We provide high-quality processor cooling. Types of computer cooling and their description Type of computer cooling system

It is a set of tools designed to reduce the temperature of some computer components. The problem of computer cooling is becoming more and more urgent with an increase in its productivity, because high productivity means the consumption of high power, which naturally leads to an increase in the temperature of its components. The main energy consumers, and therefore heat sources, in a computer are the central processor, graphics processor and power supply. It is they who require their own cooling systems.

IN home computer cooling systems As a rule, radiators (passive cooling) and fans (coolers, active cooling) are used. Old or low-power computers used only radiators, which was basically enough for them. But in modern computers, simply radiators are practically not used; they are installed in conjunction with a cooler. And this is what it has to do with it. The fact is that cooling systems work on the principle of heat transfer from a hotter body (in our case, the processor) to a colder one (radiator). With constant intense heating, the cooling system (radiator) will eventually also heat up, and when its temperature reaches the temperature of the cooled body (processor), heat transfer will stop, which will cause overheating of the cooled body (processor). Therefore, to cool radiators, coolers are used that blow cold air onto the radiators, thereby cooling it.

The material used to make the radiator is silver, copper or aluminum. Aluminum is most often used due to the high cost of the first two. Sometimes an aluminum radiator (often a large one) uses copper tubes to distribute heat evenly.

Everyone knows the fact: the larger the total area of ​​the radiator, the more efficiently it can remove heat. There are two ways to increase the radiator area:

1. Increase the number of fins while maintaining the size of the radiator

2. Increase the size of the radiator.

The first method improves heat transfer and maintains compactness, but also due to the small distance between the fins, the hydraulic resistance increases, which prevents the effective passage of air through such a radiator.

When using the second method, heat transfer improves, hydraulic resistance decreases, and the volume of air that participates in heat exchange increases, so the second method is more effective and is most often used.

Coolers consist of a housing, an electric motor, an impeller (blade) and bearings. The durability of the cooler depends on the bearings, but this is not very important, since they rarely fail.

Coolers differ in size, rotation speed and blade shape. And it doesn’t mean at all that the faster the cooler rotates, the more efficiently it removes heat. Often, coolers with a lower rotation speed, but with a different blade shape, transfer larger volumes of air and at the same time create less noise.

You can install additional coolers anywhere in the case, but it is very important to organize the correct air flow in your system unit. Cold air should enter through the front and left walls, and hot air should exit through the back and top. Therefore, the correct location of the system unit is important. It must be placed so that hot air from the rear wall does not enter the area on the left, from where the air enters the system unit.

So, if you are going to upgrade your computer cooling system, you should learn a few rules:

1. Choose larger radiators; they remove heat more efficiently.

2. For effective heat dissipation, consider the air flow rule.

3. If you equip your system unit with additional coolers, do not overdo it. Too many coolers will create a lot of noise.

4. If you want to make your computer as silent as possible, purchase a power supply with two coolers, as this allows you to use a lower rotation speed, and therefore they will create little noise.

5. To reduce noise, you should use slower coolers.

6. In order to achieve silent operation of the computer, you must also pay attention to the case of the system unit.

There are also more exotic cooling systems, when not air, but a special liquid (distilled water with impurities or freon) is used as a refrigerant. There are even systems that use dry ice, helium, and nitrogen as a refrigerant. But for ordinary PC users, such cooling systems are not necessary. They are usually used by those who overclock hardware (overlogging), or by owners of particularly powerful computers.

I'll show you how to set up a laptop. I’ll tell you about setting up the power supply, password, hard drive, sleep, hibernation, energy saving, usb settings, pci-express, setting up cooling, processor, screen, battery...

1. Power settings

Click on the bottom right icon of the socket and battery RMB and select POWER SUPPLY. Next, configure the power supply scheme, then CHANGE ADVANCED. POWER SETTINGS.

Require password entry on wakeup.

It is necessary that if you have a password to enter the computer, then it is requested when exiting sleep or standby mode.

Disconnect the hard drive via.

It is necessary so that the hard drive is turned off when idle (when you or the system does not make any request to the hard drive, for example) in order to reduce power consumption. For example, when I don’t watch any movie or listen to music or browse folders on my external hard drive, it will appear in 20 minutes. turns off.

javascript timer frequency

Needed for the frequency of function execution in a Java script. The higher the frequency, the more correctly and smoothly the function is performed, but also a high frequency can load the processor, and sometimes even incredibly load it. For example, such a problem can be seen in flash videos of a cat. reformatted into .exe files. Or when many social documents are open. networks.

You can leave it as is, on battery MAX. ENERGY SAVING, from the MAX PRODUCTION network.

Slide show

It is necessary so that if for a slave. your table is tired. change the picture every 30 minutes, for example, to another one, then when running on battery power, stopping this can save a little battery. And when working from the network, you don’t have to worry about this.

Wireless adapter settings

It is necessary to reduce the voltage on the adapter when idle, i.e. When you are not using the grid, less electricity flows into it. For the maximum speed available on your network, set it to MAX PERFORMANCE, but if you watch HD online, you can also set it to AVERAGE ENERGY SAVING, especially when running on battery power, or MAX. ENERGY SAVING.

Sleep after

Hybrid sleep mode

Hibernation after

Allow wake timers

It is needed in order to return your computer to work during certain planned events. For example, checking for viruses or the network card gave a command to connect to the Internet. In general, to prevent your computer from turning on spontaneously, select DISABLED.

OptionsUSB

Any connected USB device consumes energy to operate, so that it does not constantly waste power from the laptop, turn it off temporarily when idle by selecting ALLOWED.

Action when closing the lid

When you lower the laptop lid, you can have the laptop go into one of the power consumption modes. For example, SLEEP, Hibernate (I already talked about them earlier), SHUT DOWN, or you can choose to have nothing happen other than turning off the monitor.

Power button action

On the top left or top right of your laptop there is a button to turn it on when it is off. So here it can be configured to operate when the laptop is turned on. For example, for example SLEEP, HIBERNATION (I already talked about them earlier), SHUT DOWN.

Sleep button action

The sleep mode button can be found separately on a laptop, or it only works with a combination of some keys. Or while holding down the FN button (about the FN button and its functions, see my previous videos). For example, I have a sleep mode button on FN + ESCAPE. Well, here you can configure its action when you press the SLEEP button, the laptop can go into SLEEP or Hibernation mode.

PCI Express

Allows you to set power savings for PCI Express devices at the expense of performance.

Off - no power saving, PCI devices at max. energy consumption

Moderate - everything in moderation

MAX power saving - PCI devices at max. energy saving

Processor power management

Minimum processor state

Allows you to set a lower performance limit, i.e. During the time when no calculations and watching a movie and listening to music are not happening, the state of the processor's power consumption drops to 5% for me

System Cooling Policy

Passive method - slows down the processor before increasing fan speed

Active method - increases fan speed before slowing down the processor

Battery

Effect of almost completely discharged batteries

Here we put the cat action. will occur when the laptop battery is almost completely discharged.

So let me remind you again:

In sleep mode, the computer goes into a low-power mode and when it wakes up, all the documents you have opened remain open in RAM. In this mode, the computer will be ready for use as quickly as possible when you need it. But maintaining this mode requires little electricity.

Hibernation mode saves all open programs and files you have on the hard drive and restores them when you wake up the computer from the hard drive. Waking up takes longer than in SLEEP mode, but in Hibernation mode the computer does not require electricity and the computer is not afraid of any power failure.

Hybrid sleep mode

In this mode, open programs and documents are saved in memory and on the hard drive, and the computer goes into a mode of reduced power consumption. If an unexpected power failure occurs, Windows will recover data from the hard drive. On desktop computers, this mode is enabled by default, so when you click “go to sleep”, hybrid sleep mode is activated.

I advise you to set the battery to HIBERNATION, but NO ACTION is required from the network.

Low battery level

Allows you to specify what percentage of the battery charge level should be considered low.

I advise you to ask here 10%

Battery level is almost completely discharged

Allows you to specify what level of battery charge should be considered almost completely discharged.

I advise you to set 5% here

Low battery notification

Allows you to specify whether a pop-up message appears indicating that the battery charge has reached a specified low level.

I recommend turning it on.

Low Battery Actions

Allows you to set what should happen when the battery charge reaches a low level.

You can select No action required.

Backup battery level

Here you can set at what battery level a warning message about the backup battery will be displayed.

I advise you to put it at 8%.

Here is a video tutorial on setting up a laptop.

• wake up password (00:35)
• hard drive (00:43)
• java script timer frequency (01:10)
• slide show (01:36)
• wireless network settings (02:37)
• sleep (03:00)
• hybrid sleep mode (03:22)
• hibernation (03:47)
• wake timers (04:07)
• USB parameters (04:23)
• closing the lid (04:37)
• sleep button (05:03)
• sleep button (05:20)
• PCI-Express and video cards (05:49)
• CPU power (06:14)
• system cooling (06:30)
• CPU status (07:08)
• screen blanking (07:46)
• screen off (07:57)
• screen brightness (08:05)
• brightness level (08:20)
• adaptive brightness control (08:34)
• media options (08:50)
• when playing video (09:37)
• Battery completely drained (10:03)

Good afternoon, dear readers!

As I promised in the comments to the article “What you need to know about storage drives and data security - the 20 most important points,” today’s article will focus on computer cooling issues.

The relevance of the issue is very high. This is evidenced by the flow of letters I receive on this topic. And the point here is not only that a sunny and hot summer will come very soon...

The question is relevant in relation to both desktop computers and laptops, because absolutely any computer of absolutely any level needs cooling for normal operation. The only difference is that some devices generate more heat, while others generate less...

I offer today’s article to you in the form of a collection of the most important questions and nuances, as was the case in the previous article about hard drives, so that you can immediately understand the most important and important things without wasting a lot of time.

Yes, you cannot cover all aspects in one article, but I tried to collect everything that is especially important under one heading, so that the resulting material provides answers to the most critical questions.

So, let's begin!

Desktop computers

Let's start with the most important thing. Despite the fact that today more laptops are sold than desktop PCs, nevertheless, no one has given up on “desktop PCs” and is not going to give up in the future. In the end, it is simply impossible to replace a full-fledged desktop workstation with a laptop or something else.

As a consequence of its power, the issue of cooling desktop PCs is never removed from the agenda of ordinary users.

1. Main sources of heat.

These on a desktop PC are: processor, video card, motherboard elements (such as chipset, processor power...) and power supply. The heat release of the remaining elements is not as significant compared to the above.

Yes, a lot depends on the specific configuration and its power, but still, in proportional terms, little changes.

Mid-range processors can produce between 65 and 135 watts of heat; a regular gaming-grade video card can heat up to 80-90 degrees Celsius during operation, and this is absolutely normal for such productive solutions; The power supply can easily warm up to 50 degrees; The chipset on the motherboard can also heat up to 50-60 degrees, etc.

It is always worth remembering that the more powerful the components used, the more heat they generate.

The processor and video chip of the graphics card can be compared to the burners of an electric stove. In terms of heat release, the analogy is absolute. Everything is the same, only the chips can heat up much faster than the burner of a modern oven: in just seconds...

2. How important is this?

In fact, if, say, a graphics chip runs without cooling, then it can fail in a matter of seconds, or at most in a few minutes. The same goes for processors.

Another thing is that all modern chips are equipped with overheating protection. When a certain temperature threshold is exceeded, it simply turns off. But you shouldn’t tempt fate - here this rule is truer than ever, therefore, it’s better to avoid problems with cooling.

3. Everything is connected to the body...

We must not forget that all these “hot” components are located within the rather limited space of the system unit case:

Therefore: all these large amounts of heat should not “stagnate” and “warm up” the entire computer. This leads to a small important rule that must always be followed when organizing cooling:

“There should always be a “draft” inside the case.

Yes, the only way to correct the situation is when hot air is thrown outside the body.

4. Monitor temperatures.

Try to at least occasionally take an interest in the temperatures of computer components. This will help you identify and fix the problem in time.

The EVEREST program or SiSoftware Sandra Lite (free) can help you with this. These system utilities have corresponding modules that display the temperature of devices.

Acceptable "degrees":

CPU: an operating temperature of 40-55 degrees Celsius is considered normal.

Video card: it all depends on its power. Budget, inexpensive models may not warm up to 50 degrees, but for top-end solutions, such as the Radeon HD 4870X2 and 5970, 90 degrees under load can be considered the norm.

HDD: 30-45 degrees (full range).

Note: From my own experience, I can say that only the temperature of the above devices can be measured relatively accurately using software. And the state of all other components (chipset, memory, video card and motherboard environment) is quite often determined erroneously by measuring utilities.

For example, quite often you can find that some program shows the chipset temperature, say, at 120 degrees or the ambient temperature at 150 degrees. Naturally, these are not real values ​​at which the computer would not work properly for a long time.

However, if you organize proper cooling inside the case using further advice, then I can guarantee that you simply won’t have to measure anything other than the temperature of the processor, video card and disk, because under the right cooling conditions they will not overheat.

So it will be quite enough to glance at the temperatures of the main components given above from time to time to monitor the general situation...

5. Good body...

Yes, the heat output of computer components can vary greatly. If we are talking about low-power “office” level machines, then yes - the heat generation will be small.

As for medium-performance and “top-end” solutions, which make up the majority of modern home desktop PCs, here the system unit can very well play the role of a heater.

In modern conditions, having a housing with sufficient internal space for air circulation is a necessity. And it doesn’t matter what the performance of your computer is.

In any case, both office and gaming PCs need normal air circulation inside the case. Otherwise, even a simple office PC may begin to overheat due to the formation of so-called “air jams” inside the case.

Air locks inside the case are the “household” name for the phenomenon when air flows (caused by fans and coolers) circulate incorrectly. For example: when heated air is not discharged outside; or if there is no fresh air supply to the housing; or when any fans are installed incorrectly, say if, due to a design feature, the CPU cooler

6. A little about furniture...

A special issue in the topic of high-quality cooling concerns furniture - your desktop.

The design of the table can either greatly impede cooling, or, on the contrary, promote maximum ventilation.

It’s one thing when the system unit is simply standing next to the table - there are no complaints here, except perhaps that it is strictly not recommended to place the system unit next to a heating radiator and heaters, and it is not recommended to place any other objects close to the system unit.

If there is any furniture or objects nearby, make sure that there are gaps of at least 7-10 cm on all sides of the system unit.

However, in most cases, the system unit is located not next to the table, not on the table, but in the table:

As you can see, in this case the space around the system unit is strictly limited by the table and the space for air circulation and outlet is a minimum...

Since the main ventilation holes in the system unit are located at the back, in front and on the left wall, I recommend moving the system unit relative to the table box to the right so that as much space as possible remains on the left (see picture above).

To avoid “air locks”: when all the heated air rises up and stays there, it is not recommended to close the door of the box for the system unit of your table.

If all these points are observed, the cooling will be quite decent: hot air will accumulate at the top and leave the table under the influence of natural mixing (since there is a sufficient gap on the left).

In some cases, if your computer has very high-performance hardware, it is recommended to completely remove the left side of the system unit case - in this case, the cooling efficiency increases significantly.

For example, I did exactly the same thing myself, since my computer generates a lot of heat:

7. About the processor cooler.

This question is more relevant for high-end PCs. If we talk about low-power PCs, then there is no point in talking about coolers, because... Such a processor generates a little heat, and the standard one (that comes with the processor) is more than enough.

If you buy a processor and its name contains the word BOX, it means it comes fully packaged, which includes a cooler.

If you see an OEM mark in the price list, this means that upon purchase, you will not receive anything else except the processor itself.

Here we can give the following advice: if you are buying an inexpensive modern processor, then it is better to choose the BOX package. Ultimately, such a processor will not require a powerful cooler - the performance is low, and current technologies provide low power consumption, therefore, one cannot expect a lot of heat generation here.

And if you want to purchase some powerful model, say, for a home PC, then it is better to choose the OEM package - in any case, a standard cooler will not be enough for you.

Why is this happening?

Today, manufacturers, in my opinion, have become extremely negligent in their treatment of standard coolers - their dimensions and characteristics do not always correspond to the power of the processor. For example:

This cooler is included with dual-core and quad-core Intel Core 2 processors. Okay, for 2-core models it may be enough, but for 4-core models it’s clearly not enough...

In addition, if we touch on outdated models, then the situation is this: if you bought, say, a processor 3 years ago, then at that time the technologies did not provide such energy savings as they do now.

This is why, say, a quite inexpensive and low-power Pentium D from 4 years ago heats up even more than modern top-level Core i7s.

In this case, a good cooler is simply necessary. And I recommend installing a tower cooler on heat pipes:

Heat pipes- elements made of copper that penetrate aluminum (as in the photo above) or copper plates of the cooler and contribute to faster and more efficient heat removal from a hot processor. They provide much more efficient cooling compared to conventional coolers.

Heat pipe- the device is sealed, inside of which there is water that circulates through the tube naturally. This movement is aided by thousands of tiny “notches” on the inside of the tube, which allow the water to rise up.

Regardless of how powerful a processor you want to cool, I always recommend coolers with heat pipes only. Buying a regular cooler based on an aluminum or copper radiator is not justified.

It is the tower cooler on heat pipes that provides the greatest efficiency.

Another example of such a cooler:

8. Case fan - required.

The next thing that is necessary to organize proper cooling is the presence of a case fan.

Modern cases offer the ability to install at least two fans.

On the front panel: air can enter through the perforations (as in the photo), or from below - if the front panel is not perforated:

In this case, it turns out that the fan becomes directly opposite the hard drives and therefore performs two important functions: it supplies fresh air inside the case and cools the hard drives:

Having at least one case fan is a must for any computer! The fan “pumps” the air inside and prevents the formation of “air jams”.

Installing an exhaust fan on the rear side is not mandatory, but nevertheless, in some cases it helps to make the cooling system even better:

But do not forget that if you have a tower-type cooler installed, then in this case the cooler fan in most cases will be opposite the case fan socket on the rear wall (see photo below), with the only difference being that the cooler fan can located on the left or right side of the cooler

If (as in the photo) you do not have a case fan installed, then everything is fine. The cooler fan will either throw hot air into this hole or draw it from there (depending on the location of the fan on the cooler). In this case, it is better that it throws out already heated air there, rather than drawing it in.

In the photo, the location of the cooler is not optimal: hot air is thrown into the case, and not into the hole for mounting the case fan.

If you also want to install a case fan, make sure that the fan and cooler do not “conflict”, i.e. did not direct air at each other. Install the case fan so that it assists the CPU cooler.

Regardless of which panel you want to mount the fan on, I recommend ONLY using 140mm fans!

9. Cable layout.

A big problem for cooling is improperly routed cables. Being in a scattered state, they impede air circulation inside the case, sometimes to such an extent that even a powerful fan is not able to “pump” the entire volume of the case...

But when laying cables inside the case, do not overdo it! Do not bend excessively (to the point of bending) or create tension - this can damage the cables and lead to errors and malfunctions of the PC! Such cases are not rare...

Just try to organize the cables as compactly as possible. As much as possible:

10. Take care of particularly hot surfaces.

These are primarily video cards in a computer. Especially if we talk about such hot and powerful models as the Radeon HD 4870X2 and HD 5970.

Make sure that there are no cables lying on top of the video card:

It is very important! During operation, the video card can heat up to temperatures close to 100 degrees!

11. About thermal paste...

When installing a cooler, always use thermal paste. Under no circumstances should you place the cooler “dry”! Cooling efficiency will drop significantly...

You only need to apply thermal paste to the processor, in a very thin, translucent layer.

“The more thermal paste, the better the cooling” is the biggest myth among novice users!

Thermal paste is a connecting link; it connects the surface of the processor to the surface of the cooler, filling microscopic irregularities between these surfaces that may contain air. And air, as you know, greatly impedes heat removal.

And if thermal paste is applied in a thick layer, then it no longer turns into a heat conductor, but into an insulator - a thick “blanket” between the cooler and the processor.

You can apply it with anything: squeeze a small amount of paste into the center of the processor, and then spread it a little on the sides. Then proceed to install the cooler. The thermal paste will finally spread into an ideal layer only after you install the cooler.

Note: I show the cooler installation procedure in detail in a free course on self-assembly of a computer.

Many people argue about which toothpaste is better... From my own experience, I can say that the difference between different brands is minimal. Therefore, you should not pay attention to this.

For example, TITAN thermal paste is sold in these small tubes:

One such tube is designed for at least TWO uses.

If you follow all the above recommendations, your PC will essentially have no problems with cooling.

Laptops

12. Features of laptops.

All components inside the laptop are collected in an extremely small space of the mobile case. In addition to the processor, a laptop can be equipped with a powerful video card, hard drive...

These and other devices are separated from each other by a few centimeters, and at the same time there is no space for air circulation - there is simply no space inside the laptop.

This is why components almost always operate at elevated temperatures. Unfortunately, there is no way to fix this; However, you can protect the laptop from additional heating, thus extending its service life and saving it from critical overheating.

13. Workplace…

As I have mentioned more than once here on the blog - try, if possible, not to place the laptop on soft surfaces and laps, especially when you are working on resource-intensive tasks at the laptop (for example, photo or video processing). If this simple rule is not followed, overheating of the laptop components, including the battery, is guaranteed...

Try to place your laptop on a flat, hard desktop surface. At the same time, make sure that no objects lying side by side interfere with the air flow under and around the laptop:

In fact, this is the most important and most effective thing that can be done to avoid overheating.

14. Weather...

Do not work on your laptop in direct sunlight. They heat up its surface very quickly and very strongly (especially if the laptop is dark) and quickly warm up everything inside the case.

In this case, even damage to individual components due to overheating is possible.

And the last piece of advice that I would like to give in this article, for all users, regardless of whether you have a laptop or a desktop PC:

15. Clean dust regularly!

For desktop PCs: They accumulate dust very quickly. Try to open the system unit at least once every 6 months and clean all internal components from dust.

Dust prevents heat transfer from components and significantly impairs heat transfer. Dust can especially cause hard drives, video cards, and processors to overheat.

I would also like to mention the fans. Remember: a fan clogged with dust supplies air much less efficiently:

To clean the internal components, I usually use a brush and a slightly damp cloth. I categorically do not recommend using a vacuum cleaner! During the cleaning process, they may accidentally damage fragile components. This happens quite often.

Proceed with the cleaning procedure ONLY if the computer is turned off!

For laptops: Here the situation is somewhat more complicated...

The fact is that laptops have different cases: some provide immediate access to the cooling system so that you can clean the fan with a brush; and in some, to get to the fans you need to disassemble the laptop...

Here's the only advice I can give you: don't take apart your laptop unless you're sure you can put everything back together...

Often used to build a large radiator heat pipes(English: heat pipe) hermetically sealed and specially arranged metal tubes (usually copper). They transfer heat very efficiently from one end to the other: thus, even the outermost fins of a large radiator work effectively in cooling. This is how the popular cooler works, for example.

To cool modern high-performance GPUs, the same methods are used: large radiators, copper cores of cooling systems or all-copper radiators, heat pipes to transfer heat to additional radiators:

The recommendations for selection here are the same: use slow and large fans, and the largest possible radiators. For example, this is what popular video card cooling systems and Zalman VF900 look like:

Typically, fans of video card cooling systems only mixed the air inside the system unit, which is not very effective in terms of cooling the entire computer. Only recently, to cool video cards, they began to use cooling systems that carry hot air outside the case: the first to come, with a similar design, were from the brand:

Similar cooling systems are installed on the most powerful modern video cards (nVidia GeForce 8800, ATI x1800XT and older). This design is often more justified, from the point of view of the correct organization of air flows inside the computer case, than traditional designs. Air flow organization

Modern standards for the design of computer cases, among other things, also regulate the method of constructing a cooling system. Starting with , the production of which began in 1997, the technology of cooling a computer with a through air flow directed from the front wall of the case to the back has been introduced (additionally, air for cooling is sucked in through the left wall):

I refer those interested in details to the latest versions of the ATX standard.

At least one fan is installed in the computer power supply (many modern models have two fans, which can significantly reduce the rotation speed of each of them, and, therefore, noise during operation). Additional fans can be installed anywhere inside the computer case to increase air flow. Be sure to follow the rule: On the front and left side walls, air is forced into the body; on the rear wall, hot air is thrown out. You also need to make sure that the flow of hot air from the back wall of the computer does not go directly into the air intake on the left wall of the computer (this happens at certain positions of the system unit relative to the walls of the room and furniture). Which fans to install depends primarily on the availability of appropriate fasteners in the case walls. Fan noise is mainly determined by its rotation speed (see section), so it is recommended to use slow (quiet) fan models. With equal installation dimensions and rotation speeds, the fans on the rear wall of the case are subjectively noisier than the front ones: firstly, they are located further from the user, and secondly, there are almost transparent grilles at the back of the case, while in front there are various decorative elements. Often noise is created due to the air flow bending around the elements of the front panel: if the transferred volume of air flow exceeds a certain limit, vortex turbulent flows are formed on the front panel of the computer case, which create a characteristic noise (it resembles the hiss of a vacuum cleaner, but much quieter).

Choosing a computer case

Almost the vast majority of computer cases on the market today comply with one version of the ATX standard, including in terms of cooling. The cheapest cases are not equipped with a power supply or additional accessories. More expensive cases are equipped with fans to cool the case, less often - adapters for connecting fans in various ways; sometimes even a special controller equipped with thermal sensors, which allows you to smoothly regulate the rotation speed of one or more fans depending on the temperature of the main components (see, for example). The power supply is not always included in the kit: many buyers prefer to choose a power supply themselves. Among other options for additional equipment, it is worth noting special mounts for side walls, hard drives, optical drives, expansion cards, which allow you to assemble a computer without a screwdriver; dust filters that prevent dirt from entering the computer through the ventilation holes; various pipes for directing air flow inside the housing. Let's explore the fan

For air transfer in cooling systems they use fans(English: fan).

Fan device

The fan consists of a housing (usually in the form of a frame), an electric motor and an impeller mounted with bearings on the same axis as the motor:

The reliability of the fan depends on the type of bearings installed. Manufacturers claim the following typical MTBF (years based on 24/7 operation):

Taking into account the obsolescence of computer equipment (for home and office use this is 2-3 years), fans with ball bearings can be considered “eternal”: their service life is no less than the typical service life of a computer. For more serious applications, where the computer must work around the clock for many years, it is worth choosing more reliable fans.

Many have encountered old fans in which the sliding bearings have exhausted their service life: the impeller shaft rattles and vibrates during operation, producing a characteristic growling sound. In principle, such a bearing can be repaired by lubricating it with solid lubricant, but how many would agree to repair a fan that costs only a couple of dollars?

Fan characteristics

Fans vary in size and thickness: usually in computers there are standard sizes of 40x40x10 mm, for cooling video cards and hard drive pockets, as well as 80x80x25, 92x92x25, 120x120x25 mm for case cooling. Fans also differ in the type and design of the installed electric motors: they consume different currents and provide different impeller rotation speeds. The performance depends on the size of the fan and the speed of rotation of the impeller blades: the created static pressure and the maximum volume of transported air.

The volume of air transported by the fan (flow rate) is measured in cubic meters per minute or cubic feet per minute (CFM, cubic feet per minute). The fan performance indicated in the specifications is measured at zero pressure: the fan operates in open space. Inside the computer case, a fan blows into a system unit of a certain size, therefore it creates excess pressure in the serviced volume. Naturally, volumetric productivity will be approximately inversely proportional to the pressure created. Specific view flow characteristics depends on the shape of the impeller used and other parameters of the specific model. For example, the corresponding graph for a fan:

A simple conclusion follows from this: the more intense the fans work in the back of the computer case, the more air can be pumped through the entire system, and the more efficient the cooling will be.

Fan noise level

The noise level created by a fan during operation depends on its various characteristics (you can read more about the reasons for its occurrence in the article). It's easy to establish a relationship between performance and fan noise. On the website of a large manufacturer of popular cooling systems, we see: many fans of the same size are equipped with different electric motors, which are designed for different rotation speeds. Since the same impeller is used, we obtain the data we are interested in: the characteristics of the same fan at different rotation speeds. We are compiling a table for the three most common sizes: thickness 25 mm, and.

The most popular types of fans are highlighted in bold.

Having calculated the coefficient of proportionality of air flow and noise level to revolutions, we see an almost complete coincidence. To clear our conscience, we count deviations from the average: less than 5%. Thus, we received three linear dependencies, 5 points each. God knows what statistics, but for a linear relationship this is enough: we consider the hypothesis confirmed.

The volumetric performance of the fan is proportional to the number of revolutions of the impeller, the same is true for the noise level.

Using the obtained hypothesis, we can extrapolate the results obtained using the least squares method (OLS): in the table, these values ​​are highlighted in italics. It must be remembered, however, that the scope of this model is limited. The studied dependence is linear in a certain range of rotation speeds; it is logical to assume that the linear nature of the dependence will remain in some vicinity of this range; but at very high and very low speeds the picture can change significantly.

Now let's look at a line of fans from another manufacturer: , and . Let's make a similar table:

Calculated data is highlighted in italic font.
As mentioned above, at fan speed values ​​that differ significantly from those studied, the linear model may be incorrect. The values ​​obtained by extrapolation should be understood as a rough estimate.

Let us pay attention to two circumstances. Firstly, GlacialTech fans work slower, and secondly, they are more efficient. This is obviously the result of using an impeller with a more complex blade shape: even at the same speed, the GlacialTech fan moves more air than the Titan: see graph growth. A The noise level at the same speed is approximately equal: the proportion is maintained even for fans from different manufacturers with different impeller shapes.

You need to understand that the actual noise characteristics of a fan depend on its technical design, the pressure created, the volume of pumped air, and the type and shape of obstacles in the path of air flow; that is, on the type of computer case. Since the housings used are very different, it is impossible to directly apply the quantitative characteristics of fans measured under ideal conditions; they can only be compared with each other for different fan models.

Fan price categories

Let's consider the cost factor. For example, let’s take the same online store and: the results are listed in the tables above (fans with two ball bearings were considered). As you can see, the fans of these two manufacturers belong to two different classes: GlacialTech operate at lower speeds, therefore making less noise; at the same rpm they are more efficient than the Titan - but they are always a dollar or two more expensive. If you need to assemble the least noisy cooling system (for example, for a home computer), you will have to fork out for more expensive fans with complex blade shapes. In the absence of such strict requirements or with a limited budget (for example, for an office computer), simpler fans are quite suitable. The different type of impeller suspension used in fans (for more details, see section) also affects the cost: the fan is more expensive, the more complex bearings are used.

The connector key is the beveled corners on one side. The wires are connected as follows: two central ones - “ground”, common contact (black wire); +5 V - red, +12 V - yellow. To power the fan via the Molex connector, only two wires are used, usually black (ground) and red (supply voltage). By connecting them to different pins of the connector, you can get different fan rotation speeds. A standard voltage of 12 V will start the fan at normal speed, a voltage of 5-7 V provides approximately half the rotation speed. It is preferable to use a higher voltage, since not every electric motor is able to reliably start at too low a supply voltage.

As experience shows, the fan rotation speed when connected to +5 V, +6 V and +7 V is approximately the same(with an accuracy of 10%, which is comparable to the accuracy of measurements: the rotation speed is constantly changing and depends on many factors, such as air temperature, the slightest draft in the room, etc.)

I remind you that the manufacturer guarantees stable operation of its devices only when using a standard supply voltage. But, as practice shows, the vast majority of fans start perfectly even at low voltage.

The contacts are fixed in the plastic part of the connector using a pair of bendable metal “antennae”. It is not difficult to remove the contact by pressing down the protruding parts with a thin awl or a small screwdriver. After this, the “antennae” must be bent to the sides again, and the contact must be inserted into the corresponding socket of the plastic part of the connector:

Sometimes coolers and fans are equipped with two connectors: parallel-connected molex and three- (or four-) pin. In this case You only need to connect power through one of them:

In some cases, not one Molex connector is used, but a female-male pair: this way you can connect the fan to the same wire from the power supply that powers the hard drive or optical drive. If you are rearranging the pins in a connector to get a non-standard voltage on the fan, pay special attention to rearranging the pins in the second connector in exactly the same order. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in the incorrect supply voltage being supplied to the hard drive or optical drive, which will certainly lead to their immediate failure.

In three-pin connectors, the installation key is a pair of protruding guides on one side:

The mating part is located on the contact pad; when connected, it fits between the guides, also acting as a latch. The corresponding connectors for powering the fans are located on the motherboard (usually several in different places on the board) or on the board of a special controller that controls the fans:

In addition to ground (black wire) and +12 V (usually red, less often yellow), there is also a tachometer contact: it is used to control the fan speed (white, blue, yellow or green wire). If you do not need the ability to control the fan speed, then this contact does not need to be connected. If the fan power is supplied separately (for example, through a Molex connector), it is permissible to connect only the speed control contact and the common wire using a three-pin connector - this circuit is often used to monitor the rotation speed of the power supply fan, which is powered and controlled by the internal circuits of the power supply unit.

Four-pin connectors appeared relatively recently on motherboards with LGA 775 and socket AM2 processor sockets. They differ in the presence of an additional fourth contact, while being completely mechanically and electrically compatible with three-pin connectors:

Two identical fans with three-pin connectors can be connected in series to one power connector. Thus, each of the electric motors will receive 6 V of supply voltage, both fans will rotate at half speed. For such a connection, it is convenient to use the fan power connectors: the contacts can be easily removed from the plastic case by pressing the locking “tab” with a screwdriver. The connection diagram is shown in the figure below. One of the connectors is connected to the motherboard as usual: it will supply power to both fans. In the second connector, using a piece of wire, you need to short-circuit two contacts, and then insulate it with tape or tape:

It is strongly not recommended to connect two different electric motors in this way.: due to the inequality of electrical characteristics in different operating modes (start-up, acceleration, stable rotation), one of the fans may not start at all (which can cause the electric motor to fail) or require an excessively high current to start (which can lead to failure of the control circuits).

Often, to limit the fan rotation speed, fixed or variable resistors are used in series in the power circuit. By changing the resistance of the variable resistor, you can adjust the rotation speed: this is how many manual fan speed controllers are designed. When designing such a circuit, you need to remember that, firstly, the resistors heat up, dissipating part of the electrical power in the form of heat - this does not contribute to more efficient cooling; secondly, the electrical characteristics of the electric motor in different operating modes (starting, acceleration, stable rotation) are not the same, the resistor parameters must be selected taking into account all these modes. To select resistor parameters, it is enough to know Ohm's law; You need to use resistors designed for a current no less than that consumed by the electric motor. However, I personally do not favor manual cooling control, since I believe that a computer is a perfectly suitable device to control the cooling system automatically, without user intervention.

Fan monitoring and control

Most modern motherboards allow you to control the rotation speed of fans connected to some three- or four-pin connectors. Moreover, some of the connectors support software control of the rotation speed of the connected fan. Not all connectors located on the board provide such capabilities: for example, on the popular Asus A8N-E board there are five connectors for powering fans, only three of them support rotation speed control (CPU, CHIP, CHA1), and only one supports fan speed control (CPU); The Asus P5B motherboard has four connectors, all four support rotation speed control, rotation speed control has two channels: CPU, CASE1/2 (the speed of two case fans changes synchronously). The number of connectors with the ability to control or control the rotation speed does not depend on the chipset or south bridge used, but on the specific model of the motherboard: models from different manufacturers may vary in this regard. Often, board developers deliberately deprive cheaper models of the ability to control fan speed. For example, the motherboard for Intel Pentiun 4 processors Asus P4P800 SE is capable of adjusting the speed of the processor cooler, but its cheaper version Asus P4P800-X is not. In this case, you can use special devices that are capable of controlling the speed of several fans (and, usually, provide for the connection of a number of temperature sensors) - more and more of them are appearing on the modern market.

You can control fan speed values ​​using BIOS Setup. As a rule, if the motherboard supports changing the fan speed, here in BIOS Setup you can configure the parameters of the speed control algorithm. The set of parameters varies for different motherboards; Typically, the algorithm uses the readings of thermal sensors built into the processor and motherboard. There are a number of programs for various operating systems that allow you to control and regulate fan speeds, as well as monitor the temperature of various components inside the computer. Manufacturers of some motherboards complete their products with proprietary programs for Windows: Asus PC Probe, MSI CoreCenter, Abit µGuru, Gigabyte EasyTune, Foxconn SuperStep, etc. Several universal programs are widespread, among them: (shareware, $20-30), (distributed free of charge, not updated since 2004). The most popular program in this class is:

These programs allow you to monitor a range of temperature sensors that are installed in modern processors, motherboards, video cards and hard drives. The program also monitors the rotation speed of fans that are connected to the motherboard connectors with appropriate support. Finally, the program is capable of automatically adjusting the fan speed depending on the temperature of the observed objects (if the motherboard manufacturer has implemented hardware support for this feature). In the above figure, the program is configured to control only the processor fan: when the CPU temperature is low (36°C), it rotates at a speed of about 1000 rpm, which is 35% of the maximum speed (2800 rpm). Setting up such programs comes down to three steps:

1. determining which of the motherboard controller channels the fans are connected to, and which of them can be controlled by software;
2. indicating which temperatures should affect the speed of various fans;
3. setting temperature thresholds for each temperature sensor and operating speed range for fans.

Many programs for testing and fine-tuning computers also have monitoring capabilities:, etc.

Many modern video cards also allow you to adjust the speed of the cooling fan depending on the heating of the GPU. Using special programs, you can even change the settings of the cooling mechanism, reducing the noise level from the video card when there is no load. This is what the optimal settings for the HIS X800GTO IceQ II video card look like in the program:

Passive Cooling systems are usually called those that do not contain fans. Individual computer components can be satisfied with passive cooling, provided that their radiators are placed in sufficient air flow created by “foreign” fans: for example, the chipset chip is often cooled by a large radiator located near the installation site of the processor cooler. Passive cooling systems for video cards are also popular, for example:

Obviously, the more radiators one fan has to blow through, the greater the flow resistance it needs to overcome; Thus, when increasing the number of radiators, it is often necessary to increase the rotation speed of the impeller. It is more efficient to use many low-speed, large-diameter fans, and it is preferable to avoid passive cooling systems. Despite the fact that passive radiators for processors, video cards with passive cooling, and even fanless power supplies (FSP Zen) are available, an attempt to assemble a computer without any fans from all these components will certainly lead to constant overheating. Because a modern high-performance computer dissipates too much heat to be cooled by passive systems alone. Due to the low thermal conductivity of air, it is difficult to organize effective passive cooling for the entire computer, unless you turn the entire computer case into a radiator, as is done in:

Perhaps completely passive cooling will be sufficient for low-power specialized computers (for accessing the Internet, listening to music and watching videos, etc.) Economical cooling

In the old days, when the power consumption of processors had not yet reached critical values ​​- a small radiator was enough to cool them - the question was “what will the computer do when nothing needs to be done?” The solution was simple: while there is no need to execute user commands or running programs, the OS gives the processor the NOP command (No OPeration, no operation). This command forces the processor to perform a meaningless, ineffective operation, the result of which is ignored. This wastes not only time, but also electricity, which, in turn, is converted into heat. A typical home or office computer, in the absence of resource-intensive tasks, is usually only 10% loaded - anyone can verify this by launching the Windows Task Manager and observing the CPU (Central Processing Unit) load chronology. Thus, with the old approach, about 90% of the processor time was wasted: the CPU was busy executing unnecessary commands. Newer operating systems (Windows 2000 and later) act more wisely in a similar situation: using the HLT (Halt, stop) command, the processor completely stops for a short time - this, obviously, allows you to reduce energy consumption and processor temperature in the absence of resource-intensive tasks.

Experienced computer geeks can recall a number of programs for “software processor cooling”: when running under Windows 95/98/ME, they stopped the processor using HLT, instead of repeating meaningless NOPs, thereby reducing the temperature of the processor in the absence of computing tasks. Accordingly, the use of such programs under Windows 2000 and newer operating systems makes no sense.

Modern processors consume so much energy (which means they dissipate it in the form of heat, that is, they heat up) that developers have created additional technical measures to combat possible overheating, as well as means that increase the efficiency of saving mechanisms when the computer is idle.

CPU thermal protection

To protect the processor from overheating and failure, so-called thermal throttling is used (usually not translated: throttling). The essence of this mechanism is simple: if the processor temperature exceeds the permissible temperature, the processor is forced to stop with the HLT command so that the crystal has the opportunity to cool down. In early implementations of this mechanism, through BIOS Setup it was possible to configure how much time the processor would be idle (CPU Throttling Duty Cycle parameter: xx%); new implementations “slow down” the processor automatically until the temperature of the crystal drops to an acceptable level. Of course, the user is interested in ensuring that the processor does not cool down (literally!), but does useful work; for this, a sufficiently efficient cooling system must be used. You can check whether the processor thermal protection mechanism (throttling) is activated using special utilities, for example:

Minimizing energy consumption

Almost all modern processors support special technologies to reduce energy consumption (and, accordingly, heating). Different manufacturers call such technologies differently, for example: Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST), AMD Cool’n’Quiet (CnQ, C&Q) - but they essentially work the same way. When the computer is idle and the processor is not loaded with computing tasks, the clock speed and supply voltage of the processor are reduced. Both reduce the processor's power consumption, which in turn reduces heat dissipation. As soon as the processor load increases, the full speed of the processor is automatically restored: the operation of such a power saving scheme is completely transparent to the user and the programs being launched. To enable such a system you need:

1. enable the use of supported technology in BIOS Setup;
2. install the appropriate drivers in the operating system you are using (usually a processor driver);
3. In the Windows Control Panel, in the Power Management section, on the Power Schemes tab, select the Minimal Power Management scheme from the list.

For example, for an Asus A8N-E motherboard with a processor you need (detailed instructions are given in the User Manual):

1. in BIOS Setup, in the Advanced > CPU Configuration > AMD CPU Cool & Quiet Configuration section, switch the Cool N'Quiet parameter to Enabled; and in the Power section, switch the ACPI 2.0 Support parameter to Yes;
2. install ;
3. see above.

You can check that the processor frequency is changing using any program that displays the processor clock frequency: from specialized types, right up to the Windows Control Panel, System section:

Often, motherboard manufacturers additionally equip their products with visual programs that clearly demonstrate the operation of the mechanism for changing the frequency and voltage of the processor, for example, Asus Cool&Quiet:

The processor frequency varies from maximum (in the presence of a computing load) to a certain minimum (in the absence of CPU load).

RMClock utility

During the development of a set of programs for comprehensive testing of processors, the RightMark CPU Clock/Power Utility was created: it is designed to monitor, configure and manage the energy-saving capabilities of modern processors. The utility supports all modern processors and a variety of energy management systems (frequency, voltage...). The program allows you to monitor the occurrence of throttling, changes in the frequency and voltage of the processor supply. Using RMClock, you can configure and use everything that standard tools allow: BIOS Setup, power management from the OS using the processor driver. But the capabilities of this utility are much wider: with its help you can configure a number of parameters that are not available for configuration in a standard way. This is especially important when using overclocked systems, when the processor runs faster than the standard frequency.

Auto overclocking of a video card

Video card developers also use a similar method: the full power of the graphics processor is needed only in 3D mode, and a modern graphics chip can cope with a desktop in 2D mode even at a reduced frequency. Many modern video cards are configured so that the graphics chip serves the desktop (2D mode) with reduced frequency, power consumption and heat dissipation; Accordingly, the cooling fan spins slower and makes less noise. The video card starts working at full capacity only when running 3D applications, for example, computer games. Similar logic can be implemented programmatically, using various utilities for fine-tuning and overclocking video cards. For example, this is what the automatic overclocking settings look like in the program for the HIS X800GTO IceQ II video card:

From the user's point of view, a computer whose noise does not exceed the surrounding background noise will be considered sufficiently quiet. During the day, taking into account the noise of the street outside the window, as well as the noise in the office or factory, the computer is allowed to make a little more noise. A home computer that is intended to be used 24/7 should be quieter at night. As practice has shown, almost any modern powerful computer can be made to work quite quietly. I will describe several examples from my practice.

Example 1: Intel Pentium 4 platform

My office uses 10 Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz computers with standard CPU coolers. All machines are assembled in inexpensive Fortex cases priced up to $30, with Chieftec 310-102 power supplies installed (310 W, 1 fan 80x80x25 mm). In each of the cases, an 80×80×25 mm fan (3000 rpm, noise 33 dBA) was installed on the rear wall - they were replaced by fans with the same performance 120×120×25 mm (950 rpm, noise 19 dBA ). In the local network file server, for additional cooling of hard drives, 2 80x80x25 mm fans are installed on the front wall, connected in series (speed 1500 rpm, noise 20 dBA). Most computers use the Asus P4P800 SE motherboard, which is capable of adjusting the speed of the processor cooler. Two computers have cheaper Asus P4P800-X boards, where the cooler speed is not regulated; To reduce the noise from these machines, the processor coolers were replaced (1900 rpm, noise 20 dBA).
Result: computers are quieter than air conditioners; they are practically inaudible.

Example 2: Intel Core 2 Duo platform

A home computer on the new Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 processor (2.13 GHz) with a standard processor cooler was assembled in an inexpensive aigo case priced at $25, and a Chieftec 360-102DF power supply (360 W, 2 80x80x25 mm fans) was installed. There are 2 80x80x25 mm fans installed in the front and rear walls of the case, connected in series (speed adjustable, from 750 to 1500 rpm, noise up to 20 dBA). The motherboard used is Asus P5B, which is capable of regulating the speed of the processor cooler and case fans. A video card with a passive cooling system is installed.
Result: the computer is so noisy that during the day you can’t hear it over the usual noise in the apartment (conversations, steps, the street outside the window, etc.).

Example 3: AMD Athlon 64 platform

My home computer on an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ processor (1.8 GHz) was assembled in an inexpensive Delux case priced up to $30, initially containing a CoolerMaster RS-380 power supply (380 W, 1 80x80x25 mm fan) and a GlacialTech SilentBlade video card GT80252BDL-1 connected to +5 V (about 850 rpm, noise less than 17 dBA). The motherboard used is Asus A8N-E, which is capable of adjusting the speed of the processor cooler (up to 2800 rpm, noise up to 26 dBA, in idle mode the cooler rotates about 1000 rpm and noise less than 18 dBA). The problem with this motherboard: cooling the nVidia nForce 4 chipset chip, Asus installs a small 40x40x10 mm fan with a rotation speed of 5800 rpm, which whistles quite loudly and unpleasantly (in addition, the fan is equipped with a plain bearing, which has a very short lifespan) . To cool the chipset, a cooler for video cards with a copper radiator was installed; against its background, the clicks of the positioning of the hard drive heads are clearly audible. A working computer does not interfere with sleeping in the same room where it is installed.
Recently, the video card was replaced by HIS X800GTO IceQ II, for the installation of which it was necessary to modify the chipset heatsink: bend the fins so that they do not interfere with the installation of a video card with a large cooling fan. Fifteen minutes of work with pliers - and the computer continues to work quietly even with a fairly powerful video card.

Example 4: AMD Athlon 64 X2 platform

A home computer on an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ processor (2.0 GHz) with a processor cooler (up to 1900 rpm, noise up to 20 dBA) is assembled in a 3R System R101 case (includes 2 fans 120x120x25 mm, up to 1500 rpm, installed on the front and rear walls of the case, connected to the standard monitoring and automatic fan control system), installed FSP Blue Storm 350 power supply (350 W, 1 fan 120x120x25 mm). A motherboard is used (passive cooling of chipset chips), which is capable of regulating the speed of the processor cooler. A GeCube Radeon X800XT video card was used, the cooling system was replaced with a Zalman VF900-Cu. A hard drive known for its low noise level was chosen for the computer.
Result: The computer is so quiet that you can hear the noise of the hard drive motor. A working computer does not interfere with sleeping in the same room where it is installed (the neighbors talking even louder behind the wall).

Every year more and more new models of computer equipment and components appear. However, in the pursuit of power and high performance, technology leaders face natural challenges. The processor, video card and other parts during operation generate energy, which is converted into heat and contributes to overheating of the system unit. This, in turn, entails frequent system malfunctions and breakdowns. The way out of the situation is to install a cooling system.

Types of CPU Cooling Systems

A high-quality system will not only avoid failure of seemingly completely new parts, but will also ensure speed, absence of delays and uninterrupted operation.

Currently, there are three types of processor cooling systems: liquid, passive and air. The advantages and disadvantages of each solution are discussed below.

Looking ahead somewhat, we can say that the most common type of cooling today is air, that is, the installation of coolers, while the most effective is liquid. Air cooling for the processor benefits largely due to its loyal pricing policy. That is why the article will pay special attention to the issue of choosing a suitable fan.

Liquid cooling system

The liquid system is the most productive method to avoid processor overheating and related breakdowns. The design of the system is in many ways similar to that of a refrigerator and consists of:

• a heat exchanger that absorbs the thermal energy generated by the processor;
• a pump that acts as a reservoir for liquid;
• additional capacity for a heat exchanger that expands during operation;
• coolant - an element that fills the entire system with a special liquid or distilled water;
• heat sinks for elements that generate heat;
• hoses through which water passes and several adapters.

The advantages of the water cooling method for the processor include high efficiency and low noise performance. Despite the productivity of the system, there are also plenty of disadvantages:

1. Users note the high cost of liquid cooling, since installing such a system requires a powerful power supply.
2. The design ends up being quite cumbersome due to the large reservoir and water block, which provide high-quality cooling.
3. There is a possibility of condensation forming, which negatively affects the operation of some components and can cause a short circuit in the system unit.

If we consider exclusively the liquid method, then the best cooling of the computer processor is the use of liquid nitrogen. The method, of course, is not at all budgetary and extremely difficult to install and further maintain, but the result really deserves it.

Passive cooling

Passive processor 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”.

Passive cooling has been around for a long time and was quite good for low performance computers. At the moment, passive processor cooling is not widely used, but is used for other components - motherboards, RAM, and cheap video cards.

Air cooling: system description

A prominent representative of the most common air type of heat removal is a processor cooling cooler, which consists of a radiator and a fan. The popularity of air cooling is associated primarily with a loyal pricing policy and a wide selection of fans according to parameters.

The quality of air cooling directly depends on the diameter and bending of the blades. By increasing the fan, the number of required revolutions is reduced to effectively remove heat from the processor, which improves the performance of the cooler with less “effort”.

The rotation speed of the blades is controlled using modern motherboards, connectors and software. The number of connectors capable of controlling the operation of the cooler depends on the model of a particular board.

The rotation speed of the fan blades is adjusted through BIOS Setup. There is also a whole list of programs that monitor the temperature increase in the system unit and, in accordance with the data received, regulate the operating mode of the cooling system. Motherboard manufacturers often create such software. These include Asus PC Probe, MSI CoreCenter, Abit µGuru, Gigabyte EasyTune, Foxconn SuperStep. In addition, many modern video cards are capable of adjusting the fan speed.

About 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 ideal 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 the components due to dust entering the fan.

Air cooling system parameters

When choosing a cooler for effective cooling of the processor, special attention should be paid to technical aspects, because the manufacturer’s pricing policy does not always correspond to the quality of the product. Thus, the processor cooling system has the following main technical parameters:

1. Socket compatible (depending on motherboard: AMD or Intel based).
2. Structural characteristics of the system (width and height of the structure).
3. Type of radiator (types are standard, combined or C-type).
4. Dimensional characteristics of fan blades.
5. Noise reproduction capability (in other words, the level of noise produced by the system).
6. Air flow quality and power.
7. Weight characteristics (recently experiments with the weight of the cooler have been relevant, which affects the quality of the system in a rather negative way).
8. Heat resistance or thermal dissipation, which is only relevant for top models. The indicator ranges from 40 to 220 W. The higher the value, the more efficient the cooling system is.
9. The point of contact between the cooler and the processor (connection density is estimated).
10. The method of contact of the tubes with 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, so first of all you should pay attention to the characteristics of the component part. Otherwise, you can purchase a famous model, which will turn out to be absolutely useless during subsequent use.

Socket: Compatibility Theory

The main point when choosing a fan is the architecture, i.e. compatibility of the cooling system with the processor socket. Under an incomprehensible English term, directly translated meaning “connector”, “socket”, lies a software interface that ensures data exchange between various processes.

So, each processor has a certain space and types of mounting on the motherboard. This means, for example, that cooling an Intel processor will not work for AMD. At the same time, the Intel line of models is represented by both flagship and budget solutions. The i7 processor requires more efficient cooling than previous versions of Intel Core, which are suitable for other Intel-based processors (Pentium, Celeron, Xeon, etc.) require an LGA 775 socket.

AMD differs in that a standard fan is not suitable for components from this manufacturer. It is better to purchase AMD processor cooling separately.

There are also visual differences in the sockets for AMD and Intel, which will somewhat help even an ignorant PC user understand the issue. The type of mount for AMD is a mounting frame to which brackets with hinges are attached. The Intel mount is a board into which four so-called legs are inserted. In cases where the weight of the fan exceeds standard figures, screw fastening is used.

Design characteristics

Not only socket compatibility is an important parameter. You should also pay attention to the width and height of the cooler, because you have to find a place for it in the system unit case so that the operation of the fan is not interfered with by other parts. If the cooler is installed incorrectly, the video card and RAM modules will interfere with the normal movement of air flows, which in this case, instead of cooling, will contribute to even greater overheating of the entire structure.

Type of radiator: standard, C-type or combined?

Currently, fan radiators are available in three types:

1. Standard or tower view.
2. C-type radiator.
3. Combined view.

The standard type involves tubes parallel to the base passing through the plates. These fans are the most popular. They are slightly curved upward and are a more efficient solution for cooling the processor. The disadvantage of the standard type is that it fits to the back or top of the case along the motherboard. Thus, the air only passes through one circle of circulation, and the processor can overheat.

C-type coolers are free from this drawback. The C-shaped design of such radiators facilitates the passage of air flow near the processor socket. But there are some drawbacks: C-type cooling is less efficient than tower cooling.

The flagship solution is a combined type of radiator. This option combines all the advantages of its predecessors, and at the same time is almost completely free from the disadvantages of the c-type or standard type.

Blade dimensions

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 blade size, the greater the volume of air flow will be, which will improve cooling of the laptop or computer processor. However, you should not go all out: cooling for the processor must correspond to other characteristics of the personal computer.

Noise level produced by the cooler

A parameter that cooling system manufacturers are trying to improve by almost any means is the noise level produced by the cooler. According to most users, CPU cooling should ideally be not only efficient, but also silent. But this is only in theory. In practice, it is not possible to completely get rid of noise during operation of the air system.

Small coolers make less noise, which is quite suitable for users of not particularly powerful computers. Large fans create enough sound to be considered 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 processor cooling program does an excellent job of controlling the need for active cooling. So, the noise is no longer constant, but occurs only when the processor is working intensively. CPU cooling software is an excellent solution for small models and undemanding computers.

When it comes to adjusting the noise level, you should pay attention to the type of bearing. The budget, and therefore the most popular option, is the sliding bearing, but the stingy pays twice: having already reached half of its expected service life, it will make an obsessive noise. A better solution is hydrodynamic bearings and rolling bearings. They will last much longer and will not stop coping with the tasks “halfway”.

Point of contact between the cooler and the processor: material

A cooling system is necessary to remove excess thermal energy from the system unit into the environment, but the point of contact between the parts should be as dense as possible. Here, important criteria for choosing a high-quality cooling system will be the material from which the cooler is made and the degree of smoothness of its surface. Aluminum or copper have proven to be the highest quality materials (according to users and technical specialists). The surface of the material at the point of contact should be as smooth as possible - without dents, scratches or irregularities.

Method of contact of tubes with 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 fixation. A device made using this method will be reliable and durable, although soldering has recently been used less and less. Users who managed to purchase a cooler with soldering where the tubes come into contact with the radiator note the long service life of the cooling system and the absence of breakdowns.

A more popular way of connecting the tubes to the radiator is lower-quality crimping. Fans manufactured using direct contact technology are also widely used. In this case, the base of the radiator is replaced by heat pipes. 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 exchange will become more uniform.

Thermal paste: how often should it be changed?

Thermal paste is a paste-like consistency and can be of various shades (white, gray, black, blue, cyan). By itself, it does not provide a cooling effect, but it helps to quickly conduct heat 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 paste should be applied where the cooler directly touches the processor. The substance should be replaced from time to time, because drying out leads to an increase in the degree of processor overload. The optimal “service life” of most modern types of thermal paste, according to user reviews, is one year. For older and reliable brands, the replacement frequency increases to four years.

Or maybe a standard solution is enough?

Indeed, is it worth purchasing a cooler separately and even thinking about the cooling system? The vast majority of processors are sold immediately with a fan. Why then go into detail and buy it separately?

Factory coolers tend to have low performance and high noise output. This is noted by both users and specialists. At the same time, a high-quality cooling system is a guarantee of long and uninterrupted operation of the processor, safety and integrity of the insides of the 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 quickly. Every now and then new versions of components appear, innovative technologies and solutions begin to be used. Modern manufacturers provide that the processor cooling system should also be improved.

Only a few companies now produce high-quality fan designs. Many brands try to distinguish themselves by compatibility with various types of connectors, low noise levels of their models, and design. Top manufacturers of air cooling systems are THERMALTAKE, COOLER MASTER and XILENCE. Models from these brands are distinguished by high-quality materials and a long service life.