ReoEagle

Ok, out of this whole confusion with nVidia solder job being the problem. I have heard from a friend that High-lead is a amazing and a major standard and why the RoHS has actually has an exempt on it. Now to be honest, I don't fully understand why the process could be bad, and I have a very short attention span.
But I really would like an explanation about this

To be honest, all I can gather of what a eutectic mixture is just one that cools all at about the same time, with tin and lead being the most common, and I believe is currently allowed, though there better quality ones, they're just far more expensive.

Please tell me if I'm being dumb about this, as it's kind of hard for me to believe that High lead soldering is the problem as it is a defacto standard in the industry. =(

ReoEagle

Seriously if anyone could explain it to me, I would really like it. As I really don't like people bashing in nVidia and giving a technical reasoning that is flawed.

Raiden

I am definitely no chemist, but lead+tin are used to create a conductive metal that melts easily when enough thermal heat is applied. Usually they have rosin as well to make solder "stick" to metal contacts that you would find on a circuit board. Non-lead (and thus RoHS compliant?) solder requires higher temperatures, but also helps out the environment, and gives better results at higher temperatures where solder can melt away. (The article I read said that this was needed for high temperature automotive components.)

ReoEagle

High-lead solder melts at over 300C, which is a lot more than most alloy solders, but is radically more than your average run of the mill low-lead (or light lead) solder at your local store or used for most non-computerized parts.

I had a long discussion with an engineer, he said it seemed unlikely but entirely plausible that it could be the problem, it would certainly be really nice to see someone that isn't charlie talk about it and show with direct evidence that there is a problem at that level of heat and electromiagration.

Also most things need to have minimalist amounts of lead to qualify, high-lead solder because of it's efficiency with computer parts is SPECIFICALLY exempt by the RoHS.

Read the papers I put in the quote please, and you'll see what I mean, if you'd like me to get more information about it, I'll gladly get some more. But I may have to talk to a few more engineering friends about this and make an counter article because it's starting to seem unlikely, but like I said, this isn't extactly my area of expertise, and I could be explaining it wrong to my friends in the first place.

ReoEagle

So case in point. nVidia chips somehow maybe flawed but the reasoning that Charlie gave was a load, unless someone can prove otherwise. =)

grunion

Who cares what Charlie writes, seriously?

Fact of the matter is Nvidia took a $196 million charge, proof enough that there is an issue.
Until Nvidia states the facts I suggest you don't take Charlies rants personally.

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TheSubtleKnife

I think it might have to do withe the fact thay are using High-Lead balls, but eutectic pads, so the eutectic pads expand faster than the lead, but they are bonded, so it causes the lead to crack? and maybe all the other applications are high lead on high lead connections, so thats why they dont fail...

just my $.02

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Bunnywinkles

hes right, they didnt use the same mixture, so when the card heats up the chip expands unevenly, which in turn, can crack the lead balls.

http://www.overclock.net/hardware-ne...explained.html

read. i know its INQ but all seems right..

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ReoEagle

It's common enough the two are mixed, and usually within tolerance, if it was really a problem, you'd heard about it with other BGA chips

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High lead is a known and commonly used process, thats meant to take heat up to 300C, please explain why nVidia's chip are the only ones with problems

ReoEagle

It's just not me, I'm just getting sick of talking to some people that say all nVidia chips are gonna die, and I feel like everyone on here including people that like nVidia, especially the ATI enthusiast, feel that are as well. I just kind of want evidence to state otherwise, because I see people just taking it as pure fact.

I have nothing against ATI, just their stuff with me doesn't seem to do all too well (Fusing to my Molex connector for one! =P)

Though, their ATI's motherboards, I gotta say were some of the most rocksolid boards I've ever used, (Though I've only used Intel ones). Too bad AMD bought 'em =(

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High lead is a known and commonly used process, thats meant to take heat up to 300C, please explain why nVidia's chip are the only ones with problems