Actual picture of RSX chip

[ysoya]

Hello,

As the moderator of the Console Talk Forum I was hoping you can help me. The following topic was posted in that forum.

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:35 pm Post subject: Actual picture of RSX chip





http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24187&highlight=rsx+picture

That topic contains two pictures that is propitery information to Sony and Nvidia and I was hoping you could remove this thread from your forum?
Thank you in advance for your help and assistance.

Henry

 

[Bobbler]

Nice find

Wonder if it is real? The bottom picture definately looks the part, the top is a bit suspicious but doesn't seem unreasonable.

 

[Ooh-videogames]

What is the timetable for devkits?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Can any interesting information be gleaned from this? Does the pattern of the pins give any clue to the internal workings? Any comparisons with G70's package?

 

[mckmas8808]

Yeah I want answer too. I too wonder with this info how long from now will dev kits be distributed to devs.

 

[ysoya]

Wonder if it is real? The bottom picture definately looks the part, the top is a bit suspicious but doesn't seem unreasonable.

It's just a sample chip. The guy posted the picture said, they are testing various samples however, size and spec of the package is almost final.

I bet it's real.

-ysoya

 

[Carl B]

Wait a minute - would it even be possible for it to be in pre-production final trials without even having taped out (supposedly) yet? Plus the RSX on that chip is the only thing that links it to the PS3 RSX whatsoever. Since production is supposed to be at Nagasaki, I would think there would be some Japanese on there, or something we could use to indicate production by Sony or a Nagasaki fab.

 

[ysoya]

Wait a minute - would it even be possible for it to be in pre-production final trials without even having taped out (supposedly) yet? Plus the RSX on that chip is the only thing that links it to the PS3 RSX whatsoever. Since production is supposed to be at Nagasaki, I would think there would be some Japanese on there, or something we could use to indicate production by Sony or a Nagasaki fab.

The guy have been working for a packaging company (not a fab) over one year and, he has no reason to lie.
His job is not to make a silicon but to package silicon into a chip.
He also said his company is responsible for packaging various sony chips. (including EE, GS, PSP main processor)

-ysoya

 

[Carl B]

The guy have been working for a packaging company (not a fab) over one year and, he has no reason to lie.
His job is not to make a silicon but to package silicon into a chip.
He also said his company is responsible for packaging various sony chips. (including EE, GS, PSP main processor)

-ysoya

Well I'm not questioning his credibility so much as I'm asking if this is even possible with the information we've been given about the supposed tape-out of RSX.

 

[_phil_]

i think this has nothing to do with nvidia RSX..


looks very much like that :
http://www.practicalcomponents.com/drawing_pages/pcb008-daisy-chain-pat.htm

 

[ralexand]

I thought sony said they were still designing the chip just a couple weeks ago.

 

[ysoya]

Well I'm not questioning his credibility so much as I'm asking if this is even possible with the information we've been given about the supposed tape-out of RSX.

I don't know whether it's working or not. But, guess..
Could there be a need to pack vacant wafer into chips?

-ysoya

 

[ralexand]

What's SJR and daisy chain?

 

[Guden Oden]

I don't want to claim for sure this is fake, but I think it is.

Top pic, there's a rounded corner on the chip package (upper left; the one marked with a dot).

Bottom pic doesn't seem to have a rounded corner.

 

[Carl B]

I don't know whether it's working or not. But, guess..
Could there be a need to pack vacant wafer into chips?

-ysoya

I was thinking about the same thing. The array on the bottom of the chip certainly seems consistent with some GPU's I've seen, so maybe there's a reason for Sony to test the packaging or get some dummy chips for motherboard/Cell testing before the real silicon? I mean I have no idea, as proxy chips for board testing would be something I don't know about. Still I could see it as being at least possible.

I think if you can find out from him whether this particular packaging job his firm is working on came from Sony direct, or not, that would at least give us indication.

The only thing I know though is that supposedly the RSX has yet to tape-out, which for me would preclude the manufacture and packaging of pre-run chips.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I don't want to claim for sure this is fake, but I think it is.

Why would anyone want to fake a package for RSX?

 

[wireframe]

I don't want to claim for sure this is fake, but I think it is.

Top pic, there's a rounded corner on the chip package (upper left; the one marked with a dot).

Bottom pic doesn't seem to have a rounded corner.

Well spotted!

 

[rendezvous]

I don't want to claim for sure this is fake, but I think it is.

Top pic, there's a rounded corner on the chip package (upper left; the one marked with a dot).

Bottom pic doesn't seem to have a rounded corner.

In the top picture the heat spreader is rounded. If look closely you can see that the package isn't.

 

[Carl B]

I don't want to claim for sure this is fake, but I think it is.

Top pic, there's a rounded corner on the chip package (upper left; the one marked with a dot).

Bottom pic doesn't seem to have a rounded corner.

Well spotted!

Well firstly I think that's just minor shadowing (with regard to the top pic) - on top of that, the bottom of the chip wouldn't be rounded anyway, even if the heat spreader was.

I'm not sure whether this is a real RSX packaging or not, but it certainly is a real chip packaging of some sort or another. Whether the top pic and the bottom pic actually go together though is another question, but too early for conspiracy theories I think.

 

[kyleb]

It is the same wood-grain in both the pics, so I'd imagine it is the same chip as well.