Thermal Grizzly is now selling delidded Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus CPUs for enthusiasts

Thermal Grizzly has just added a delidded Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus to its TG Delidded CPUs lineup, which includes pre-delidded CPUs readily available for consumers to purchase. The Intel Arrow Lake Refresh CPU is priced at $525.33, including VAT, but for that price, Thermal Grizzly delids the CPU, cleans it, and even sands it a little bit for flush contact with the heatsink.

Intel's recommended selling price for the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is $289-$299, so Thermal Grizzly is charging a significant premium for the added service. However, delidding a CPU is a difficult and risky process for most regular users, so if you want to avoid the risk and let the experts handle it for you, the extra $225 might be worth paying. What's important is that Thermal Grizzly provides its own warranty for the delidded CPU, since the process voids the manufacturer's warranty.

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The pre-delidded CPU is meant for direct-die cooling, where the CPU cooler makes direct contact with the substrate rather than the heatspreader. This makes for even better heat transfer, since there are fewer obstacles between the substrate and the cooling solution (often a water block). The company claims that using liquid metal can reduce load temperatures by up to 22 °C, a significant improvement that can also lead to better overclocking numbers.

The CPU chosen for this process is also quite interesting. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus uses the LGA1851 socket and is part of the Arrow Lake lineup. It has 24 cores (8 P-cores and 16 E-cores), 24 threads, and can boost up to 5.5 GHz on the P-cores. The CPU has a TDP of 125W, but it is advertised with a maximum turbo power of 250W. With that power profile, the CPU tends to run pretty hot under heavy loads, which is where the delid comes in.

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Thermal Grizzly thoroughly tests the processor after delidding it and includes a USB flash drive containing the test results. It even includes a microscopic image of the delidded processor in the drive. You also get the original CPU heatspreader in the package, but it is for show only. Thermal Grizzly recommends that you do not reuse the original heatspreader, as there is a height difference between the CPU dies and the heatspreader. The resulting damage may void TG's warranty.

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a very admirable CPU with decent gaming performance and top-tier productivity performance, at a relatively affordable price. With the pre-delidded CPU, Thermal Grizzly is giving enthusiasts a chance to push the boundaries of the 270K Plus in both regular performance and overclocking, though at almost double the sticker price.