[geeks] Mac Pro 1,1 CPU Upgrade - failure?

[Nathan Raymond]

On Mon, Dec 12, 2016 at 1:05 PM, Mark Benson <md.benson at gmail.com> wrote:

> I believe, if you're super careful you can remove the IHS off an Intel
> CPU. They are from the looks of it bonded at the edges and onto the die in
> the middle using a conductive compound. Don't quote me on it but there are
> a lot of Google images of people who've removed them, so I guess it might
> be doable?
>

The IHS protects the core from accidental damage but only has a (hopefully
minimal) negative impact on cooling. There is a thermal interface material
between the core and the IHS that has it's own formulation, and Intel has
gone through a few different iterations, and there's been some debate about
it. More on this here:

http://overclocking.guide/the-truth-about-cpu-soldering

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/two-ways-to-cool-down-your-defective-overheating-intel-cpu/

People have improved cooling performance by 'delidding' and going direct
from headsink to core, just like Apple did with their Xeons. Here's one
method:

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/15457-almost-100-safe-method-to-delid-your-cpu/

Here's a tool you can buy:

http://rockitcool.myshopify.com/

Here's a place you can buy CPUs that have already been delidded:

https://siliconlottery.com/products/delid

TBH removing the IHS is one of those horrible tricks Apple are prone to to
> stop people upgrading their systems.


I think it was primarily about guaranteeing a certain performance level.
Some inside Apple might have felt there was a bonus to it being mildly
proprietary, who knows.

- Nate