just a question from a noobie techie!

[rhapsoapy]

Hi rhap here! anyways whats all this hoolah i hear about thermal liquid cooling or whatever... i dunno about the thermal part but i do remember liquid cooling systems. Just what are they?! please explain for me please





- rhappy

[Apokalipse]

Do you know how a heatsink works?

Basically, it pushes air through some fins, and the heat gets dissipated into the air.

With water cooling, instead of dissipating heat into the air, it dissipates the heat into water. Because water is a better conductor of heat.

[phucng_10]

Apokalipse knows what he is saying.

[Apokalipse]

I posted this in another thread:

Originally Posted by Apokalipse

getting a better cooler does not automatically mean the temperature will be lower all the time. It depends on a number of factors, including the temperature of the surrounding air, and the amount of heat the processor is generating.

1) in reality, there is no such thing as "cold" in the physical sense. there is only amount or absence of heat
2) Also, any item at a certain temperature is always emitting (or transferring) heat to its surroundings at a rate proportionally to the temperature it is at.
3) But at the same time, the surrounding air or other materials are also emitting or transferring heat back to the said item (eg the heatsink)

The way a heatsink cools the CPU is by transferring the heat from the CPU and into the air
However, since the air is also transferring heat back to the heatsink, the only way it will be getting cooler is if the temperature of the air is lower than the heatsink (refer to 2 and 3), and thus doesn't transfer as much heat to the heatsink as the heatsink transfers to the air

If the air and the heatsink are at equal temperatures, there will be no net cooling. The air and the heatsink will be transferring the same amount of heat to each other.

This means that the heatsink cannot be of a lower temperature than its surroundings (air)

However, when the CPU is processing, it is always generating heat which is being transfered into the heatsink. This means the heatsink is almost always going to be at least a little above room temperature.

A better heatsink will be able to transfer more heat to its surroundings in a given amount of time (this is measured in Watts, which is the amount of Joules per second transferred).

Generally, the way heatsinks are made more efficient is by increasing their surface area

With more air contacting the heatsink, there is more air to transfer the heat into.

However, because heat is being transferred to the air, the air heats up. That's why fans help. they are supposed to move cooler air onto the heatsink to replace the air that was heated up by the heatsink.

[CrazeD]

Originally Posted by Apokalipse

With water cooling, instead of dissipating heat into the air, it dissipates the heat into water. Because water is a better conductor of heat.

Technically heat is displaced into the air with water cooling too. The water just transfers the heat from the heatsink to the radiator, which then dispels the heat into the air.

[Sodaen]

How about a section about the laws of thermodynamics. Then you can really grow up to be a lawyer. Just kidding.

[Apokalipse]

Originally Posted by CrazeD

Technically heat is displaced into the air with water cooling too.

but not at the CPU waterblock.