There's generally no direct configuration of most cooling devices, but the system's BIOS usually has environmental controls to adjust how well a cooling system performs. Some cooling system utilities simply tell you the current temperatures of key components, such as the temperature of the CPU and the ambient temperature of the inside of the case. Other entries tell you the revolutions per minute, or RPM, of the fans that can be monitored inside the case, for example, the CPU's cooling-fan speed. Still other entries let you configure the temperature and revolution thresholds that will generate audible alarms and eventually cause the system to shut itself down to prevent damage to sensitive components from excessive heat.
Most PCs have a combination of these fans:
Front intake fan, Rear exhaust fan, Power supply exhaust fan, CPU fan, Chipset fan,
Video card, Chipset fan, Memory module fan.
If the power supply has an intake fan, the orientation of the other chassis fans should be reversed as well. The rear chassis fan(s) should always be installed in the same orientation as the power supply fan runs to avoid creating a small airflow circuit that circumvents the cross-flow of air through the case.
Because the CPU generates more heat than any other PC component, most motherboards have an internal CPU heat sensor and a CPU fan sensor. If no cooling fan is active, these devices will shut down the computer before damage occurs.
Heat pipes are closed systems that employ some form of tubing filled with a liquid suitable for the applicable temperature range. No outside mechanisms are used. One end of the heat pipe is heated by the component being cooled. This causes the liquid at the heated end to evaporate and increase the relative pressure at that end of the heat pipe with respect to the cooler end. This pressure imbalance causes the heated vapor to equalize the pressure by migrating to the cooler end, where the vapor condenses and releases its heat, warming the nonheated end of the pipe. The cooler environment surrounding this end transfers the heat away from the pipe by convection. The condensed liquid drifts to the pipe's walls and is drawn back to the heated end of the heat pipe by gravity or by a wicking material or texture that lines the inside of the pipe. Once the liquid returns, the process repeats.
Liquid cooling uses water to conduct heat away from the processor. Water is circulated through a block at the processor to a radiator, where it is cooled.
You achieve better cooling performance through the use of liquid cooling. But the lowest temperature you can achieve is still room temperature. In addition most liquid cooling systems have the pump is submerged in the coolant, so heat from the pump adds to the overall liquid temperature.
The main benefit to liquid cooling is silence. There are generally less fans needed: the fans on the radiator to cool the water. So a liquid-cooled system can run extremely quietly. The relative complexity of installing liquid cooling systems, coupled with the danger of liquids in close proximity to electronics, means liquid cooling is used in high-performance systems, often with overclocked systems.
Overclocking involves running a processor (or CPU) at a faster speed than was intended out of the box. The harder you push a processor, the more voltage you need to give it, because without enough power, the CPU can't run fast enough. However, higher voltage also means higher temperatures because with higher voltage comes more current, which produces heat. Overclocking is usually used in some intense processing functions, along with processing video.
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Water- and air-cooling devices are extremely effective by themselves, but they are more effective when used with a device known as a Peltier cooling element. These devices, also known as thermoelectric coolers (TECs), facilitate the transfer of heat from one side of the element, made of one material, to the other side, made of a different material. Thus, they have a hot side and a cold side. The cold side is against the CPU surface, and the hot side should be mated with a heat sink or water block for heat dissipation. TECs are not meant to replace air-cooling mechanisms but to complement them.
Thermoelectric cooling uses the Peltier effect to create a heat flux between the junction of two different types of materials. A Peltier cooler, heater, or thermoelectric heat pump is a solid-state active heat pump which transfers heat from one side of the device to the other, with consumption of electrical energy, depending on the direction of the current. Such an instrument is also called a Peltier device, Peltier heat pump, solid state refrigerator, or thermoelectric cooler (TEC). It can be used either for heating or for cooling.
TEC tradeoff is the likelihood of condensation because of the sub-ambient temperatures these devices produce. Closed-cell foams can be used to guard against damage from condensation.
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There is another much more exotic type of PC cooling: phase-change cooling. With this type of cooling, the cooling effect from the change of a liquid to a gas is used to cool the inside of a PC. It is a very expensive method of cooling. Most often, external air-conditioner-like pumps, coils, and evaporators cool the coolant, which is sent, ice cold, to the heat sink blocks on the processor. It is possible to get CPU temps in the range of -4 degrees F (-20 degrees C). Normal CPU temperatures hover between 104 degrees F and 122 degrees F (40 degrees C and 50 degrees C).
The major drawback to this method is that in higher-humidity conditions, condensation can be a problem. The moisture from the air condenses on the heat sink and can run off onto and under the processor, thus shorting out the electronics. Designers of phase-change cooling systems offer solutions to help ensure this isn't a problem. Products in the form of foam; silicone adhesive; and greaseless, non-curing adhesives are available to seal the surface and perimeter of the processor. Additionally, manufacturers sell gaskets and shims that correspond to specific processors, all designed to protect your delicate and expensive components from damage.
If a CPU has been in service for three years or more, it is a good idea to remove the heat sink and old thermal compound and then apply fresh thermal compound and reattach the heat sink. The problem to watch for is if your thermal paste has already turned into thermal "glue," you can wrench the processor right out of the socket, even with the release mechanism locked in place. Invariably, this damages the pins on the chip.