At 2:45 PM -0800 1/22/2010, John Niven wrote:
Like all good rumor there is truth in some of this.
Semiconductor line widths have become so small that the operating
voltage has had to be reduced constantly to combat leakage and NBTI
effects. Having a overvoltage condition is VERY hazardous to a cpu's
life. We in the semiconductor industry [...]
Are smart enough to put diodes and such in there to protect the chips
from such conditions. And besides, the power managers in products
such as Macintosh are designed so they just can't crank out so much
power as to fry the chips etc.
My experience is that today's cpu degrade very noticeably through
stress. I would not expect today's cpu's to have the same longevity
as in the past. Good enough for the market? Maybe.
If by "today's cpu's" [sic] you mean Intel's products (processors,
and other chips), then I agree. They're simply not designed for long
life, and then there are quality control issues...
However, I would have expected that these systems were designed to
be fail-safe i.e. the default condition is the voltages start at a
"safe" maximum and the fans are full on.
Exactly.
- Dan.
--
- Psychoceramic Emeritus; South Jersey, USA, Earth.
--
You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for
those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs.
The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette
guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml
To post to this group, send email to g3-5-list@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
