The Delid-Die-Mate Intel 13th Gen from Thermal Grizzly is a tool designed for removing the heat spreader (delidding) on Intel processors from the Alder Lake and Raptor Lake series. With the so-called Direct Die method, the CPU cooler is mounted directly on the processor chip. By eliminating the heat spreader from the cooling loop, a significantly improved heat transfer from the dies to the CPU cooler is possible.

Why delidding and the Direct Die method for Intel processors? During delidding, or removing the heat spreader, the heat spreader of the processor is taken off. For non-soldered processors, delidding is typically used to replace the thermal interface material (TIM) between the CPU die and the heat spreader with high-quality thermal paste or liquid metal before remounting the heat spreader. However, since the Intel Core processors of the 13th generation are soldered, this is not an option, as removing the indium solder would create too large a gap between the IHS and the CPU dies.

Therefore, the Intel Core CPUs of the 13th Gen are primarily delidded for the potential mounting of the CPU cooler directly on the CPU dies. By omitting the heat spreader and mounting the CPU cooler directly on the dies, temperatures can typically be reduced by 10-15 °C when using liquid metal such as Conductonaut as TIM. A corresponding test with an Intel Core i9-13900K was conducted by content creator and tech YouTuber Roman der8auer Hartung, a professional overclocker and engineer.

Warning: Removing the heat spreader (delidding) of a processor is done at your own risk! Delidding the CPU voids the manufacturer’s warranty! Damage incurred during CPU delidding is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty!

Technical details:
Material: Anodized aluminum
Delidding tool for 12th, 13th, and 14th generation Intel Core
Developed by Roman der8auer Hartung
Made from black and red anodized aluminum.