Chiphell forum users were first to spot the changes after someone flagged a Ryzen 7 7800X3D that appeared to be missing the row of capacitors on the top half of the substrate. Normally, you'd expect to see them flanking the IHS like a parade of tiny soldiers. This time, they were AWOL.

Understandably, the owner was rattled, especially given the increasing number of fake CPUs doing the rounds. However, after reaching out to AMD, they were told the design had changed a few months ago and the missing capacitors were nothing to worry about.

The change, it turns out, is part of a wider design tweak that also affects chips like the Ryzen 7 7700, 7600X and 7500F. Users have reported that the newer versions of these CPUs all feature the same capacitor-free top half. AMD insists that it is not a downgrade and the absence of these components appears to reduce heat buildup and help the chips boost more consistently.

One user noted that the updated 7700 now boosts to 5.0 GHz across all cores more easily, thanks to improved thermals. So, AMD is trimming the fat where it won’t hurt.

It's likely a move to shave down production and QA costs. If the capacitors weren’t doing much, cutting them out saves money, reduces the chance of solder defects and possibly improves reliability. Multiply that across hundreds of thousands of CPUs, and AMD's bean counters probably had a party.

There have been multiple sightings of the new design in the wild now, including a Reddit post from two months ago showing the same capacitor-free layout on a 7800X3D. In every case, performance and thermals remained bang on target.