Intel E7500 Design Guide - Page 7

Introduction R 1 Introduction As the complexity of computer systems increases, so do the power dissipation requirements. Care must be taken to ensure that the additional power is properly dissipated. Heat can be dissipated using improved system cooling, selective use of ducting, and/or passive heatsinks. The objective of thermal management is to ensure that the temperatures of all components in a system are maintained within functional limits. The functional temperature limit is the range within which the electrical circuits can be expected to meet specified performance requirements. Operation outside the functional limit can degrade system performance, cause logic errors, or cause component and/or system damage. Temperatures exceeding the maximum operating limits may result in irreversible changes in the operating characteristics of the component. The simplest and most cost effective method is to improve the inherent system cooling characteristics through careful design and placement of fans, vents, and ducts. When additional cooling is required, component thermal solutions may be implemented in conjunction with system thermal solutions. The size of the fan or heatsink can be varied to balance size and space constraints with acoustic noise. The goal of this document is to provide an understanding of the operating limits of the Intel® E7500 chipset MCH and describe a reference thermal solution. Properly designed solutions provide adequate cooling to maintain the MCH die temperatures within thermal specifications. This is accomplished by providing a low local-ambient temperature, ensuring adequate local airflow, and minimizing the die to local-ambient thermal resistance. By maintaining the MCH die temperature within the range recommended in this document, the system designer can ensure the proper functionality, performance, and reliability of the chipset. This document addresses thermal design and specifications for the MCH component only. For thermal design information on other chipset components, refer to the respective component datasheet. For the P64H2, refer to the Intel® PCI/PCI-X 64-bit Hub 2 (P64H2) Thermal and Mechanical Design Guidelines. Intel® E7500 MCH Thermal and Mechanical Design Guidelines 7