The first change that can be seen with the naked eye when observing an Alder Lake-S is the fact that its shape has changed from square to rectangular, a change that is not explained by the increase in number. of pins, but rather by taking into account the other factors that we will describe below. Why has the packaging changed in the Intel Core 12?
The first thing that comes to mind when you look at the rectangular design of the Intel Core 12 is that the size of the chip’s case has increased compared to its predecessor. Something we could initially attribute to using a larger number of pins (1700 vs. 1200) and therefore the chip inside is larger.
But it’s the opposite: using the Intel 7 node makes an i9-12900K occupy 10.5 x 20.5mm while its predecessor is a bit larger at 11.5 x 24mm, so its dimensions larger ones have nothing to do with the size of the chip, but rather with the function that the encapsulation performs, since we remember that what the integrated circuit is inside.
Why is the Intel Core 12 package bigger?
In any processor, the expulsion of heat is usually done using two mechanisms, first it is the processor cover that absorbs and distributes the heat, so that later it is the heat sink or the radiator that we have installed in the PC which is already in charge of blowing hot air and keeping the processor cool so that it can work at temperatures which are not harmful to you.
On the other hand, having a smaller chip is good in terms of cost, but bad in the sense that it allows more heat to be concentrated per zone. Comparing the Intel Core i9-12900K with the i9-11900K, we saw that the former is a bit smaller, it means that it will have the heat in a more concentrated way.
Suppose we have both processors in PL2 mode. The i9-11900K has a consumption of 250W, its surface size is 276 mm2 so if we do a simple division we can see that in each mm2 there is a thermal power of 0.90 W / mm2. In contrast, the Intel Core 12 measures 215.25 mm2 and his PL2 is 241W, so by doing the same operation we have a thermal power of 1.2 W / mm2.
Un área que reciba una mayor potencia térmica se calentará más rápido, lo que significará que alcanzará temperaturas críticas más rápido y su periodo de Boost será más corto a no ser que se busquen soluciones y una de ellas ha sido del hacer Core el 12 encapsulado bigger.
Heat sinks and radiators are also affected
Therefore, Intel engineers when creating the Intel Core 12 encapsulation simply and simply relied on the rules of thermodynamics and more specifically on the equation of heat transfer between two bodies, which is the following :
Q = K * A * Δt
Or:
- K is the total heat transfer coefficient.
- A is the heat transfer zone.
- It’s the temperature difference.
And this is something that heatsink and radiator manufacturers should also consider when designing their products, as it is important that the process of removing heat from the processor is done properly. Either way, we hope this has helped you understand why the Intel Core 12 package has increased in size.
