Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

According to a report, starting with Intel's Broadwell generation of processors, Intel will only offer mainstream desktop CPUs in BGA packaging - killing upgrade options, and hurting PC makers. Starting with Broadwell, Intel's CPUs will depart the current land grid array (LGA) and micro pin grid array (µPGA) packages, and only offering chips in ball grid array (BGA) form factors, just like their Atom processors.

Just like one commenter puts it:

This could be the boost AMD needs.

Source (TweakTown)

[mariushm]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

It's actually a smart move, imho.

Yeah, it sucks that you probably won't be able to upgrade cpu anymore, and maybe you won't be able to unlock or overclock it that easily but there's other benefits.

Less area reserved for cooler retention and no more need for socket, fewer decoupling caps, less inductance, probably less pins required (because now a ton of them are power pins, in case some of them don't make proper contact they need to have redundancy)

Statistically, you have to wonder how many people really upgrade their processors.
I personally had Socket A with a Barton 2500 and never upgraded it.
Then I bought a Socket 775 with Intel D805 ... couldn't upgrade it anymore because the board only supported 666Mhz bus
Now I have a Socket 775 board with Q6600 - I don't know what I could upgrade to and be worth upgrading.
I actually ordered a FX-8320 that's on AM3+ socket, and honestly I don't know what I would upgrade to a year or two from now. Probably nothing, it's a dead platform, but Socket G34 and dual opteron is still too expensive for my needs.


The technology Intel has is probably so good nowadays they get very few processors with failures so they can just sell only the high end processors but with cores and frequencies locked.

Next, you'd go straight to intel's site and pay to get an unlocking firmware (basically microcode that the bios will upload into the cpu at next boot) and you have extra cores or maximum turbo memory increased, or ability to go at lower voltage (more power saving stages, less tdp)

With some smart encryption they could use a pre-programmed unique cpu ID to create individually encrypted firmwares, that would only work for that specific cpu, so it would be a bitch to hack it.

So no more money spent making different packaging, no more having to bin good processors as cheaper ones because that's what market demands, they can adjust prices depending on regions or give whatever prices they want to retailers.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

probably less pins required (because now a ton of them are power pins, in case some of them don't make proper contact they need to have redundancy)

With BGAs they're going to need more, not less pins... A new market for reballing services: CPU reballs!

Statistically, you have to wonder how many people really upgrade their processors.

Not a lot, but do we really have to kill off those who do? More power to AMD.

Now I have a Socket 775 board with Q6600 - I don't know what I could upgrade to and be worth upgrading.

I have an overclocked E6550 in my main system. It's been going for over 4 years. I first had an E2180 in that motherboard, which is 5.5 years old IIRC. I could buy that Q6600 off you and upgrade, and keep the board another 2-3 years. If i buy a new computer next year with an intel CPU, i won't be able to upgrade shit.

The technology Intel has is probably so good nowadays they get very few processors with failures

Just wait for the next BGA fiasco... We had disposable film cameras (that was okay), we have disposable digital cameras (you gotta be shittin me), and now we're gonna have disposable computers. All in environment-friendly RoHS compliant leadfree solder. Pfffft.

they can adjust prices depending on regions or give whatever prices they want to retailers.

That's what i'm afraid of... but they tend to forget that AMD is still alive and doing quite well actually. Things are going to get interesting.

[japlytic]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

Some of the Atom boards (especially ITX) have the CPU soldered in.

[TELVM]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

It's actually a smart move ...

... you probably won't be able to upgrade cpu anymore, and maybe you won't be able to unlock or overclock it ...

... they can just sell only the high end processors but with cores and frequencies locked.

Next, you'd go straight to intel's site and pay to get an unlocking firmware (basically microcode that the bios will upload into the cpu at next boot) and you have extra cores or maximum turbo memory increased, or ability to go at lower voltage (more power saving stages, less tdp)

With some smart encryption they could use a pre-programmed unique cpu ID to create individually encrypted firmwares, that would only work for that specific cpu, so it would be a bitch to hack it ...

Well as far as I'm concerned if Intel does that they can go have intercourse with themselves.

[Psycho0124]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

Well as far as I'm concerned if Intel does that they can go have intercourse with themselves.

Haha! Well put sir!


Choosing a specific processor for your budget/performance needs is already a tricky balance. Finding a motherboard that comes with all the features you need as well as the CPU that you want will be just short of impossible. Plus it will stifle intel motherboard development. I bet AMD has its fingers crossed!

Yeah Intel.. Please sodomize yourself with your BGA equipment..

[ratdude747]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

Some of the Atom boards (especially ITX) have the CPU soldered in.

The atom is BGA Only IIRC. Maybe that's the model Intel is choosing to follow with the Broadway chips?

We have disposable laptops already (read: netbooks). Disposable desktops, doesn't sound too far off.

Time to get the sledgehammers ready, as I forsee OEM PSU's taking a nosedive in quality if the do realize how short a BGA board's life can be...

Intel, you!

[Per Hansson]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

It's gonna be a bitch for mainboard manufacturers.
Because now they will need to offer several models of the same board but with different CPU's
End result is allot more stock requiring bigger warehouses, and potentially unsold boards.
I think it will result in mainboard manufacturers greatly reducing the number of different boards they provide to the market, it will be a "one size fits all" but with different CPU's to choose from.
It's a loose for the mainboard manufacturers and a loose for the consumers.

I have only bought one Socket 775 mainboard for my personal need, an Asus Maximus Formula x38 and it has gone through 4 CPU upgrades so far Q6600 > Q9450 > Xeon X3230 > Xeon X3370
I'm into overclocking and watercooling so what might seem like a "sidegrade" for some does have it's logical explanations
And the old CPU's have found new homes in mainboards I have repaired etc so they are not wasted either

[mcdaydavies]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

This is just what AMD needs right now.

[Topcat]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

This is just one stepping stone along the way of the PC in the consumer market being replaced by cheap garbage tablets. PC's will still be around in the corporate and IT world, but the prices will become quite high.... When is the last time you saw a commercial on TV for a desktop PC?! Dell used to plaster the airwaves with desktop commercials....I can't remember the last time I saw one. PC gaming is about gone, consoles have killed it off....now the PC itself is the target.

[mariushm]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

If Intel will sell their processors with features locked, the mainboard manufacturers will only have to use 2-3 processors from Intel.

At 22nm Intel already makes processors using 45-60w of power... the Broadwell cpu will be at 14 nm so think how much power consumption that cpu will have... actually no need to think, here's the plan:



A version with up to 4 cores with 57w tdp and a version with 15w to replace atom or compete with AMDs vision cpus.

Sell same silicon, enable cores and turbo speeds through bios and microcode...

The motherboard manufacturers may have problems because the processor will cost a big part of the mainboard, and it won't make much sense anymore to cut on features.

I'd love to see some form of multiple mini PCI Express connectors, where you could just plug cards that add firewire, 2-4 x usb 3.0 , 2 x sata and so on... but I guess the mini pci express connector and producing separate cards sometimes costs more than just adding the functionality to the board.

For example, the motherboard I'm buying for my new system has 4 connectors, for 8 usb jacks on the motherboard, which I know I'm not gonna use... only a single connector will connect the two front usb jacks that are on the case

But I'd love to be able to customize the board to get just what I want.. I had to go for the Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3:

See http://www.gigabyte.com/fileupload/p...4/5499_big.jpg

Paid extra just to have the chipset with sata 3 and a good vrm circuitry with japanese capacitors and potential for overclocking.

I don't care about 2 x 2 usb 3.0 chips each that probably added 10$ to the board price, the via firewire chip, i'll never use the 4 pci express x16 slots (two 4x electronically).. but anything lower than this board sucked at vrm and overclocking.

[c_hegge]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

All the more reason never to buy Celeron and Pentium CPUs. Now you won't be able to upgrade them. Intel!!!

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

Sell same silicon, enable cores and turbo speeds through bios and microcode...

The motherboard manufacturers may have problems because the processor will cost a big part of the mainboard, and it won't make much sense anymore to cut on features.

I'd love to see some form of multiple mini PCI Express connectors, where you could just plug cards that add firewire, 2-4 x usb 3.0 , 2 x sata and so on... but I guess the mini pci express connector and producing separate cards sometimes costs more than just adding the functionality to the board.

I guess you won't. The first sentence contradicts with the rest. I wouldn't be surprised that once the CPU sockets are phased out and the CPU basically becomes a complete SoC, then the next step is removing the expansion slots, leaving USB and (maybe) eSATA.

[mcdaydavies]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

I fail to see how people can get enjoyment on the internet on a small screen and cheap underpowered atom-type hardware. I can just about tolerate a laptop, lol.

[Wester547]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

With BGAs they're going to need more, not less pins... A new market for reballing services: CPU reballs!

The real problem with electronics that need to be reballed/reflowed, I think, is shoddy quality lead and alloy (silver free alloys, I think), or, in the case of RoHS compliance, no lead at all. Even poor packages like BGA/QFN/CSP do almost as well as better packages if not as well if the lead is high enough (90% tin, 10% silver, I believe, comes close to high lead). Low lead (or therein a lack of) simply cannot take heat and thermal cycles over a long period of time. So, the cases of pre-RoHS BGA electronics needing to be reflowed or reballed likely involved poor quality solder. Simply put, as I'm sure you well know along with others here, the solder balls crack over time and simply can't stay in place under intense heat, especially in the case of GPUs (since high performance GPUs easily reach 60+C from room temperature, and when you get hotter it's hot enough to stress the tin/antimony solder to fracture when you add thermal cycles). High lead solder can handle extreme heat. I know we can't expect lead to come back into electronics but something should be used that can tolerate heat equally, which hopefully, will eventually happen... the above however is probably why some older BGA parts seem to do much better than lead-free solder: high quality lead.

In other words, I do not think the move to BGA-only CPUs will affect the heat tolerance of Intel's CPUs much, just the capacity to upgrade, which I'm sure is a deliberate move... I personally am not an overclocker and probably never will be (though I am an underclocker! ) so not much to comment upon there. And if it hasn't been clearer I too have lost my respect for Intel after this stunt...

I wouldn't mind sticking to AMD CPUs, on the record.

EDIT: I didn't know they support SOPA. D:

[mcdaydavies]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

I too have lost my respect for Intel after this stunt...

I wouldn't mind sticking to AMD CPUs, on the record.

I lost my respect for intel the minute they supported SOPA.

[shovenose]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

I don't mind abandoning Intel they are a bad company. But their CPUs are the best and their competition (AMD) is shit...

[Topcat]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

I don't mind abandoning Intel they are a bad company. But their CPUs are the best and their competition (AMD) is shit...

I agree with this except the part of AMD being shit. The Opteron in its day stomped Intel's equivalent at the time....but its been a downward slide since for AMD. You better love AMD, if it weren't for them, we'd all be running P-Classic 233MMX's and paying 500 bucks a chip for them.....

I do think this is one of the final death dances for PC processors on the consumer market. The industry is trying to push everyone into tablets and phones.....the days of building kickass desktops is about done.

[c_hegge]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

Unless my next new PC is an Ivy bridge, then it will definitely be AMD. I won't even consider a BGA CPU.

[Logistics]

Re: Intel to kill CPU upgrade options from 2013, BGA only CPUs

we have disposable digital cameras (you gotta be shittin me)

Could not stop laughing after reading this.