Lapping Your Processor For Fun and Profit!

[mDust]

Originally Posted by Spawn-Inc

about a the thickness of a dime, so you have plenty of metal to keep going.

Heh, I hold in my hand a dime. Upon examining it, I'm glad I stopped when I did. I actually took off a large amount of material with 400 grit getting the thing flat. It was disgustingly warped. The outside edges and center were about .5-1mm higher than the doughnut shaped depression. There's no way that the doughnut area was even in contact with my bowed HS. They're both flat now and the temps dropped significantly. Winter idle after the lapping was around 25-30C and summer seems to be 40-45C. Looks like it's averaging about 15C over ambient. All is well now.

[Spawn-Inc]

Originally Posted by mDust

Heh, I hold in my hand a dime. Upon examining it, I'm glad I stopped when I did. I actually took off a large amount of material with 400 grit getting the thing flat. It was disgustingly warped. The outside edges and center were about .5-1mm higher than the doughnut shaped depression. There's no way that the doughnut area was even in contact with my bowed HS. They're both flat now and the temps dropped significantly. Winter idle after the lapping was around 25-30C and summer seems to be 40-45C. Looks like it's averaging about 15C over ambient. All is well now.

and you still had nickel left on the block? it's just a plating and should come right off within 10 minutes of 400 grit.

[mDust]

Originally Posted by Spawn-Inc

and you still had nickel left on the block? it's just a plating and should come right off within 10 minutes of 400 grit.

Like I said, it was crazy-warped. I stopped sanding with low grits as soon as my 'sharpie X' was completely gone. The 1000+ smoothed it all out without taking the nickel off. But the center bump and the outside perimeter lost a ton of copper. I wasn't sure how thick the IHS was so I called it good:

Its color looks ugly, but it's mostly flat and has a very nice mirror finish everywhere but the outer edges of the extremely low doughnut area:

The only real issue now is over core #0...it's not quite a mirror finish over about half of it...
I'm really not sure how Intel thought the shape of this IHS was OK to begin with, but hopefully my next CPU won't have such severe 'flatness' issues.

[x88x]

Originally Posted by mDust

I'm really not sure how Intel thought the shape of this IHS was OK to begin with, but hopefully my next CPU won't have such severe 'flatness' issues.

It probably falls under the 'it would cost us a lot more to actually make them all flat, and they're fine as-is for most of the population, so....eh'.

[artoodeeto]

Originally Posted by x88x

Hmmm, this makes me wonder about my own CPU...I haven't been able to pull its idle temps under the mid 50's, and with my cooling system there's no reason for that. I already lapped the block a while ago, I think while I have the system apart anyways that I'll go ahead an lap the CPU as well. I've just always been paranoid about it...it's a lot cheaper to replace a $50 block or HS/F than a $300 CPU.. /crosses fingers

this makes me wonder the same thing about mine...but...it'd be such a pain to get to it I probably won't worry about it. idle is low 40's anyway, which for the fans I have to use I think is pretty good (6 scythe slipstream 1.2cm thick sandwiching the rad instead of the standard 2.5cm thick).

Still, thanks for the tutorial, it's nice to know how to do it properly!

[diluzio91]

lol... looking at the way the intel ish are made is kind of strange.... the AMD design looks like its easier to keep flat... just my observation...

[SXRguyinMA]

I'll be doing this once my new board come in from Trace (well that and I get Project Tempest SXR done to put this HW in)

[Spawn-Inc]

Originally Posted by diluzio91

lol... looking at the way the intel ish are made is kind of strange.... the AMD design looks like its easier to keep flat... just my observation...

ya there covers seem to be very flat, though i've never tested any.


as for the OP the sharpie test is kind of useless IMO as it's gone in 5 passes or so.

[Collinstheclown]

I've followed this guy's on his older version.
http://metku.net/index.html?path=mods/lapping/index_eng

You should try the polish.

[mDust]

Originally Posted by Spawn-Inc

as for the OP the sharpie test is kind of useless IMO as it's gone in 5 passes or so.

I mentioned using a 'sharpie x', not Kayin. If you think it's useless then you must not have experienced an Intel IHS!

Originally Posted by Collinstheclown

You should try the polish.

If you use polish then it might look too good to cover up with a heatsink!