Intel Will Disclose DTS Specs At IDF

Previously undisclosed information about DTS or digital thermal sensor by Intel will be announced at IDF to provide for more accurate internal temperature monitoring of current 45nm CPUs.

At IDF this year, Intel is expected to unveil (PDF) information that will lead to improved internal processor temperature monitoring. Intel has never previously disclosed information about the Tjunction value before of its 45nm desktop processors, a value that is needed to accurately measure the internal CPU temperature. Previously, these Tjunction values were estimated by software, but as each model and stepping of processor can potentially have a different Tjunction value, not to mention varying temperature response curves, no current method can be accurately trusted.

Intel is appealing to the enthusiast community by fully disclosing the information needed to now properly determine this information on day 3 of IDF. If you are at IDF this year, the course will be #TMTS001, and will start at 1:40pm. Regular computer users will still benefit from this released knowledge by soon being able to monitor accurately the temperature of each core in their current Core 2 processors, when previously unable to do so. Serious overclockers may find this particularly useful.

Previous Intel chips, prior to 45nm, were capable of measuring internal CPU temperature through an on-board diode and was measured externally. With the 45nm processors though, a new method was needed and so Intel engineers came up with the Digital Thermal Sensor, or DTS. Instead of relying on external measurements of the temperature, Intel had integrated that aspect into the processor. By using a thermal threshold value, the Tjunction, along with the data provided by the DTS, the internal temperature of the processor can be determined. Tjunction values in the past have only been provided for mobile processor versions, as they lacked an integrated heat spreader.

Look for our complete coverage of IDF next week.