Ryzen 9 9950X3D was forced to overclock to almost 6 GHz using a regular iron and fishing line

Scalping a processor — removing the heat spreader — is a risky process. If done incorrectly and under unfortunate circumstances, you can easily damage the crystal. However, if successful, you can significantly reduce the operating temperature of the chip by replacing the standard thermal interface or installing the chip without a cover at all. One Reddit user decided to scalp the latest 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which costs $699, in a very unusual way — using a hot iron and strong fishing line.

Image source: Reddit

The owner of the processor has assembled a high-end gaming system. It includes a GeForce RTX 5090 Astral graphics card from Asus (the most expensive version of the RTX 5090 on the market), a custom liquid cooling system, and an MSI MEG X870E Godlike motherboard worth about $1,000.

Usually, special tools are used to scalp a processor, such as a set from Thermal Grizzly. However, a Reddit user decided to make do with improvised means – an iron and fishing line.

«So, I decided to use the fishing line and iron method. I used a very thin and strong fishing line to remove the silicone from the IHS pins, and then used an iron. I applied it to the cap for 2-3 seconds, about 5-7 times. In the end, the cap came off the processor like butter. I used liquid metal to remove most of the indium [the factory thermal interface between the cap and the processor die — editor’s note]. I did not polish the die,” explains UserBhoss from the Reddit forum.

The owner of the processor has extensive experience with custom cooling systems and liquid metal. According to him, after “torture with an iron” the chip was overclocked “to almost 6 GHz” under a custom liquid cooling system. However, he installed the processor without a cover at all, using a special Direct Die Frame from Thermal Grizzly.

After scalping, the CPU temperature in the Furmark stress test dropped to 72–73 degrees Celsius – an excellent result for a 16-core chip with a nominal TDP of 170 W.