why dont they increase CPU size

With CPUs getting faster and hotter (and number of transistors increasing per area), why do they still make socket CPUs the same size? My thinking is that if they doubled the surface area of the CPU chip, it would be easier to cool it down. Plus it would be nice to put a larger HSF on it with a 80 or 92 mm fan so the noise won't drive you crazy.

I guess a smaller die size is cheaper to make, but is there another reason why CPU chips have not increased in size?

well, everybody is going for CPU die shrink, use less silicon, make more chips on the same wafer, save costs and make the chips faster!

the intel IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) does serve its purpose well, its attatched to the die and effectively increases the area for dissipation of heat.

so a new manufacturing process (like migration from 0.18 micron to 0.13 micron) reduces the area needed for the same number of transistors by sqaure of the difference, since they are smaller, they can work at higher speeds and lower voltage so consume less power and thus generate less heat. Still, with all this the power dissipated <b>per</b> sq.cm. has remained pretty constant or even increased, thus adding to the cooling problems (or heating problems).

But increasing the die size is certainly not the solution, you might end up getting the processor at double the current cost!

girish


<font color=red>No system is fool-proof. Fools are Ingenious!</font color=red>

Personnally would like a cpu the size of a motherboard.
A case with 2 motherboards.
One for circuitry, the other a nice mobo jumbo sized gazillion transistors cpu. Like the other guy said , put freon cooling in there. Let's go for a ride, man.

Danny, 3rd coffee

Duby the snake now has a brand new skin