In order to delid a CPU, many users prefer using dedicated tools to do the job for one very simple reason: Although you can use nothing more than a vice, flat-head screwdriver, and a hammer, you can imagine what may happen if you opt to take that route. For that reason, various manufacturers have built their own CPU delidding tools, the most recent of which is Aqua Computer from Germany. Its tool is a little different from its competitors, however, as rather than buying one from Aqua Computer, you can 3D print it at home.
Among the handful of changes that Intel made to its design in the transition to Skylake CPUs, one of the things it did not change is that it still uses thermal paste between the CPU die and the HIS (integrated heatspreader) instead of soldering them. Heat is therefore transported to the CPU cooler less efficiently, raising operating temperatures and reducing overclocking headroom. To reduce temperatures, users delid their CPUs to have the CPU die make direct contact with the cooler.
Aqua Computer’s tool works quite simply. You first insert the Skylake CPU in the bottom pocket, place the top over it, and rotate it 15 degrees until locked. Then, you grab two screwdrivers, stick them in the holes, and twist a little further until you hear a crack. That crack is the glue bond breaking between the CPU’s IHS and the substrate.