Zen 4 CCDs are gold-plated and octopus-style IHS for wider coolant compatibility

Steve V Nexus for gamers I recently got a hands-on opportunity with deldded AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU.

AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU Delidding unveils IHS and Zen 4 gold-plated CCDs with high-quality TIM

The omitted CPU is part of the Ryzen 9 family since it has two dies and we know that the CCD configuration only applies to the Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7900X. The chip has a total of three molds, two of which are the aforementioned AMD Zen 4 CCDs made on a 5nm process node, then we have the larger die around the center which is the IOD which is based on a 6nm process node. The AMD Ryzen 7000 CCD measures a die size of 70mm2 compared to 83mm2 for the Zen 3 and features a total of 6.57 billion transistors, a 58% increase over the Zen 3 CCD with 4.15 billion transistors,

Scattered around the package are many SMDs (capacitors/resistors) that are usually located under the core-band layer if we consider Intel CPUs. Instead, AMD is projecting it onto the top tier, and thus, they had to design a new type of IHS which is referred to internally as Octopus. we’ve got I’ve already seen the IHS plucked before But now we see a final production slide without a cover to cover those Zen 4 gold nuggets!

With that said, IHS is an interesting component of AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs. The single picture shows the arrangement of the eight arms that Robert Hallock “AMD Technical Marketing Director” refers to “octopus.” Each arm has a small application of TIM underneath which is used for IHS welding in the medium. Now, unloading the chip would be really tricky because each arm is located next to a huge array of capacitors. Each arm is also slightly raised to make room for SMDs and users don’t have to worry about heat trapping underneath.

AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU Delidded (Image credits: GamersNexus):

Der8auer also provided a statement to Gamers Nexus regarding the upcoming delidding of the still-in-progress AMD Ryzen 7000 desktop CPUs, and it also appears to explain why the new CPUs feature gold-plated CCDs:

In terms of gold plating, there is an aspect where you can weld indium to gold without the need for flux. This makes the process easier and you don’t need strong chemicals on your CPU. Without gold plating, it is also theoretically possible to weld silicon to copper, but it will be more difficult and you will need flux to break up the oxide layers.

From Der8auer to GamersNexus

The most interesting area of ​​the AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU IHS, besides the arms, is the gold-plated IHS which is used to increase heat dissipation from the CPU/IO dies and directly to IHS. Both 5nm and 6nm Zen 4 CCDs have TIM liquid metal or thermal interface material for better thermal conductivity, and the aforementioned gold plating helps a lot in heat dissipation. What remains is whether or not the capacitors will have a silicone coating, but from the previous package shot, it kind of looks like you do.

It has also been reported that the smaller surface area of ​​IHS means that it will be better compatible with existing cooler with round and square shaped cold plates. Cold slabs of a square shape would be the preferred choice, but round panels would also work well. Noctua also pointed out TIM implementation method They are suggesting users to move single point mode in the middle of IHS for AMD AM5 CPUs.

AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU Render (with/without IHS):

Another thing to point out is that every Zen 4 CCD is really close to the IHS edge which wasn’t necessarily the case with previous Zen CPUs. So not only will unpacking be very difficult, but the core will mostly be an IO die which means the cooling equipment has to be ready for such chips. AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs launched in Fall 2022 on the AM5 platform. This chip can do that up to 5.85GHz with up to 230W power pack So every little bit of cooling will be a must for overclockers and enthusiasts.

AMD Desktop CPU Generations Comparison: