1 Why This Recipe Matters
The Silicon Circuit Board alternate recipe is one of the most transformative unlocks in the late game of Satisfactory. At Tier 7, when you're producing hundreds of Circuit Boards per minute for Computers, Supercomputers, Radio Control Units, and Adaptive Control Units, the standard recipe's dependence on Plastic becomes a critical bottleneck. Every Circuit Board made the default way consumes 4 Plastic, which means your entire oil processing line is under constant strain. The Silicon Circuit Board recipe completely eliminates this dependency, replacing Plastic with Silica — a resource made from Raw Quartz that is abundant and easy to automate.
Production Efficiency Gain
The default Circuit Board recipe requires 2 Copper Sheets and 4 Plastic to produce 1 Circuit Board in an Assembler. At scale, this means a Computer factory consuming 50 Circuit Boards per minute needs 100 Copper Sheets and 200 Plastic per minute. That 200 Plastic alone requires a significant portion of your oil production, competing with Rubber for tires, Fuel for power, and Petroleum Coke for aluminum processing.
The Silicon Circuit Board recipe replaces the 4 Plastic with 8 Silica and adds 8 Copper Sheets (up from 2), producing 4 Circuit Boards per cycle. Let's compare per-Circuit-Board costs: the default recipe uses 2 Copper Sheets + 4 Plastic per board, while Silicon Circuit Board uses 2 Copper Sheets + 2 Silica per board. The Plastic cost disappears entirely, replaced by Silica which is made from Raw Quartz — a completely separate resource chain that doesn't compete with your oil infrastructure.
When to Unlock
Silicon Circuit Board becomes available at Tier 7, which requires you to have completed the Bauxite Refinement milestone and unlocked the MAM's Quartz research chain. Specifically, you need to have researched Quartz in the MAM to unlock Silica production before this recipe becomes useful. The earliest you can realistically use Silicon Circuit Board is after establishing Raw Quartz mining and Silica processing, which typically happens in the mid-to-late Tier 6 timeframe.
By Tier 7, your factory is likely consuming massive amounts of Plastic for Circuit Boards, High-Speed Connectors, and various other products. This is the perfect time to make the switch. Silicon Circuit Boards free up your oil refineries to focus on Fuel, Rubber, and other petroleum products while your Quartz nodes handle the electronics supply chain. The logistical separation of your electronics and petrochemical lines makes your entire factory more modular and easier to expand.
2 Recipe Details
Input / Output Ratios (Per Assembler)
| Recipe | Building | Input 1 | Input 2 | Output | Cycle Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Circuit Board (Alternate) | Assembler | 8 Copper Sheet/min | 8 Silica/min | 4 Circuit Board/min | 12s |
| Circuit Board (Default) | Assembler | 2 Copper Sheet/min | 4 Plastic/min | 1 Circuit Board/min | 8s |
Per-Circuit-Board Cost Comparison
| Metric | Default Recipe | Silicon Circuit Board | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Sheet per Board | 2.0 | 2.0 | — |
| Plastic per Board | 4.0 | 0 | Eliminated |
| Silica per Board | 0 | 2.0 | New requirement |
| Production Rate (per Assembler) | 7.5 /min | 20 /min | +167% |
| Oil Dependency | High (needs Plastic) | None | Decoupled |
Silica Supply Chain
Silica is produced from Raw Quartz in a Constructor. The default Silica recipe converts 3 Raw Quartz into 5 Silica with no byproducts. Raw Quartz nodes are found primarily in the Dune Desert, Red Bamboo Fields, and Rocky Desert biomes. A normal Raw Quartz node produces 60 ore per minute, which converts to 100 Silica per minute — enough to supply 12.5 Silicon Circuit Board Assemblers, producing 50 Circuit Boards per minute.
Production Tree
Crude Oil → Refinery → Plastic
Plastic + Copper Sheet → Assembler → Circuit Board
[SILICON CIRCUIT BOARD — ALTERNATE]
Raw Quartz → Constructor → Silica
Silica + Copper Sheet → Assembler → 4x Circuit Board/cycle
[SILICA SUPPLY CHAIN]
60 Raw Quartz/min → Constructor → 100 Silica/min
100 Silica/min → Supplies ~12.5 Silicon Circuit Board Assemblers
100 Silica/min → Produces ~50 Circuit Boards/min
Scaling to 100 Circuit Boards Per Minute
To produce 100 Silicon Circuit Boards per minute, you need 25 Assemblers (each producing 4 per minute at 100% clock speed), consuming 200 Copper Sheets and 200 Silica per minute. The Silica demand requires 6.25 Constructors processing Raw Quartz, which in turn needs approximately 3.75 normal Raw Quartz nodes (or fewer pure nodes with overclocking). The Copper Sheet demand requires about 13.3 Assemblers making Copper Sheets from Copper Ingots, which needs roughly 267 Copper Ingots per minute — approximately 4.5 normal Copper nodes.
3 Hard Drive Acquisition
The Silicon Circuit Board alternate recipe is obtained by researching Hard Drives in the MAM. Hard Drives are physical items found at Crash Sites scattered across the map. Each Crash Site contains exactly one Hard Drive, and each Hard Drive unlocks one alternate recipe from a randomized pool. The Silicon Circuit Board recipe appears in the Tier 7+ recipe pool, which is only accessible from Crash Sites in late-game biomes.
Crash Sites That Can Yield Silicon Circuit Board
The Silicon Circuit Board recipe is part of the Tier 7+ alternate recipe pool. This means you need to visit Crash Sites in late-game biomes to have a chance at unlocking it. The following locations have been confirmed to potentially yield this recipe.
📍 Crash Site A — Swamp Northeastern Edge
Coordinates: Approx. (800, -1800)
Distance from Hub: ~4,500m southeast
Power requirement: Recommend Xeno-Zapper or better (hostile fauna)
Access: Build a bridge across the swamp or use Jetpack to hop between islands
Notable landmarks: Large hollow tree, bauxite nodes nearby
Difficulty to reach: Hard — swamp terrain slows movement
Recipe pool: Tier 7+ (includes Silicon Circuit Board)
📍 Crash Site B — Abyss Cliffs Overlook
Coordinates: Approx. (-1000, 2000)
Distance from Hub: ~5,500m north
Power requirement: Recommend Rifle or Rebar Gun
Access: Build a long ramp up the cliff face or use Hyper Tube elevator
Notable landmarks: Overlooks the canyon, quartz and sulfur nodes
Difficulty to reach: Very Hard — extreme elevation, bring 200+ Concrete
Recipe pool: Tier 7+ (includes Silicon Circuit Board)
📍 Crash Site C — Purple Bamboo Forest
Coordinates: Approx. (-2500, -500)
Distance from Hub: ~5,000m west
Power requirement: Recommend Rifle + Gas Mask
Access: Navigate through dense bamboo, build elevated walkways
Notable landmarks: Giant purple bamboo stalks, uranium nodes nearby
Difficulty to reach: Very Hard — hostile creatures + toxic gas
Recipe pool: Tier 7-8 (includes Silicon Circuit Board)
📍 Crash Site D — Eastern Beach Highlands
Coordinates: Approx. (3000, -500)
Distance from Hub: ~5,500m east
Power requirement: Recommend firearm (hostile wildlife)
Access: Follow the eastern coast, climb the highland ridge
Notable landmarks: Overlooks the eastern ocean, multiple quartz nodes
Difficulty to reach: Hard — long journey, bring portable miners
Recipe pool: Tier 7+ (includes Silicon Circuit Board)
Recipe Pool Information
The Silicon Circuit Board recipe is part of the Tier 7+ alternate recipe pool. When you research a Hard Drive from a Crash Site in these biomes, the MAM will present you with three random recipes from the pool. The Tier 7+ pool includes: Silicon Circuit Board, Supercomputer (alternate), Turbo Electric Motor, Fused Modular Frame, Heat Sink, Cooling System, and numerous other endgame recipes. Because the selection is random and the pool is large, targeted save scumming is highly recommended.
The Tier 7+ recipe pool is one of the largest in the game, with 30+ recipes. Your chances of seeing Silicon Circuit Board on any given Hard Drive are approximately 1 in 10. Save before inserting each Hard Drive and reload if you don't see it. Alternatively, gather 5-10 Hard Drives from Tier 7+ biomes before researching any of them, then research them all in sequence — your odds improve as the pool shrinks with each unlock.
4 Unlock Strategy
MAM Research Requirements
Before you can use the Silicon Circuit Board recipe, you need to have completed multiple research chains in the MAM. Here's the complete unlock path:
↓ HUB Tier 7: Unlock Bauxite Refinement + Aluminum Production
↓ MAM Research: Raw Quartz chain (unlocks Silica)
↓ Build Silica production line (Raw Quartz → Constructor → Silica)
↓ Research Hard Drive from Tier 7+ biome in MAM
↓ Insert Hard Drive → Wait 10 minutes → Select Silicon Circuit Board from 3 options
Prerequisites Checklist
| Requirement | How to Obtain | Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
| HUB Tier 7 | Deliver Phase 3 Space Elevator payload | 30-50 hours |
| MAM Quartz Research | Find Raw Quartz, research in MAM | 2-4 hours |
| Silica Production | Build Constructor on Raw Quartz node | 1 hour |
| Copper Sheet Production | Already established by Tier 7 | N/A |
| Hard Drive from Tier 7+ Biome | Loot from late-game Crash Sites | 2-4 hours per drive |
Tier Requirements
Silicon Circuit Board requires Tier 7 because it depends on both the Assembler building (Tier 2, already available) and Silica production from Raw Quartz (Tier 7 MAM research). While the building requirement is low, the resource chain is what gates this recipe to the late game. Raw Quartz nodes are exclusively found in biomes that require significant infrastructure to reach safely — Jetpacks, firearms, and often gas masks or elevated walkways.
Recommended Unlock Order
For maximum efficiency at Tier 7 and beyond:
- Silicon Circuit Board — Eliminates Plastic dependency for electronics
- Supercomputer (Alternate) — Simplifies the most complex component in Tier 7-8
- Heat Sink (Alternate) — Reduces aluminum demand for cooling components
- Pure Caterium Ingot — Doubles Caterium efficiency for Quickwire
- Fused Wire — Triple Wire + Quickwire from Copper + Caterium
5 Gotcha Tips
Raw Quartz is not found in the starting Grass Fields or Rocky Desert biomes. The nearest Raw Quartz nodes to the starting area are in the Dune Desert (southeast) or the Red Bamboo Fields (northwest). Both are dangerous biomes requiring Tier 5-6 equipment to explore safely. Plan a dedicated Raw Quartz expedition with full gear: Xeno-Basher, at least 100 health supplies, 200 Concrete for foundations, and a vehicle for transport.
When you unlock Silicon Circuit Board, resist the urge to tear down your existing Plastic-based Circuit Board production immediately. You still need Plastic for a dozen other products: Computers (which also need Circuit Boards but through a different chain), High-Speed Connectors, Crystal Oscillators, and various alt recipes. Instead, run both lines in parallel: use Silicon Circuit Boards for new expansion while keeping the Plastic line running for products that specifically need Plastic.
Copper Alloy Ingot or Pure Copper Ingot recipes to boost output." data-zh="硅电路板配方每次使用8铜板，而默认配方只要2。虽然这分摊到4个电路板上（每个2铜板，与默认相同），但组装器数量显著增加。100个电路板/分钟需要200铜板/分钟——约是默认配方同产量需求的两倍。确保你的铜生产线能承受，或考虑使用铜合金锭或纯净铜锭配方提高产量。">The Silicon Circuit Board recipe uses 8 Copper Sheets per cycle versus 2 for the default recipe. While this is spread across 4 Circuit Boards (2 sheets per board, same as default), your Assembler count increases significantly. At 100 Circuit Boards per minute, you need 200 Copper Sheets per minute — roughly double what the default recipe would require for the same output. Make sure your copper production line can handle the increased load, or consider using the Copper Alloy Ingot or Pure Copper Ingot recipes to boost output.
The Raw Quartz research chain in the MAM requires multiple research steps: first Quartz Crystals, then Silica, then Quartz-based alternate recipes. Each step takes real time to complete (10+ minutes per research). Start the Quartz research chain as soon as you find Raw Quartz, even before you have the Silicon Circuit Board recipe. This way, by the time you unlock the recipe, your Silica production is already running and you can immediately switch over.
6 Free Benefits
Other Recipes from the Same Hard Drive Pool
When you hunt for Silicon Circuit Board in Tier 7+ biomes, you'll unlock several other game-changing recipes. Here are the most valuable companions:
⚡ Supercomputer (Alternate Recipe)
⚡ Turbo Electric Motor
⚡ Fused Modular Frame
⚡ Cooling System (Alternate)
Map Exploration Rewards
The journey to find Silicon Circuit Board takes you to the most remote and dangerous biomes on the planet. The rewards for this exploration extend far beyond the recipe itself:
| Bonus Discovery | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Raw Quartz Nodes (x5+) | Dune Desert, Red Bamboo, Abyss Cliffs | Silica for Circuit Boards, Quartz Crystals for Crystal Oscillators |
| Bauxite Nodes (x4+) | Swamp areas, coastal cliffs | Aluminum production for Tier 7-8 |
| Nitrogen Gas Wells | Abyss Cliffs, northern regions | Cooling Systems, Nitric Acid for late-game |
| SAM Ore Deposits | Multiple Tier 7+ biomes | Somersloop research in MAM |
| Power Slugs (Purple) | Late-game Crash Site areas | 200% overclocking for maximum production |
| Mercer Sphere Artifacts | Hidden in all late biomes | MAM research for alien technologies |
| Hard Drives (15+) | All Tier 7+ biomes combined | Complete your alternate recipe collection |
Related Recipes in the Satisfactory Guide
Silicon Circuit Board is the capstone of your electronics production optimization. These related recipes complete the chain:
Pure Ingots
Double ore yield with Water in Refinery. Essential copper efficiency for Circuit Boards.
Fused Wire & Quickwire
Copper + Caterium produces triple Wire. Feeds into Stitched Iron Plate and more.
Copper Alloy Ingot
Copper + Iron in Foundry. Triples copper ingot output for Sheet production.
Recycled Plastic & Rubber
Reclaim Plastic from byproducts for other Tier 7 products that still need it.