Short and Direct Delid Guide ► Ivy Bridge

This guide is NOT for amateurs and only if you are willing to take the time to do the steps properly!
Disclaimer (Click to show) Reasons (Click to show)

The Fun Part:

1.
Tools:

Razor blade
Paper (Optional, I liked it because it was anti-static and it's easier to see things with a white background)

2.
Prepping:
Make sure you are completely discharged! Have an anti-static bracelet or something to that effect because we will be touching the capacitors at the bottom of the CPU and that is sensitive to electric discharge! Many dead CPU's from delidding actually come from this rather than scratching the die!

3.
Cutting:
Now, I know it may be hard to get used to it but you will eventually catch on to it.
When inserting the blade, it should be flat or slightly curved upwards. If you have a CPU where you had a heavy mount on it and the corners seem really tightened, you can make it slightly angled towards the PCB to make the initial break in and once you do, just make it flat and start wiggling it about. The part where you enter slightly angled and you make it flat will make it seem that you are bending the CPU, don't worry! It's part of the process!

After that, you should be into the glue a bit and you can advance in two ways!:
a) Wiggling around the 1st corner to the middle and then to the 2nd corner
b) Finish 1 corner and then do the same to the 2nd corner

This wouldn't be a guide if I didn't tell you how to properly do it and the most important part is not scratching the die while trying to cut the glue!

Here is a picture (Courtesy of Valgaur) that I drew lines on that INDICATE the limit of how far you can go in! No more!

Great news! You don't have to worry about these sides because the die isn't even close to them!:


Corners!: (Only go up to this far for the corners!)


Here are critical parts of the CPU where you have to analyze!:


Cut only up to this point (About 3/4 ~ 4/5 of the crescent):


After doing all these steps for all sides, just wiggle it out and you should be able to take it off with minimal resistance!

4.
Cleaning off the glue!
I just applied some 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to the glue and rubbed it out with my finger and nails! Be gentle with rubbing the glue off the PCB with your nails! I dulled my nails before I did this.

5.
Applying TIM to the die:
Put a tiny amount like the size of half of a rice grain (half of a rice grain method is what I call it!) onto the die and put it into the socket! Just place the IHS on top of it and retain it with the brackets! Do not spread because the same laws apply here, air bubbles will get in and increase temps and the chance of you scratching the die from a card or something is very high!

6.
Finish!
After putting the IHS and bracket on, just treat it like any other seating of heatsink! Apply the method you like (Rice grain method best!) and slap on that heatsink and run it! It shouldn't be dead and all you will see are low cool temps!

A visual comparison!
What "half a rice grain" looks like after it has been seated


Clean CPU, this will show you a guess on how much you have to cut. Like I said, 3/4 of the crescent on the top left and right will do!


How the "half a rice grain" method looks like!


Message from Me:
I hope this helped the skeptical people and I hope this actually helped rather than make more confusion! If this does make problems, please inform me because I do not want more people to suffer if it is the case. I did this exactly down to the point with my CPU and I believe it is the most effective way for you to not get a scratch on your die! My CPU lives and I will post here and the Ivy Bridge Owners Club for my amazing results!
Edited by Swag - 9/30/12 at 3:00pm

Haha! Go delid now! Make it even better. Thanks for the pictures too! Amazing quality.



If you don't mind, I'll be putting this on the info part.

Yea the pictures were amazing. That TIM would probably be good since it's going to end up as a tiny film of aluminum. Orange cougars right?

Even with my CPU with the IHS so flat onto the PCB, I was able to take it off. Just when you enter in your blade, you can have it slightly angled towards the PCB. Now once you get to let go of the blade and it sticks, apply force and make it flat and start wiggling it left and right. Slowly and slowly the glue with cut off. A bit of force is going to be needed but don't worry, you won't cut the die as long as you follow the guide.

Coollaboratory is the best TIM possible to get as close to as a real solder. The problem is, most people don't have access to that product so I talked about the normal ones instead. I just ordered mine but it'll take a while since I didn't want to pay for good shipping.