Intel has officially announced plans to release a “delidded” version of the Core i9-14900KS through its PC partners, complete with a warranty, a company representative confirmed on Friday. Earlier reports about this new option surfaced first on YouTube by Roman ‘der8auer’ Hartung, followed by coverage on Tom’s Hardware.
Ordinarily, CPUs are shipped as packaged chips, sometimes with a PC cooling solution included in the box. “Delidding,” however, is a more extreme measure involving the removal of the processor package and heat sink, providing direct access to the die. This process is seldom undertaken by consumers or enthusiasts due to the risk of exposing the fragile processor die to potential damage. Nonetheless, it enables the utilization of more aggressive cooling solutions, facilitating the chip to operate at even higher speeds. This development arrives just in time as Intel’s latest chip has already been overclocked from its stock speed of 6.2GHz to an astonishing 8.8GHz.
An Intel representative clarified in an email, “Intel is collaborating with a select group of partners to offer support for delidded i9-14900KS-powered systems with a one-year limited warranty.” Notably, no other Intel Core SKUs, including standalone i9-14900KS box/tray units, qualify for delidded warranty support.
The specifics of what this warranty entails remain undisclosed. While Intel previously provided warranty support for overclocking through its Performance Tuning Protection Plan, this program was discontinued in 2021. Moreover, Intel has not disclosed the identities of its partnering companies, although reports from Tom’s Hardware indicate that Maingear is among them. According to Hot Hardware, the additional cost for this delidded version is expected to amount to $247: $200 for the chip and an additional $47 for an upgraded cooler.
