Intel ICH8 - MECHANICAL Guide

Intel®I/O Controller Hub 8 (ICH8)
Family
Thermal and Mechanical Design Guidelines
— For the Intel®I/O Controller Hub 8 (ICH8) Desktop Family.
June 2006
Document Number: 313058-001
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THIS DOCUMENT AND RELATED MATERIALS AND INFORMATION ARE PROVIDED "AS IS” WITH NO WARRANTIES,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, OR ANY WARRANTY
OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF ANY PROPOSAL, SPECIFICATION, OR SAMPLE. INTEL ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR
ANY ERRORS CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND HAS NO LIABILITIES OR OBLIGATIONS FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING
FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF THIS DOCUMENT. Intel products are not intended for use in medical, life saving,
life sustaining, critical control or safety systems, or in nuclear facility applications.
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relate to the presented subject matter. The furnishing of documents and other materials and information does not provide any
license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any such patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property
rights.
Intel may make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time, without notice. Intel is not obligated to provide any
support, installation or other assistance with regard to the information or products made in accordance with it.
Intel®I/O Controller Hub (ICH8) components may contain design defects or errors known as errata, which may cause the product to
deviate from published specifications. Current characterized errata are available on request.
Intel, Pentium, and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States
and other countries.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Copyright © 2006 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Contents
1Introduction..........................................................................................................................7
1.1 Terminology............................................................................................................7
1.2 Reference Documents............................................................................................8
2Product Specifications.........................................................................................................9
2.1 Package Description...............................................................................................9
2.2 Package Loading Specifications.............................................................................9
2.3 Thermal Specifications ...........................................................................................9
2.4 Power Specifications ............................................................................................11
3Thermal Metrology.............................................................................................................13
3.1 Case Temperature Measurements.......................................................................13
3.2 0° Angle Thermocouple Attach Methodology.......................................................13
3.3 Ambient Temperature and Airflow Measurement.................................................14
4Reference Thermal Solution..............................................................................................17
4.1 Environmental Reliability Requirements...............................................................17
Appendix A Enabled Suppliers .............................................................................................................19
Appendix B Mechanical Drawings........................................................................................................21

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Figures
Figure 1. 0° Angle Attach Methodology (top view, not to scale) .......................................14
Figure 2. 0° Angle Attach Heatsink Modifications (generic heatsink shown, not to scale)14
Figure 3. Recommended Temperature Measurement Placement: Top View ..................15
Figure 4. Recommended Airflow and Temperature Placement: Side View......................15
Figure 8. Intel®ICH8 Component Package Drawing ........................................................22
Figure 9. Motherboard Keep-Out for Reference Heatsink................................................23
Figure 10. Reference Heatsink Extrusion .........................................................................24
Figure 11. Reference Heatsink Clip..................................................................................25
Figure 12. Reference Heatsink Assembly.........................................................................26
Tables
Table 1. Package Loading Specifications...........................................................................9
Table 2. Intel®ICH8 Component Case Temperature Specifications ................................10
Table 3. Intel®ICH8 Thermal Design Power Guidelines...................................................11
Table 6. Reference Thermal Solution Environmental Reliability Requirements...............17
Table 7. Enabled Suppliers for the Intel®ICH6, ICH7, and ICH8 Reference Heatsink ....19
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Revision History
Rev. No. Description Date
-001 •Initial Release. June 2006
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Introduction
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1 Introduction
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 goal of this document is
to provide an understanding of the operating limits of the Intel®ICH8 component.
As the complexity of computer systems increases, so do power dissipation requirements. The
additional power of next generation systems must be properly dissipated. Heat can be dissipated
using improved system cooling, selective use of ducting, and/or passive heatsinks.
The simplest and most cost-effective method is to improve the inherent system cooling
characteristics of the ICH8 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.
This document presents the conditions and requirements to properly design a cooling solution for
systems that implement the ICH8 component. Properly designed solutions provide adequate cooling
to maintain the ICH8 component case temperature at or below thermal specifications. This is
accomplished by providing a low local-ambient temperature, ensuring adequate local airflow, and
minimizing the case to local-ambient thermal resistance. By maintaining the ICH8 component case
temperature at or below maximum specifications, a system designer can ensure the proper
functionality, performance, and reliability of this component.
Note: This document only applies to the desktop implementation of the Intel®ICH8 component.
Note: Unless otherwise specified, the term ICH8 refers to the Intel®I/O Controller Hub 8 (ICH8) desktop
family.
Note: References to RAID in this document only apply to the Intel®82801HR ICH8R I/O Controller Hub
with RAID capabilities.
1.1 Terminology
Term Description
mBGA Mini Ball Grid Array. Smaller versions of the BGA with a ball pitch of 1.07 mm. Wirebonded
package with die encased with a mold encapsulant.
TCThe measured case temperature of a component. It is generally measured at the geometric
center of the die or case, as specified in the component documentation.
TC-MAX The maximum case/die temperature.

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Term Description
TC-MIN The minimum case/die temperature.
TDP Thermal Design Power is specified as the highest sustainable power level of most or all of
the real applications expected to be run on the given product, based on extrapolations in
both hardware and software technology over the life of the component. Thermal solutions
should be designed to dissipate this target power level.
TIM Thermal Interface Material: thermally conductive material installed between two surfaces to
improve heat transfer and reduce interface contact resistance.
LFM Linear Feet per Minute. Units of airflow velocity.
PTC Package Thermal Capability. The power level at which at or below its value, the component
does not require a heatsink under the reference boundary condition assumptions.
Theta_CA Thermal Resistance described using power dissipated between two points. Here, theta_ca is
defined as: (Tc – Tambient)/(PowerCA)
1.2 Reference Documents
Document Comments
Intel®I/O Controller Hub 8 (ICH8) Datasheet www.intel.com/design/chips
ets/datashts/313056.htm
Various System Thermal Design Suggestions http://www.formfactors.org
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Product Specifications
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2 Product Specifications
2.1 Package Description
The ICH8 component is available in a 652 ball, 31mm square mBGA package shown in Figure 5 in
Appendix B.
2.2 Package Loading Specifications
Table 1 provides static load specifications for the ICH8 package. This mechanical maximum load
limit should not be exceeded during heatsink assembly, shipping conditions, or typical use
condition. Also, any mechanical system or component testing should not exceed the maximum limit.
The chipset package substrate should not be used as a mechanical reference or load-bearing surface
for the thermal and mechanical solution.
Table 1. Package Loading Specifications
Parameter Maximum Notes
Static 15 lbf 1,2,3
NOTES:
1. These specifications apply to uniform compressive loading in a direction normal to the chipset package
2. This is the maximum force that can be applied by a heatsink retention clip. The clip must also provide
the minimum specified load on the ICH package.
3. These specifications are based on limited testing for design characterization. Loading limits are for the
package only.
2.3 Thermal Specifications
To ensure proper operation and reliability of the ICH8 component, the case temperature TCmust be
at or below the maximum value TC-MAX specified in Table 2. If the temperature of the component
exceeds the maximum temperature listed, system or component level thermal enhancements are
required to dissipate the heat generated. The system designer must design a thermal solution for the
ICH8 such that it maintains TCbelow TC-MAX for sustained power level equal to the Thermal Design
power (TDP). Please note that the TC-MAX specification is a requirement for a sustained power level
equal to TDP, and that the case temperature must be maintained at temperatures less than TC-MAX
when operating at power levels less than TDP. This temperature compliance is to ensure chipset
reliability over its useful life. Chapter 3 provides the thermal metrology guidelines for case
temperature measurements. Chapter 4 provides information on the reference cooling solution for
ATX systems.
Intel’s reference boundary conditions for ICH8 in an ATX system are 60 °C inlet ambient
temperature and 0.25m/s [50 lfm] of airflow. The ICH8 package will not require a heatsink when
power dissipation is at or below 3.0 W. This value is referred to as the Package Thermal Capability,
or PTC. Note that the power level at which a heatsink is required will also change depending on
system local operating ambient conditions and system configuration. For example, the local inlet

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ambient air for the ICH8 component in a BTX system is projected to be approximately 55°C. For
BTX platforms that have similar boundary conditions to what is stated above, ICH8 does not require
a heatsink.
Note that the local ambient air temperature for BTX is a projection based on anticipated
power increases on a 2005 platform and are subject to change in the next revision of this
document.
It is important to note, however, that since the ICH8 package has a molded plastic encapsulant, and
because plastic is such a poor heat conductor, the relative importance of the motherboard heat
transfer characteristics increases. The heat transfer capability of the motherboard in the area of the
ICH8 should be characterized. Knowledge of these heat transfer paths can be used to determine if
an ICH8 heatsink is required.
In addition, high power PCI Express* graphic cards may alter the local ambient temperature as well
as the airflow patterns in the vicinity of the chipset. Systems that have interface utilization less than
that of the TDP configuration may be at power levels that may not require a heatsink.
In conclusion, thermal validation should be performed in your anticipated system environment, in
particular measuring the ICH8 case temperature to ensure it does not exceed its maximum case
temperature specification. To evaluate the capability of your system for cooling the ICH8, the
following system level tests are suggested to assess ICH8 case temperature compliancy:
1. Shipping configuration(s) with expected end user add-in cards and I/O peripherals installed.
2. All available slots and IO ports populated (only worst case if all I/O is fully populated including
SATA, USB, etc.).
For completeness, both room ambient conditions (approximately 23 °C, to simulate impact of fan
speed control) and worse case maximum external temperature (35 °C) conditions should be
considered in the validation test suite. If the ICH8 case temperature is above the published Tc-max
in any test scenario, a heatsink is required.
If you determine that the ICH8 package requires a heatsink in your system configuration, please
refer to Appendix A for the current reference ICH8 heatsink vendor information.
The component should be operated above the minimum case temperature specification listed in
Table 2.
Table 2. Intel®ICH8 Component Case Temperature Specifications
Parameter Value
See Table 3 for additional configurations
No Heatsink Attached: 105 °C
TC-MAX (Note 1 below) for TDP condition
of 4.1 W See Table 3 for additional configuration
Heatsink Attached: 92 °C
TC-MIN 0 °C
Storage Temperature -10 °C to +45 °C
NOTES:
1. Without a heatsink, most of the heat dissipated by ICH8 goes through the PCB, acting as a heat
spreader, and then into the ambient air. When a heatsink is installed on the package, more power is
now being pulled through the case. As a result the maximum case temperature must be maintained at
lower level than without a heatsink to remain within specification.