EK announce Water Blocks for De-Lidded Ivy Bridge CPUs

The Ivy Bridge saga with removing the lid, a.k.a. the IHS (Integrated Heat Sink), stuck around for quite a long time. People debated the benefits of changing out the stock Intel thermal paste and using (or not using) the lid when it comes to cooling. If you didn’t get to see our exclusive Ivy Bridge “myth busting” article about what happens when you keep the lid/IHS but change the thermal paste, then please see here. The idea behind removing the lid is that with the IHS gone there are less layers between the CPU die and the cooling apparatus so cooling will be more efficient. However, in practice this hasn’t always worked because mounting systems do not go tight enough to clamp down directly onto the die. Removing the IHS leaves an extra 5-8mm of thickness where the IHS would of otherwise sat.

Leading on from that last problem, EK have devised a solution. Their solution is to redesign their mounting system, for the EK Supremacy blocks, so that it accounts for the fact the IHS/lid isn’t there. This mounting system which EK are calling PreciseMount Add-on Naked Ivy is a world first and no one has tried to do this before – probably because of how niche the market actually is. The idea behind it is that you can use your i5 3570K or i7 3770K with a custom water cooling loop and get more performance out of it by cooling the CPU die directly. The precise mount add-on kit is only compatible with existing EK Supremacy water blocks for LGA 1155 and is made of the usual high  quality nickel-plated brass.

All of this does come with a user warning though because removing the IHS/lid from Ivy Bridge CPUs is a very risky process and voids your warranty. For those who are interested in doing so the article we did has a page of guidance but it is still not easy. As EK state this is an expert process and something that is only to be done with the true knowledge and know-how. All that said it is still fantastic to see EK catering for such a niche market in devising this new mounting system specifically for de-lidded Ivy Bridge CPUs. It would of been nice to see some other companies offer a similar thing but for now EK are the only ones doing it – hats off to them.

What do you think of this offering from EK? Would you consider buying one? Would you considering de-lidding your Ivy Bridge CPU? Have you already done so and did you get any interesting results? Let us know your thoughts.

Source: EK PR