Overclocking used to be a bit of an extreme sport offshoot of the PC gaming world, only performed by people willing to take some risks to see how far they could push their hardware. Now it’s a bit different. Many chips have overclocking options accessible straight in the BIOS, letting everyone get a taste. That being said, there are still the hardcore 'clockers out there, happily tearing the tops off their CPUs trying for the biggest numbers for the sheer hell of it. Though even this kind of process is getting much easier, thanks to DIY delid kits designed specifically for the purpose.
Spotted by TechPowerUp, RockIt Cool is one such company specialising in these delid kits. It sells both delid and relid kits, designed to give you all the tools you need to DIY your CPU to all new temperature lows. There are have different options depending on the CPU you want to mutilate, and come with gorgeous pure-copper IHS replacements. There are even markings on the IHS to help with the application of liquid metal, making this honestly fairly risky upgrade as easy as possible.
But more importantly they look baller as heck.
The little piece of metal sitting on top of the CPUs gives an extra layer of class to the build, even if you won’t see it when it's tucked away in your case, hidden under your cooler. Copper does a great job of dispersing heat, so it’s an excellent choice for a new lid on a CPU.
RockIt Cool claims it managed to drop 15°C off the operating temperatures of an Intel Core i9 12900K using one of its copper lids and thermal interface material, but that seems a bit too good to be true.
Best gaming PC: the top pre-built machines from the pros
Best gaming laptop: perfect notebooks for mobile gaming
Regardless, customer reviews seem genuinely impressed, and the kits are relatively inexpensive ranging from $19 to $80 USD, depending. Though as always, be careful. This process will void your warranty and may even damage your gear. It’s not a good idea to give this a try without being very aware of the potential for failure.
While the focus for overclockers will likely be for the 12th gen Intel and AMD Ryzen kits, there's plenty of options for those not quite on the cutting edge or looking to get the best possible benchmark scores from their old hardware. RockIt Cool offers quite a few options for older chips going back to 3rd and 4th gen Intel, which might be a safer bet for first timers.
This is a great chance for those who’ve been overlock-curious to have a fairly fool proof shot of giving delidding and relidding a go on an old chip.
