Delidding Ryzen 7900X Lowers Temps by 20 Degrees, Increases OC Headroom

A Hot Take on Ryzen 7000 Thermals

Review embargo just lifted at 9:00 AM local time, but der8auer already had a Ryzen 9 7900X delidded. The video is very instructive, and not just because of the behind-the-scenes look at the process of prototyping parts for delidding and mounting. The results – and what they say about AMD’s decision to push compatibility with existing coolers – are huge.

As I have been talking about internally for the last several days, and as Gamers Nexus noted in the title of their latest video, 95 C is the new normal. AMD clarified this for media before the launch, adding language to reassure testers that these temps were perfectly normal, and even optimal.

“In the Ryzen 7000 Series, the processor is designed to run at TJMax 24/7 without risk of damage or deterioration. At 95 degrees it is not running hot, rather It will intentionally go to this temperature as much as possible under load because the power management system knows that this is the ideal way to squeeze the most performance out of the chip without damaging it.”

But what if it isn’t the ideal way to squeeze the most performance out of the chip, after all? What if the very thick IHS covering these hot new chips was actually a big part of the reason they need to live at TjMax?

After delidding, not only did temperatures drop by at least 20 C under load, but package power draw dropped by more than 30 watts. There is also some very interesting discussion in the video about AMD’s strategy to retain cooler compatibility with the new CPUs, which necessitated using such a thick IHS to match the earlier z-height. It seems safe to assume that a thinner IHS would result in better thermals, and more OC headroom.

Another point regarding AM4 cooler compatibility: any cooler requiring the use of its own backplate is not compatible out of the box with AM5, so you are stuck with options that use the stock mount until adapters (and AM5-specific coolers) hit the market. But in the new 95 C normal, does it even matter unless you are modifying the processor? In testing, we saw 95 C under load with a 360 mm AiO at 100% fans/pump, which produced a lot of noise just to live at TjMax.

If you haven’t watched the video, you should really watch the video. It’s embedded below.