De-lidded Threadripper processors look a lot like AMD’s Epyc chips

Why it matters to you

Now that Threadripper processors are out in the wild, we’re about to learn plenty more about how they fit into AMD’s range of high-end components.

This week saw the release of AMD’s Ryzen 3 chips, with the affordable 1200 and 1300X models hitting the scene. Alongside that expansion of the Ryzen family, AMD is also starting to field its Threadripper processors in pre-built systems, ahead of a standalone release for the components scheduled for early August.

That’s too long to wait for PC builders who are curious about what the Threadripper line has to offer, and so noted overclocking specialist der8auer set about de-lidding one of the processors to see what’s under the hood. Thanks to his efforts, we now know a little bit more about what to expect from these components.

Der8auer had to work outside of his comfort zone to gain access to the inner workings of the chip, according to a report from Hexus. He was on the road when he managed to get his hands on the processor, so rather than his standard set of tools, he was forced to make use of several razor blades and a pair of hot air soldering guns.

The lid didn’t come away as easily as expected when 180-degree heat was applied, despite the temperature being slightly higher than the melting point of indium solder. There were some concerns about damaging the chip itself, but in the end a combination of pressure from above and several razor blades did the job.

Inside the component, der8auer found something rather surprising — rather than the two dies he was anticipating, there were four, resembling the layout of AMD’s Epyc chips. He attempted to use temperature probes to figure out which dies were active when the chip was in use, but unfortunately it failed shortly after being powered on, likely as a result of the de-lidding process.

AMD did provide some more details on the construction to Hexus. Apparently, two of the four dies in the 16-core 32-thread chip are completely unused.

We’ll know more about the specifics of the Threadripper line when the high-end CPU is made available next month. At present, the parts are only available as part of pre-assembled PCs offered by companies like Dell and CyberPowerPC, as documented by Tech Report.