Thursday, February 5, 2015

CPU Cooling Techniques - CompTIA A+ 220-801: 1.6


Heat sink
  • Dissipate heat through thermal conduction
    • Copper or aluminum alloy
  • Fins/grid increase surface area
    • Heat is then transferred to the cooler air
  • Thermal "grease" creates a good contact between the chip and the heat sink
  • They get HOT- don't touch them!
On-board fans
  • Designed to cool an entire adapter card
  • Can be bulky
    • May take additional adapter card space
  • Usually seen on high end graphics cards
 Case Fans
  • 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
Fan specifications
  • Standard sizes
    • i.e., 80 mm, 120 mm, 200 mm
  • Different speeds
    • Variable speed
  • Different noise levels
    • Not all fans sound the same
Liquid cooling


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

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