Cooling Methods and Devices

Cooling Methods and Devices

• Processor overheating results
• Processor damage and instability
• Entire system overheating results
• Sensitive electronic component damage
• Devices used to keep system cool
• CPU fans, case fans, coolers, heat sinks, liquid cooling systems, dust-
preventing tools
• Important
• Keep processor and entire system cool
 Types of Cooling
• There are two types:
• Air Cooling:
• Fans
• Heatsinks
• Liquid Cooling
• Water cooling uses water that is pushed trough a radiator to cool
computer components via a pump, reservoir, and tubing. Water
cooling is used to cool high end servers, desktops, and super
computers like the Cray systems.
 Air Cooling
• HEAT SINKS: Heat sinks are needed when:
• The heat transfer to the ambient air directly from the top of the device is not
sufficient to keep the semiconductor device within the allowable temperature
range.
• Heat sink was supplanted in higher power applications .
• Increasing the thermal conductance of components and increasing the fin area
exposed to the airflow is very important.
• COOLING FANS AND BLOWERS: Cooling fans and blowers are essential to
systems that produce a significant amount of heat like computers and other
electronic components. Different systems are engineered to work with specific
types of fans. Cooling fans come in all shapes and sizes. as well as voltage,
airflow, and case size.
 Case Cooling
• Case cooling uses air cooling system for the removal of heat from inside the case of the
system. Air cooling is so common and cheap method of cooling. Air cooling contains
different kinds of air fans in order to pull the cool air in and push the hot air out .
Sometimes, large blocks of metal called heat sinks are attached to a heat-producing
component like CPU, VGA card in order to dissipate the heat more rapidly which is also
known as passive cooling. Most PCs have a combination of these fans for cooling:
• Front Intake Fan: This fan is used to bring fresh, cool air into the computer for cooling
purposes. It is attached in the front of the case.
• Rear and Top Exhaust Fans: These fans are used to take hot air out of the case. Rear fan
is attached at the back and top fan is attached at the top of the case.
• Power Supply Exhaust Fan: This fan is usually found at the back of the power supply
and is used to cool the power supply and take the hot air out of the case and power
supply unit.
 CPU Cooling
• The CPU produces the heat most as compared to the other components and there should
be a proper measure for cooling the CPU in order to prevent it from damage. The two
most common method for CPU Cooling are: air cooling and liquid cooling.
• Air Cooling:
• The heat sink with a fan fixed to it is attached to the flat area of the CPU in order to cover maximum surface area. The heat sink
basically consists of the Aluminum fins spread in the rows and a fan is attached at the top or side of the metal fins. The fan
push the air to the heat sink and the hot air in the sink expands and comes out of the sink and then it is pushed to outside of the
case through case cooling system. As a result, the temperature of the CPU doesn’t exceed.
• Liquid Cooling
• Used in a special system because it takes a large space. Liquid cooling uses a special water block to conduct heat away from the
processor (as well as from the chipset). Water is circulated through this block to a radiator through the pump, where it is
cooled. The radiator is provided with a fan attached to it.
Air Cooling system of the CPU:
Thermal compound is already CPU Liquid Cooling
stuck to the bottom of this cooler
that was purchased boxed with
the processor
 Case Fans and Other Fans and Heat Sinks
• Rear case fan draws air out of the case
• High-end systems have seven or eight fans
• BTX form factor: fewer fans required
• Cooling graphic cards
• Some come with fan on side
• Heat sinks or fans to mount on card may be used
• Fan card mounted next to graphics card may be used
• For additional cooling consider a RAM cooler
• Liquid Cooling Systems
• Water coolers (small pump sits inside computer case)
• Tubes move liquid around components and away from them where fans cool
the liquid
 Dealing with Dust

• Dust insulates PC parts like a blanket

• Causes overheating
• Dust inside fans
• Jams fans, causing overheated system
• Ridding PC of dust
• Make it a part of regular preventive maintenance
• Tools
• Antistatic vacuum
• Compressed air