3.4 - Cooling

Question 1

Case fans

Answer 1

• Cool air is pulled through a personal computer
  – Always check for good airflow
• Motherboard layout becomes important
• Component location is key
  – Devices, wiring, power
• Many different sizes and styles
  – And volume levels

Question 2

On-board fans

Answer 2

• Designed to cool an entire adapter card
• Can be bulky
  – May take additional adapter card space
• Usually seen on high-end graphics cards

Question 3

Fan specifications

Answer 3

• Standard sizes
  – 80 mm, 120 mm, 200 mm, etc.
• Different speeds
  – Variable speed
• Different noise levels
  – Not all fans sound the same

Question 4

Heat sink

Answer 4

• Dissipate heat through thermal conduction
  – Copper or aluminum alloy
• Fins/grid increase surface area
  – Heat is then transferred to the cooler air
• They get HOT – don’t touch them!
• Thermal paste creates a good contact between the
  chip and the heat sink

Question 5

Fanless / passive cooling

Answer 5

• No fans, no noise - Silent operation
• Specialized functions
  – Video servers, TV set top box,
  satellite receiver, media server
• Functions are very controlled
  – Carefully measured thermal tests
• Low-power components - Heat sinks

Question 6

Thermal paste

Answer 6

• Thermal grease, conductive grease
  – Thermally conductive adhesive
• Place between the heat sink and the component
  – Improves thermal conductivity
  – Moves the heat away from the component
• A little bit goes a long way
  – Pea-sized application

Question 7

Thermal pad

Answer 7

• Conduct heat without the mess - Cut to size and install
• Easy to use - Won’t leak and damage components
• Almost as effective as thermal paste
  – But still very good
• Not reusable - Remove and replace

Question 8

Liquid cooling

Answer 8

• Coolant is circulated through a computer
  – Not a new concept
  – Automobiles, mainframe computers
• High-end systems
• Gaming, graphics
• Overclocking