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    #1

    Dumb question about CPU die surface

    I feel dumb asking this question, but I have Googled for a while with terms like "CPU surface" and "details of CPU" and all I get is performance comparisons.

    I want to know what these things are on the top of a CPU. Obviously the B items are some kind of chips. So any info you guys can share with me would be appreciated. See the photo and take your guesses!

    I used to think that those C items were additional heat transfer points, but when I check with a straight edge I find that they won't touch the heat sink - they are just a bit lower.
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    #2
    Re: Dumb question about CPU die surface

    A-Bridges. AMD K7's were able to unlock things by bridging some of those gaps. Didn't always work on some models

    B-Not sure. Power regulators of some sort?

    C-Capacitors.
    Cap Datasheet Depot: http://www.paullinebarger.net/DS/
    ^If you have datasheets not listed PM me

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      #3
      Re: Dumb question about CPU die surface

      C are surface mount capacitors.

      A is something very special. That's where CPU settings are made, by shorting and unshorting the connections. (read: socket a version of slot A's goldfingers)

      On early ones all one needed to do to overclock the CPU (or turn it into an athlon MP) was pencil heavy think lines the pads... AMD stymied that by adding series resistors (graphite has a high resistance, it's what carbon film basically is). Then people started using "liquid solder" (conductive ink pens) to draw across. AMD's solution to that? laser cut pits to the ground plane below (so ink would flow in and short, bricking the CPU in a way). People got around that by supergluing in the laser pits before using the liquid solder. AMD's next solution? Athlon64, which doesn't have those

      B is surface mount resitors, btw.
      sigpic

      (Insert witty quote here)

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        #4
        Re: Dumb question about CPU die surface

        Originally posted by ratdude747 View Post

        B is surface mount resitors, btw.

        really? you sure? take a look at this pic - it shows more detail. They have eight pins each. never saw resistors like that before.
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          #5
          Re: Dumb question about CPU die surface

          Originally posted by bobbyrae View Post
          really? you sure? take a look at this pic - it shows more detail. They have eight pins each. never saw resistors like that before.
          Yep those are resistors all right! They are actually resistor packs, with 4 resistors inside. It helps with assembling large boards that have a lot of resistors, because the pick and place machine picks up 4 resistors at a time (in the resistor pack) instead of 1. You can see the marking "102", which means 1K ohms, or 1000 ohms. The smd resistor code is similar to the color band codes, except they use numbers. The 1 and 0 are the first two digits, and the 2 means there are two zeros on the end, so you get 1000 ohms. A 4.7K ohm smd resistor will have "472", or 47 and two zeros (4700 ohms).
          Last edited by ben7; 07-28-2013, 07:00 AM.
          Muh-soggy-knee

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            #6
            Re: Dumb question about CPU die surface

            This brings back memories

            http://www.techspot.com/articles/athlonxp_overclocking/
            "The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it."

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              #7
              Re: Dumb question about CPU die surface

              A are the programming bridges.
              B are pull up/down resistors
              c are vcore bypass caps.
              i hacked plenty of these chips "back in the day"

              Comment

                #8
                Re: Dumb question about CPU die surface

                Originally posted by ben7 View Post
                Yep those are resistors all right! They are actually resistor packs, with 4 resistors inside. It helps with assembling large boards that have a lot of resistors, because the pick and place machine picks up 4 resistors at a time (in the resistor pack) instead of 1. You can see the marking "102", which means 1K ohms, or 1000 ohms. The smd resistor code is similar to the color band codes, except they use numbers. The 1 and 0 are the first two digits, and the 2 means there are two zeros on the end, so you get 1000 ohms. A 4.7K ohm smd resistor will have "472", or 47 and two zeros (4700 ohms).
                Thanks for explaining. As I think about it, I DID see some resistors like that once. I was putting together a tester kit and it had some of these resistor packs.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Re: Dumb question about CPU die surface

                  I was thinking we'd be discussing the actual CPU die surface... these are only package stuff...

                  (and the funny thing is, most of the times, we won't see the top side of most CPU dies anymore, it's usually the bottom that we see...)

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