Last month Intel launched the 22nm Ivy Bridge processors as a successor to the Sandy Bridge Core chips. It didn’t take long for enthusiasts to get their hands on the new processors and start overclocking them. It was then discovered Ivy Bridge chips run hotter than Sandy Bridge–as much as 20 degrees Celsius higher when overclocked.
At the time, it was suggested that the heat difference was due to Intel changing from the fluxless solder used between the CPU and heat spreader for Sandy Bridge to a thermal paste solution for Ivy Bridge. And now that has been confirmed by Japanese website PC Watch.
Intel’s reason for the switch is clearly to save on the cost of production, and for the typical user who won’t be overclocking their machine it won’t make much difference. However, if you build your own systems you can solve the problem with one additional purchase: a good quality thermal paste.
PC Watch purchased a high quality paste and used it instead of what Intel ships the Ivy Bridge chips with. The result was an 18-23% drop in temperature, which also means there’s potential to clock the chip higher without having to make the switch to a more expensive cooling solution.
As the thermal paste is used underneath the heat spreader the chips ship with, it’s a little bit more involved to replace it when compared to the paste used between the chip and a heatsink. However, if you intend to overclock then it’s going to be worth the effort.
