u/whyidoevenbother

Anybody have experiences with delidding 8th/9th gen low power CPUs in ThinkCentre Tinys or similar? It's been a hard thing to search for results on, but seeking more benchmarks and datapoints if anybody out there has some bookmarks or content creators they follow who've done this.

I'm building out my m920q as we speak and will likely have an 8700T or 9700T in it. I'll be packing a lot of GPU heat into the chassis and have the usual plans for ventilation, thermal pads, and the like.

NOTE: I'm aware folks will have opinions on how worth it they think delidding is for a T-series chip. Respectfully, I already have that skepticism and know that. I'm curious and looking to explore it with those who've personally done it or have heard of others who have. Thank you!

I’m mapping out a custom lateral thermal mod for the Midori 5L V2.4 to completely replace low-profile down-draft coolers like the NH-L9a. In tight sandwich-layout cases with dedicated top exhaust, down-draft configurations naturally recycle hot air and fight the chassis's vertical airflow path. Like others out there with slim sandwich-style layouts, I've only got 37-38mm of height to work with.

I see this approach as highly desirable over consumer fall-backs like an unbolted AXP90-X36, especially for upgrading to higher TDP processors in the future. While I understand why the retail market defaults to standard down-draft layouts, I want to challenge my skills to make better use of that tight vertical clearance.

Heatsink: Custom C11000 skived pure copper block (110mm W × 37mm D × 35mm H) sourced via https://myheatsinks.com or a similar industrial manufacturer. It is optimized with a loose 2.1mm fin pitch to lower static resistance for low-pressure fan setups. The finished block carries a massive ~500g of pure thermal mass. AM5 compatibility doesn't seem too hard. It will utilize a sealed top "hat" plate to capture and enclose the lateral stream. (A heat-pipe variant is a potential high-cost alternative, but space constraints make a solid skived block interesting).

Note on 1U Server Blocks: While standard 1U passive coolers exist (like the 26.9mm Dynatron A46), their shorter profiles are tough for tangential loops because they choke down the available air volume. Going custom let me stretch the block height to 35mm to match the fan face 1:1. I want to avoid high-RPM turbine blower fans due to their piercing acoustic profile.

Tangential Fan: Sofasco sDF25098 DC Cross-Flow fan (https://sofasco.com/products/sdf25-dc-cross-flow-fan) mounted horizontally front-to-back over the motherboard's M.2 and PCIe slots.

Ducting: A 3D-printed 35mm straight rectangular pressure shroud routing mesh side-panel air directly through the core channels. Depending on how this setup influences other component temperatures (RAM, motherboard VRMs, and M.2 storage), I'm also considering a small companion exhaust shroud on top of the block exit to feed the air smoothly into the top case fans.

While the tangential blower is rated for 36 dBA at its maximum 4,000 RPM, it trades high-pitched axial blade whistle for a deep, broad-spectrum rushing air "whoosh" that is much easier to isolate using silicone dampening gaskets. Because standard low-profile coolers can only pack so much metal into the ~21mm of clearance left underneath their slim fans, this solid 35mm copper core brings vastly superior thermal capacity to the table, allowing the fan to cruise at a quiet, low-voltage state under load. For the undervolted CPU I have right now, I anticipate this working wonders for overall noise levels while gaming.

All thoughts, feedback, and ideas on layout or clearance constraints are highly welcomed! I'm probably a month or two away from calling suppliers and getting some prototyping going.

I’m mapping out a custom lateral thermal mod for the Midori 5L V2.4 to completely replace low-profile down-draft coolers like the NH-L9a. In tight sandwich-layout cases with dedicated top exhaust, down-draft configurations naturally recycle hot air and fight the chassis's vertical airflow path.

I see this approach as highly desirable over consumer fall-backs like an unbolted AXP90-X36, especially for upgrading to higher TDP processors in the future. While I understand why the retail market defaults to standard down-draft layouts, I want to challenge my skills to make better use of that tight vertical clearance.

Heatsink: Custom C11000 skived pure copper block (110mm W × 37mm D × 35mm H) sourced via https://myheatsinks.com or a similar industrial manufacturer. It is optimized with a loose 2.1mm fin pitch to lower static resistance for low-pressure fan setups. The finished block carries a massive ~500g of pure thermal mass. AM5 compatibility doesn't seem too hard. It will utilize a sealed top "hat" plate to capture and enclose the lateral stream. (A heat-pipe variant is a potential high-cost alternative, but space constraints make a solid skived block interesting).

Note on 1U Server Blocks: While standard 1U passive coolers exist (like the 26.9mm Dynatron A46), their shorter profiles are tough for tangential loops because they choke down the available air volume. Going custom let me stretch the block height to 35mm to match the fan face 1:1. I want to avoid high-RPM turbine blower fans due to their piercing acoustic profile.

Tangential Fan: Sofasco sDF25098 DC Cross-Flow fan (https://sofasco.com/products/sdf25-dc-cross-flow-fan) mounted horizontally front-to-back over the motherboard's M.2 and PCIe slots.

Ducting: A 3D-printed 35mm straight rectangular pressure shroud routing mesh side-panel air directly through the core channels. Depending on how this setup influences other component temperatures (RAM, motherboard VRMs, and M.2 storage), I'm also considering a small companion exhaust shroud on top of the block exit to feed the air smoothly into the top case fans.

While the tangential blower is rated for 36 dBA at its maximum 4,000 RPM, it trades high-pitched axial blade whistle for a deep, broad-spectrum rushing air "whoosh" that is much easier to isolate using silicone dampening gaskets. Because standard low-profile coolers can only pack so much metal into the ~21mm of clearance left underneath their slim fans, this solid 35mm copper core brings vastly superior thermal capacity to the table, allowing the fan to cruise at a quiet, low-voltage state under load. For the undervolted CPU I have right now, I anticipate this working wonders for overall noise levels while gaming.

All thoughts, feedback, and ideas on layout or clearance constraints are highly welcomed! I'm probably a month or two away from calling suppliers and getting some prototyping going.