pins on top of cpu

[RamboOC]

What are the pins on top of intel cpu's used for? (top left on a 4770k). are they used for testing/diagnosing the cpu by intel?

 

[Remmy]

What are the pins on top of intel cpu's used for? (top left on a 4770k). are they used for testing/diagnosing the cpu by intel?

I'm not certain about this but I think they're called fiducial marks. They're used as spatial reference locations when machines are producing the circuit boards, allowing the machines to accurately place components.

Edit: Weirdly I only saw the ones in the corners, not the big group that you were probably referring to, sorry about that. The big array of pads probably aren't fiducial marks, there's usually only a few and they're generally spaced out. They're probably test points.

 

[YouWhat]

Land Grid Array (LGA) Top-side Probes

Intel® Core™ i7 processors and the Intel® Xeon® processor 5500 series use LGA1366 sockets, similar in design to the LGA775/771 sockets. However, the high speeds of these processors mean that the use of an interposer between the socket and the CPU could interfere with signal integrity. Intel has therefore provided pads on the top side of the CPU, which mirror the required signals. To access these top-side pads, ASSET has developed a top-side probe.

The LGA1366 top-side probe consists of a PCB with a ring connector attached below it that contains small, spring-loaded probe tips. These tips make contact with the CPU's top-side pads, allowing the debug port signals to be broken out onto a flexible cable, which terminates in a small PCB carrying a Intel®-specified XDP header. The standard socket load mechanism is used above the probe's PCB to depress the CPU into its socket. The heatsink and fan are mounted onto a heatsink location plate supplied with the probe.

http://www.gailogic.co.jp/product/arium/pdf/LGA1366_Top-side_Probe_Manual[1].pdf

Hope this clears it up for you Sorry couldn't find updated version of the items for 1150 and 2011, but everything will be basically the same, just different test pcb used instead.

 

[Vanner]

http://www.gailogic.co.jp/product/arium/pdf/LGA1366_Top-side_Probe_Manual[1].pdf

Hope this clears it up for you Sorry couldn't find updated version of the items for 1150 and 2011, but everything will be basically the same, just different test pcb used instead.

All i get it a 404 error with that link

It works now :0

 

[hmmblah]

All i get it a 404 error with that link

It's because of the square brackets in the link. Try it again, I fixed it for him.

 

[Wraith]

The pins are for a IO testing probe, for full debug and die monitoring. Just Google IBIST... you'll see.

 

[RamboOC]

here is a good video i found of what can be done by using a probe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSzELmSNE14

 

[YouWhat]

It's because of the square brackets in the link. Try it again, I fixed it for him.

Thanks hmmblah, even though I just copied and pasted the address, so not sure how that 1 got messed up