Replies to post #44288 on Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[CombJelly]

"Aren't the contacts on the die that are attached to the chip package usually arranged around the the die's edges?"

Only for wirebonded packages. For flip chip, the pads are scattered across the face of the die. So in principle, the die or dies can have a larger footprint than the area of the pins. There are probably practical reasons why that might not be done, but that is a different issue.

And there might be two discontiguous dies in the package. It still doesn't make any difference for evaluation purposes.

[DDB]

fpg - on this image you can see the I/O contacts arranged in nice patterns on a TBred die:

http://media.hardwareanalysis.com/articles/large/10629.jpg

Under the microscope you can see the nearly stop-sign-shaped pads on an Opteron die (if you have on ;)).