Z550 datasheet(65/73 Pages) INTEL

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Thermal Specifications and Design Considerations

Datasheet

Thermal Specifications and

Design Considerations

The processor requires a thermal solution to maintain temperatures within operating

limits as set forth in Section 5.1. Any attempt to operate the processor outside these

operating limits may result in permanent damage to the processor and potentially

other components in the system. As processor technology changes, thermal

management becomes increasingly crucial when building computer systems.

Maintaining the proper thermal environment is critical to reliable, long-term system

operation. A complete thermal solution includes both component and system level

thermal management features. Component level thermal solutions include active or

passive heat spreaders or heat exchangers attached to the exposed processor die. The

solution should make firm contact to the die while maintaining processor mechanical

specifications such as pressure. A typical system level thermal solution may consist of

a system fan used to evacuate or pull air through the system in conjunction with a

multi-component heat spreader used to reduce the temperature of the processor and

other components while maintaining as uniform a skin temperature as possible.

Alternatively, the processor may be in a fan-less system, but would likely still use a

multi-component heat spreader.

Note: Trading thermal solutions also involves trading performance.

To allow for the optimal operation and long-term reliability of Intel processor-based

systems, the system/processor thermal solution should be designed such that the

processor remains within the minimum and maximum junction temperature (TJ)

specifications at the corresponding thermal design power (TDP) value listed in

Table 16 and Table 17. Thermal solutions not designed to provide this level of thermal

capability may affect the long-term reliability of the processor and system.

Refer to the Intel Centrino Atom Platform Thermal Application Note document for

more details on processor and system level cooling approaches.

The maximum junction temperature is defined by an activation of the processor Intel

Thermal Monitor. Refer to Section 5.1.2 for more details. Analysis indicates that real

applications are unlikely to cause the processor to consume the theoretical maximum

power dissipation for sustained time periods. Intel recommends that complete thermal

solution designs target the TDP indicated in Table 16 and Table 17. The Intel Thermal

Monitor feature is designed to help protect the processor in the unlikely event that an

application exceeds the TDP recommendation for a sustained period of time. For more

details on the usage of this feature, refer to Section 5.1.2. In all cases the Intel

Thermal Monitor feature must be enabled for the processor to remain within

specification.

Z550 Datasheet(PDF) 65 Page - Intel Corporation