Intel Core i5-9400F is supplied with thermal paste between IHS and DIE

Although the 9th generation Intel Core was originally introduced as a processor with soldering between IHS and DIE, this seems to apply only to the K models.

This was discovered during the development of the Intel Core i5-9400F, the latest addition to this line, which features thermal paste as the thermal conductor between DIE and IHS.

The images compare it to the Intel Core i5-9600K, where you can see the remnants of the solder, as opposed to the thermal paste remnants in the i5-9400F.

We also see that it uses another, smaller DIE. The Core i5-9600K uses the same 8-core DIEs as the i7 and i9 models, while the i5-9400F has a different 6-core DIE used for blocked i5 and future Core i3.

What do you think of this Intel decision, do you think it would have been worth soldering a CPU that can’t be overclocked, or is it okay to save and use paste?

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