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Intel Started Shipping Pentium 4 with Smaller Die

BD231

BD231

Lifer
As we remember, during the official launch of Pentium 4 processors with 2.4GHz core clock, Intel said that very soon they would start making these CPUs from new 300mm wafers instead of the older 200mm ones. They also reported that to move to a more progressive technology, they had to introduce some changes to the core design, which resulted into smaller die size, reduced from 145sq.mm to 131sq.mm. Nevertheless, we haven?t heard about the shipments of Pentium 4 processors based on smaller die since then.

However, a few days ago Intel has finally spread the official announcement about the company having started to ship the new processors based on smaller die. The new CPUs boast smaller production costs and at the same time are designed to support higher core frequencies, which should of course increase their overclocking potential.

The die update touches upon all Pentium 4 models with the frequencies from 1.8GHz to 2.53GHz. The improved CPUs will not have a different core stepping from the predecessors. It will be the same B0. The CPUID will also remain the same. However, you will still be able to distinguish between the old and the new CPUs by the location of passive components at the bottom of the CPU and by the new S-Spec. So, the processors born from 300mm wafers will feature the following S-Spec:

Pentium 4 1.8A ? SL66Q
Pentium 4 2A ? SL66R
Pentium 4 2.20 ? SL66S
Pentium 4 2.26 ? SL6D6
Pentium 4 2.40 ? SL66T
Pentium 4 2.40B ? SL6D7
Pentium 4 2.53 ? SL6D8
Note that Pentium 4 with C0 die stepping, which are to come a bit later (we have already mentioned them in our news), will also be based on 131mm enhanced core.

😀
Link
More overclocking fun!!
 
Isn't this the math:

Smaller die = less contact area for heat transfer = less overclocking potential?

Of course, heat has never been the real problem with P4 overclocks, and maybe the new stepping might outweigh the problems caused by the smaller die. Let's see how these ones go about ...

Kuk 🙂
 
A smaller die usually means less energy consumption, not just less surface area.

In this case the news is old news. Intel said this awhile back. Once the P4-1.6A was canned all P4's were to be on the new stepping.
 
Originally posted by: kuk
Isn't this the math:

Smaller die = less contact area for heat transfer = less overclocking potential?

Of course, heat has never been the real problem with P4 overclocks, and maybe the new stepping might outweigh the problems caused by the smaller die. Let's see how these ones go about ...

Kuk 🙂
Click to expand...

I think that the P4's heat spreader will still remain the same size, and that is the part of the processor that will come into contact with the heatsink. Then again, it may get smaller. Either way, I think that 14 sq. mm won't make a large difference.
 
This is going to make these CPUs push even higher, without any doubt. Every new core revision does it, AFAIK.
 
This, along with the price cuts coming in the next couple months (early September the last time I heard..) is going to be very hard to pass up, especially since I haven't upgraded my CPU since the end of '00. 😀
 
Whoa, if this is old news, I missed it. How long have they been producing cores based on the new wafers? Does newegg have them? Has anybody gotten their hands on them to test their OC'ing potential?
 
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