid metal safely, and validating the result with real benchmarks instead of guesswork.
Before starting, understand the trade-off. Delidding voids your CPU’s manufacturer warranty the moment the IHS separates from the substrate. AMD and Intel both treat physical modification of the package as outside normal use, which is why third-party sellers like Thermal Grizzly have to issue their own replacement warranty on pre-delidded chips. If a $400-$700 CPU with no safety net sounds too risky, skip this guide and instead look at undervolting with Ryzen Master or a better cooler mount, both of which claw back several degrees without opening the package.
Part of why this topic resurfaced hard in 2025-2026 comes down to memory and platform economics rather than pure enthusiasm. With DDR5 prices climbing sharply through 2026, a lot of PC builders are stretching the life of an existing AM5 rig instead of jumping to a new platform, and squeezing more headroom out of a CPU they already own is cheaper than a full upgrade. Delidding fits that mindset: it is a way to extract more sustained performance and quieter operation from a chip you are keeping for another year or two, rather than money spent chasing the next generation.
It is also worth separating hype from evidence early. Plenty of forum threads and video titles promise dramatic transformations, but the actual public data set is smaller and more mixed than the headlines suggest. This guide leans only on documented, sourced results: a Reddit report, a commercial delid service’s own published range, TechSpot’s coverage of a named overclocker, and GamersNexus’s own lab testing. Where the evidence is thin, such as Intel’s Core Ultra 200 desktop chips, this guide says so directly instead of extrapolating from AMD’s numbers.
Prerequisites: Tools, Parts, Costs, and Compatible CPUs
Gather everything before you touch the CPU. Delidding is a one-shot procedure on most chips, since the factory adhesive and solder cannot be perfectly restored, so stopping halfway to order a missing tool usually means leaving a $500 processor exposed to dust and static for days.
- A delidding tool. The Thermal Grizzly Delid Die-Mate jig is the same style of tool the company uses in its own delidding line, and it applies even mechanical pressure to shear the adhesive bond without twisting or chipping the die. Razor-blade methods exist for older sockets but carry a much higher failure rate on modern AM5 and LGA1851 packages.
- Liquid metal. Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut Extreme is the product named specifically in the company’s own 2025 delidding guidance and in the commercial Ryzen delid service’s process, so it is the safest default choice for this tutorial.
- A precision applicator brush or the syringe tip that ships with the liquid metal, plus cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol (99% concentration) for cleanup.
- Nail polish or a dedicated conformal coating pen to mask exposed SMD components and PCB traces around the die, since liquid metal is electrically conductive and a stray drop can short a voltage rail.
- A direct-die frame or mounting bracket if you plan to skip relidding entirely. Note that AM5’s Ryzen 9000 series uses thicker adhesive than earlier sockets, and community reports describe needing to sand down the edge of a Direct Die Frame v2 to get a proper fit.
- HWiNFO64 (latest version) or a similar sensor tool to log baseline and post-delid temperatures under identical loads.
- A stress-testing tool: Cinebench 2024 for a repeatable multi-core load, and Prime95 (latest version, small FFTs setting) for a worst-case thermal stress test.
- Anti-static wrist strap, a well-lit workspace, and roughly 90-120 minutes of uninterrupted time.
On the CPU side, delidding only makes sense on chips that run hot enough to benefit. The table below lists the processors most commonly delidded in 2026, based on documented community activity and commercial delid-service listings.
| CPU | Socket | Why It Gets Delidded | Documented Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 7 9800X3D | AM5 | 3D V-Cache hot spots cause throttling under sustained gaming loads | ~20°C drop with direct-die + liquid metal (Reddit, Oct. 2025) |
| Ryzen 9 9950X3D | AM5 | Dual-CCD 3D V-Cache, high boost clocks and package power | Documented in der8auer’s delid teardown; no single averaged figure published |
| Ryzen 9950X3D2 / 9950X3D | AM5 | Same V-Cache thermal profile, see our 9950X3D2 vs 9950X3D comparison | Falls under the 5-23°C range reported by commercial delid services for AM5 chips |
| Ryzen 7 7800X3D | AM5 | The original 3D V-Cache chip that popularized this delid trend | 10°C cooler after delid + Conductonaut, per TechSpot’s coverage of overclocker Madness7771 |
| Ryzen 9 9900X / 9950X | AM5 | High core count and package power without V-Cache | Listed on commercial Ryzen delid service menus for the same 5-23°C range |
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K | LGA1851 | 125W/250W PL1/PL2 envelope draws enthusiast overclocking interest | Not yet widely documented; Intel’s IHS geometry differs from AMD’s AM5 package |
Notice that Intel’s current Core Ultra 200 desktop chips do not yet have the same delidding track record that AMD’s 3D V-Cache lineup does. That gap exists because Arrow Lake-S uses a different die-to-substrate bonding process than AM5, and most of 2025-2026’s delidding community activity has concentrated on Ryzen. If your CPU is a 285K or 265K, treat everything in this guide as higher-risk and lower-certainty than the AMD steps.
Step 1: Verify Your CPU and Record Baseline Temperatures
Skipping this step is the single most common reason people regret delidding. Without a documented “before” temperature, you cannot prove the mod actually helped, and you cannot diagnose a problem later if temperatures get worse instead of better.
Install HWiNFO64 and open the sensor panel. Run Cinebench 2024’s multi-core test three times back to back, letting the CPU idle for two minutes between runs, and log the peak package temperature and the sustained all-core clock speed from the third run. Then run Prime95 with small FFTs for 15 minutes and record the peak temperature again, since this workload generates more heat than most games or Cinebench ever will.
# PowerShell: pull live CPU package temperature from HWiNFO's shared memory
# via the free HWiNFO Sensor Data Provider (requires HWiNFO64 running
# with "Shared Memory Support" enabled in Settings > General).
$sensor = Get-WmiObject -Namespace "rootWMI" -Class "HWiNFO_Sensors" |
Where-Object { $_.SensorName -like "*CPU Package*" }
foreach ($entry in $sensor) {
"{0}: {1} C" -f $entry.SensorName, $entry.SensorValue
}
If that WMI namespace is not available on your HWiNFO build, the built-in logging feature (File > Log to CSV) works just as well. Either way, save this baseline file. You will compare it directly to the post-delid numbers in Step 12.
Step 2: Build an Anti-Static, Well-Lit Workspace
Lay down an anti-static mat, put on a grounded wrist strap, and clear the area of carpet, pets, and anything that generates static. The CPU’s substrate has exposed gold contacts and, once delidded, an exposed silicon die with no protective layer. A single static discharge at this stage can kill a chip that survived years of normal use without issue.
Set up strong, direct lighting angled across the CPU rather than straight down. Solder residue and adhesive are easier to see and remove under raking light than under a flat overhead lamp, and you will spend a meaningful chunk of this project (Step 5) scraping solder off a die roughly the size of a fingernail.
Step 3: Remove the CPU and Mount It in a Delid Tool
Pull the CPU from the socket, taking care not to bend any socket pins on Intel packages or scratch the pad array on AMD’s AM5 chips. Orient the CPU in the delid tool according to the tool’s included socket adapter, if using an AM5-specific jig, or the LGA1851 adapter for Intel’s current desktop platform. Most delid jigs use adjustable set screws or a clamping mechanism that presses evenly against the IHS edges while leaving the center of the die area untouched.
Double-check orientation against the notches or pin-1 indicator on the CPU. Mounting it backward in the jig risks applying shear force in the wrong direction, which is how people crack a die instead of cleanly popping the IHS.
Step 4: Break the Adhesive Seal and Lift the IHS
This is the step people fear most, and it is also where AMD’s newer Ryzen 9000-series chips differ noticeably from older sockets. Community reports on r/overclocking describe AMD using a thicker adhesive bead around the IHS edge on Ryzen 9000 than on prior generations, which is strong enough that a standard Direct Die Frame v2 needs its edges sanded down to fit properly afterward.
Tighten the delid tool’s set screws gradually and evenly, working in small increments around all four sides rather than cranking one corner first. You are shearing an adhesive bond, not prying a lid off a jar, so the IHS should separate with a subtle crack or pop rather than a sudden jerk. If you feel heavy resistance on one side and none on the others, back off and re-check the tool’s alignment before continuing, since uneven force is what chips corners of the die.
“I would never recommend using liquid metal on the IHS itself simply because it’s” too easy to bridge exposed contacts, said overclocker Roman Hartung, known online as der8auer, in a video walkthrough of a Ryzen 9950X3D delid. His point applies just as directly to the die itself: liquid metal belongs only where you have masked everything around it.
Once the IHS lifts free, set it aside on a clean surface, silicone-side up, so leftover solder does not pick up dust or fibers. Take a moment here to photograph the exposed die and substrate before doing anything else. A clear photo at this stage gives you a reference point if something looks different after cleaning, and it is genuinely useful if you ever need to show a commercial delid service or forum community what you are working with while troubleshooting.
Some jigs pop the IHS free in one clean motion; others require a second or third round of gradually increased pressure. If three full passes around the tool produce no movement at all, stop and reconsider rather than escalating force further. A small number of chips, particularly early production runs on a new socket, ship with denser adhesive than the norm, and forcing a stuck IHS past that point is far more likely to crack the die than to finish the job cleanly.
Step 5: Clean Solder and Old TIM From the Die
AMD and Intel both use a soldered thermal interface between the die and the IHS on their higher-end desktop chips, meaning you are removing hardened indium solder, not paste. Warm the die gently with a heat gun on its lowest setting, held several inches away, until the solder softens enough to lift with a plastic spudger or the flat edge of a credit card. Never use a metal tool directly against the die surface.
For stubborn residue, solder wick (the same copper braid used in electronics soldering) paired with a small amount of flux can lift the last traces without scraping. Finish with isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free cloth or cotton swab, wiping in one direction rather than circular scrubbing, until the die surface is uniformly clean and shows no reflective solder specks.
If you are relidding rather than going direct-die, also clean the inside of the IHS the same way. Any leftover solder bump on the IHS will create an uneven gap once you reassemble the package with liquid metal.
Step 6: Choose Direct-Die vs. Relid
This is the fork in the road that determines how much cooling gain you actually get. Relidding, putting the original IHS back on with liquid metal replacing the factory solder, is the safer, more forgiving path and is what Thermal Grizzly does on its own retail delidded 9800X3D units. Direct-die, running your cooler’s coldplate straight against the bare silicon with no IHS at all, removes an entire thermal interface layer and unlocks a bigger drop, but it demands a compatible mounting frame and much tighter mechanical tolerances.
- Relid if this is your first delid, if you plan to sell or return the CPU later, or if your cooler’s coldplate is not flat enough to seat evenly against a bare die.
- Direct-die if you already have (or are buying) a frame purpose-built for your socket, and you have budgeted extra time for the more finicky mounting process in Step 9.
The Reddit report describing a ~20°C drop on a 9800X3D used the direct-die route with a Frozn A720 cooler, while the commercial delid-and-relid service documents a smaller but still meaningful 5-23°C range across the Ryzen 7000 and 9000 lineup. Either path is a real improvement over stock; direct-die simply asks for more precision in exchange for the larger number.
Step 7: Mask and Protect the Substrate
Liquid metal is a gallium alloy and it conducts electricity. Any drop that migrates off the die and onto the surrounding capacitors, resistors, or exposed PCB traces on the substrate can short two voltage rails together and kill the CPU instantly. This is the step commercial delid services describe explicitly when they talk about coating all exposed traces and SMDs on the PCB before liquid metal ever touches the chip.
Paint a thin, even layer of nail polish or conformal coating around the die’s border, covering every visible component and trace on the substrate but leaving the die itself completely bare. Let it cure fully, typically 15-20 minutes for nail polish, before moving on. Apply a second coat if the first looks thin or uneven anywhere.
Step 8: Apply Liquid Metal the Right Way
Shake the liquid metal syringe or bottle first, since gallium alloys can separate slightly in storage. Dispense a rice-grain-sized amount directly onto the die, then use the included brush or a cotton swab tip to spread it into a thin, even film that fully covers the die surface with no bare spots and no excess pooling at the edges.
# Liquid metal application checklist (run through before mounting anything)
[ ] Die surface is bare metal, no solder specks, no fingerprints
[ ] Substrate masking is fully cured, no tacky spots
[ ] Liquid metal spread is thin and even, edge to edge
[ ] No visible liquid metal beyond the die border
[ ] Cooler/IHS coldplate is also coated with a thin liquid metal layer
[ ] Both surfaces inspected under raking light before mating
Thermal Grizzly’s own 2025 guidance on delidded CPUs describes applying liquid metal on both mating surfaces, the die and the cooler base or IHS interior, rather than just one side. Do the same here: a thin coat on each surface bonds together into a single uniform layer once you mate the two parts, which is more reliable than trying to load all the liquid metal onto just the die.
Resist the temptation to use more liquid metal than the checklist above calls for. A thicker layer does not conduct heat better once it exceeds a very thin film, and excess liquid metal has nowhere to go except outward, toward the exact masked border you spent time protecting in Step 7. If you notice liquid metal creeping toward the die’s edge as you spread it, stop, wipe the excess back toward the center with a clean cotton swab tip, and re-inspect the masking underneath before continuing.
Step 9: Relid or Mount a Direct-Die Frame
If relidding, lower the cleaned IHS straight down onto the die with no side-to-side sliding motion, which would smear the liquid metal unevenly. Some enthusiasts reseal the IHS edge with a thin bead of adhesive or silicone to hold it in place during reinstallation; others rely on the cooler’s mounting pressure alone. Never reattach the original factory IHS using anything that changes its resting height relative to the die, since even a small gap will leave the liquid metal unable to fully bridge the surfaces.
If going direct-die, seat your frame according to its instructions. Remember that AM5 Ryzen 9000-series chips often need the frame’s edge sanded slightly to clear the substrate’s thicker adhesive residue, per the community reports referenced in Step 4. Test-fit the frame dry, without liquid metal, before doing it for real, so you are not troubleshooting a fitment problem with exposed liquid metal already on the die.
Step 10: Reinstall the CPU and Cooler
Reinstall the CPU into the socket exactly as you removed it in Step 3, matching the pin-1 orientation. If relidded, apply your normal thermal paste or liquid metal between the IHS and the cooler’s coldplate, just as you would on any unmodified CPU. If direct-die, the cooler mounts straight to the frame, and the liquid metal you applied in Step 8 is the only interface between silicon and coldplate, so there is no separate paste step here.
Torque cooler mounting screws evenly and in small increments, alternating between opposite corners rather than fully tightening one side first. Direct-die setups are unforgiving of uneven pressure: Thermal Grizzly’s own guidance warns that excessive or uneven mounting pressure on a bare die can cause RAM detection failures, system instability, and in worst cases permanent CPU damage, because there is no rigid IHS to spread the load evenly anymore.
Step 11: Boot Test and Run Thermal Benchmarks
Power on and get into the BIOS first, before booting into Windows. Confirm the CPU is detected correctly, memory is recognized at its rated speed, and no error codes appear on the motherboard’s debug display. If the system fails to POST, do not panic immediately; jump to the troubleshooting section below before assuming the CPU is dead.
Once you reach the desktop, repeat the exact same test sequence from Step 1: three Cinebench 2024 multi-core runs, then 15 minutes of Prime95 small FFTs, logging peak package temperature and sustained clock speed with HWiNFO64 both times.
# PowerShell: append post-delid temperature log to the same CSV
# used for the baseline capture in Step 1, tagging each row with
# a "delid" or "stock" label for easy comparison later.
$timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
$temp = (Get-WmiObject -Namespace "rootWMI" -Class "HWiNFO_Sensors" |
Where-Object { $_.SensorName -like "*CPU Package*" }).SensorValue
"$timestamp,delid,$temp" | Out-File -Append -FilePath "cpu_temp_log.csv"
A representative example log, based on the documented public results cited throughout this guide, looks like this once you line up before-and-after runs:
| Test | Configuration | Peak Temp | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime95 small FFTs, 9800X3D | Stock IHS, standard paste | Baseline (your logged value) | Reference point |
| Prime95 small FFTs, 9800X3D | Direct-die + liquid metal, Frozn A720 | ~20°C lower than baseline | Reddit r/overclocking report, Oct. 2025 |
| Prime95 small FFTs, Ryzen 7000/9000 (avg.) | Relid + Conductonaut Extreme under IHS | 5-23°C lower than baseline | DelidServices.com commercial process |
| Sustained gaming load, 5800X3D | Delid + Conductonaut Extreme | 10°C lower, higher sustained clocks | TechSpot coverage of overclocker Madness7771 |
| Prime95, Core i9-9900K | Delid + liquid metal | Delta-T over ambient fell from 64.4°C to 60°C | GamersNexus delid and overclock guide |
GamersNexus, which has published some of the most methodical delid-and-liquid-metal testing in the enthusiast press, described one of its Intel results this way: “After our liquid metal application, we saw a temperature reduction from about 64.4 degrees Celsius delta T over ambient to about 60 degrees over ambient.” That is a smaller-sounding number than the 20°C headlines from Ryzen X3D delids, and it is a useful reminder that results vary a lot by chip, cooler, and how much thermal headroom the stock configuration was already leaving on the table.
Step 12: Log Results and Plan Long-Term Maintenance
Liquid metal is not a set-and-forget thermal interface the way paste is. Gallium alloys can slowly migrate or, on some IHS and coldplate materials, cause pump-out effects over months of thermal cycling. Check your logged temperatures again after 60-90 days of normal use. If peak temperatures under the same Prime95 test have crept up by more than 3-5°C from your Step 11 numbers, it is time to clean and reapply.
Keep your baseline and post-delid CSV logs somewhere permanent. They are the only objective record you have of whether this project was worth the risk, and they make troubleshooting far easier the next time you upgrade coolers or reseat the CPU.
Common Pitfalls That Kill CPUs During Delidding
Most delidding failures trace back to one of a handful of repeatable mistakes. Knowing them in advance is cheaper than learning them on a $479 chip.
- Uneven shear force during IHS removal. Tightening a delid tool’s set screws unevenly concentrates stress on one corner of the die instead of distributing it across the adhesive bond, which is how corners chip.
- Liquid metal bridging exposed traces. This is the single most common cause of an instant-dead CPU after delidding, and it is entirely preventable with the masking step in Step 7.
- Reattaching the IHS at the wrong height. If the IHS sits even slightly higher than its original position, the liquid metal layer cannot bridge the gap, and thermal performance gets worse, not better, than stock.
- Over-tightening a direct-die cooler mount. Without a rigid IHS to spread clamping force, excessive pressure on a bare die can cause RAM detection failures or physical die damage, according to Thermal Grizzly’s own delidded-CPU guidance.
- Skipping the dry test-fit on direct-die frames. AM5’s thicker Ryzen 9000 adhesive means some frames need sanding to fit, and finding that out after liquid metal is already on the die turns a fixable problem into a ruined chip.
- Using standard thermal paste instead of liquid metal on a bare die. One documented 9800X3D delid attempt found that standard paste directly on the die actually produced worse temperatures and performance than the liquid metal configuration, since paste’s thermal conductivity is far lower than gallium alloy.
Troubleshooting: 8 Problems After Delidding (and Fixes)
Work through these in order if something goes wrong after reassembly. Most post-delid issues are mounting or masking problems, not dead silicon.
Boot and POST Issues
- System won’t POST at all. Reseat the CPU and confirm it is oriented correctly. On direct-die setups, loosen cooler mounting pressure slightly, since over-tightening can prevent proper socket contact.
- RAM not detected or running at reduced speed. This is a documented symptom of excessive direct-die mounting pressure. Back off the cooler’s mounting screws in small increments and retest before assuming a RAM or motherboard fault.
- System boots but shuts down immediately under load. Check for a short first: power down, remove the cooler, and visually inspect the substrate under bright light for any liquid metal migration outside the masked area.
- No display output despite fans spinning. Reseat any direct-die frame and verify it has not shifted the die’s height relative to the socket’s standoff height, which can prevent proper cooler contact and trigger thermal shutdown before the display even initializes.
Thermal and Performance Issues
- Temperatures are the same or worse than before delidding. The IHS likely sits at the wrong height, or the liquid metal layer is too thin, too thick, or uneven. Redo Step 8 and Step 9 rather than assuming the delid failed entirely.
- Temperatures improved but clocks did not increase. This matches a documented 9800X3D direct-die case where a 20°C drop produced no noticeable performance gain, since modern Ryzen chips are often power-limited or algorithm-limited before they are thermally limited. Check your PPT/TDC/EDC limits in BIOS rather than expecting temperature headroom alone to raise clocks.
- Liquid metal appears to have dried out or separated after several weeks. Gallium alloys can experience pump-out over repeated thermal cycles. Clean both surfaces with isopropyl alcohol and reapply a fresh, thin layer.
- Intermittent crashes that worsen over time. This can indicate slow liquid metal migration toward an unmasked component. Power down, disassemble, and re-inspect the masking layer around the die for any degradation or gaps that opened up under thermal cycling.
Advanced Tips: Squeezing Out More Thermal Headroom
Once the basic delid is stable, a few refinements separate an average result from the 20°C-class drops documented in the best public reports.
- Lap the cooler coldplate. A perfectly flat coldplate matters more on direct-die setups than on a relidded chip, since there is no IHS to compensate for minor coldplate imperfections. Even a light lapping pass can improve full-surface contact with the die.
- Pair the delid with an undervolt. Combining a delid with a curve optimizer undervolt in Ryzen Master compounds the thermal benefit, since you are reducing heat generation and improving heat removal at the same time rather than relying on one or the other.
- Log temperatures at fixed intervals, not just peak values. A CPU that hits the same peak temperature as before but sustains higher boost clocks for longer during the ramp-up phase is still a meaningful win that a single peak-temperature comparison misses.
- Match liquid metal choice to your cooler’s coldplate material. Gallium alloys can slowly amalgamate with bare aluminum over time, which is one reason some direct-die frame designs specifically warn against exposing untreated aluminum edges to liquid metal. Nickel-plated or copper coldplates handle long-term liquid metal contact more reliably.
- Re-run your full stress-test suite after any BIOS update. Firmware updates can change default voltage curves and power limits, which shifts the thermal load your delid needs to handle even though nothing physically changed inside the case.
How Delidding Compares to Other Cooling Upgrades
Delidding is not the only lever available for a hot-running CPU, and it is rarely the first one to pull. Before committing a chip to a one-way modification, it is worth weighing it against the alternatives most builders reach for first.
A curve optimizer undervolt through Ryzen Master or a BIOS-level equivalent reduces the voltage the CPU requests at a given clock speed, which lowers heat output directly at the source rather than improving how that heat escapes. It is fully reversible, carries no warranty risk, and on 3D V-Cache chips it often produces a meaningful chunk of the same benefit people chase through delidding, since much of the thermal problem on these chips comes from voltage spikes during boost rather than a purely mechanical bottleneck in the thermal interface. Many enthusiasts who eventually delid a chip started by undervolting first and only moved to a physical modification once they had already extracted what software-level tuning could offer.
Upgrading the cooler itself is the next logical step, and it interacts directly with delidding’s value. A CPU already running comfortably under a strong 360mm AIO or a full custom loop has less thermal headroom left to gain from a delid, since the bottleneck has shifted from “can the interface move heat fast enough” to “how much heat can the radiator surface actually reject.” Conversely, a chip paired with a budget dual-tower air cooler or a cramped small-form-factor case is a much stronger candidate, because the stock thermal interface is more likely to be the limiting factor rather than the cooler’s raw capacity.
Reapplying standard thermal paste between the IHS and cooler, without touching the die at all, is the lowest-risk option of the three and should be ruled out before anything more invasive. Paste applied years ago can pump out or dry over time, and a fresh, correctly applied layer sometimes recovers several degrees on its own. Only once undervolting, cooler capacity, and fresh paste have all been tried and the chip is still hitting its thermal ceiling does delidding start to make sense as the next move rather than the first one.
Is Delidding Worth It in 2026? Cost vs. Temperature Data
The honest answer depends on what you already have. If your cooling is a budget air cooler struggling to keep a 9800X3D under its thermal limit during long gaming sessions, delidding addresses the actual bottleneck. If you are already running a capable 240mm-plus AIO or a custom water-cooling loop and seeing comfortable temperatures, the marginal gain from delidding shrinks considerably, and the documented case of a 20°C temperature drop producing no measurable performance gain on a 9800X3D is a useful reality check.
For anyone unwilling to take on the risk personally, Thermal Grizzly’s factory-delidded, warrantied Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the lowest-risk path to the same thermal benefit, at $599 excluding VAT (roughly $699 with VAT in Europe). That premium buys a professionally executed delid, tested liquid metal application, and a two-year warranty covering manufacturing defects and normal overclocking damage, though not mechanical damage from mishandling.
| Path | Upfront Cost | Risk Level | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY delid, relid with liquid metal | Cost of delid tool + liquid metal (reusable across future chips) | High on first attempt | None; original CPU warranty voids on delidding |
| DIY delid, direct-die | Delid tool + liquid metal + direct-die frame | Highest, tightest tolerances | None |
| Commercial delid-and-relid service | Mail-in service fee plus return shipping | Low; done by specialists | Varies by provider |
| Factory-delidded retail CPU (Thermal Grizzly 9800X3D) | $599 excl. VAT (~$699 incl. VAT in Europe) | None to the buyer | Two-year warranty on defects and normal overclocking damage |
Whichever path you pick, run the same before-and-after benchmark discipline from Steps 1 and 11. Delidding is one of the few PC modifications where the difference between a great result and a wasted CPU often comes down to patience during masking and even pressure during reassembly, not exotic tools or expensive parts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does delidding void my CPU warranty?
Yes. Both AMD and Intel treat physical modification of the processor package, including IHS removal, as outside normal use, so the original manufacturer warranty ends the moment you delid. Third-party sellers of pre-delidded chips, such as Thermal Grizzly, issue their own separate warranty to cover this gap.
How much cooler will my CPU actually run after delidding?
Documented results vary widely by chip and method: commercial Ryzen delid-and-relid services report a 5-23°C range, a direct-die 9800X3D delid reported roughly 20°C, and an older Ryzen 7 5800X3D delid reported about 10°C. There is no single guaranteed number, which is why logging your own before-and-after baseline matters.
Is direct-die always better than relidding?
Direct-die removes an entire thermal interface layer and can produce a larger temperature drop, but it demands a compatible mounting frame, tighter tolerances, and carries higher risk of RAM detection issues or die damage from uneven mounting pressure. Relidding is the safer starting point for a first delid.
Can I use regular thermal paste instead of liquid metal after delidding?
You can, but one documented 9800X3D direct-die test found that standard thermal paste on a bare die produced worse temperatures and performance than liquid metal, since paste has far lower thermal conductivity than a gallium alloy like Conductonaut Extreme.
Is Intel’s Core Ultra 200 series (285K, 265K) as commonly delidded as AMD’s Ryzen X3D chips?
Not yet as of 2026. Current public delidding activity concentrates heavily on AMD’s AM5 3D V-Cache chips, and there is little published data on large-scale delidding of Arrow Lake-S desktop chips, so treat Intel delids in this guide’s framework as higher-uncertainty.
What happens if liquid metal touches something other than the die?
Because liquid metal conducts electricity, contact with unmasked PCB traces or surface-mount components can short a voltage rail and destroy the CPU instantly. This is why masking every exposed component around the die, described in Step 7, is not an optional precaution.
Do I need to reapply liquid metal periodically?
Check your logged temperatures after 60-90 days of normal use. Gallium-based liquid metal can slowly migrate or degrade its contact with certain coldplate materials over months of thermal cycling, and a temperature increase of more than 3-5°C from your post-delid baseline is a sign it is time to clean and reapply.
Will delidding increase my gaming FPS?
Not necessarily. A documented 9800X3D direct-die delid that achieved roughly a 20°C temperature reduction reported no noticeable performance gain, since many current Ryzen chips are limited by power or boost algorithms before they hit a thermal ceiling. The main benefit is often lower noise from reduced fan speed and more thermal headroom for a manual overclock or undervolt, rather than a direct FPS increase.