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CPU IHS Soldering

Intel do still solder their expensive high end parts, it's just cheaper to use thermal paste on their mainstream (glorified mobile) CPU's though.

When has a soldered CPU ever started suffering from overheating due to solder degradation? it'll be obsolete well before any issue with the solder becomes a problem. Thermal paste will degrade over time too.
 
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Like I said before if it was a technical issue as the article claims then why would they still be soldering their high end parts? the only sensible conclusion is that it's a money saving exercise being marketed as somehow necessary.
 
mmj_uk said:
Like I said before if it was a technical issue as the article claims then why would they still be soldering their high end parts? the only sensible conclusion is that it's a money saving exercise being marketed as somehow necessary.
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I always thought it was to reduce the overclock headroom so as to not overshadow socket 2011, to help get more people onto socket 2011.
 
That's probably an intended side effect of it but I think the main reason is that with Ivy Bridge onwards those CPU's run terribly hot under stress anyway (I think due to the 3D/trigate transistors), so it's a bit of a waste of money soldering.
 
Pssh I already explained this months ago.

Skylake: 100mm2
Haswell-E: 350mm2

Void and micro crack occurrence is mainly affected by the solder area – thus the DIE size. Small DIE size (below 130 mm²) e. g. Skylake will facilitate the void occurence significantly. However, CPUs with a medium to large DIE size (above 270 mm²) e. g. Haswell-E show no significant increase of micro cracking during thermal cycling (Figure 12).

This failure mechanism is one reason why small DIE CPUs like Haswell-DT or Skylake are not soldered while the large Haswell-EP CPUs are soldered.
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Simple solution, increase the core count to bring the die size up haha.

Seriously though interesting read, I had no idea the solder had to be sandwiched between gold. For that reason alone it's a good idea their not all soldered. Most people probably run at stock and of those who do overclock most won't be running to the very edge with max volts 24/7. Solder on mainstream would be nice but wasted for the most part IMO.
 
Orangey said:
Pssh I already explained this months ago.

Skylake: 100mm2
Haswell-E: 350mm2
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Many older generation CPU's were smaller than Skylake and they used solder without any issues, whilst the science behind it might be correct it has never actually been a problem in the lifetime of a CPU. Maybe if they operated for 50yrs which would long outlive any motherboard or usefulness for that matter. I think it's really just a case of Intel looking to increase their profits and throwing the cracked solder science out there to make people feel better about it.
 
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Bluntwrapped said:
Wasn't the Sandy Bridge die around the same surface area as Ivy?

Seems like a lot of investigation for a decision likely based on production cost.
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Well, it was a die shrink so I guess it was a fair bit smaller.

But yeah, penny pinching is my guess to.
 
Ofc you can safe a lot of money. Not only by saving the raw materials but also the process itself. The metalizing process costs a lot of time and money. That's one of the main reasons beside the technical factors - I guess.

Sandy had a die size of 216 mm² and Skylake has 122 mm² as far as I know. So that's a lot smaller. Especially taking Haswell-E into account with 356 mm²
 
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