I don't know how to feel about being able to near-instantly identify the actual main chip in a PCIe NIC by just the PCB/component layout alone
one honk maybe more
jeroen@secluded.ch
replied 08 Sep 2026 12:35 +0000
in reply to: https://benjojo.co.uk/u/benjojo/h/7tNx77TQtyCQyp9b9b
@benjojo solely which chip is the main chip (mostly covered in a big heatsink), or also which model it is ? :)
benjojo
replied 08 Sep 2026 12:38 +0000
in reply to: https://secluded.ch/users/jeroen/statuses/117235445529262096
@jeroen Like " oh that's a X520/X550/E800/XL710/CX4/CX5/CX6/Broadcom " at a glance because everyone is building off the same reference design layouts
jeroen@secluded.ch
replied 08 Sep 2026 12:45 +0000
in reply to: https://benjojo.co.uk/u/benjojo/h/M3vm57p5B3PQPt1xCV
@benjojo if you handle enough of them, yes, makes sense; with newer cards one can look at the nice case they put them in for cooling (and component protection), the colors are a dead give away in that ... case ;)