Preliminary Information
26633 Rev.
3.03 September
2003
AMD Athlon™ 64 and AMD Opteron™ Processors
Thermal Design Guide
2.6.4.3 Required Exhaust Airflow Direction
The current that a motherboard must supply to the AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Opteron processors
has increased during the development of these processors. The increase in current requires that air
exhausting from the heatsink be directed across the motherboard processor voltage regulator.
Motherboard suppliers have designed their motherboards to have voltage regulators located along
the long side of the heatsink. Therefore, heatsinks should be designed to have aiflow exit the long
side of the heatsink as shown in Figure 13. Alternatively, airflow may exit the heatsink on all
sides.
Figure 13. Required Exhaust Airflow Direction for Motherboard Voltage Regulator Cooling
Chapter 2
AMD Athlon™ 64 and AMD Opteron™ Processors Thermal Requirements
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