Is a CPU Contact Frame Necessary?
With current CPUs becoming harder to cool and the IHS on many of them taking a different shape from the standard square one, contact frames have become a cheap and effective method many PC builders have used to tame some of the heat. While contact frames are quite useful and there are instances where people have seen temperature reductions, not everyone will benefit from lower temperatures.
What Do Contact Frames Do?
Contact frames were designed to improve the ability to cool your CPU by improving contact pressure between the IHS and the CPU cooler. The issue of proper contact between the CPU and the CPU cooler became apparent on Intel’s 12/13/14th Gen CPUs with the elongated IHS.
The problem with Intel’s design is that it is susceptible to warping because of the uneven pressure while being secured in the socket with the standard ILM. The contact frames combat this issue by shifting the pressure from the center of the CPU to the edges therefore evening out the contact between the IHS and the CPU.
You might not notice the issue on a newer CPU, but with enough heat cycles and time, you will notice an increase in temperatures as the uneven pressure starts creating worse contact pressure.
How Do You Install One?
Installing a contact frame is easy if your PC is already taken apart, but might be a bit more time-consuming if you have everything assembled. In essence, all you have to do is remove the stock Integrated Loading Mechanism, place the CPU into the socket, and mount the contact frame in place of the ILM.
Apply thermal paste, mount your CPU cooler and you are ready to game or work on your machine.
Are the Benefits Real?
As mentioned above the issue of uneven pressure therefore loss in thermal dissipation is real, but your CPU might not have a warped IHS yet, or maybe you were blessed with an extra-even IHS. In most cases, you might not see any thermal improvement, but for certain users with warped units, the improvement can range from 5 to 10C.
If you are building a new PC you might as well get a contact frame since these items are extremely cheap (around 10$) and are easy to install. This could have 0 effects besides peace of mind since you know your contact pressure between the IHS and cooler will remain good.
There have also been AMD AM5 contact frames circulating on the market but AMD’s 7000 CPUs do not have the same contact issue, rather these CPUs are known for having a thick IHS leading to other kinds of thermal dissipation problems.
Did It Help in My Case?
I installed a contact frame on my 13600KF out of curiosity and also because I am pushing the CPU quite hard with my overclocks. Unfortunately in my case, I did not see any thermal improvements since the installation but at least I know I can keep pushing the CPU without worrying about bending or warping with the contact frame installed.
42 seconds to hit 90c and at about 5 minutes the CPU settles at 100c – 1.4vcore – LLC6 – LL 9
The hotter your CPU can get, the bigger the benefit of a contact frame since it will keep the CPU IHS from warping under high heat reducing the chances of unoptimized pressure.
TL;DR
Contact frames are a cheap investment into your peace of mind and lower thermals that require very little effort to install. If you have already built your PC and are not using a 13900K/14900K a contact frame might be unnecessary.
If you are in the process of building your machine, or simply want the peace of mind that the contact between the IHS and your CPU cooler will always be perfect, spending 10$ and 10-15 minutes on installing a contact frame is a quick and easy solution.