Since I bought the 8700K, I decided to delid it, so I got a delidding kit and a compatible cooler. I also bought a new liquid cooler and case for the setup.
I purchased the Gamer Storm Castle 360 liquid cooler from Deepcool and the S830 case from BravoTek.
I bought the case specifically to mount the liquid cooler at the top as an exhaust, but to cut to the chase, it was a misjudgment. 😓
As it is a big tower case, the packaging box was quite large.
This is the Deepcool Gamer Storm Castle 360.
The name is quite long. For reference, this is the older model. The newer versions allow you to change the logo on the pump block to various designs.
This is the delidding kit.
I’m not sure if it’s still available, but it came with various tools, including a metal thermal paste, ZF-12 thermal paste, and other accessories needed for delidding. I got it for a very reasonable price.
To replace the case, I dismantled all the internal components of the system.
I disassembled the 8700K CPU to prepare for delidding.
I placed the CPU into the delidding kit and, without hesitation, opened it up.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the 8700K was already delidded.
The seller didn’t mention that the CPU was delidded, and they sold it at the regular used price. I specifically avoided listings that were too cheap to be safe and chose one at a normal price, only to be blindsided like this.
I was very annoyed, but what can I do? It’s partly my fault for not thoroughly checking before purchasing. I decided to reapply the liquid metal and not let it stress me out too much.
I cleaned it thoroughly with ethanol.
I spread a thin layer of liquid metal, applied a small amount of heat-resistant silicone for adhesion, and then:
I placed the CPU back into the motherboard.
I immediately secured it in place.
At this stage, since the adhesive isn’t dry yet, I held the lid steady with my hand to prevent it from shifting while lowering the latch.
Next, it’s time to unpack the liquid cooler.
The company seems to be somewhat environmentally conscious, as all the packaging materials are made of paper.
I really commend their efforts to be environmentally friendly!
After a quick boot test,
I installed the motherboard into the new case.
After assembling the pump block first, everything seemed to be going smoothly, but…
I bought a new case specifically for top-mounted exhaust cooling, but the cooler’s length exceeded the case’s width, making it impossible to install.
So, I had to disassemble everything and mount the cooler as a front intake instead. In hindsight, there was no need to buy a new case. Now, the hot air circulates inside the case, negatively affecting the cooling of other components.
Since I had already bought and opened everything, I had no choice. On top of that, I scratched the radiator quite a bit while trying to force it in, so selling it secondhand later is out of the question.
When buying parts, make sure they are compatible and check the sizes carefully. I ended up paying average used prices for a delidded 8700K and unnecessarily spending money on a new case. 😢
After reassembling the cooler as a front intake, I reapplied thermal paste.
I used the ZF-12 thermal paste, which I had purchased as an add-on when buying the delidding kit.
Since this thermal paste has a very high thermal conductivity, it was quite thick and stiff. Squeezing a bit in the center and pressing it down with the cooler didn’t spread it evenly, so I used a spatula to carefully spread it out evenly.
After much trial and error, I finally managed to install the cooler.
I transferred all the fans from the previous case to the new one and completed the assembly.
Even though the front intake setup bothers me and is quite annoying, the LED lights look nice.
Despite delidding and installing a liquid cooler, I won’t be posting about overclocking because the CPU turned out to be a complete dud.
After this experience, I will never buy computer parts secondhand again.