A proper PC cooling setup can take a little forethought but is necessary to ensure maximum performance and longevity of hardware. It’s also a critical part of any desktop build.
Liquid cooled systems are more complex and require a water pump, radiator, and pipes. They can also cost more and have the potential for water leaks.
Heat Pipes
The use of heat pipes in CPU PC cooling can increase the efficiency of a computer system. They are effective at transferring large amounts of heat over a small temperature difference and do not require an external power source to operate. This is because the working fluid vapor pressure in the pipe is higher than that of its environment. This allows the vapor to move rapidly from the hot end to the cool end where it condenses and releases its latent heat. This process causes the temperature of the cool end to rise.
Several studies have been conducted on the behavior of heat pipes. Some of them include two-dimensional transient and steady-state numerical analysis. Others focus on the characteristics of the container, wick structure, and working fluid.
Some research has focused on improving the performance of heat pipes by adding metal nanoparticles to the distilled water that serves as the working fluid. Some researchers have also studied different working fluids such as ethanol and acetone.
Heat Sinks
A heat sink is a large metal surface that draws heat away from the processor or other chip in your computer. It has a base and fins that disperse the heat into the air around it. It works much like a radiator in a car, drawing hot air off of the engine to prevent overheating.
The best heat sinks are made of materials that have excellent thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum. These metals also radiate heat effectively, so the CPU doesn’t have to waste energy in order to stay cool.
The fins on a heat sink are designed to have a lot of contact with the air, which improves thermal conductivity and cooling performance. The heat sink is often secured to the CPU using thermal paste or a similar compound. If you choose to use a thermal paste, make sure that it is the right kind for your computer. You can find thermal interface compounds at most hardware stores, and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and textures to fit different processors.
Fans
Fans are one of the simplest components in a PC, usually connected to clear mounting points and with just two wires for power (yellow/12 V and black/ground). Some are designed with sleeve bearings, while others have ball bearings that provide an excellent MTBF.
In general, the goal of positioning your case fans is to create an airflow channel that brings cool air into the front of the case and moves hot air out of the rear and top. This configuration is referred to as positive or negative pressure, depending on the number of fans pushing cool air in and exhausting hot air out. Most experts recommend a balance of both push and pull, but spending a little extra on a few exhaust fans will keep your CPU, GPU and other heat sensitive components cooler. The same is true for expansion slot fans, which help cool video cards and other expansion slots. Many cheap cases include a single fan, which is typically mounted in the rear exhaust.
Positive Air Pressure
Air pressure is a critical component in PC cooling. It helps to keep dust particles from entering the computer and affecting its performance. A computer can be set up with positive or negative air pressure depending on the needs of the user.
Positive air pressure is created by having more intake fans (those that suck cool air into the case) than exhaust fans. This allows cool air to be sucked in and hot air to be pushed out quickly. This keeps the temperature inside the case at a stable level and prevents dust from being pulled into the case by the exhaust fans.
Negative air pressure is also used in some applications, such as in hospitals and manufacturing facilities. This allows employees to work in a clean environment without having contaminants (such as dust) blowing into the finished product. This is achieved by using a mixture of intake and exhaust fans and controlling the direction of the air flow.