Folks who follow hardware might recall that, right about a year ago, Thermal Grizzly started selling delidded Ryzen 7 9800X3D processors for a small markup. These CPUs are functionally identical to the chips sold by AMD — indeed, they were chips sold by AMD to begin with — except that they've had their Integrated Heatspreaders (IHS) removed. Well, if the Ryzen 7 9800X3D isn't good enough for you anymore, you can now pick up a Ryzen 7 9850X3D with the top popped for a bit extra.
With the new addition, Thermal Grizzly is now offering four models of delidded CPUs. That's the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Ryzen 7 9850X3D, and Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and then Intel's Core Ultra 9 285K for those who bleed true blue. They don't come cheap; US pricing listed on the site right now comes out to $794.43 for a 9800X3D, $876.33 for a 9850X3D, and a whopping $1168.83 for the 16-core 9950X3D. Meanwhile, the Intel chip is a bit cheaper at $934.83.
Given that AMD and Intel are obviously not going to warranty your modified CPU, Thermal Grizzly itself is taking on the burden of warranty service for the delidded chips. The company warranties the chips for 24 months from the date of purchase, and for the first year, TG will take responsibility for nearly any chip failure that isn't caused by obvious user damage to the CPU. Quite generous, although it also doesn't cover "overclocking beyond the manufacturer's specified values"; a bit peculiar given that we expect most people who delid their CPUs are chasing clocks, not improved thermals or better acoustics.
Thermal Grizzly notes on the product page that the chips are "Optimal for TG Direct-Die cooling solutions," but also specifically remarks that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is not compatible with its Direct Die frames. The company also notes that the stock heatspreader must "never be used under any circumstances" and that using the original heatspreader will void the warranty offered by Thermal Grizzly. Given that, it's a little odd that the part is included, but I suppose you could turn it into a keychain or something.
For folks who want to get into direct-die cooling, or who simply want the absolute best cooling efficiency, this saves a lot of hassle, but there are absolutely still challenges to be aware of. Oldheads like this nerd in particular will recall the bad old days of the original AMD Athlon, which came bare-die with no heatspreader; it was all too easy to crack those chips when installing a heatsink. That risk is no less salient today with delidded CPUs. Moreover, you've got to make sure that your cooling solution is properly spaced for the lid-less chip; both AMD and Intel use thick heatspreaders that will leave an air gap under their stock heatsinks. Head over to the Thermal Grizzly site if you'd like to ponder the idea of buying a scandalous naked CPU.
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