How to calculate CPU cooling. Cold intel or passive cooling

The Taiwanese company Thermalright is one of the leaders in the production of air cooling systems. The products of this company have been present on our market for a long time and are represented by a wide range of coolers for various purposes. One of the company's priority areas is, of course, the production of highly efficient processor coolers. Today our test laboratory received an unusual cooler. Its peculiarity is the ability to operate in passive mode, that is, without blowing by fans. At least, according to the manufacturer, this product is designed specifically as a passive cooler. We have to find out how well the radiator will cope with cooling a modern processor in the absence of airflow. So, the hero of our testing was the Thermalright HR-02 processor cooler.

In general, the idea of building the quietest computer possible is not new. Many users don't need extreme performance at the expense of noise and exorbitant power consumption. A home computer can handle multimedia tasks and not too resource-intensive games without overclocking at all. But a completely silent PC has a number of advantages. For example, you can queue downloads from the Internet at night and the computer will not disturb your sleep with its noise. In addition, the quiet operation of the system unit will be appreciated by connoisseurs of high-quality sound and owners of professional speaker systems. There are many more such examples that can be given, but let’s move on directly to the review.

Packaging and accessories

The cooler comes in a medium-sized cardboard box. The packaging design style is familiar to Thermalright products - a strict appearance of the box, no unnecessary pictures, windows or other marketing “tricks”.

The radiator itself is in a bag and tightly packed in a protective polyurethane foam form. The likelihood of damage during transportation is minimal. Accessories are in a separate box made of white cardboard.

A pleasant surprise for the buyer will be a fairly high-quality screwdriver supplied with the cooler.

The delivery set is as follows:

user guide;
sticker with manufacturer's logo;
set of mounts for LGA 775/1155/1156/1366;
brackets for mounting a 120 mm fan;
brackets for mounting a 140 mm fan;
crosshead screwdriver;
cooler clamp key;
anti-vibration corners for the fan;

Radiator design

The Thermalright HR-02 cooler was originally designed to remove up to 130 watts of heat from the CPU without the use of fans. Of course, this mode of operation requires a large area of heat dissipation. The radiator is a structure consisting of a copper base and six copper heat pipes piercing 32 perforated aluminum plates. Tube diameter 6 mm. The thickness of the ribs is 0.5 mm, and the intercostal distance is 3 mm. The radiator is completely nickel plated.

The total estimated radiator area is about 9770 sq. cm. For comparison, the heat dissipator area of the Noctua NH-D14 is 12020 square meters. cm. The thickness of the plates, the large interfin spacing and perforation in the plates indicate that the radiator is designed to operate in passive mode.

Undoubtedly, this is one of the largest (if not the largest) single-section tower coolers. The radiator looks massive even against the backdrop of the two-section Silver Arrow. It is also clearly noticeable how much greater the intercostal distance is in the HR-02 than in the “arrow”.

The workmanship is at the highest level. Taking this radiator in your hands, you get the impression that it is a cast part, and not a structure made up of many segments. All connections of the heat pipes to the base and fin plates are high-quality soldered. No “snot” in the form of solder drips was detected.

One of the features of Thermalright HR-02 is the non-standard arrangement of heat pipes. The entire radiator seems to be shifted to the side relative to the base. According to the manufacturer, this design should make operation more convenient and simplify user access to the case fans on the rear wall of the case. We looked from a slightly different angle and noticed that this design can allow the installation of memory modules with high heatsinks in all DIMM slots. Whether this is so, we still have to find out.

This form should not harm performance at all. The heat pipes are placed correctly and should distribute heat fairly evenly across the heatsink fins. If we are talking about installing a fan, then the position of the heat pipes will precisely correspond to the highest air flow, bypassing the “dead zone” of the fan.

The base cannot be called ideal, but it is level enough to ensure more or less uniform heat dissipation from the heat spreader cover. If we compare the workmanship with the Noctua NH-D14 cooler, the Austrian company is still ahead.

The radiator base is polished to a mirror finish. Of course, the marks of the cutter are visible upon detailed inspection, but this is not critical for cooling efficiency.

In order not to disappoint fans of active cooling, engineers have provided the possibility of installing fans. When assembled with a 140mm Thermalright TY-140, the cooler looks like this.

The brackets are threaded into special holes in the radiator plates, then the fan is pressed. It is worth noting that this fan installation system is typical for all coolers from this manufacturer and it has one noticeable drawback. Installing or removing fan brackets requires dismantling the cooler. Again, Taiwanese engineers should pay attention to the NH-D14, in which the fan mounting is implemented more rationally and conveniently.

Well, the appearance and workmanship of the Thermalright HR-02 radiator are impressive. Let's look at the specifications and move on directly to testing. Installation and Compatibility

The heatsink can be installed on all Intel platforms. The mounting system is exactly the same as on all modern Thermalright processor coolers. First you need to attach the stiffener plate to the system board:

Then a mounting frame is installed, to which the radiator will be screwed. The frame allows you to install the radiator in any of four possible positions. This is very convenient as it makes the product more versatile. We chose a position in which we can install memory modules with high ridges.

The radiator itself is screwed on using two cap nuts and then clamped with a large bolt in the middle of the base.

The plates contain special holes designed for mounting the radiator using a screwdriver. It’s just not clear why it was necessary to make these holes so large, because smaller ones are enough for a screwdriver. Perhaps this was done for beauty, but the loss of working space is obvious.

The supplied brackets are designed for one 120mm and one 140mm fan. We used brackets from Thermalright Silver Arrow and installed two TY-140 fans.

And then another unpleasant feature of the fan mounting was discovered. The brackets prevent installation of high-comb memory in the first DIMM slot. Considering the design of the cooler, engineers could work on creating new brackets (following the example of Noctua or Prolimatech). Then the cooler would be even better, and the fan located immediately behind the RAM “scallops” would also provide ventilation for them.

Specifications

Cooler model		Thermalright Silver Arrow	Noctua NH-D14
Connector	LGA775/1155/1156/1366 AM2(+)/AM3	LGA775/1155/1156/1366 AM2(+)/AM3	LGA775/1155/1156/1366 AM2(+)/AM3
Radiator dimensions, mm	102x140x163	147x123x165	140x130x160
Radiator weight, g	860	830	900
Radiator material		Copper base and heat pipes, aluminum fins, all nickel plated	Copper base and heat pipes, aluminum fins, all nickel plated
Number of plates	32	55x2	42x2
Distance between plates, mm	3	1,7	2,5
Fan model(s)	-	Thermalright TY-140	NF-P12/NF-P14
Fan(s) dimensions, mm	-	160x140x26	120x120x25 140x140x25
Weight of each fan, g	-	140	170
Fan(s) rotation speed, rpm	-	900—1300 (PWM control)	900—1300 900—1200 (using U.L.N.A. adapters)
Air flow, cubic meters f./min	-	56—73	37—54,1 48,8—64,7
Declared noise level, dBA	-	19—21	12,6—19,8 13,2—19,8
MTBF, thousand hours	-	n/a	>150
Estimated cost, $	80	90	80

Stand and testing methodology

The test bench configuration was as follows:

motherboard: ASRock P67 Extreme4 (Intel P67 Express);
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K ES ([email protected] GHz, VCore 1.45 V);
RAM: Kingston KHX2333C9D3T1K2/4GX (2x2 GB);
video card: HIS Radeon HD6950 2GB;
hard drive: Western Digital WD6401AALS;
power supply: Hiper Type RII 680W (680 W).
thermal paste: Noctua NT-H1.

Testing was carried out on an open bench at a room temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. The processor was warmed up in the Windows 7 Ultimate Edition x64 operating system using the LinX 0.6.4 program (10 Linpack passes in each test cycle with a RAM volume of 2048 MB). The CoreTemp and AIDA 64 utilities were used to monitor the temperature. For each cooler, testing was repeated three times with the thermal paste being replaced.

The processor operated at 4 GHz at 1.175 V with passive cooling and at 5 GHz at 1.45 V with radiator cooling. The Noctua NH-D14 cooler was also tested with Thermalright TY-140 fans, due to the fact that the latter are slightly more productive than its standard NF-P12 and NF-P14.

Test results

It’s immediately worth noting that all tested coolers were able to operate the Intel Core i5-2600K processor at a frequency of 5.0 GHz at a voltage of 1.45 V.

Analysis of the diagrams shows that the performance of the coolers tested in our laboratory is at a high level. The two-section “towers” of Noctua NH-D14 and Thermalright Silver Arrow are comparable in efficiency, with
slight superiority of the latter. Thermalright HR-02 is ahead of this tandem in fanless mode, but loses even more noticeably in active mode. Considering the features of its design, in particular the small number of radiator fins, this result is quite logical and natural. In the first case, the decisive role is played by the competent design of the cooler, in the second - by a smaller area of heat dissipation.

Conclusion

The results of testing coolers in passive mode show a slight superiority of the HR-02 over its competitors, but the other two participants can also be used without airflow. Therefore, we cannot say that only models specially designed for this are suitable for passive cooling. Almost any highly efficient radiator with a large dissipation area is capable of providing normal heat dissipation without the use of fans. However, we should not forget that our test Intel Core i7-2600K processor is much cooler than, for example, LGA1366 processors, and there are not many powerful video cards with passive cooling on sale. That is, lovers of a silent computer will in any case have to take care of choosing the appropriate components. One way or another, the tested Thermalright HR-02 cooler will be an excellent choice when building a silent PC. If we talk about active cooling, then this product, although it shows good results, is far from optimal in terms of price/performance ratio. The HR-02, without fans included, costs about $80. In total, purchasing this radiator and an additional fan will cost significantly more than purchasing more efficient two-section coolers.

To summarize, we can unconditionally classify Thermalright HR-02 as a class of high-quality processor coolers. The product does not pretend to be a leader, but at the same time it has a set of rare qualities, thanks to which it will undoubtedly find its buyer.

The only serious drawback is its cost, but the Thermalright HR-02 Macho version has already entered the market, which is equipped with a fan and costs significantly less due to the lack of nickel plating. Perhaps Macho will soon get into our test laboratory, and we will check how important the nickel coating is, or whether it serves a purely aesthetic role.

Testing equipment was provided by the following companies:

ASRock - ASRock P67 Extreme4 motherboard;
Intel - Intel Core i7-2600K processor;
Noctua - Noctua NH-D14 cooler and NT-H1 thermal paste;
Thermalright - Thermalright HR-02 and Silver Arrow coolers.

Any computer or laptop needs a good cooling system to function properly. During operation, elements such as a processor (CPU), video card, and motherboard generate a large amount of heat and become very hot. The higher the CPU performance rating, the more heat it produces. If the PC does not quickly remove air, this can lead to various system failures, incorrect functioning of equipment, decreased performance, and cause failure of important elements. Why does the processor get hot? How to cool the CPU in PCs and laptops? Which cooler to choose for optimal PC cooling? We will try to answer these questions in this article.

Reasons for CPU overheating

If the computer starts to turn off, glitch, or freeze, this may be due to overheating of the CPU. The reasons why a PC processor begins to overheat are very different. Therefore, we will consider the main ones, and also give simple ways to solve problems.

In most PCs and laptops, the main elements of the cooling system are the cooler (fan) and radiator, which are installed on the processor. Thanks to the tightest possible contact, heat transfer between the surface of the radiator and the processor is minimal, which in turn ensures fast, efficient heat dissipation.

The radiator can be monolithic or consist of two parts. In the first case, it is completely fixed on the processor (budget option); in the second case, only a small part of it is attached to the CPU, inside of which there are heat pipes that transfer heated air to the main radiator.

The primary role in the case ventilation and PC cooling system is played by the fan. Regardless of its location, it cools the entire radiator or its main part. The more efficiently it works, the better the heat dissipation from the CPU will be, and, accordingly, the lower its temperature. Heat pipe coolers provide greater CPU cooling.

If the processor starts to heat up, the main reasons include:

deterioration of contact between the processor and the heatsink;
speed reduction cooler (fan) operation;
use of ineffective cooling systems;
absence ventilation systems in the case, in the PC power supply;
pollution ventilation holes housings with dust;
failure cooling systems;
wrong radiator fixation.

An increase in process temperature can also be caused by the fact that the cooler is trivial clogged with dust. For this reason, its speed and efficiency are reduced. The fan is simply not able to remove heat. To increase heat transfer, after replacing the CPU, it is worth purchasing and installing a new model of case cooler.

Another reason is upgrade PC. For example, after replacing an old CPU, a new, more powerful and productive one was installed. But at the same time, the fan in the cooling system remained the same. Due to the increase in power, the processor cooler simply does not fully cope with its task.

If the processor gets hot, let's consider what to do in this situation.

How can you cool the processor of a PC or laptop?

Overheating of the processor in laptops and desktop computers significantly increases the load on all system elements. To reduce heat generation and reduce energy consumption, you need to:

check the condition of the cooling system, perform cleaning;
reduce the load on the CPU;
overclock the processor cooler;
replace thermal paste;
install additional coolers.

You can also reduce processor heat dissipation by BIOS settings operating system. This is the simplest and most accessible method that does not require much time or physical effort.

There are special technologies that reduce CPU frequency when idle. For AMD processor technology is called Cool'n'Quite, For Intel - Enhanced SpeedStep Technology. Consider how to activate it.

On Windows 7 you need to go to " Control Panel", select section " Power supply" In the window that opens, check which mode is active: “ Balanced», « High performance», « Energy Saving" To activate the technology, you can select any one, with the exception of “High Performance”. In Windows XP you need to select " Energy Saving Manager».

Energy Saving Settings must be enabled in the BIOS; if they are not, you can load the default settings.

It is equally important to pay attention to the system housing ventilation. If the cooling system is working properly and is regularly cleaned, but the CPU is still heating up, then you need to look to see if there are any obstacles in the path of air flow, for example, if they are blocked by thick cables.

The system unit or PC case should have two or three fans. One is for blowing on the front wall, the second is for blowing out on the rear panel, which in turn ensures good air flow. Additionally, you can install a fan on the side wall of the system unit.

If the PC system unit is in a bedside table inside the table, then do not close the doors so that the heated air comes out. Do not block the ventilation openings of the case. Place the computer a few centimeters from the wall or furniture.

You can purchase a special cooling pad for your laptop.

There is a large selection of universal models of stands on sale that adapt to the dimensions and size of the laptop. The heat-dissipating surface and coolers built into it will contribute to more efficient heat removal and cooling.

When working on a laptop, always keep your work area clean. The ventilation openings must not be blocked by anything. Objects lying nearby should not obstruct air circulation.

For laptops you can also do overclocking the cooler. Since a PC has at least three fans installed (on the CPU, video card, built-in storage), and most laptop models have only one. The second one can be installed if you have a powerful video card. In this case, you can overclock coolers:

through special utilities;
via BIOS.

Before increasing the fan speed, you first need to clean the cooler and motherboard elements from dust.

Cleaning the cooling system of a laptop or desktop PC should be done at least once every six to seven months.

Cleaning the cooling system

If the processor gets hot, check the condition of the fan and the entire PC cooling system. Dust is a serious enemy of any technology. Clogged between the edges of the radiator, dust, lint, and pet hair impair air circulation.

To thoroughly clean it, you need to disconnect the cooler from the power supply and disassemble it. By removing the fan, you can also clean the dust that has accumulated on the radiator. The radiator and cooler blades can be cleaned with a special plastic spatula or a stiff brush. After removing dust, wipe the radiator with a damp cloth.

In addition to removing dust from the radiator and cooler, wipe the wires located in the case from dust. Blow or wipe the vents on the chassis.

Replacing thermal paste

Upgrading and replacing the thermal paste on the processor will help reduce the heat generated by the processor. Thermal paste is nothing more than a lubricant for cooling the processor. It acts as a heat conductor between the CPU and the heatsink, eliminates microscopic irregularities of the contacting surfaces, and removes air between them, which impedes heat dissipation. Good, high-quality thermal paste will reduce the temperature by 5–10 degrees.

Over time, the paste dries out, loses all its properties, and does not cool the processor. Therefore, it needs to be replaced every six months. If your PC has a more modern CPU, the thermal paste can be changed less frequently. You can purchase it at any computer store. Thermal paste must be of good quality.

Before you apply the thermal paste that cools the CPU, you need to get to the processor itself. For this:

How to choose a good thermal paste

Given the large selection of thermal pastes, many are interested in the question of which thermal paste is better. Note that the difference between pastes from different manufacturers can be from ten to twenty degrees. It all depends on the quality characteristics and heat-conducting properties of thermal interfaces. A good thermal conductivity paste should have low thermal resistance and high thermal conductivity.

According to experts, for cooling the processor you can purchase:

Arctic Cooling MX-4.
Arctic Silver Ceramique.
Noctua NT-H1.
Prolimatech PK-1.
Thermalright Chill Factor III.
Zalman ZM-STG2.
Glacialtech IceTherm II.
Coollaboratory Liquid Pro.

Some pastes can also be used to overclock the processor. For example, Arctic Cooling MX-4, Glacialtech IceTherm II, Thermalright Chill Factor III, Coollaboratory Liquid Pro. Knowing which thermal paste is better, how often and how to replace it correctly, you can significantly reduce the temperature of the CPU, thereby extending its service life.

How to cancel CPU overclocking

Many users, in order to improve performance and speed up the CPU, overclock the processor (overclocking). But in some cases, this procedure significantly increases the load on the CPU, which can negatively affect its functioning and lead to a decrease in operating life.

To check the performance of the CPU after overclocking, you need to warm up the processor using special utilities.

If you are interested in how to remove CPU overclocking, go to CMOS and BIOS. Cancel all motherboard voltage settings, return them to normal configuration.

Actions are performed in the following sequence:

We go into the BIOS by pressing the desired button when starting the computer.
Select the item “ Set BIOS Default/Use Default Settings", press Enter.
A window will appear in which you need to press the Y key.
After this, the original settings that were set before overclocking the CPU will be returned.
Now we save all the changes made and exit the settings.
Reboot the computer.

This can also be done by selecting the option “ Restore Fail Safe Defaults", after finding out on the Internet the exact specifications of the installed motherboard and CPU. This is necessary in order to make changes by setting the basic frequency and voltage settings.

In addition, you can change the system bus frequency and multiplier settings to the base value, returning back all the parameters that were changed during overclocking.

You can also remove additional cooling hardware that you installed to prevent the CPU from overheating.

You can manage and monitor the operation of the processor using a special utility - CPU Core, where you need to specify and set the required values of the multiplier and bus frequency.

Installing additional fans

If the CPU continues to heat up after cleaning and canceling overclocking, then in order to increase cooling efficiency, we recommend installing additional fans on the case to increase air circulation. This is necessary if there are many heating elements inside the system unit or if there is a rather small amount of free space inside it.

Give preference to large-diameter coolers, which will provide greater air flow at lower speeds. Such models work efficiently, but are noisy. When installing, consider the direction of their operation.

CPU coolers are classified into:

Boxed, without heat pipes. The most common models. Consist of an aluminum plate with ribs. May have a copper base with a fan attached to it.
Cooling systems based on thermal aluminum and copper tubes. They function by removing heat, which is carried out due to the liquid circulating in them. They have high efficiency indicators.

When choosing fans for the cooling system, read the installation instructions, check its compatibility with the socket, motherboard, and which socket is available for the processor. Consider weight, fan size, radiator type.

Too large, high-power fans will create additional stress on the motherboard and may cause its deformation. As for the size, select the housing to match the tire, take into account the location of other components. Choose products from well-known, trusted manufacturers.

If a large number of hard drives are installed, you can additionally install a fan on the front panel of the case, as well as on the rear upper part of the system unit to remove warm air outside. Modern cases allow you to install at least two fans: from the bottom, if there is no perforation on the front panel, and opposite the location of the hard drives.

If the PC has very advanced hardware and the processor gets hot, you can remove the side cover of the system unit. In this case, the cooling efficiency will be increased significantly.

How to overclock a cooler

You can overclock the cooler, as already noted, through the BIOS or using special free utilities that will allow you to monitor and control the speed of the fans. The programs are designed for various types of processors.

Let's look at how to overclock coolers via BIOS:

For processors Intel programs will allow you to reduce or increase the speed of rotation of the cooler Riva Tuner, SpeedFan. They have great functionality, a choice of settings, a clear interface, do not take up much space, and automatically control the operation of coolers.

If third-party PC software does not allow you to adjust the fan speed, the processor cooler can be controlled using original utilities from the manufacturers. For example, in the HP leptota there is a program Notebook Fan Control, in Acer - Smart Fan, ACFanControl. In Lenovo - Fan Control.

Modern “advanced” cooling systems, which are most often used in overclocking, include: radiator, freon, liquid nitrogen, liquid gel. Their operating principle is based on coolant circulation. The intensely hot elements heat the water, which is cooled in the radiator. It can be located outside the case or be passive, operating without a fan.

Conclusion

This article discussed various causes of processor overheating and solutions to this problem. Sometimes the reason for its occurrence can be ordinary dust, which periodically needs to be removed, or the consequences of inexperienced overclocking of equipment, as well as its upgrade. When replacing thermal paste, you must be careful and careful not to damage the equipment.

Video on the topic

High temperatures, in addition to malware and mechanical damage, are one of the biggest threats to your computer.

To protect your computer from overheating, there are several effective methods for cooling it.

To solve cooling problems, you first need to determine the source of heat on your computer.

Efficiency of computer components

Computer components such as the processor or graphics card generate the most heat.

Manufacturers are trying to increase maximum efficiency. One of the main methods for reducing the size of components.

Then the required supply voltage is reduced. Energy consumption is reduced and thus heat transfer is reduced.

Despite enormous progress in this area in recent years, computer components still require cooling.

Active and passive cooling

Modern electronic equipment (including computers) usually use active or passive cooling mode.

Active mode is well known to most computer owners. Includes a fan that forces air to cool the radiator.

The heatsink is connected to the component with a layer of paste, which further improves thermal conductivity. It effectively collects heat from the computer components.

Modern PWM fans are faster and quieter, giving the user better comfort.

Passive - works on the basis of natural convection. It doesn't have a fan. The radiator has to handle everything alone. It is found in smartphones and tablets.

Water cooling

Water cooling is a type of cooling that combines the advantages of passive and active methods.

In the past it was considered too extravagant. Today it is becoming more and more popular.

This system consists of plastic tubes installed inside the housing. The block, in turn, consists of a copper or aluminum plate, which is in contact with the heating elements.

The second part of the block acts as a water reservoir. The liquid cooling system also includes a radiator, which is an element for cooling water.

In addition, there is also a pump that circulates the fluid and acts as a reservoir for the expansion tank.

The downside is the cost. A complete system for installation costs up to several hundred dollars.

Cooling for laptops

Over the course of several years, laptops have gradually begun to replace desktop models.

In the past, cooling was very simple - a heatsink and fan were installed in appropriate locations to maintain proper operating parameters.

Problems related to overheating appeared in the generation of netbooks and ultrabooks.

Even the giant ventilation holes (usually located on the side of the case) did not help.

New generations of processors have led to improved cooling efficiency. They use other types of materials that have significantly higher thermal conductivity.

Modern housing uses these elements to reduce heat.

Cooling System Maintenance

To ensure maximum cooling performance, the first thing you should remember is cleaning.

In the case of a desktop computer, the idea is simple - remove the side panel and clean the dust with compressed air

Dust is problematic for several reasons. Firstly, it enters the fan bearings and thus interferes with its operation.

Second, it acts as a thermal insulator, reducing the efficiency of radiators.

Cleaning a laptop is more difficult - removing the cover will void the warranty.

Thus, it is often necessary to clean laptops in services. This is the case for a year or two after the date of purchase, depending on the extent of the manufacturer's warranty.

Severely dirty or worn bearings may require fan replacement.

In the case of laptops, this procedure can be expensive. Stubborn dust clumps can be removed first with plastic tweezers, and then treated with compressed air.

Temperature diagnostics of a PC can be performed by a program called SpeedFan.

It accesses built-in components and temperature sensors that are used to trigger an emergency shutdown when overheating is detected.

SpeedFan will help you see if the system is working as expected.

Replacing thermal paste

Every 2-3 years the thermal paste between the GPU and the heatsink will need to be replaced. To do this, you must unscrew the fan, pull out the unit, and then carefully remove the old paste.

Then apply a new coat according to the instructions on the package. Then install the fan correctly.

An alternative to paste is thermal conductive tape. They are used mainly where we deal with small parts.

Correct behavior

Even the best cooling does not relieve you of the responsibility to implement some good practices in eliminating excess heat.

Among the most important rules is to ensure proper air flow.

Avoid desks with dedicated computer shelves—their sides are often too close to the case, which has openings for cool air.

Do not place the laptop on a blanket or other soft surface that is in close contact with the bottom of the case.

In addition, you can buy a special stand. It not only improves cooling, but also improves ergonomics.

On hot days, you can use a small USB fan and direct the air flow directly to the keyboard.

Some effect in the fight against high temperatures can be obtained by updating the BIOS and parts of the software. Good luck.

As you know, many problems in a modern computer arise not because of poor reliability of components, but because of a very banal situation - their overheating. Therefore, ensuring a high-quality cooling system for the entire system unit is the key to long-term operation of the computer. Choosing the best CPU cooler Intel or AMD plays an important role in this.

But all problems begin with the computer case - this is not only the base on which all components are screwed for compact placement. This is also one of the components of the PC cooling system. Just a few years ago, processors and video cards were not so powerful and did not produce as much thermal energy. Therefore, the case was not subject to such stringent requirements as today - it was a heavy box, closed on all sides, with 1 or maximum 2 small fans for air intake from the front and exhaust from the rear.

Today, if you are assembling at least a universal home computer, this is no longer enough. Cases on the market today have holes for large fans on all walls, and air intake and exhaust are carried out from several directions.

Not only are two fans not enough, but very often users take cases without pre-installed fans and do not install them themselves, causing overheating to occur even faster.

The same applies to the processor cooling system. As you already know from the article about, they are sold either with a cooler (the so-called “BOX”) or without it. So, boxed versions are only suitable for office work with processors that do not heat up too much, such as Intel Core i3, i5, i7. From experience, they heat up little in normal mode and stock CPU coolers cope with the task quite well.

If you plan to overclock them, play games, or work in complex graphics applications, then you need to buy a separate cooler (radiator + fan). This is especially true for AMD processors that generate a lot of heat.

How to choose the best CPU cooling cooler for Intel and AMD?

So we come close to the issue of choosing a cooler for the processor. Let's take a closer look at those parameters that affect performance and are worth paying attention to when purchasing.

First of all, choose the cooler that fits your processor socket! As a rule, they support several sockets from both Intel and AMD, but given that they all have non-standard mounting, take the time to look at the instructions - perhaps installation is not provided for your socket.

CPU cooler type

This is more likely not even a type of cooler, but of the entire system as a whole. The most common is air, which is what we call a processor cooler. It consists of a metal radiator, which absorbs heat from the processor cover, and a fan, which blows air onto it and thereby cools it. Advanced models even have two fans - one for blowing in and one for blowing out.

Another type of processor cooling common among gamers is water. Options for such systems vary, from small fans associated with cooling liquid tubes to large, expensive systems with remote radiators. One thing in common is that thermoregulation involves liquid, which cools more than just air.

By the way, if you plan to use this type of cooling, then pay attention to the presence of special holes on the rear panel of the case for the tubes to exit - they are usually covered with rubber curtains.

Coolers can also be divided into active and passive - the passive one does not have a fan and is usually used for inexpensive and already outdated video cards - of course, this is not suitable for a processor.

Cooler radiator size

I won’t touch on water cooling, but let’s talk about the most accessible and widespread - air cooling. And here the size of the radiator and the number of metal plates are important - the more there are, the easier it is for it to remove excess heat. It is also desirable that they be as thin as possible.

Fan size

A fan or even two must be installed on the radiator to pump and exhaust air. The larger the fan (120x120x25), the more efficiently it cools the processor, and secondly, it is easier for it to do this than a small one, so with the same quality of heat dissipation it will make less noise. It is also better to take fans with the inscription “Ball bearing” - they have a quieter and more durable bearing.

Ability to adjust CPU fan speed

It would be good if it was possible to adjust the speed of the processor cooler - so that it would not just spin at a constant speed, but would select it depending on the heating. It is easy to distinguish such a fan - its power connector, which connects to the system board, must have 4 contacts.

Metal and number of heat pipes of the computer cooling system

The radiator is in direct contact with the surface of the processor case, so the metal from which this surface is made, as well as the tubes through which heat is transferred to the radiator, are important. The characteristics of the metal must be such that it heats up and cools down as quickly as possible. There are tubes made of aluminum, but copper works best for this, although such a unit turns out to be heavier. So get the CPU cooler that has them in dark yellow color.

Cooler location type

As I said, the larger the processor cooler, the better, but at the same time consider how it will be located on the motherboard and in the case - will it interfere with the installation of RAM or expansion cards, covering the necessary slots? And will it fit in the width of the case? Considered optimal tower type, since it exhausts air directly to the exhaust rear case fan.

In the same time classical the option when the fan blades are directly in front of you, when looking at the motherboard from above, is more suitable if the case and mother are small in microATX format, and you need to compactly place as many devices as possible on them. The advantage of this type is also that the radiator fins blow around other components inserted into the motherboard.

However, there are also expensive models in which these two types are combined, as in the figure below.

All the characteristics described above are indicated in one general parameter - heat dissipation (in watts). The higher it is, the better your processor will be cooled.

Manufacturer

Thermal paste

And finally, the final touch is the choice of thermal paste as an intermediate link between the processor cover and the cooler. Its task is to displace excess air between the metal plates, while it should also maximize heat transfer. In order for this to be as effective as possible, metal is added to good pastes, which is why it has a dark gray color rather than white - buy just such a paste. It is a little more expensive, but more effective. I already wrote somewhere, but I’ll repeat it again - I use MX-2 paste, it’s cheaper than competitors with comparable quality.

CPU cooler rotation speed

And now, after we bought a cooler for the processor, I will show you how to adjust its speed, if this function is supported in it and in the motherboard. This can be implemented in two ways - through a program running under Windows or through the BIOS. Gigabyte has developed a special utility for its products called i-Cool, which, however, is not supported by all motherboards. It makes it very easy for any novice user to do all this without delving into the depths of the blue BIOS screen.

If you own a motherboard from another company, then reboot the computer, go into the BIOS and look for menu items such as CPU Smart FAN Control and CPU Smart FAN Control (I found them in the PC Status section).

In the first, the processor fan speed control mode must be activated (Enabled or Auto), and in the second, one of the modes must be set - automatic (Auto, Normal, Silent) or manual (Manual) to set the speed manually.

In conclusion of this article about processor cooling coolers, I suggest you watch an educational video - tests of several sophisticated models for Intel Core and AMD.

Summer has quickly come into its own; The thermometer is creeping up, and more and more often we have to think about how to ensure a comfortable temperature. Believe me: for computers the problem of dealing with heat is no less pressing than for their users. Even if the room conditions are quite normal (20 - 22°C), the temperature in the system unit reaches 30–32°C. And that's the best case scenario. The hotter it is outside and in apartments, the more acute the issue of protection from overheating and the more attention is paid to the cooling systems of the system unit and its components.

To correctly solve the problem, you need to have at least a general idea of why computers need cooling systems at all, why system units overheat, and how to protect your “computing friend” from heat stroke. In this article you will not find a long list of cooler models, but after reading it, you yourself will be able to choose the appropriate components of the PC cooling system and competently approach the choice of a new case.

Why is it heating up?

The reason is trivial: like any electrical appliance, a computer dissipates part (sometimes quite significant) of the electricity consumed in the form of heat - for example, the processor converts almost all of the energy used into heat. The more it is needed by the system unit, the hotter its components heat up. If the heat is not removed in time, this can lead to the most unpleasant results (see “Consequences of overheating”). The problem of heat dissipation and cooling is especially pressing for modern processor models (both central and graphic), which are setting new records for performance (and often heat dissipation).

Every PC component that dissipates a lot of heat is equipped with a cooling device. As a rule, such devices contain a metal radiator and a fan - these are the components a typical cooler consists of. The thermal interface between it and the heating component is also important - usually it is thermal paste (a mixture of substances with good thermal conductivity) that ensures effective heat transfer to the cooler radiator.

Progress in the field of cooling systems, thanks to which technological innovations such as thermal tubes appeared, provided the creators of components for personal computers with new opportunities, allowing them to abandon noisy coolers. Some computers are equipped with water cooling systems - they have their advantages and disadvantages. All this is discussed below.

Increased PC heat dissipation

The main reason why computers generate more and more heat is because their processing power increases. The most significant factors are:

increase in clock frequencies of the processor, chipset, memory bus and other buses;
an increase in the number of transistors and memory cells in PC chips;
increase in power consumed by PC nodes.

The more powerful the computer, the more electricity it “eats” - therefore, an increase in heat generation is inevitable. Despite the use of sophisticated technological processes in the production of chips, their power consumption still increases, increasing the amount of heat dissipated in the PC case. In addition, the area of video card boards increases (for example, due to the fact that it is necessary to place more memory chips). The result is an increase in the aerodynamic resistance of the case: the bulky board simply blocks the access of cooling air to the processor and power supply. This problem is especially relevant for PCs in small cases, where the distance between the video card and the “basket” for the HDD is 2–3 cm - and yet in this space drive cables and other cables are still laid... RAM chips are also becoming more and more voracious ", and modern operating systems require more and more RAM. For example, in Windows 7, 4 GB is recommended for it - thus, several tens of watts of heat are dissipated, which further aggravates the heat dissipation situation. The system logic chip on the motherboard is also a very “hot” component.

VULNERABILITY OF HARD DRIVES

Inside the hard drive housing, movable magnetic heads, controlled by high-precision mechanics, slide over the surface of the rotating platters. They write and read data. When heated, the materials from which the disk components are made expand. In the operating temperature range, mechanics and electronics cope well with thermal expansion. However, if it overheats, it exceeds acceptable limits, and the hard drive's heads can "overshoot", writing data in the wrong place until the computer is turned off. And when it is turned on again, the cooled hard drive will not be able to find data recorded in an overheated state. In such a case, information can only be saved with the help of complex and expensive special equipment. If the temperature exceeds 45°C, it is recommended to install an additional fan to cool the hard drive.

There is a paradox: the thermal load in modern cases is growing at a high rate, but their design remains almost unchanged: manufacturers take as a basis the design recommended by Intel that was almost 10 years ago. Models adapted to intense heat generation are rare, and low-noise ones are even less common.

Consequences of overheating

If there is excess heat, the computer will, at best, begin to slow down and freeze, and at worst, one or more components will fail. High temperatures are very harmful to the “health” of the element base (microcircuits, capacitors, etc.), especially for the hard drive, the overheating of which can lead to data loss.

APPROXIMATE HEAT DISSEMINATION PARAMETERS

Approximate parameters of heat dissipation of components of an average computer system unit (at high computing load). The main heat sources are the motherboard, CPU and graphics card GPU (they account for more than half of the heat dissipated).

The capacity of modern HDDs allows you to store extensive collections of music and videos, work documents, digital photo albums, games and much more. Disks are becoming more compact and faster, but this comes at the cost of greater data recording density, fragility of the design, and therefore vulnerability of the filling. Tolerances in the production of high-capacity drives are measured in microns, so the slightest “step to the side” will damage the drive. That's why HDDs are so sensitive to external influences. If the drive has to operate under suboptimal conditions (for example, overheating), the likelihood of losing written data increases dramatically.

PC Cooling: Basics

If the air temperature in the system unit remains at 36°C or higher, and the processor temperature is more than 60°C (or the hard drive constantly heats up to 45°C), it’s time to take measures to improve cooling.

But before you run to the store to buy a new cooler, there are a few things to consider. It is possible that the overheating problem can be solved in a simpler way. For example, the system unit should be positioned so that there is free air access to all ventilation openings. The distance at which its back part is separated from the wall or furniture should be no less than two diameters of the exhaust fan. Otherwise, the resistance to air outflow increases, and most importantly, the heated air remains near the ventilation holes longer, so that a significant part of it again enters the system unit. If it is installed incorrectly, even the most powerful cooler (the efficiency of which is determined by the difference between its temperature and the temperature of the air cooling the radiator) will not save you from overheating.

COOLER BASED ON THE PELTIER EFFECT

One of the newest models that uses the Peltier effect. Typically, such coolers feature a full range of the latest technological advances: TEMs, thermopipes, fans with advanced aerodynamics and an impressive design. The result is impressive; there would be enough space in the system unit...

The most effective cooling is achieved when the air temperatures in the system unit and in the room where it is located are equal. The only way to achieve this result is to ensure effective ventilation. For this purpose, coolers of various designs are used.

A standard modern personal computer usually has several coolers installed:

in the power supply;
on the central processor;
on the graphics processor (if the computer has a discrete video card).

In some cases, additional fans are used:

for system logic chips located on the motherboard;
for hard drives;
for PC case.

Cooling efficiency

When choosing a case for a PC system unit, each user is guided by his own criteria. For example, modders need an original design solution or the ability to remake it to implement it. Overclockers need a case in which a fully overclocked processor, video card, RAM (the list goes on) will feel comfortable. And at the same time, everyone, of course, wants the system unit to be quiet and small in size.

However, a fancy PC can generate up to 500 W of heat (see table below). Are the wishes feasible from the point of view of the laws of physics?

HOW MUCH HEAT DOES A COMPUTER GENERATE

There are several ways to measure heat dissipation.

1. According to the power consumption values specified in the documentation for the PC components.

Advantages: accessibility, simplicity.
Disadvantages: high error and, as a result, increased requirements for the cooling system.

2. Using sites that provide a service for calculating heat dissipation (and power consumption), for example, www.emacs.ru/calc.

Advantages: you don’t have to rummage through manuals or visit manufacturers’ websites – the necessary data is available in the databases of the services offered.
Disadvantages: database compilers do not keep up with node manufacturers, so databases often contain unreliable data.

3. Based on the values of power consumed by nodes and heat dissipation coefficients found in the documentation or measured independently. This method is for professionals or big enthusiasts of optimizing the cooling system.

Advantages: gives the most accurate results and allows you to most effectively optimize your PC.
Disadvantages: to use this method, you need serious knowledge and considerable experience.

Solutions

The main principle: in order to remove heat, it is necessary to pass a certain amount of air through the system unit. Moreover, its volume should be greater, the hotter the room and the stronger the overheating.

Simply installing additional fans will not solve the problem. After all, the more numerous, powerful and “resourceful” they are, the more “sounding” the PC is. Moreover, not only are the motors and fan blades noisy, but the entire system unit is noisy due to vibrations (this often happens when the assembly is of poor quality and cheap cases are used). To correct this situation, it is recommended to use low-speed, large-diameter fans.

In order to achieve effective cooling without using noisy fans, the system unit must have low resistance to the air that passes through it (in professional parlance this is called aerodynamic resistance). To put it simply, if air has difficulty “squeezing” through a tight space clogged with cables and components, you have to install fans with high excess pressure, and they inevitably create a lot of noise. Another problem is dust: the more air you need to pump, the more often you need to clean the inside of the case (we’ll talk about this separately).

Aerodynamic drag

For optimal cooling, it is always advisable to use a large case. This is the only way to achieve comfortable work without noise and overheating, even in abnormal (over 40°C) heat. A small case is only appropriate if the computer has low heat dissipation or uses water cooling.

However, to minimize noise it is not at all necessary to assemble an air-cooled PC in a shipping container or in a refrigerator. It is enough to take into account the recommendations of experts. Thus, the free cross-section in any section of the housing should be 2–5 times larger than the flow area of the exhaust fans. This also applies to the air supply openings.

COOLER WITH THERMAL PIPE

Thermal tube coolers are “silent” and allow you to cool even very hot PC components, such as graphics processors on video cards. However, it is imperative to take into account the specific features of these cooling systems.

Hybrid systems include, along with thermal pipes and radiators, conventional fans. But the presence of thermal tubes, which facilitate heat removal, allows you to get by with a smaller fan or use low-speed, and therefore not so noisy, models.

In order to reduce aerodynamic drag, you need to:

provide enough free space in the housing for air flow (it should be several times larger than the total cross-section of the exhaust fans);
carefully lay the cables inside the system unit using zip ties;
at the point where air is supplied to the housing, install a filter that traps dust, but does not provide strong resistance to air flow;
The filter should be cleaned regularly.

Following simple rules will allow you to install low-speed exhaust fans. As already mentioned, the case must provide cold air from the room where the PC is located to all “hot” components without high energy costs (i.e., with a minimum number of fans). The volume of air must be sufficient so that its temperature at the outlet of the case does not turn out to be too high: for effective heat transfer of PC components, the difference in air temperature at the inlet and outlet of the system unit should not exceed several degrees.

OPTIONS FOR LAYOUT OF FANS AND SYSTEM UNIT ELEMENTS PROVIDING EFFECTIVE PC COOLING

Here is one concept for building an air cooling system:

air intake is carried out at the bottom and front, in the “cold” zone;
The air is exhausted at the top and rear, through the power supply. This corresponds to the natural upward movement of heated air;
if necessary, an additional exhaust fan with automatic adjustment is installed, located next to the power supply unit;
additional air intake for the video card is provided through the PCIE plug;
poor ventilation of 3" and 5" drive bays is ensured due to slightly bent plugs for unoccupied bays;
it is important to let the main air flow through the “hottest” components;
It is advisable to increase the total area of the intake openings to twice the area of the fans (more is not required, since this will not give any effect, and the accumulation of dust will increase).

In accordance with these recommendations, you can modify the cases yourself (interesting, but troublesome) or choose the appropriate models when purchasing. Approximate options for organizing air flows through the system unit are given above.

The “correct” fan

If the system unit weakly “resists” the flow of blown air, you can use any fan, as long as it provides sufficient flow for cooling (you can find out about this from its passport, as well as using online calculators). It’s another matter if the resistance to air flow is significant - this is exactly the case with fans mounted in densely “populated” cases, on radiators and in perforated holes.

If you decide to replace a failed fan in a case or on a cooler yourself, install one that has no less air flow and excess pressure values (see data sheet). If there is no relevant information, it is not recommended to use such a fan in critical components (for example, to cool a processor).

If the noise level is not too important, you can install high-speed fans of larger diameter. Thicker models reduce noise levels while increasing air pressure.

In any case, pay attention to the gap between the blades and the fan rim: it should not be large (the optimal value is tenths of a millimeter). If the distance between the blades and the rim is more than 2 mm, the fan will be ineffective.

Air or water?

There is a fairly widespread belief that water systems are much more efficient and quieter than conventional air systems. Is it really? Indeed, the heat capacity of water is twice that of air, and its density is 830 times higher than that of air. This means that an equal volume of water can remove 1658 times more heat.

However, with noise, things are not so simple. After all, the coolant (water) ultimately gives off heat to the same “outboard” air, and water radiators (with the exception of huge structures) are equipped with the same fans - their noise adds to the noise of the water pump. Therefore, the gain, if any, is not that great.

The design becomes much more complicated when it is necessary to cool several components with a flow of water proportional to their heat generation. Apart from branched tubes, it is necessary to use complex control devices (simple tees and crosses will not do). An alternative option is to use a design with flows adjusted once and for all at the factory; but in this case the user is deprived of the opportunity to significantly change the PC configuration.

Dust and the fight against it

Due to speed differences, computer system units become real dust collectors. The speed of the air flowing through the inlets is many times higher than the speed of the flows inside the housing. In addition, air flow often changes direction around PC components. Therefore, the majority (up to 70%) of dust brought from outside settles inside the case; It is necessary to clean it at least once a year.

However, dust can become your “ally” in the fight to increase the efficiency of the cooling system. After all, its active subsidence is observed precisely in those places where air flows are not distributed optimally.

Air filters

Fiber filters intercept more than 70% of dust, which allows you to clean the case much less often. Often, several exhaust fans with a diameter of 120 mm are installed in modern PC cases, while air enters the case through many inlets distributed throughout the structure - their total area is much less than the area of the fans. It is pointless to install a filter in such a housing without modification. Professionals give a number of recommendations here:

the inlet openings for the intake of cooling air should be located as close as possible to its base;
the entry and exit points of air, the paths of its passage must be organized so that the air flows “wash” the hottest elements of the PC;
The area of the air intake openings should be 2–5 times larger than the area of the exhaust fans.

Coolers based on Peltier elements

Peltier elements - or, as they are also called, thermoelectric modules (TEMs), operating on the principle of the Peltier effect - have been produced on an industrial scale for many years. They are built into car refrigerators, beer coolers, and industrial coolers for cooling processors. There are also models for PC, although they are still quite rare.

First, about the principle of operation. As you might guess, the Peltier effect was discovered by the Frenchman Jean-Charles Peltier; this happened in 1834. A cooling module based on this effect includes a plurality of n- and p-type semiconductor elements connected in series. When direct current passes through such a connection, one half of the p-n contacts will heat up, the other will cool.

These semiconductor elements are oriented so that the heating contacts come out on one side, and the cooling contacts on the other. The result is a plate, which is covered on both sides with ceramic material. If a sufficiently strong current is applied to such a module, the temperature difference between the sides can reach several tens of degrees.

We can say that a TEM is a kind of “heat pump”, which, using the energy of an external power source, pumps the generated heat from the source (for example, a processor) to a heat exchanger - a radiator, thus participating in the cooling process.

To effectively remove heat from a powerful processor, you have to use a TEM consisting of 100–200 elements (which, by the way, are quite fragile); Therefore, the TEM is equipped with an additional copper contact plate, which increases the size of the device and requires the application of additional layers of thermal paste.

This reduces the efficiency of heat removal. The problem is partially solved by replacing the thermal paste with soldering, but this method is rarely used in models available on the market. Note that the energy consumption of the TEM itself is quite large and comparable to the amount of heat removed (about a third of the energy used by the TEM also turns into heat).

Another difficulty that arises when using TEMs in coolers is the need to accurately regulate the temperature of the module; it is ensured by the use of special boards with controllers. This makes the cooler more expensive, and the board takes up additional space in the system unit. If the temperature is not regulated, it can drop to negative values; Condensation may also form, which is unacceptable for computer electronic components.

So, high-quality coolers based on TEM are expensive (from 2.5 thousand rubles), complex, bulky and not as effective as you might think, judging by their size. The only area in which such coolers are indispensable is cooling industrial computers operating in hot (above 50°C) conditions; however, this is not relevant to the topic of our article.

Thermal interface and thermal paste

As already mentioned, an integral part of any cooling system (including a computer cooler) is a thermal interface - a component through which thermal contact is made between the heat-generating and heat-removing devices. Thermal paste acting in this role ensures effective heat transfer between, for example, the processor and the cooler.

Why do you need thermal conductive paste?

If the cooler radiator does not fit tightly to the cooled chip, the efficiency of the entire cooling system immediately decreases (air is a good heat insulator). Making the surface of the radiator smooth and flat (for perfect contact with the cooled device) is very difficult, and not cheap. This is where thermal paste comes to the rescue, filling irregularities on the contacting surfaces and thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of heat transfer between them.

It is important that the viscosity of the thermal paste is not too high: this is necessary to displace air from the thermal contact point with a minimum layer of thermal paste. Please note, by the way, that polishing the cooler base to a mirror finish may not in itself improve heat transfer. The fact is that with manual processing it is almost impossible to make the surfaces strictly parallel - as a result, the gap between the radiator and the processor may even increase.

Before applying new thermal paste, carefully remove the old one. For this, napkins made of non-woven materials are used (they should not leave fibers on surfaces). It is highly undesirable to dilute the paste, as this greatly impairs the heat-conducting properties. Let's give a few more recommendations:

use thermal pastes with a thermal conductivity of more than 2–4 W/(K*m) and low viscosity;
When installing the cooler, apply fresh thermal paste each time;
When installing, it is necessary to fix the cooler with a fastener, press it firmly (but not too much, otherwise damage may occur) by hand and rotate it several times around its axis within the existing play. In any case, installation requires skill and accuracy.

Thermal tubes

Thermal tubes are great for removing excess heat. They are compact and silent. By design, these are sealed cylinders (can be quite long and arbitrarily curved), partially filled with coolant. Inside the cylinder there is another tube made in the form of a capillary.

The thermotube works as follows: in the heated area, the coolant evaporates, its vapor passes into the cooled part of the thermotube and condenses there - and the condensate returns through the capillary inner tube to the heated area.

The main advantage of thermotubes is their high thermal conductivity: the speed of heat propagation is equal to the speed at which coolant vapors pass the tube from end to end (it is very high and close to the speed of sound). In conditions of varying heat dissipation, thermal tube cooling systems are very effective. This is important, for example, for cooling processors, which, depending on the operating mode, emit different amounts of heat.

Thermal tubes currently produced are capable of removing 20–80 W of heat. When designing coolers, tubes with a diameter of 5–8 mm and a length of up to 300 mm are usually used.

However, despite all the advantages of thermal tubes, they have one significant limitation, which is not always written about in manuals. Manufacturers usually do not indicate the boiling point of the coolant in the heat pipes of the cooler, however, it is this that determines the threshold, upon crossing which the heat pipe begins to effectively remove heat. Until this moment, a passive heat pipe cooler, which does not have a fan, works like a regular radiator. In general, the lower the boiling point of the coolant, the more efficient and safer the heat pipe cooler; the recommended value is 35-40°C (it is better if the boiling point is indicated in the documentation).

Let's summarize. Heat pipe coolers are especially useful for high (more than 100 W) heat dissipation, but they can be used in other cases - if the price does not bother you. In this case, it is necessary to use thermal pastes that effectively transfer heat - this will allow you to fully realize the capabilities of the cooler. The general principle of choice is this: the more thermotubes and the thicker they are, the better.

Types of thermotubes

High Pressure Thermal Tubes (HTS). At the end of 2005, ICE HAMMER Electronics introduced a new type of cooler based on high-pressure heat pipes, built using Heat Transporting System (HTS) technology. We can say that this system occupies an intermediate position between heat pipes and liquid cooling systems. The coolant in it is water mixed with ammonia and other chemical compounds at normal atmospheric pressure. Due to the rise of bubbles formed when the mixture boils, the circulation of the coolant is significantly accelerated. Apparently, such systems work most efficiently when the tubes are in a vertical position.

NanoSpreader technology allows you to create hollow heat-conducting copper tapes 70–500 mm wide and 1.5–3.5 mm thick, filled with coolant. The role of a capillary is played by a sheet of copper fibers that returns the condensed coolant from the condensation zone to the heating and evaporation zone. The shape of the flat tape is supported by an elastic, large-porous material that does not allow the walls to collapse and ensures the free movement of vapors. The main advantages of thermal tapes are their small thickness and the ability to cover large areas.

Modding and cooling systems

The word “modding” is derived from the English modify (modify, change). Modders (those who engage in modding) transform the cases and “insides” of computers in order to improve technical characteristics, and most importantly, appearance. Like car tuning enthusiasts, computer users want to personalize their tool for work and creativity, an indispensable means of communication and a home entertainment center. Modding is a powerful means of self-expression; This is, of course, creativity, an opportunity to work with your head and hands, and gain valuable experience.

MODDING PRODUCTS

There are a lot of specialized online stores (both Russian and foreign) that offer modding products, delivering them all over the world. Domestic ones are more convenient to use: foreign ones are more hassle (for example, when transferring money), and delivery is usually expensive. Such specialized resources can be easily found using search engines.

Sometimes modding accessories appear unexpectedly in the price lists of regular online stores, and their prices are sometimes lower than in specialized ones. Therefore, we recommend that you do not rush into purchasing this or that accessory - first carefully study several price lists.

What do modders change in computers?

It is unlikely that the average modder is able to remake a complex filling: the capabilities of a user who does not have special knowledge in the field of radio electronics and circuit design are still limited. Therefore, computer modding involves mainly a “cosmetic” transformation of the computer case.

MAIN MANUFACTURERS OF MODDING PRODUCTS

To better navigate the components, it makes sense to know the names of some companies specializing in the production of fashion products: Sunbeam, Floston, Gembird, Revoltec, Vizo, Sharkoon, Vantec, Spire, Hanyang, 3R System, G. M. Corporation, Korealcom, RaidMax, Sirtec ( computer cases and power supplies), Zalman, Akasa (power supplies, cooling systems), Koolance, SwiftTech (water cooling), VapoChill (cryogenic cooling systems), Thermaltake (mainly cases and mod panels).

In particular, so-called blowhole mods are carried out: holes are cut in the case for ventilation, as well as for installing additional coolers. Such modifications don't just improve appearance - they are beneficial for the overall "health" of the computer, since they increase the cooling of system components.

Experienced modders often combine business with pleasure: they install liquid cooling systems (most of them have a completely futuristic design).

Building an efficient water cooling system (WCO) is not an easy task, both technically and financially. As was said, you need a solid amount of special knowledge, which not everyone has; Yes, and you can’t do without technical skills. All this greatly stimulates the purchase of a ready-made SVO. If you are leaning towards this option, be prepared to fork out a fair amount. Moreover, it is far from a fact that the increase in performance of the processor and other components of the system unit, even overclocked thanks to the effective heat removal of the new air cooling system, will pay for the difference in cost compared to a standard (or even improved) air cooling system. But this option also has obvious advantages. By purchasing a ready-made SVO, you will not have to independently select individual components, order them on the websites of different manufacturers or sellers, wait for delivery, etc. In addition, you do not have to modify the PC case - often this advantage outweighs all the disadvantages. Finally, serial SVOs are usually cheaper than models assembled in parts.

An example of a cooler that provides a reasonable compromise between creative freedom and ease of assembly (without compromising cooling efficiency) is the KoolanceExos-2 V2 system. It allows you to use a wide variety of water blocks (the so-called hollow heat exchangers that cover the cooled element) from the wide range produced by the company. The block of this air cooler combines a radiator-heat exchanger with fans, a pump, an expansion tank, sensors and control electronics.

The process of installing and connecting such SVOs is very simple - it is described in detail in the user manual. Please note that the ventilation holes of the SVO are located at the top. Accordingly, there must be enough free space above the fans for the outflow of heated air (at least 240 mm with a fan diameter of 120 mm). If there is no such space on top (for example, the tabletop of a computer desk is in the way), you can simply place the SVO unit next to the system unit - although this option is not described in the instructions.

The simplest and most obvious way of modding is to replace standard coolers with modder ones with backlighting (their choice is also quite wide: there are both powerful processor coolers and weak decorative ones).

The main rule: compare prices in different search engines and online stores! The amplitude of the oscillations will surprise you a lot. Of course, you should choose cheaper offers, always paying attention to the terms of payment, delivery and guarantee.