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GPU within it went from dual to quad-core. Maybe it also upgraded from SGX543 to SGX544 or SGX554. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerVR#Series_5XT http://en.wik
by 6ren 15y ago
GPU within it went from dual to quad-core. Maybe it also upgraded from SGX543 to SGX544 or SGX554. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerVR#Series_5XT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerVR#Series_5XT Hard to teardown a SoC.
- shabble 15y agoHarder, to be sure, but definitely possible. See http://www.lps.umd.edu/MicroelectronicsIntegration/MicroelectronicsCOTS.html http://www.lps.umd.edu/MicroelectronicsIntegration/Microelec... and http://www.break-ic.com/topics/break-ic.asp http://www.break-ic.com/topics/break-ic.asp for 2 overviews. There is an entire industry built around decapping and reverse-engineering ICs, usually to make cheap clones in China or somewhere else that'll turn a blind eye to IP infringement. There's also 'Dr. Decapitator' of ROM extraction fame: http://decap.mameworld.info/ http://decap.mameworld.info/ Annoyingly, I can't find the article I remember reading, which was a look at the debugging / test labs at AMD or Intel. They had all manner of depackaging, imaging, probing, and even in-situ modification tools. They could cut traces with incredibly precise laser pulses, and use bond-wires or additional metal deposits to test faulty designs. Incredible stuff (and a nightmare for anyone who wants "tamper resistance")