How are different tier processors the same size?

[Gat Pelsinger]

The Celeron G6900 is the same size as the 12900k, despite of having massive core amount differences, how? 

[Kilrah]

The actual die won't be...

[Needfuldoer]

The Celeron just has more empty space under the integrated heat spreader. They all have to be the same physical size on the outside so they fit the same sockets and cooling solutions.

[JohanKjeldahl7]

3 minutes ago, RTXboy123 said:

The Celeron G6900 is the same size as the 12900k, despite of having massive core amount differences, how? 

Most dies fit under the regular size heat spreader. If you look at server CPUs or Threadrippers e.g. they have bigger heat spreaders because the die under it is way bigger due to them having so much more cores. Some of them even have the die split up into 2 or more parts like the Threadripper --> bigger size in total.

[doomsriker]

They all need to work in the same socket with the same heat sinks so they make the IHS the same. Can you imagine if they had to make separate boards for budget skews (absolute mess)? Also all the CPUs are yawing the same LGA standard so it’s not like they can just magically not use some pins and be smaller on the bottom. 

[manikyath]

the 'part' is the same size because the socket determines the 'part' size, not the silicon.

 

if you find shots of delidded processors, the silicon that's under the lid is often much smaller on the low end celerons compared to the big ones.

 

often intel has a number of silicon designs each generation, and based on how much of it comes out working (yield is a strange creature in silicon manufacturing) that one part usually ends up as one of maybe even a douzen different processors.

for example the most efficient ones end up in xeons, the highest clocking ones end up as your 12900k, the ones where hyperthread is wonky end up in a sku without hyperthread, etc.

[mariushm]

Often even the dies inside are same size, because the chip inside is the same as a higher end chip, but with some cores disabled or with the integrated graphics part disabled.

They can be disabled due to actual flaws in the manufacturing process or the disabled cores are too "weak" as in they require too much power to reach the same frequencies the other cores achieve, so Intel or AMD disable those cores to get a working chip within a particular amount of power consumption.