Question Why not all gpu components soldered in the first place?

[zwtch_17]

https://imgur.com/a/ibIsbBg

I'm just curious; I was disassembling my GPU and observing it. I noticed some capacitors or pin headers were not soldered from the factory; why was that?

 

[kanewolf]

https://imgur.com/a/ibIsbBg

I'm just curious; I was disassembling my GPU and observing it. I noticed some capacitors or pin headers were not soldered from the factory; why was that?

Same board used for different variations of the card.

 

[zwtch_17]

Same board used for different variations of the card.

Ah, thank you.

 

[Eximo]

Many potential reasons.

Multiple GPUs used on a single PCB is common as mentioned. (Like that extra fan header for a dual fan card)

During the development phase they may use more components to enable testing modes for data gathering. The final design gets delayed and never used, so the PCB has remnants of prototyping in it.

The board went through a round of cost optimization in which unnecessary components were removed (determined in testing)

Initial power estimates from the GPU manufacturer are incorrect, and the board ends up being over designed. Very common for production boards to lose a VRM phase here and there.

Component availability changes, and it becomes cheaper to use three POSCaps of one size vs the original 5 planned.

Design flaw revisions, with minimal changes to board layout to avoid extra tooling costs.

And so on.

Engineering is all about getting the job done for minimal cost. Sometimes that means waste in production, but still cheaper than redesigns and re-testing.

 

[digitalgriffin]

https://imgur.com/a/ibIsbBg

I'm just curious; I was disassembling my GPU and observing it. I noticed some capacitors or pin headers were not soldered from the factory; why was that?

You can use the same board for multiple products. The added components MAY NOT be needed, but add enhanced stability on higher end parts, or are used for testing purposes.