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    Macbook CPU - Solder or Socket?

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by RogueMonk, Jul 30, 2006.

  1. RogueMonk

    RogueMonk Notebook Deity

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    Are the CPUs in the Macbook soldered to the motherboard or are they socketed?
     
  2. Gautam

    Gautam election 2008 NBR Reviewer

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    It's soldered on there - a most useless innovation if I have every heard of one. Believe it or not, I have heard of soldered on RAM!
     
  3. Pressure

    Pressure Notebook Evangelist

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    It makes it far easier to fit on a cooling solution because the height of the logic board will be lower that if it have had a processor socket and also overall a much thinner unit.
     
  4. xbandaidx

    xbandaidx Notebook Deity

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    Pressure, you're saying if a processor is soldered, it will result in having the ability of a thinner notebook, is that what you're saying?
     
  5. Pressure

    Pressure Notebook Evangelist

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    Yes it is, if you can keep all the components closer to the logic board.

    Just look at the 1" MacBook Pro ;)
     
  6. gridtalker

    gridtalker Notebook Virtuoso

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    it is soldered
     
  7. xbandaidx

    xbandaidx Notebook Deity

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    Hmm, interesting, I never really looked deep into the advantages of having soldered CPU, usually when it's bought up everyone just brings up the big disadvantage (can't upgrade CPU)
     
  8. Gautam

    Gautam election 2008 NBR Reviewer

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    I don't think that soldering a chip on will help dissipate heat or make a notebook thinner. If you think about it, having a socket system means that there will be more surface area for heat dissipation. (think about pins vs solder)
     
  9. xbandaidx

    xbandaidx Notebook Deity

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    I believe the thinner aspect of it, as it makes sense. They wouldn't need ZIF at all if they solder a CPU chip, as it would be completely pointless and because of the absence of having a ZIF to hold a CPU, you shave off some height.