Intel Skips Solder for Core i5-9400F, Uses Six-Core Die

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PaulAlcorn

Managing Editor: News and Emerging Technology
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Feb 24, 2015
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Here's some reading material on the matter:

https://overclocking.guide/the-truth-about-cpu-soldering/


 

shmoochie

Commendable
May 10, 2018
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Lol please tell me that I misread this - "Intel confirmed to us that some Core i5-9400F processors do come with pTIM (polymer TIM - a.k.a. thermal grease), but that can vary based on the location of manufacturing."

So some of those chips are soldered and some have TIM?
 

1_rick

Distinguished
Mar 7, 2014
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"Sources close to the matter also tell us that the company will transition the Core i5-9400F and Core i5-9400 models to solder TIM (sTIM) entirely in the near future. Naturally, that means there will be no need to differentiate between the two products on the packaging."

Great, so does that mean if someone buys one with toothpaste, Intel will replace it with a soldered one for free?
 
On a low end part like this, why does the TIM even matter. As long as it can dissipate the heat it needs to they could use whatever they wanted. It isn't like anyone is going to be overclocking it. I'd be MUCH more upset if the 9600K was hit or miss with the solder vs paste... but that isn't the case. I don't see anyone overly concerned with AMD's APUs using paste instead of solder, and those are even overclockable. Let Intel pinch their pennies where it doesn't really matter... because it doesn't really matter. If the press is sooooo bad on it they will fix it to sell more CPUs. If more people buy an R5 2600 as a result then that is just better for competition. No need to get worked up over it.