"Advanced" cooling

By strong acceleration.

***illustration black_mamba

Cold and silent:

Air is our everything!

But, if you don’t have a top-end gaming system and you are not an avid overclocker, then you probably won’t need a water system, much less a liquid nitrogen system, or any other sophisticated system. In order to lower the temperature by a few degrees (up to ten), which is what is required in the hottest summers, it will be enough to update the conventional air cooling (and also do a couple of simple steps; see the “10 Commandments of Proper Cooling” box). To do this, it will be enough to add several new coolers or update existing ones. In this context, it is important to remember that for proper, productive air cooling, the location plays an important role.

The coming summer, according to weather forecasters, promises to be quite hot. And you readily believe this, remembering the unprecedented heat already in mid-April. This means that our computers, or rather their components, will again be subject to additional load in the form of extra degrees. Of course, if you have air conditioning at home, then you don’t have to worry about this, but if you don’t, there is a real threat of components overheating and failing. How to help our electronic friends in the summer heat? Simple, inexpensive and advanced methods will be discussed further.

"Advanced" cooling

There are many ways to further cool your PC. For example, using radiator, liquid, freon, liquid nitrogen and liquid helium cooling, as well as cooling based on liquid metal. Such systems are used mainly in overclocking, and ordinary users do not have an urgent need for them. Actually, it’s like comparing the needs of a racing driver and an ordinary (even advanced) car enthusiast. The difference between these very technical needs is obvious.

Water cooling systems are deservedly popular among overclockers. The principle of their operation is based on coolant circulation. Computer components that need cooling heat the water, and the water, in turn, is cooled in the radiator. In this case, the radiator can be located outside the case and even be passive (that is, work without a heat sink fan).

Special mention should be made of cryogenic cooling systems for PCs, which operate on the principle of changing the phase state of matter, similar to a refrigerator and air conditioner. The disadvantages of cryogenic systems are high noise, large mass and cost, and difficulty in installation. But only using such systems is it possible to achieve negative temperatures of the processor or video card, and, accordingly, the highest performance by strong overclocking.

Cold and silent: This is how a PC equipped with a water cooling system looks quite nice. The big advantage of such a system is that the computer operates almost silently.

It is worth adding a few words about the advantages of complex cooling systems. They are silent, and at any time you can enable forced enhanced cooling in your PC. Among the disadvantages for the average user, it is worth noting the rather high cost (from $100) of the finished system, the requirement for great care when using it and the need for additional accessories during installation. In any case, experiments with these types of cooling should be carried out only when necessary - if your PC has truly enormous power.

Air is our everything!

But, if you don’t have a top-end gaming system and you are not an avid overclocker, then you probably won’t need a water system, much less a liquid nitrogen system, or any other sophisticated system. In order to lower the temperature by a few degrees (up to ten), which is what is required in the hottest summers, it will be enough to update the conventional air cooling (and also do a couple of simple steps; see the “10 Commandments of Proper Cooling” box). To do this, it will be enough to add several new coolers or update existing ones. In this context, it is important to remember that for proper, efficient air cooling, the location of the fans plays an important role. In fact, the maximum effect is achieved not when as much cold air as possible is pumped into the case, but when effective air flows are organized, with the correct input of cold air inside and the removal of warm air outside (if all the fans work for blowing, the air inside will simply heat up quickly , not being able to leave the normal outside the body).

The possibilities of installing additional fans depend not only on your wallet, but also on the case. In this regard, you won’t envy the owners of the old or cheapest cases. Often they do not have additional places for installing coolers, and the hot air outlet in them is implemented very simply: the flows are removed using a fan located on the power supply and the back of the computer. This creates a serious load not only on it, but also on the processor, which in most motherboards is installed just at the top. Therefore, if you are buying a new computer, do not regret the extra 300-400 UAH for the case. Yes, and the old PC can be moved to a new “home” - this is not difficult to do.

In most modern cases, there are several places for installing coolers. If you carefully read case tests in several previous issues of our magazine, you probably noticed that in the technical specifications we indicated the number of not only pre-installed coolers, but also seats for additional ones. Let's look at which fans are best placed where (for simplicity, we will assume that our virtual case has seats on all panels).

Advanced cooler models have a number of advantages over conventional fans. For example, this pretty green "baby" from ThermalTake has a heatsink far enough away from the processor thanks to six copper heat pipes. To cool the radiator, two fans are used at once. One pumps air, the other effectively removes it

For blowing:

Coolers operating on blowing must be installed on the front panel. There they will effectively cool the hard drives and force air inside - a kind of gate for cold air. If you have one hard drive, you can get by with such blower fans, but it is better (and if there are several hard drives, then it is highly recommended) to install the fans on the side panels (or on one of them, often there are such places on the left, less often on both , well, a completely exceptional case, when only on the right). As a result, air will be pumped directly into the area of ​​the motherboard (that is, directly onto the processor and video card, which will be a significant help for their standard cooling systems) and refresh the air flow from the front panel, heated by the hard drives. If there is such an opportunity, you can put a fan on the bottom panel (bottom) - cold air from the bottom will also effectively complement the air flows and better displace heated air to the top.

For blowing:

Coolers that remove warm air outside the case are placed on the back and, if possible, on the top panel. Thus, we get a constant blowing air flow, which effectively cools all PC components and instantly, when heated, goes outside the case, thus freeing up space for cold air.

What not to do:

Set the fan on the rear panel to blow. Because of this, a closed air ring is created between the power supply and the cooler, and some of the hot air from the power supply is immediately sucked back inside.

Set the front fan to exhaust. There are several options here, depending on the location of other fans, but in any case, given that the cooler on the power supply also works as a blower, effective air flow will not work, and the hard drives will carry an additional thermal load.

Perhaps the most clinical case is when all the fans are blowing, thus creating a rarefied atmosphere and low pressure inside the case. Yes, we know that a rarefied environment heats up worse, but with such a design of the cooling system there will be almost no air movement inside, and the air that exists will still heat up significantly over time. This scheme, by the way, is the heaviest for PC components, which have nowhere to throw off the accumulated heat.

The cooling method indicated in the diagram is one of the most effective. Depending on the needs, blow-in coolers can be supplied to the bottom and side panels

Silence is the key to health

Some users are deterred from installing additional fans by the fact that this will increase the noise level emitted by the system. But in reality, the number of additional decibels can be kept to a minimum. Here are some recommendations:

1. If the slot allows, buy a larger fan. Contrary to popular belief, with the same volume of air blown in, it will make less noise than a small one, due to the fact that it needs to make fewer revolutions to do this. More blades will also result in less noise.

2. Some cases have a function for manually adjusting the fan speed. If yours does not have one, you can use special programs (they have the ability to automatically adjust depending on the temperature of the components). In any case, maximum cooler speeds are not always needed, and at minimum speeds the system, even with many coolers, will work very quietly.

3. If the motherboard has four-pin connectors for powering coolers, then buy four-wire fans. They are very quiet, and their automatic speed control range is quite wide.

4. Pay attention to the type of bearing. For example, hydrodynamic bearings ensure very quiet fan operation.

The Zalman ZM-F2 FDB cooler uses a hydrodynamic bearing, which significantly reduces vibration and, as a result, noise level

Younger "brothers"

When it comes to cooling laptops, the story is completely different and much more complicated. Although in terms of heat dissipation, they are much inferior to desktop PCs, and the optimal design of heat sinks in them is laid out by the manufacturer himself; changing anything in the laptop’s cooling system (if its capabilities are insufficient) is very problematic. So to speak, there is nowhere to screw in an additional cooler. Therefore, there are other options. By the way, the first thing worth mentioning is the same notorious installation of a program for checking temperatures. You can find out the normal temperature for specific laptop components on the manufacturer’s website. Although there are still approximate standards for laptops. So, for a processor, the normal temperature can be considered 75–80 °C under load (if above 90, it is definitely overheating); for a video card - 70–90 °C; for a hard drive - 50–55 (if above 60, then you should copy important data from the hard drive. There is a risk of losing it); and the chipset can easily withstand temperatures up to 90°C.

The golden rule of a laptop user should be to check that the ventilation holes are not blocked. In no case should the computer be placed on a bed or other upholstered furniture, blankets, etc., as the heroes of many films do. That's why they are films, and the laptop is guaranteed to overheat. Usually nothing terrible happens, but in some cases, the video card, the north and south bridges may fail. The hard drive may also fail, leading to loss of information. This is because the chips have a maximum temperature, after which the destruction of their structure begins. Usually this is 110–125 °C. At this temperature, both the chip itself and the contact between the chip and the board are damaged. As a result, the laptop may either not turn on at all due to problems with the chipset, or display various artifacts on the screen. But the processor fails very rarely.

If you really want to work on the bed, but there is no way to spend money on a cooler-stand, you can use an ordinary plastic / metal / wooden food tray or a plywood board according to the size of the device to work in a chair or bed. Naturally, in this case, it should be ensured that not a single ventilation hole is blocked.

When using a laptop at a table, there is one trick - to put something under its back end. In most cases, the air that cools the laptop components is drawn through holes and slots in the bottom of the laptop. Some air is also sucked in from the keyboard. When you lift the back end of the laptop, the gap between the bottom and the table increases. As a result, air circulation improves. In other words, the air that is forced through the radiator of the cooling system becomes colder. Also, by reducing the resistance of this air, more air is sucked in. As a result, the temperature may drop by 5–10 °C. You can put anything under the back end, from books to rubber bands. Although there are special gadgets for this, for example, Belkin Laptop CoolStrip.

Finally, laptop coolers are also a good option for cooling. But again, not everyone is effective enough. For example, small folding fans that are placed under a laptop usually simply disperse the air around them and raise dust. It is optimal to take a stand that is not curved inward, but with a straight surface, perhaps slightly tilted for greater convenience, so that the laptop screen is positioned a little higher. The majority of such models are CoolerMaster NotePal, Zalman, Vantec LapCool and many others. By the way, with additional cooling, the maximum heating of the laptop is 4–5 °C less than without it. And cooling to a normal level occurs much faster: returning to the “background” temperature value takes only about two minutes, and without it - almost 15.

10 Commandments of Proper Cooling

Like the mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes, let's go from simple to complex. Repeating common truths about PC cooling sometimes helps to understand what was missed. So…

1. It is better to lower the system unit lower (ideally, on a special stand on wheels). From your school physics course, everyone probably remembers that hot air usually rises, and cold air goes down.

2. Explore the environment of the system unit - are there any curtains, napkins, chairs and other household utensils nearby that may interfere with the proper air exchange of the computer.

3. Regularly blow out the inside of your PC with a vacuum cleaner. Dust and animal hair can very noticeably clog coolers, especially on the power supply.

4. Set the coolers on the front panel to blow in, and on the back to blow out.

5. Make sure that in this case there are no large gaps in the system unit (for example, holes from the removed socket for the drive).

6. The wires inside should also not interfere with air circulation, so they should be carefully laid and secured with ordinary clamps.

7. Check the availability of thermal paste and renew it if necessary (a 50-gram tube costs a penny, but is enough for 40–50 cleanings). To do this, you need to remove the coolers from the processor and video card and carefully wipe off the remnants of the old thermal paste with alcohol, then just as carefully lubricate the contact surfaces of the processor and the radiator and put everything back in place.

8. If there are several hard drives in the case, they should be placed in slots away from each other.

9. If possible, do not connect power-consuming devices such as USB refrigerators, fans, etc. to your PC (especially laptops).

10. If necessary, replace the standard coolers with more advanced ones or deliver new ones if there are corresponding slots on the case.

The above-mentioned techniques for PCs - cleaning dust and updating thermal paste - are also good for laptops. Although, of course, you should disassemble them yourself only under the following conditions: a) the warranty period has expired and the seals can be broken; b) you are sure that you will put the laptop back together (with a PC, in terms of assembly, everything is much simpler). If the first condition is not met, but you suspect that your portable “friend” is clogged, it is better to contact a service center. Replacing thermal paste requires experience and knowledge, and the warranty is void if you clean it yourself.

Laying wires inside a PC is a matter of five minutes, but the effectiveness will be obvious

Any computer or laptop needs a good cooling system to function properly. During operation, elements such as a processor (CPU), video card, and motherboard generate a large amount of heat and become very hot. The higher the CPU performance rating, the more heat it produces. If the PC does not quickly remove air, this can lead to various system failures, incorrect operation of equipment, decreased performance, and cause failure of important elements. Why does the processor get hot? How to cool the CPU in PCs and laptops? Which cooler to choose for optimal PC cooling? We will try to answer these questions in this article.

Reasons for CPU overheating

If the computer starts to turn off, glitch, or freeze, this may be due to overheating of the CPU. The reasons why a PC processor begins to overheat are very different. Therefore, we will consider the main ones, and also give simple ways to solve problems.

In most PCs and laptops, the main elements of the cooling system are the cooler (fan) and radiator, which are installed on the processor. Thanks to the tightest possible contact, heat transfer between the surface of the radiator and the processor is minimal, which in turn ensures fast, efficient heat dissipation.

The radiator can be monolithic or consist of two parts. In the first case, it is completely fixed on the processor (budget option), in the second case, only a small part of it is attached to the CPU, inside of which there are heat pipes that transfer heated air to the main radiator.

The primary role in the case ventilation and PC cooling system is played by the fan. Regardless of its location, it cools the entire radiator or its main part. The more efficiently it works, the better the heat dissipation from the CPU will be, and, accordingly, the lower its temperature. Heat pipe coolers provide greater CPU cooling.

If the processor starts to heat up, the main reasons include:

• deterioration of contact between the processor and the heatsink;
• speed reduction cooler (fan) operation;
• use of ineffective cooling systems;
• absence ventilation systems in the case, in the PC power supply;
• pollution ventilation holes housings with dust;
• failure cooling systems;
• wrong radiator fixation.

An increase in process temperature can also be caused by the fact that the cooler is trivial clogged with dust. For this reason, its speed and efficiency are reduced. The fan is simply not able to remove heat. To increase heat transfer, after replacing the CPU, it is worth purchasing and installing a new model of case cooler.

Another reason is upgrade PC. For example, after replacing an old CPU, a new, more powerful and productive one was installed. But at the same time, the fan in the cooling system remained the same. Due to the increase in power, the processor cooler simply does not fully cope with its task.

If the processor gets hot, let's consider what to do in this situation.

How can you cool the processor of a PC or laptop?

Overheating of the processor in laptops and desktop computers significantly increases the load on all system elements. To reduce heat generation and reduce energy consumption, you need to:

• check the condition of the cooling system, perform cleaning;
• reduce the load on the CPU;
• overclock the processor cooler;
• replace thermal paste;
• install additional coolers.

You can also reduce processor heat dissipation by BIOS settings operating system. This is the simplest and most accessible method that does not require much time or physical effort.

There are special technologies that reduce CPU frequency when idle. For AMD processor technology is called Cool'n'Quite, For Intel - Enhanced SpeedStep Technology. Consider how to activate it.

On Windows 7 you need to go to " Control Panel", select section " Power supply" In the window that opens, check which mode is active: “ Balanced», « High performance», « Energy Saving" To activate the technology, you can select any one, with the exception of “High Performance”. In Windows XP you need to select " Energy Saving Manager».

Energy Saving Settings must be enabled in the BIOS; if they are not, you can load the default settings.

It is equally important to pay attention to the system housing ventilation. If the cooling system is working properly and is regularly cleaned, but the CPU is still heating up, then you need to look to see if there are any obstacles in the path of air flow, for example, if they are blocked by thick cables.

The system unit or PC case should have two or three fans. One is for blowing on the front wall, the second is for blowing out on the rear panel, which in turn ensures good air flow. Additionally, you can install a fan on the side wall of the system unit.

If the PC system unit is in a bedside table inside the table, then do not close the doors so that the heated air comes out. Do not block the ventilation openings of the case. Place the computer a few centimeters from the wall or furniture.

You can purchase a special cooling pad for your laptop.

There is a large selection of universal models of stands on sale that adapt to the dimensions and size of the laptop. The heat-dissipating surface and coolers built into it will contribute to more efficient heat removal and cooling.

When working on a laptop, always keep your work area clean. The ventilation openings must not be blocked by anything. Objects lying nearby should not obstruct air circulation.

For laptops you can also do overclocking the cooler. Since a PC has at least three fans installed (on the CPU, video card, built-in storage), and most laptop models have only one. The second one can be installed if you have a powerful video card. In this case, you can overclock coolers:

• through special utilities;
• via BIOS.

Before increasing the fan speed, you first need to clean the cooler and motherboard elements from dust.

Cleaning the cooling system of a laptop or desktop PC should be done at least once every six to seven months.

Cleaning the cooling system

If the processor gets hot, check the condition of the fan and the entire PC cooling system. Dust is a serious enemy of any technology. Clogged between the edges of the radiator, dust, lint, and pet hair impair air circulation.

To thoroughly clean it, you need to disconnect the cooler from the power supply and disassemble it. By removing the fan, you can also clean the dust that has accumulated on the radiator. The radiator and cooler blades can be cleaned with a special plastic spatula or a stiff brush. After removing dust, wipe the radiator with a damp cloth.

In addition to removing dust from the radiator and cooler, wipe the wires located in the case from dust. Blow or wipe the vents on the chassis.

Replacing thermal paste

Upgrading and replacing the thermal paste on the processor will help reduce the heat generated by the processor. Thermal paste is nothing more than a lubricant for cooling the processor. It acts as a heat conductor between the CPU and the heatsink, eliminates microscopic irregularities of the contacting surfaces, and removes air between them, which impedes heat dissipation. Good, high-quality thermal paste will reduce the temperature by 5–10 degrees.

Over time, the paste dries out, loses all its properties, and does not cool the processor. Therefore, it needs to be replaced every six months. If your PC has a more modern CPU, the thermal paste can be changed less frequently. You can purchase it at any computer store. Thermal paste must be of good quality.

Before you apply the thermal paste that cools the CPU, you need to get to the processor itself. For this:

How to choose a good thermal paste

Given the large selection of thermal pastes, many are interested in the question of which thermal paste is better. Note that the difference between pastes from different manufacturers can be from ten to twenty degrees. It all depends on the quality characteristics and heat-conducting properties of thermal interfaces. A good thermal conductivity paste should have low thermal resistance and high thermal conductivity.

According to experts, for cooling the processor you can purchase:

• Arctic Cooling MX-4.
• Arctic Silver Ceramique.
• Noctua NT-H1.
• Prolimatech PK-1.
• Thermalright Chill Factor III.
• Zalman ZM-STG2.
• Glacialtech IceTherm II.
• Coollaboratory Liquid Pro.

Some pastes can also be used to overclock the processor. For example, Arctic Cooling MX-4, Glacialtech IceTherm II, Thermalright Chill Factor III, Coollaboratory Liquid Pro. Knowing which thermal paste is better, how often and how to replace it correctly, you can significantly reduce the temperature of the CPU, thereby extending its service life.

How to cancel CPU overclocking

Many users, in order to improve performance and speed up the CPU, overclock the processor (overclocking). But in some cases, this procedure significantly increases the load on the CPU, which can negatively affect its functioning and lead to a decrease in operating life.

To check the performance of the CPU after overclocking, you need to warm up the processor using special utilities.

If you are interested in how to remove CPU overclocking, go to CMOS and BIOS. Cancel all motherboard voltage settings, return them to normal configuration.

Actions are performed in the following sequence:

1. We go into the BIOS by pressing the desired button when starting the computer.
2. Select the item “ Set BIOS Default/Use Default Settings", press Enter.
3. A window will appear in which you need to press the Y key.
4. After this, the original settings that were set before overclocking the CPU will be returned.
5. Now we save all the changes made and exit the settings.
6. Reboot the computer.

This can also be done by selecting the option “ Restore Fail Safe Defaults", after finding out on the Internet the exact specifications of the installed motherboard and CPU. This is necessary in order to make changes by setting the basic frequency and voltage settings.

In addition, you can change the system bus frequency and multiplier settings to the base value, returning back all the parameters that were changed during overclocking.

You can also remove additional cooling hardware that you installed to prevent the CPU from overheating.

You can manage and monitor the operation of the processor using a special utility - CPU Core, where you need to specify and set the required values ​​of the multiplier and bus frequency.

Installing additional fans

If the CPU continues to heat up after cleaning and canceling overclocking, then in order to increase cooling efficiency, we recommend installing additional fans on the case to increase air circulation. This is necessary if there are many heating elements inside the system unit or if there is a rather small amount of free space inside it.

Give preference to large-diameter coolers, which will provide greater air flow at lower speeds. Such models work efficiently, but are noisy. When installing, consider the direction of their operation.

CPU coolers are classified into:

• Boxed, without heat pipes. The most common models. Consist of an aluminum plate with ribs. May have a copper base with a fan attached to it.
• Cooling systems based on thermal aluminum and copper tubes. They function by removing heat, which is carried out due to the liquid circulating in them. They have high efficiency indicators.

When choosing fans for the cooling system, read the installation instructions, check its compatibility with the socket, motherboard, and which socket is available for the processor. Consider weight, fan size, radiator type.

Too large, high-power fans will create additional stress on the motherboard and may cause its deformation. As for the size, select the housing to match the tire, take into account the location of other components. Choose products from well-known, trusted manufacturers.

If a large number of hard drives are installed, you can additionally install a fan on the front panel of the case, as well as on the rear upper part of the system unit to remove warm air outside. Modern cases allow you to install at least two fans: from the bottom, if there is no perforation on the front panel, and opposite the location of the hard drives.

If the PC has very advanced hardware and the processor gets hot, you can remove the side cover of the system unit. In this case, the cooling efficiency will be increased significantly.

How to overclock a cooler

You can overclock the cooler, as already noted, through the BIOS or using special free utilities that will allow you to monitor and control the speed of the fans. The programs are designed for various types of processors.

Let's look at how to overclock coolers via BIOS:

For processors Intel programs will allow you to reduce or increase the speed of rotation of the cooler Riva Tuner, SpeedFan. They have great functionality, a choice of settings, a clear interface, do not take up much space, and automatically control the operation of coolers.

If third-party PC software does not allow you to adjust the fan speed, the processor cooler can be controlled using original utilities from the manufacturers. For example, in the HP leptota there is a program Notebook Fan Control, in Acer - Smart Fan, ACFanControl. In Lenovo - Fan Control.

Modern “advanced” cooling systems, which are most often used in overclocking, include: radiator, freon, liquid nitrogen, liquid gel. Their operating principle is based on coolant circulation. The intensely hot elements heat the water, which is cooled in the radiator. It can be located outside the case or be passive, operating without a fan.

Conclusion

This article discussed various causes of processor overheating and solutions to this problem. Sometimes the reason for its occurrence can be ordinary dust, which periodically needs to be removed, or the consequences of inexperienced overclocking of equipment, as well as its upgrade. When replacing thermal paste, you must be careful and careful not to damage the equipment.

Video on the topic

How to properly organize cooling in a gaming computer

The use of even the most efficient coolers may be useless if the air ventilation system in the computer case is poorly thought out. Therefore, correct installation of fans and components is a mandatory requirement when assembling a system unit. Let's explore this issue using the example of one high-performance gaming PC

⇣ Contents

This article is a continuation of a series of introductory materials on assembling system units. If you remember, last year a step-by-step instruction was published, which described in detail all the main points for creating and testing a PC. However, as often happens, when assembling a system unit, nuances play an important role. In particular, proper installation of fans in the case will increase the efficiency of all cooling systems and also reduce the heating of the main components of the computer. It is this question that is discussed further in the article.

I warn you right away that the experiment was carried out on the basis of one standard assembly using an ATX motherboard and a Midi-Tower form factor case. The option presented in the article is considered the most common, although we all know very well that computers are different, and therefore systems with the same level of performance can be assembled in dozens (if not hundreds) of different ways. That is why the results presented are relevant exclusively for the configuration considered. Judge for yourself: computer cases, even within the same form factor, have different volumes and number of seats for installing fans, and video cards, even using the same GPU, are assembled on printed circuit boards of different lengths and are equipped with coolers with different numbers of heat pipes and fans. And yet, our small experiment will allow us to draw certain conclusions.

An important "detail" of the system unit was the central processor Core i7-8700K. There is a detailed review of this six-core processor, so I won’t repeat it again. I will only note that cooling a flagship for the LGA1151-v2 platform is a difficult task even for the most efficient coolers and liquid cooling systems.

The system was installed 16 GB of DDR4-2666 RAM. The Windows 10 operating system was recorded on a Western Digital WDS100T1B0A solid state drive. You can get acquainted with the review of this SSD.

The MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO video card, as the name suggests, is equipped with a TRI-FROZR cooler with three TORX 2.0 fans. According to the manufacturer, these impellers create 22% more powerful airflow while remaining virtually silent. Low volume, as stated on the official MSI website, is also ensured by the use of double-row bearings. I note that the radiator of the cooling system, and its ribs are made in the form of waves. According to the manufacturer, this design increases the total dispersion area by 10%. The radiator also comes into contact with the elements of the power subsystem. MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO memory chips are additionally cooled with a special plate.

The accelerator fans start to rotate only when the chip temperature reaches 60 degrees Celsius. On an open bench, the maximum GPU temperature was only 67 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the cooling system fans spun up by a maximum of 47% - this is approximately 1250 rpm. The actual GPU frequency in default mode remained stable at 1962 MHz. As you can see, the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO has a decent factory overclock.

The adapter is equipped with a massive backplate, increasing the rigidity of the structure. The back of the graphics card has an L-shaped strip with built-in Mystic Light LED lighting. Using the application of the same name, the user can separately configure three glow zones. In addition, the fans are framed by two rows of symmetrical lights in the shape of dragon claws.

According to the technical specifications, the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO has three operating modes: Silent Mode - 1480 (1582) MHz core and 11016 MHz memory; Gaming Mode - 1544 (1657) core and 11016 MHz memory; OC Mode - 1569 (1683) MHz for the core and 11124 MHz for the memory. By default, the video card has gaming mode activated.

You can get acquainted with the performance level of the reference GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. The MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Lightning Z was also released on our website. This graphics adapter is also equipped with a TRI-FROZR cooling system.

The assembly is based on the MSI Z370 GAMING M5 motherboard of the ATX form factor. This is a slightly modified version of the MSI Z270 GAMING M5 board, which was released on our website last spring. The device is perfect for overclockable Coffee Lake K-processors, since the digitally controlled power converter Digitall Power consists of five double phases implemented in a 4+1 scheme. Four channels are directly responsible for the operation of the CPU, another one is for the integrated graphics.

All power circuit components comply with the Military Class 6 standard - this includes both titanium core chokes and Dark CAP capacitors with at least a ten-year service life, as well as energy-efficient Dark Choke coils. And the DIMM slots for installing RAM and PEG ports for installing video cards are clad in a metallized Steel Armor case, and also have additional solder points on the back of the board. Additional track insulation is used for the RAM, and each memory channel is located in its own PCB layer, which, according to the manufacturer, allows for a cleaner signal and increases the stability of overclocking DDR4 modules.

One useful thing to note is the presence of two M.2 format connectors, which support the installation of PCI Express and SATA 6 Gb/s drives. An SSD up to 110 mm long can be installed in the top port, and up to 80 mm in the bottom port. The second port is additionally equipped with a metal M.2 Shield heatsink, which is in contact with the drive using a thermal pad.

The wired connection in the MSI Z370 GAMING M5 is handled by the Killer E2500 gigabit controller, and the sound is provided by the Realtek 1220 chip. The Audio Boost 4 audio path features Chemi-Con capacitors, a paired headphone amplifier with a resistance of up to 600 Ohms, a front dedicated audio output and gold-plated audio connectors. All components of the sound zone are isolated from the rest of the board elements by a non-conductive strip with backlight.

The Mystic Light motherboard backlight supports 16.8 million colors and operates in 17 modes. You can connect an RGB strip to the motherboard; the corresponding 4-pin connector is soldered at the bottom of the board. By the way, the device comes with an 800 mm extension cord with a splitter for connecting an additional LED strip.

The board is equipped with six 4-pin fan headers. The total number is chosen optimally, the location is also. The PUMP_FAN port, soldered next to the DIMM, supports the connection of impellers or a pump with a current of up to 2 A. The location is again very good, since it is easy to connect a pump to this connector from both a maintenance-free life-support system and a custom system assembled by hand. The system deftly manages, including "Carlson" with a 3-pin connector. The frequency is regulated both by the number of revolutions per minute and by voltage. It is possible to completely stop the fans.

Finally, I’ll note two more very useful features of the MSI Z370 GAMING M5. The first is the presence of a POST signal indicator. The second is the EZ Debug LED block located next to the PUMP_FAN connector. It clearly demonstrates at what stage the system is loaded: at the initialization stage of the processor, RAM, video card or storage device.

The choice of Thermaltake Core X31 was not accidental. Here is a Tower case that meets all modern trends. The power supply is installed from below and is insulated with a metal curtain. There is a basket for installing three drives of form factors 2.5’’ and 3.5’’, however, HDD and SSD can be mounted on the barrier wall. There is a basket for two 5.25-inch devices. Without them, nine 120mm or 140mm fans can be installed in the case. As you can see, Thermaltake Core X31 allows you to completely customize the system. For example, on the basis of this case it is quite possible to assemble a PC with two 360 mm radiators.

The device turned out to be very spacious. There is plenty of space behind the chassis for cable management. Even with careless assembly, the side cover will close easily. The space for hardware allows the use of processor coolers up to 180 mm in height, video cards up to 420 mm in length and power supplies up to 220 mm in length.

The bottom and front panel are equipped with dust filters. The top cover is equipped with a mesh mat, which also limits dust from getting inside and makes it easier to install case fans and water cooling systems.

Your PC contains many parts, almost all of which become hot during operation. Some parts, such as the CPU and video card, get very hot.

In a properly configured computer, most of this heat is moved out of the computer case by multiple fans. If your computer doesn't expel hot air quickly enough, temperatures can become so hot that you risk serious damage to your PC. It goes without saying, keeping your PC cool should be a top priority.

Below are eleven solutions for PC cooling. Many are free or very inexpensive.

1. Let the air flow

The easiest thing you can do to keep your PC cool is to give it more room for ventilation by removing any obstructions to airflow.

Make sure there is nothing directly against either side of the computer, especially the back. Most of the hot air comes out from the back of the computer case. There should be at least 5 - 10 centimeters of free space on both sides, and the back should be completely open and free.

If your computer is on the table, do not close the door. Cold air enters from the front and sometimes from the side of the case. If the door is closed, the hot air tends to recycle in the desk, becoming hotter and overheating the computer.

2.Run your PC with the case closed

The "urban legend" about PC cooling is that running your computer with the case open will help it cool better. It does seem logical - if the housing is open, more air flows in.

The main problem here is dirt. When the case is open, dust and dirt clog the fans much faster than when the case is closed. What clogs the fans and impairs their performance.

Opening the computer offers a small benefit at first, but increasing the fan's exposure to debris has a much larger impact on temperatures.

3.Clean up your computer

The fans in your computer are supposed to keep it cool. You know what slows down the fan and then eventually makes it stop? Dirt - in the form of dust, hair, etc. All of this finds its way into your computer, and most of it gets stuck in the fans.

One of the most effective ways to cool your PC is to clean the internal fans. There is a fan on the CPU, an internal power supply, and usually one or more on the front and/or back of the case.

Turn off your computer, open the case, and use a vacuum cleaner to remove dirt from each fan. If your PC is really dirty, clean the outside.

4.Move your computer to a different location

Your computer is running in a place that is too hot or too dirty. A cooler and cleaner area of ​​the same room may be a better place for your computer.

Important: Moving your computer may damage vulnerable parts inside the case. Make sure to disable everything, don't transfer everything at once. Be careful when moving the PC case, which contains all the important parts: hard drive, motherboard, CPU, etc.

5.Replace the CPU fan

Your CPU is probably the most vulnerable and expensive part of your computer. In addition, it is the most prone to overheating.

If you haven't replaced the CPU fan yet, it's probably running at maximum speed right now.

Many companies sell high-power CPU fans that keep the CPU temperature lower than the factory fan. Find an acceptable CPU fan option that is compatible with your CPU socket.

6.Install an additional case fan (or two)

A case fan is a small fan that attaches to the front or back of a computer case, on the inside. Case fans help move air through the computer.

Installing two case fans, one to move cool air into the PC and one to move warm air out of the PC, is a good way to keep the computer cool.

There are many case fans, it is easier to install than a CPU fan, don’t be afraid to open your computer and do this.

7.Stop overclocking your PC

Overclocking a computer to its limits has a direct impact on the temperature at which your CPU and any other overclocked components operate.

If you are overclocking your PC's hardware but haven't bothered to keep it cool, it is recommended to reconfigure your hardware to factory default settings.

8.Replace the power supply

Your PC's power supply has a built-in powerful fan. The air you feel when you hold your hand behind your computer is from this fan.

If you don't have a case fan, a power supply fan is the only way to remove the hot air generated in your computer. If this fan is not running, the computer can heat up very quickly.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to simply replace the power supply fan. If the fan does not work, you will have to replace the entire power supply.

9.Fans for certain components

Of course, the CPU is the largest heat producer in your computer, but almost every component produces heat too. High-speed, high-quality memory and high-end graphics cards can also add heat to your CPU.

If you see that your memory, video card, or any other component is overheating, you can cool it with a special fan. In other words, if your memory gets hot, buy and install a memory fan. If your video card overheats while gaming, install a more powerful video card fan.

Increasing the speed of hardware leads to increased heating of its parts. Fan manufacturers know this and have created custom solutions for almost every component in your computer.

10.Install water cooling

In very high-end computers, heat build-up can become such a problem that even the fastest, most efficient fans can't cool it down. The cases of such computers are equipped with water cooling. Water heat transfer can drastically reduce the CPU temperature.

"Water in the computer? It's dangerous!" Don't worry, water or other liquid is completely blocked in the transport system. The pump cycles cool liquid to the CPU, where it absorbs heat, and then pumps the hot liquid out of your computer, where the heat is dissipated.

11.Install the phase change module

Phase change modules are the most powerful of the cooling technologies. The phase change module can be called a refrigerator for your CPU. It is used in the same technologies to cool or even freeze the CPU.

CPU cooling affects the performance and stability of your computer. But it does not always cope with the load, which is why the system malfunctions. The efficiency of even the most expensive cooling systems can be greatly reduced due to the fault of the user - poor installation of the cooler, old thermal paste, dusty case, etc. To prevent this, it is necessary to improve the quality of cooling.

If the processor overheats due to previously overclocked and/or high loads when operating the PC, then you will have to either change the cooling to a better one or reduce the load.

The main elements that produce the greatest amount of heat are the processor and video card, sometimes it can also be the power supply, chipset and hard drive. In this case, only the first two components are cooled. The heat generation of the remaining components of the computer is insignificant.

If you need a gaming machine, then first of all think about the size of the case - it should be as large as possible. Firstly, the larger the system unit, the more components you can install in it. Secondly, in a large case there is more space, which is why the air inside it heats up more slowly and has time to cool. Also pay special attention to the ventilation of the case - it must have ventilation holes so that hot air does not linger for a long time (an exception can be made if you are going to install water cooling).

Try to monitor the temperature of the processor and video card more often. If the temperature often exceeds the permissible values ​​of 60-70 degrees, especially when the system is idle (when no heavy programs are running), then take active steps to reduce the temperature.

Let's look at several ways to improve the quality of cooling.

Method 1: Correct positioning of the case

The housing for productive devices should be large enough (preferably) and have good ventilation. It is also desirable that it be made of metal. In addition, you need to take into account the location of the system unit, because Certain objects can block air from entering, thereby impairing circulation and increasing the temperature inside.

Apply these tips to the location of the system unit:

Method 2: Clean from dust

Dust particles can impair air circulation, fan and radiator performance. They also retain heat very well, so it is necessary to regularly clean the “insides” of the PC. The frequency of cleaning depends on the individual characteristics of each computer - location, number of ventilation holes (the more ventilation holes there are, the better the cooling quality, but the faster dust accumulates). It is recommended to do cleaning at least once a year.

Cleaning should be done using a soft brush, dry rags and napkins. In special cases, you can use a vacuum cleaner, but only at minimum power. Let's look at step-by-step instructions for cleaning your computer case from dust:

Method 3: Install an additional fan

By using an optional fan that attaches to the vent on the left or rear wall of the case, you can improve air circulation inside the case.

First you need to select a fan. The main thing is to pay attention to whether the characteristics of the case and motherboard allow you to install an additional device. There is no point in giving preference to any manufacturer in this matter, because... This is a fairly cheap and durable computer element that is easy to replace.

If the overall characteristics of the case allow, then you can install two fans at once - one on the back, the other on the front. The first one removes hot air, the second one sucks in cold air.

Method 4: Speed ​​up the fans

In most cases, fan blades rotate at only 80% of their maximum speed. Some “smart” cooling systems are capable of independently adjusting the fan speed - if the temperature is at an acceptable level, then reduce it, if not, then increase it. This function does not always work correctly (and in cheap models it does not exist at all), so the user has to manually overclock the fan.

There is no need to be afraid to overclock the fan too much, because... otherwise, you only risk a slight increase in your computer/laptop's power consumption and noise level. To adjust the speed of rotation of the blades, use the software solution - SpeedFan. The software is completely free, translated into Russian and has a clear interface.

Method 5: replace thermal paste

Replacing thermal paste does not require any serious expenditure in terms of money and time, but it is advisable to exercise some caution here. You also need to take into account one feature with the warranty period. If the device is still under warranty, then it is better to contact the service with a request to change the thermal paste, this should be done for free. If you try to change the paste yourself, your computer will be void of warranty.

When changing it yourself, you need to carefully consider the choice of thermal paste. Give preference to more expensive and high-quality tubes (ideally those that come with a special brush for application). It is desirable that the composition contains compounds of silver and quartz.

Method 6: installing a new cooler

If the cooler does not cope with its task, then it should be replaced with a better and more suitable analogue. The same applies to outdated cooling systems, which due to a long period of operation cannot function normally. It is recommended, if the dimensions of the case allow, to choose a cooler with special copper heat sink pipes.

Use step-by-step instructions for replacing an old cooler with a new one: