Lapping a CPU, the proper way [AMD 3950x] 

Came here after seeing the article on PC Gamer. Very excited to see what comes out of this.

Can't wait to see temps without thermal paste. It's going to be a good day.

For the love of god... ...please start making more videos. Your attention to detail and narration voice would make you an instant sensation on RU-vid IMO... PC related, machining related, doesn't matter.

Was that "Beve Sturke" I heard, Steve Burke's alter ego? Gamers Nexus!

dude you have a great voice, very nice to listen to.

That's a freaking thing a beauty right there! Bout time someone did a true lapping job on a CPU! Can't wait to see the results. Even if the temp difference isn't massive, I'd still be happy knowing that incredible lapping job has been done and that the CPU and cooling block can be rung together without paste!

I've worked in Mc shops for almost a decade and worked as a QC tech. It always killed me when people would "lap" with sandpaper. It's like milling with a lathe. Sure you can get a flat surface, but it's not the same thing! I've never seen an IHS rung with a coldplate and I have to admit I'm pretty excited to see what Beve can show with that. It's so counter intuitive that the lap plate needs to be softer than your work piece, but this has inspired me to learn more about this and makes sense when you think of the charging process, but it's still a little "wait, wut" if you are used to traditional machining where the cutting tool is harder and the cause of material removal. But if you think of the lap plate as a tool holder, and the tool removing material is the abrasive, it becomes a little more intuitive. Great video, thank you for making this!

Wow! So smooth that the Casimir effect is even observed :O

It's been 8 months. I'm still waiting for the part 2 of this video

I was silly - I used sandpaper on glass when I should have used my milling machine and cast iron lapping plates. Oh well... next time, maybe :)

Biggest lie you told: "At the end of the day I'm JUST a machinist..." To the contrary, this is great work and your presentation very understated. I'm so glad you're investigating this phenomenon. I've asked other PC-Performance RU-vidrs about the effect of wringing a CPU IHS and a cooling block for heat transfer performance, but all I've ever gotten was 'crickets'. I just subscribed. Can't wait to check out your other videos.

still waiting for the update, come on man this is super interesting.

Very interesting! I really enjoyed the backround, never thought about precision flatness this way. Looking forward to the next part.

I can't be the only one who got a braingasm from the Three Plate Method

That was weirdly fascinating. Please tell me you're making a follow-up to this.

Tuned in for a brief but interesting cpu modification, got info on the history and science of flatness. Loved it, awesome video

This was in my recommended. Thank you, youtube.

I did this to my P4 and Heatsink back in the day. I learnt the hard way that they would become inseparable, ripping the CPU from the socket. When I went to remove the heatsink.

"Hello, this is Beve Sturke." Sounds like we're about to get some killer content on this!

Oh man! Can't wait for the follow-up! EPIC video! GOOD JOB!

I saw this video like a week after it was posted and have been anxiously awaiting the results the entire time. The wait is killing me

Absolutely fascinating. Eager to see what the results come back as.

@Penrowe has there been an update on this? What you have done is so cool!

I knew about gauge blocks, but damn, that 3 plate method blew my mind.

Right, where is part 2! You've left me hanging bro! 😁😂

I had to watch a second time because your voice is too soothing it almost put me asleep.

Eagerly awaiting those graphs, very fascinating work here! 👍🏻

Amazing video! Gosh, this makes me really want to go the extra mile and try no TIM, so I’m a machinist and have done lapping for 15+ yrs, also XOC overclocker, with my water blocks and cpu dies, Direct die 9900k/10900k, I ground the die flat to 2 light bands then lapped it lightly from there, along with water block cold plate, but with water block assembled to avoid the mistake and make everything square to itself, die to PCB, ect. On 9900k chips, took my best 6 I also tested different material removal to get closer to the transistors which did make a significant improvement, and let’s just say the results with both surfaces at 1 light band flat they will wring together, but getting them to wring while assembling cpu/waterblock in motherboard would be an extremely challenging process. Non the less on my golden 9900k I have insane core to core deltas of +/- 1c controlled coolant temp (chiller) and on my golden 10900k +/- 2c using liquid metal. And my temps compared to stock saw significant decrease of around 10c to 25c depending on chips and silicon quality. My 10900k was just going to have IHS lapped but I had core to core delta issues even after lapping IHS, so a delid was needed. Only thing stopping me is time, look forward to seeing another video.

Great video, concept, quality and audio. wish you more success with such content. await the next one in this series

Finally, a true lapping vid. It has always bothered me watching people sand dies with obvious edge rounding. I'm looking forward to seeing a follow up. I've always wanted to see somebody toss theirs on a surface grinder too.

ok this was great. I said lapping and sanding are different but u know big channels and answering viewers is not a big thing unless it's a mass of ppl. Thank you for this, now I'm off to sand the IHS on my 5900x...Good luck everybody!

I'm excited for the next part

So? What are the results?

PC Gamer sent me here. But I subscribed because I must know more about this mystery man, Beve Sturke. I wonder if he means old Steve Burke? I don't know anyone named Beve, but old Steve lives out beyond the Dune Sea.

This is uncanny. I was talking with someone about launching this exact business the other day. I too believe in this process, I believe it to be the best and most effective way.

I'm still waiting.. the hanger broke, but I fell on the floor safely, but still waiting.

what's the update on this? Is there an ETA on any future experiments?

This is absolutely incredible and very interesting. Great video!

Getting serious Ahoy vibes from this video. Great video. Subbed

Great stuff! Very interested in the follow-up video :)

Never heard of this before in my life, tanks for the informative video!

This is some true expert and engineering stuff bruhh keep it up 🔥👍

Dude, love video, love quality, love your editing, love your voice, and love how you, like others mechanics or electronic engineer can explain stuff that in school it would probably take month to learn xD

Mounting the heat sink directly on the silicon is the most thermally efficient way to cool it. Direct die cooling. The inside of the IHS doesn't even make contact with the top of the silicon! Manufacturers use either solder or thermal paste to transfer the heat from the silicon to the IHS, and then you use thermal paste again to transfer the heat from the IHS to the heat sink. The trick is making sure you don't crack the silicon!

This is the real deal. 2020, and too few people actually uses the resources available to improve stuff. Great!

Man, you've got one hell of a good voice-over voice 👍🏻

You know you play to much Divinity: Original Sin 2 when you can recognize its music right away in a video.

Can't wait for the next video... hopefully?

Klockren! vilken underskattad kanal. Vi behöver en revanchvideo

Fun project, looking forward to see their results.

Hey man, I hope I haven't missed anything here and I don't sound rude or offend you. Just your channel is really small, but this is a damn good video. I didn't know any of the stuff you talked about in the video but you made it so interesting and I've definitely learned a few things. If you made more content like this I think your channel could really grow!

Mmmm, dat voice dough. Lap me up, sweet siren. Professor Rick would approve of your attempt at true flatness.

I didn't know what CPU lapping was 15 minutes ago and now I'm all for it.

But what if there are no V O I D S ? Man this got deep. Or did it?

Wow! I learned a whole bunch of stuff like the counterintuitive bits about how hard the lapping plates should be.

Finally a proper lapping video. It's very annoying when people just sand their cpu and say they have lapped it. I have used a set a grade 0 blocks. They wring together very well and I have always wondered what would happen if you wring the cpu and cooler together. Personally I think once the cpu heats up the thermal expansion will completely ruin all the efforts, they will separate as the ihs and cooler expand at different rates.

it would be interesting to see the effect of mounting pressure on thermal performance under wringing

So, there are no even absolute results for this experiment after all of this? Man, you can't have us hanging like this :'(

This video makes me wanna become a machinist also, dat voice tho

Cool concept, awesome video, then.. nothing.. Are there any updates to this? The result of these efforts deserves to be shared!

What a fucking good video. I'm locked on it.

Was there ever a follow-up to this? Would definitely still be good content even if the results were disappointing

I AM SOOOO FUCKING EXCITED! You blew my mind when you discussed the history of lapping and how it was invented. I couldn't believe how simple and elegant the solution to creating a perfectly flat surface was. Now I await the second video and I believe Gamers Nexus will do this test justice.

Omg the cliffhanger!

this is quality content.

Does anyone know what is the status on this one, I'm still curious.

I really hope Steve from GN will do the tests... how exciting!!!

good precision for school project)

I only can find silicon carbide powder can you link where I can get the silicon carbide you used

So if I wanted to get my cpu flat relative to just my heatsink, I could just lap them together? What abrasive(s) would I need to do this?

Penrowe, this is incredible work and I'm so excited to see you make follow up videos about lapping processors and heatsinks. About 10 years ago I had a CPU cooler and when I lapped it with sandpaper and polishing compound I lowered the temperature of my CPU by 3-5* C (my testing methodology was extremely primitive so take this with a pinch of salt), since then I've always had a weird fascination with it. I've read quite a bit about lapping over the past 10 years but I think this is the first time that someone with your background and experience is tackling this subject. Please, please, please continue making videos and thank you for your time and effort Can you give any advice for people who are trying to lap their CPU, heatsink, or waterblock? Most people will not go to the lengths that you have gone to in order to get a perfectly flat surface, but are there any tips you can give to get closer to a flat surface with a relatively small cost? Most of the advice I have read in the past focuses on using a flat piece of glass, using different grades of wet/dry sandpaper, and sometimes it suggests using polishing compound to get a mirror finish. Is this correct, or how should it be changed?

Great video. Next time please just lower the music by 5db or so, you have a great voice. Let us listen to it even more 😁

Can't wait to see the follow up from Gamers Nexus! I better get a detailed notification! Lol. Great video!

I hope he made 2 super flat CPU's and cooling blocks and send one set to Steve and one to Roman.

I have done my fair share of metallographic cross-sections for electron microscopy. Final polishing of cross sections is done with on soft polishing clothes with a colloidal polishing compound. This cloth is on a rotating table. A small amount of compound is used charge the cloth. A small stream of water goes on the table as you polish. It works very well. It's not really for flattening however. The surface with flat be to itself, but not to a particular plane. But I do not think a mirror finish is desirable. It will never prefect and there will be slight air gap at the interface. If the air is removed, heat transfer across such voids will be EM radiation (radiant heat transfer), which is not every efficient at low temperatures. You need something to fill this gap. However having the CPU and heatsink flat as possible with maximize the contact area.

Instant subscribe! Just have to know what happens next...

@Penrowe Hi i am back, any progress? Tech Ingredients and Linus Tech Tips did a paste video review. So i am here again to ask if you had the new tvideo ready for us?

I've been wondering for over a decade what would happen if you could wring a cpu to a cooler plate. I'd you really did send this to Steve I will be so happy. Also pcgamer wrote an article about you. That's how I find your channel.

Content of this quality but 400 subs? Very very nice, can’t wait for the follow up. Though I’m sure we will be lol, takes a lot of time and effort

thank you

Interesting point about the plates being too hard to do copper; the only softer plates I can find are made of tin!

great content tbh, such a interesting and widely misunderstood topic

this remember me when i was doing my own telescope mirror ! good job man !@

This video is so underrated!

Any updates on that last Beve Sturke comment?

DUDE. Can you please tell us where to find the follow up. I can't find it anywhere and the hardware review publications only mention this video but no testing or follow up. Can you please direct us to where to find the follow up?

The question of running a wrung processor/heatsink pair without paste has been kicking around in my mind for a bit. Perhaps this would be easier with an air cooler, even if it's only a single sample with a sample before and after test. Interested on seeing how this works out with the flattened IHS and paste though.

Sooo, 6 months later, where is that follow up? 🤔

So is there any new news about this? Wish to know the results but found nothing searching on google, reddit, youtube or any other searching plataform

I NEED MORE.

Finally somebody has done it It's been bugging me that I couldn't find anyone who actually lapped a CPU I'd like to see what you could do lapping an Intel die. Thanks for the interesting video. Edit Do you think making aluminum lapping plates would work / be worth it.

“I don’t have the time, or the hardware on hand, to create massive bar graphs comparing every performance variable ... but I did get in touch with the guy who does” ahhh clearly it’s Jay from the world famous tech RU-vid channel JayzTwoCents.

Maybe you can contact AMD and propose this method and maybe we can make this a standard?

why not just use lapping compound and rub them together? Even if it's not flat, it should make full contact

Time for an update Penrowe

Damn part 2

get me out the 1-2-3 blocks check if they are calibrated.

This video pleased me as a mechanical engineer 😀

WHERES the BEEF?

Gotta use an optical pitch plate instead of that aluminium foil!