Every year there are more and more new models of computer equipment and accessories. However, in the pursuit of power and high productivity, leaders in the field of high technologies face natural problems. The processor, video card and other details in the process of work generate energy, which is converted into heat and contributes to overheating of the system unit. This, in turn, entails frequent malfunctions in the system and breakdowns. The way out is the installation of a cooling system.
Types of processor cooling systems
A high-quality computer cooling system will not only avoid the failure of seemingly completely new parts, but also ensure speed, no delays and trouble-free operation.
To date, the processor cooling system is represented by three types: liquid, passive and air. The advantages and disadvantages of each solution are discussed below.
Running a little ahead, we can say that the most common type of cooling today is air, that is, the installation of coolers, while the most efficient is liquid cooling. Air cooling for the processor benefits largely due to a loyal pricing policy. That is why the issue of choosing a suitable fan in the article will be given special attention.
Liquid cooling system
A liquid cooling system (water cooling) is the most productive method to avoid overheating of the processor and the breakdowns associated with this process. The design of the system is much like a refrigerator and consists of:
- a heat exchanger incorporating the thermal energy generated by the processor;
- a pump that acts as a fluid reservoir;
- additional capacity for the expanding heat exchanger during operation;
- coolant - an element that fills the entire system with a special liquid or distilled water;
- heat sinks for heat generating elements;
- hoses through which water passes and several adapters.
The advantages of the method of water cooling of the processor include high efficiency and low noise capacity. Disadvantages, despite the productivity of the system, are also enough:
- Users note the high cost of liquid cooling, since a powerful power supply is required to install such a system.
- The design in the end is quite cumbersome due to the volumetric reservoir and the water block, providing high-quality cooling.
- There is a likelihood of condensation forming, which negatively affects the operation of some components and can cause a circuit in the system unit.
If we consider only the liquid method, then the best cooling of the computer processor is the use of liquid nitrogen. The method, of course, is completely not budgetary and extremely complicated in installation and further maintenance, but the result really deserves it.
Passive cooling
Passive CPU Cooling is the most inefficient way to remove thermal energy. The advantage of this method, however, is considered to be low noise ability: the system consists of a radiator, which, in fact, does not “reproduce sounds”.
The passive cooling method has been used for a long time, it was pretty good for computers with low performance. At the moment, passive cooling of the processor is not widely used, but it is used for other components - motherboards, RAM, cheap video cards.
Air cooling: system description
A striking representative of the most common air type of heat dissipation is the processor cooling cooler, which consists of a radiator and a fan. The popularity of air cooling is primarily associated with a loyal pricing policy and a wide selection of fans in terms of parameters.
The quality of air cooling directly depends on the size of the radiator, as well as the diameter and bending of the blades. With an increase in the fan, the number of necessary revolutions decreases for efficient heat removal from the processor, which improves the cooler operation result with its smaller “efforts”.
The speed of rotation of the blades is regulated using modern motherboards, connectors and software. The number of connectors that can control the operation of the cooler, in this case, depends on the model of a specific board.
The speed of rotation of the fan blades is configured through the BIOS Setup. There is also a whole list of programs that monitor the temperature increase in the system unit and, in accordance with the received data, regulate the operation mode of the cooling system. The creation of such software is often involved in the manufacture of motherboards. These include Asus PC Probe, MSI CoreCenter, Abit µGuru, Gigabyte EasyTune, Foxconn SuperStep. In addition, many modern video cards are capable of regulating the number of fan revolutions.
On the advantages and disadvantages of air cooling
The air type of processor cooling has more advantages than disadvantages, and therefore is especially popular compared to other systems. The advantages of this type of processor cooling include:
- a large number of types of coolers, and therefore the ability to choose the perfect option for the needs of each user;
- low energy consumption during equipment operation;
- Easy installation and maintenance of air cooling.
The disadvantage of air cooling is the increased noise level, which only increases during the operation of components due to dust entering the fan.
Air Cooling System Parameters
When choosing a cooler for efficient cooling of a processor, special attention should be paid to technical issues, because far from always the manufacturer's pricing policy matches the quality of the products. So, the processor cooling system possesses the following main technical parameters:
- Socket compatibility (depending on the motherboard: based on AMD or Intel).
- Design features of the system (width and height of the structure).
- Type of radiator (types are represented by standard, combined or C-view).
- Dimensional characteristics of fan blades.
- The ability to reproduce noise (in other words, the noise level reproduced by the system).
- The quality and power of the air flow.
- Weight characteristic (recently, experiments with the cooler weight have been relevant, which affects the quality of the system in a rather negative way).
- Heat resistance or thermal dissipation, which is relevant only for top models. The indicator is in the range from 40 to 220 watts. The higher the value, the more productive the cooling system.
- The contact point of the cooler with the processor (the density of the connection is estimated).
- The method of contact between the tubes and the radiator (soldering, compression, or the use of direct contact technology).
Most of these parameters ultimately affect the cost of the cooler. But the brand also leaves its mark, therefore, it is first of all worth paying attention to the characteristics of the component part. Otherwise, you can buy a famous model, which will be completely useless during subsequent operation.
Socket: compatibility theory
The highlight when choosing a fan is architecture, i.e. cooling system compatibility with the processor socket. Under an incomprehensible English term, in a direct translation meaning “connector”, “socket”, there is a program interface that provides data exchange between various processes.
So, each processor has a certain space and types of mounting on the motherboard. This means, for example, that Intel processor cooling is not suitable for AMD. At the same time, the Intel model line is represented by both flagship and budget solutions. The cooling of the i7 processor requires more productive (LGA 1366 socket) than for previous versions of Intel Core, which LGA 1156 is suitable for . For other Intel-based processors (Pentium, Celeron, Xeon, etc.), the LGA 775 socket is needed.
AMD differs in that a standard fan is not suitable for components of this manufacturer. AMD processor cooling is best purchased separately.
There are visual differences in the sockets for AMD and Intel, which will help even an uninformed PC user to understand the issue. The type of mount for AMD is a mounting frame that brackets with hinges cling to. Intel mount is a board in which four so-called legs are inserted. In cases where the fan weight exceeds the standard figures, screw fasteners are used.
Design features
Not only socket compatibility is an important parameter. You should also pay attention to the width and height of the cooler, because under it you have to find a place in the body of the system unit so that other parts do not interfere with the operation of the fan. If the cooler is improperly mounted, the video card and RAM modules will impede the normal movement of air flows, which in this case, instead of cooling, will contribute to even more overheating of the entire structure.
Type of radiator: standard, C-type or combined?
There are currently three types of radiators for fans:
- Standard or tower view.
- C-type radiator.
- Combined view.
The standard type stipulates that tubes parallel to the base pass through the plates. Such fans are the most popular. They are slightly bent up and are a more effective solution for cooling the processor. The disadvantage of the standard type is that the air flow goes to the back or top of the case along the motherboard. Thus, air passes only one circle of circulation, and the processor can become very hot.
C-type coolers have been eliminated from this drawback. The C-shaped design of such radiators facilitates the passage of air flow near the processor socket. But there were some drawbacks: C-type cooling is less effective than tower cooling.
The flagship solution is a combined view of the radiator. This option combines all the advantages of its predecessors, and at the same time almost completely eliminated the disadvantages of the c-type or standard look.
Dimensional characteristics of the blades
The width, length and curvature of the blades affect the volume of air that will be involved in the operation of the cooling system. Accordingly, the larger the size of the blade, the greater will be the volume of air flow, which will improve the cooling of the laptop or computer processor. However, you should not go into any serious ways: cooling for the processor should correspond to other characteristics of a personal computer.
Noise level reproduced by cooler
The parameter that cooling system manufacturers are trying to improve by almost any means is the noise level reproduced by the cooler. According to most users, the cooling for the processor should ideally be not only effective, but also silent. But this is only in theory. In practice, it will not be possible to completely get rid of noise during the operation of the air system.
Small coolers produce less noise, which is quite convenient for users of not very powerful computers. Big fans create enough sound level to consider it a problem.
Currently, most coolers have the ability to respond to the amount of heat generated and, accordingly, work in a more active mode if necessary. The program for cooling the processor perfectly copes with the task of controlling the need for active cooling. So, the noise is no longer constant, but arises only with intensive processor operation. The program for cooling the processor is an excellent solution for small models and undemanding computers.
In matters of adjusting the noise level, it is worth paying attention to the type of bearing. A low-cost, and therefore the most popular option is a plain bearing, but the avaricious pays twice: already having reached half the expected service life, it will make an intrusive noise. A better solution is hydrodynamic bearings and rolling bearings. They will last much longer and will not stop coping with their tasks “halfway”.
CPU cooler touch point: material
The cooling system is necessary to remove excess thermal energy from the system unit into the environment, but the contact point of the parts should be as dense as possible. Here, the material from which the cooler is made and the degree of smoothness of its surface will be important criteria for choosing a high-quality cooling system. The most high-quality materials (according to users and technical experts) have proven themselves aluminum or copper. The surface of the material at the point of contact should be as smooth as possible - without dents, scratches or bumps.
The method of contact of the tubes with a radiator
If there are visible marks at the junction of the tubes with the radiator in the cooling system, then most likely soldering was used for fixing. A device made by this method will be reliable and durable, although soldering has been used less and less recently. Users who managed to get a cooler with soldering in the place where the tubes touch the radiator note a long service life of the cooling system and the absence of breakdowns.
A more popular way of contacting tubes with a radiator is a lower-quality crimping. Also widely used are fans manufactured using direct contact technology. In this case, the heat sink base is replaced. To determine a quality product, you should pay attention to the distance between the heat pipes: the smaller it is, the better the cooler will work, since the heat transfer will become more uniform.
Thermal grease: how often do you need to change?
Thermal grease is a paste-like consistency, it can be of various shades (white, gray, black, blue, blue). By itself, it does not give a cooling effect, but it helps to transfer heat faster from the chip to the radiator of the cooling system. Under normal conditions, an air cushion is formed between them, which has low thermal conductivity.
Thermal grease should be applied where the cooler directly touches the processor. Substance should be replaced from time to time, because drying will increase the degree of processor overload. The optimal "service life" of most modern types of thermal paste, according to users, is one year. For old and reliable brands, the replacement interval is extended to four years.
Or maybe a standard solution is enough?
Indeed, is it worth buying a cooler separately and generally thinking about a cooling system? The vast majority of processors are sold immediately with a fan. Why then go into the details and buy it separately?
Factory coolers, as a rule, are distinguished by low performance and high ability to reproduce noise. This is noted by both users and specialists. At the same time, a high-quality cooling system is a guarantee of a long and uninterrupted operation of the processor, safety and security of the internal computer. The right choice will be the best cooling for the processor, which is not always a standard solution.
Computer technology is developing very, very fast. Every now and then new versions of components appear, begin to apply innovative technologies and solutions. Modern manufacturers provide that the cooling system of the processor should also be improved.
Only a few companies now produce high-quality fan designs. Many brands try to be distinguished by compatibility with connectors of various types, low noise levels of their models, design. Top manufacturers of air cooling systems are THERMALTAKE, COOLER MASTER and XILENCE. .