Question about AMD cores

[Him]

Why does AMD no longer have processors with exposed cores like they used to? Is there a reason for this? Was it a bad idea? I heard that the exposed cores were for better cooling, which made sense to me. Why did they cover it back up?

 

[Trifid]

I thought it was a heatspreader so it would be cooler, as it spreads the heat over a higher surface area, and not just the core. What they need to do is make a special edition all copper heatspreader - or after maket ones.

 

[smileygladhands]

That's what I understand it to be also. The aluminum shield spreads out the heat into a larger surface area, allowing the heatsink and fan to work better.
The thing I don't understand is why heatsinks and fans aren't covering side panels of the chip also. You could probably get much better cooling by allowing a recess in the heatsink where the chip could fit up inside. Increased surface area touching the heatsink should allow for that much better cooling, don't you think?

 

[Him]

Well, maybe. Not the whole chip though, just the aluminum covering. Covering the whole chip wouldnt be too much of a help, since the material on the side of the chip is a PCB and they dont conduct heat good enough to make for better cooling. But to make for best cooling, you want to seal every little nook and cranny between the processor and hsf, and that would just not be easy by any means if you could fit the aluminum surface into the HSF. but a good idea.

 

[smileygladhands]

Ah, I see..
btw.. what's PCB?

 

[Him]

Printed Circuit Board. it is what everything else is soldered to. When you look at a processor, there is a green board in the middle of it that you can grab. That is the PCB. Might as well just say Circuit Board.

 

[Nubius]

Well, a lot of people at xtremesystems will just pop that IHS off and cool it that way which generally leads to 5C or more cooler temps, but of course there's more risk of damage to the core that way.

Also as far as I know the IHS's are infact copper....silver doesn't necessarily mean aluminum, because there are dudes that have lapped that IHS and it was copper...one guy got it completely mirrored finished at xtremsystems.org lol looked crazy.

My friend swears they are aluminum but I'm almost positive that it's actually copper

 

[Him]

IHS, reffering to the little silver cover we were talking about? It would make more sense to have it copper, seeing as copper conducts heat better. But I dont think you can have silver copper, henceforth the name copper is the same name as the color copper. Right? I dont know, if someone can tell me for certain...

The old AMD chips with the exposed cores had these little rubber pads to prevent you from putting the heatsink on too tight and crushing the core. So I totally would not pop that cover off.

What does IHS stand for?

 

[Trifid]

IHS is a intergrated heat spreader.

 

[smileygladhands]

Printed Circuit Board. it is what everything else is soldered to. When you look at a processor, there is a green board in the middle of it that you can grab. That is the PCB. Might as well just say Circuit Board.

ah, I always just called it circuit board.. thanks

They probably don't make it copper because it would cost them so damn much.