Intel Core i9 8-Core Rumored To Be A Soldered Wonder, Delidders Need Not Apply

We've got some good news for hardcore PC enthusiasts that have resorted to delidding their Intel processors in order to achieve more robust overclocking results. According to fresh reports, Intel has decided to use solder between the integrated heat spreader (IHS) and the die on the upcoming Core i9-9900K and other 9th generation Core processors instead of the usual thermal compound.

Enthusiasts often turn to delidding to apply a more efficient thermal compound or to get more direct contact when going crazy with more serious cooling methods. German publication Golem.de first brought attention to Intel's decision to use solder, and other sources are claiming to have received confirmation of this move as well.

Skylake X Delidded
A Delidded Intel Skylake-X Processor (Source: der8auer)

If these reports turn out to be true, the use of high quality solder between the die and the IHS should mean that enthusiasts will be able to forgo the treacherous delidding route when overclocking. We'd chalk that up as a win for the little guys. 

Right now, based on the preliminary information that we have to go on, these are the three Coffee Lake Refresh processors that Intel will launch in August:

  • Core i9-9900K with 8 cores and 16 threads
  • Core i7-9700K with 8 cores and 8 threads
  • Core i5-9600K with 6 cores and 6 threads`

The Core i9-9900K has a base clock of 3.6GHz along with a single- and dual-core turbo clock of 5GHz. Quad-core turbo is listed at 4.8GHz while 6- and 8-core turbo is reportedly confirmed for 4.7GHz. The Core i9-9900K has a TDP of 95 watts and will have 16MB of Intel Smart Cache onboard.

According to anonymous sources that have gotten their hands on Coffee Lake Refresh engineering samples, they have been able to overclock to as high as 5.5GHz.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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