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 farthest fins of a large radiator work effectively in cooling. This is how the popular cooler works.
To cool modern high-performance GPUs, the same methods are used: large radiators, copper cores for cooling systems or all-copper radiators, heat pipes to transfer heat to additional radiators:
The recommendations for selection are the same: use slow and large fans, as large as possible radiators. This is how the popular cooling systems for video cards and the Zalman VF900 look like:
Usually, fans of video card cooling systems only stirred the air inside the system unit, which is not very effective in terms of cooling the entire computer. Only quite recently, cooling systems began to be used to cool video cards, which carry hot air out of the case: the first were and, a similar design, from the brand:
Such 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 schemes. Organization of air flows
Modern standards for the design of computer cases, among other things, regulate the way of building a cooling system. Since the release of which was launched in 1997, the technology of cooling the computer with a through air flow directed from the front wall of the case to the back has been introduced (in addition, air for cooling is sucked in through the left wall):
Those interested in the details refer to the latest versions of the ATX standard.
At least one fan is installed in the computer's power supply (many modern models have two fans, which can significantly reduce the rotational speed of each of them, and, therefore, the noise during operation). Additional fans can be installed anywhere inside the computer to enhance airflow. Be sure to follow the rule: on the front and left side walls, the air is forced inside the case, on the back wall, hot air is thrown out... You also need to make sure that the flow of hot air from the back of the computer does not go directly into the air intake on the left side 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 presence of appropriate mounts in the walls of the case. Fan noise is mainly determined by its rotation speed (see section), therefore it is recommended to use slow (quiet) fan models. With equal installation dimensions and rotational speed, the fans on the back of the case subjectively make a little less noise than the front ones: firstly, they are located farther from the user, and secondly, there are almost transparent grilles behind the case, while in front there are various decorative elements. Often, noise is created due to the air flow around the elements of the front panel: if the transferred volume of air flow exceeds a certain limit, vortex turbulent currents form 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 overwhelming majority of cases for computers on the market today comply with one of the versions of the ATX standard, including in terms of cooling. The cheapest enclosures come with neither a power supply unit nor additional accessories. More expensive cases are equipped with fans for cooling the case, less often with adapters for connecting fans in various ways; sometimes even a special controller equipped with temperature sensors, which allows you to smoothly adjust the rotation speed of one or more fans depending on the temperature of the main units (see for example). The power supply unit is not always included in the kit: many buyers prefer to choose a power supply unit on their own. 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 nozzles for directing air flows inside the housing. Exploring the fan
To transfer air in cooling systems, use fans(English: fan).
Fan device
The fan consists of a casing (usually in the form of a frame), an electric motor and an impeller, fixed with bearings on the same axis with the motor:
The reliability of the fan depends on the type of bearings installed. Manufacturers claim this typical MTBF (years based on 24/7 operation):
Taking into account the obsolescence of computer equipment (for home and office use it is 2-3 years), fans with ball bearings can be considered "eternal": their life is not less than the typical life of a computer. For more serious applications, where the computer has to work around the clock for many years, it is worth choosing more reliable fans.
Many have come across old fans in which the sleeve bearings have worn out: the impeller shaft rattles and vibrates during operation, making a characteristic roaring 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 differ in size and thickness: usually computers have standard sizes 40 × 40 × 10 mm for cooling video cards and hard drive pockets, as well as 80 × 80 × 25, 92 × 92 × 25, 120 × 120 × 25 mm for cooling the case. The fans also differ in the type and design of the installed electric motors: they consume different currents and provide different speed of rotation of the impeller. The performance depends on the size of the fan and the speed of rotation of the impeller blades: the generated static pressure and the maximum volume of transported air.
The volume of air carried by the fan (flow rate) is measured in cubic meters per minute or cubic feet per minute (CFM). The fan performance indicated in the characteristics is measured at zero pressure: the fan is operating in an open space. Inside the computer case, the fan blows into the system unit of a certain size, therefore it creates excess pressure in the serviced volume. Naturally, the volumetric capacity will be approximately inversely proportional to the generated pressure. Specific view consumption characteristics depends on the shape of the impeller used and other parameters of the particular model. For example, the corresponding graph for a fan:
The conclusion is simple: the more intensively the fans at 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 generated by the fan during operation depends on its various characteristics (for more details on the reasons for its occurrence, see the article). It is not difficult to establish the 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 rotational speeds. Since the impeller is used the same, we get the data of interest to us: the characteristics of the same fan at different speeds. We draw up a table for the three most common standard sizes: thickness 25 mm, and.
The most popular fan types are in bold.
Having calculated the coefficient of proportionality of the air flow and the noise level to the rpm, we see almost complete coincidence. To clear our conscience, we consider deviations from the average: less than 5%. Thus, we got three linear dependences, 5 points each. It is not God only knows what statistics, but for a linear relationship this is enough: the hypothesis is considered 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 this hypothesis, we can extrapolate the results obtained by the method of least squares (OLS): in the table, these values are shown in italics. It should be remembered, however, that the scope of this model is limited. The investigated 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 consider a line of fans from another manufacturer:, and. Let's make a similar plate:
Calculated data are highlighted in italics.
As mentioned above, if the fan speed values differ significantly from those investigated, the linear model may be incorrect. Extrapolated values are to be understood as approximate estimates.
Let's pay attention to two circumstances. Firstly, GlacialTech fans run slower, and secondly, they are more efficient. Obviously, this is the result of using an impeller with a more complex blade shape: even at the same speed, the GlacialTech fan carries more air than the Titan: see the 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.
It should be understood that the real noise characteristics of the fan depend on its technical design, the generated pressure, the volume of pumped air, on the type and shape of obstacles in the path of air flows; that is, on the type of computer case. Since the cases are very different, it is impossible to directly apply the quantitative characteristics of the fans measured under ideal conditions - they can only be compared with each other for different fan models.
Fan price categories
Consider the cost factor. For example, let's take in the same online store and: the results are written 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 they are less noisy; at the same speed they are more efficient than the Titan - but they are always more expensive by a dollar or two. If you need to build 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 stringent requirements or on a limited budget (for example, for an office computer), simpler fans are fine. The different type of impeller suspension used in fans (see the section for more details) also affects the cost: the fan is more expensive, the more complex bearings are used.
The beveled corners on one side serve as the key for the connector. The wires are connected as follows: two central ones - "ground", common contact (black wire); +5 V - red, +12 V - yellow. To power the fan through 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 speeds. A standard voltage of 12 volts will start the fan at nominal speed, a voltage of 5-7 volts will provide about half the rotational speed. It is preferable to use a higher voltage, since not every electric motor is able to reliably start at too low supply voltage.
Experience shows that fan 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 measurement accuracy: 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 the stable operation of its devices only when using a standard supply voltage... But, as practice shows, the overwhelming majority of fans start up perfectly even at reduced voltage.
The contacts are fixed in the plastic part of the connector using a pair of bending metal "tendrils". It is not difficult to remove the contact by pressing down the protruding parts with a thin awl or a small screwdriver. After that, the "antennae" must again be bent to the sides, and insert the contact into the corresponding socket of the plastic part of the connector:
Sometimes coolers and fans are equipped with two connectors: molex-connected in parallel and three- (or four-) pin. In this case you need to connect power only through one of them:
In some cases, more than one molex connector is used, but a pair of "mom-dad": this way you can connect the fan to the same wire from the power supply that powers the hard disk or optical drive. If you swap the pins in the connector to get a non-standard voltage on the fan, pay special attention to swap the pins in the second connector in exactly the same order. Failure to do so could result in incorrect supply voltage to the hard disk or optical drive, which will most likely lead to their instant failure.
In three-pin connectors, the key for installation is a pair of protruding guides on one side:
The counterpart is located on the contact pad, when connected, it enters between the guides, also acting as a latch. The corresponding connectors for powering the fans are located on the motherboard (as a rule, there are 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 can be left unconnected. If the fan is powered separately (for example, through the molex connector), it is permissible to connect only the RPM control contact and the common wire using a three-pin connector - this circuit is often used to monitor the fan rotation speed of the power supply, which is powered and controlled by the internal power supply circuits.
Four-pin connectors have appeared relatively recently on motherboards with LGA 775 and socket AM2 processor sockets. They differ in the presence of an additional fourth contact, while fully mechanically and electrically compatible with three-pin connectors:
Two the same a fan with three-pin connectors can be connected in series to one power connector. Thus, each of the electric motors will have 6 V 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 fixing “tab” with a screwdriver. The connection diagram is shown in the figure below. One of the connectors plugs into 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 electrical tape:
It is strongly discouraged to connect two different electric motors in this way.: due to the inequality of electrical characteristics in different operating modes (starting, acceleration, stable rotation), one of the fans may not start at all (which is fraught with the failure of the electric motor) or require an excessively large current to start (fraught with failure of the control circuits).
Often, fixed or variable resistors connected in series in the power circuit are tried on to limit the fan speed. By changing the resistance of the variable resistor, you can adjust the rotation speed: this is how many manual fan speed controllers work. When designing such a circuit, it must be remembered 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 modes of operation (start-up, acceleration, stable rotation) are not the same, the parameters of the resistor must be selected taking into account all these modes. To select the parameters of the resistor, it is enough to know Ohm's law; you need to use resistors designed for a current no less than the electric motor consumes. However, I personally do not welcome manual control of the cooling, as 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 speed of the fans connected to some 3- or 4-pin connectors. Moreover, some of the connectors support software control of the rotational speed of the connected fan. Not all connectors on the board provide such capabilities: for example, the popular Asus A8N-E board has five connectors for powering fans, only three of them support rotation speed control (CPU, CHIP, CHA1), and only one fan speed control (CPU); 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 rotational speed does not depend on the chipset or south bridge used, but on the specific motherboard model: models from different manufacturers may differ in this respect. Often, motherboard designers deliberately deprive cheaper models of fan speed control capabilities. For example, the motherboard for Intel Pentiun 4 processors Asus P4P800 SE is able to regulate 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 able to control the speed of several fans (and, usually, provide for the connection of a number of temperature sensors) - they appear more and more in the modern market.
You can control the fan speed values using BIOS Setup. As a rule, if the motherboard supports changing the fan speed, here in the BIOS Setup you can configure the parameters of the speed control algorithm. The set of parameters is different for different motherboards; usually the algorithm uses the readings of thermal sensors built into the processor and motherboard. There are a number of programs for different operating systems that allow you to control and adjust the fan speed, as well as monitor the temperature of various components inside the computer. Some motherboard manufacturers bundle their products with proprietary Windows programs: Asus PC Probe, MSI CoreCenter, Abit µGuru, Gigabyte EasyTune, Foxconn SuperStep, etc. Several universal programs are distributed, among them: (shareware, $ 20-30), (distributed free of charge, has not been updated since 2004). The most popular program of 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 the fans that are connected to the motherboard connectors with appropriate support. Finally, the program is able to automatically adjust the fan speed depending on the temperature of the monitored 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: at a low CPU temperature (36 ° C), it rotates at about 1000 rpm, which is 35% of the maximum speed (2800 rpm). Setting up such programs comes down to three steps:
- determining which of the motherboard controller channels the fans are connected to, and which of them can be controlled by software;
- an indication of which of the temperatures should affect the speed of the various fans;
- setting temperature thresholds for each temperature sensor and a range of operating speeds 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 fan speed of the cooling system depending on the temperature of the GPU. With the help of special programs, you can even change the settings of the cooling mechanism, reducing the noise level from the video card in the absence of load. This is how the optimal settings for the HIS X800GTO IceQ II video card look like in the program:
Passive coolingPassive cooling systems are usually called those that do not contain fans. Individual computer components can be satisfied with passive cooling, provided that their heatsinks are placed in a sufficient air flow created by "foreign" fans: for example, a chipset's microcircuit is often cooled by a large heatsink located near the place where the processor cooler is installed. 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, with an increase in the number of radiators, it is often necessary to increase the rotation speed of the impeller. It is more efficient to use a lot of low speed large diameter fans, and passive cooling systems are preferable to avoid. Despite the fact that there are passive heatsinks for processors, video cards with passive cooling, even power supplies without fans (FSP Zen), an attempt to build a computer with no fans at all 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, except perhaps to turn the entire computer case into a radiator, as is done in:
Compare the case-radiator in the photo with the case of a regular computer!Perhaps completely passive cooling will be sufficient for low-power specialized computers (for Internet access, for listening to music and watching videos, etc.)
In the old days, when the power consumption of processors had not yet reached critical values - a small radiator was enough to cool them down - the question "what will the computer do when there is nothing to do?" The solution was simple: while it is not necessary to execute user commands or running programs, the OS gives the processor a NOP command (No OPeration, no operation). This command causes the processor to perform a meaningless, ineffectual operation, the result of which is ignored. This takes 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 Timeline of the CPU (Central Processing Unit) load. Thus, with the old approach, about 90% of the CPU time was wasted: the CPU was busy executing commands that no one needed. Newer operating systems (Windows 2000 and later) act more sensibly in a similar situation: using the HLT (Halt, halt) command, the processor stops completely for a short time - this, obviously, allows to reduce power consumption and processor temperature in the absence of resource-intensive tasks.
Experienced computer scientists can recall a number of programs for "software cooling of the processor": while running under Windows 95/98 / ME, they stopped the processor using HLT, instead of repeating meaningless NOPs, which reduced the temperature of the processor in the absence of computational tasks. Accordingly, the use of such programs under Windows 2000 and newer operating systems is meaningless.
Modern processors consume so much energy (which means: they dissipate it in the form of heat, that is, they heat up) that the developers have created additional technical tools to combat possible overheating, as well as tools that increase the efficiency of saving mechanisms when the computer is idle.
Thermal protection of the processor
To protect the processor from overheating and failure, the so-called thermal throttling is used (usually not translated: throttling). The essence of this mechanism is simple: if the processor temperature exceeds the allowable temperature, the processor is forced to stop with the HLT command so that the crystal can cool down. In early implementations of this mechanism, through BIOS Setup, it was possible to configure how much of the time the processor would be idle (parameter CPU Throttling Duty Cycle: xx%); new implementations "slow down" the processor automatically until the crystal temperature drops to an acceptable level. Of course, the user is interested in the processor not being cooled down (literally!), But doing useful work - for this you need to use a sufficiently effective cooling system. You can check if the processor's thermal protection mechanism (throttling) is turned on 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 work essentially the same way. When the computer is idle and the processor is not loaded with computational tasks, the processor clock speed and voltage are reduced. Both reduce the power consumption of the processor, which in turn reduces heat generation. As soon as the processor load increases, the full processor speed 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:
- enable the use of a supported technology in BIOS Setup;
- install the appropriate drivers in the operating system (usually a processor driver);
- 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 Guide):
- 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;
- install ;
- see above.
You can check that the processor frequency is changing using any program that displays the processor's frequency: from specialized types, up to the Windows Control Panel, System section:
Often, motherboard manufacturers additionally complete 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 changes from the maximum (in the presence of a computational load), to a certain minimum (in the absence of a CPU load).
RMClock utility
During the development of a set of programs for comprehensive testing of processors, (RightMark CPU Clock / Power Utility) was created: it is designed to monitor, configure and manage energy-saving capabilities of modern processors. The utility supports all modern processors and a variety of power management systems (frequency, voltage ...) The program allows you to monitor the occurrence of throttling, changes in the frequency and voltage of the processor. Using RMClock, you can configure and use everything that standard tools allow: BIOS Setup, power management from the OS side 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 customization in a standard way. This is especially important when using overclocked systems, when the processor runs faster than the nominal frequency.
Auto overclocking video card
A similar method is used by the developers of video cards: 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 a desktop (2D mode) with reduced frequency, power consumption and heat dissipation; accordingly, the cooling fan spins more slowly and makes less noise. The video card starts working at full capacity only when you run 3D applications, for example, computer games. Similar logic can be implemented in software using various utilities for fine-tuning and overclocking video cards. For example, this is how the automatic overclocking settings in the program for the HIS X800GTO IceQ II video card look like:
Quiet computer: myth or reality?From the user's point of view, a computer is considered sufficiently quiet if its noise does not exceed the surrounding background noise. During the day, taking into account the noise of the street outside the window, as well as the noise in the office or at work, the computer is allowed to make a little more noise. A home computer that you plan to use around the clock should be quieter at night. As practice has shown, almost any modern powerful computer can be made to work quite quietly. I will describe a few examples from my practice.
Example 1: Intel Pentium 4 Platform
In my office I use 10 Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz computers with standard CPU coolers. All machines are assembled in inexpensive Fortex cases up to $ 30, Chieftec 310-102 power supplies (310 W, 1 fan 80 × 80 × 25 mm) are installed. In each case, a 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 file server of the local network, for additional cooling of hard drives, 2 fans 80 × 80 × 25 mm 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 able to regulate the speed of the CPU cooler. The two computers are equipped with cheaper Asus P4P800-X motherboards, where the cooler speed is not regulated; to reduce the noise from these machines, the CPU coolers were replaced (1900 rpm, 20 dBA noise).
Result: computers are quieter than air conditioners; they are practically inaudible.
Example 2: Intel Core 2 Duo Platform
A home computer based on a new Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 (2.13 GHz) processor with a standard processor cooler was assembled in an inexpensive aigo case at the price of $ 25, a Chieftec 360-102DF power supply unit (360 W, 2 fans 80 × 80 × 25 mm) was installed. In the front and rear walls of the case, 2 fans 80 × 80 × 25 mm are installed, connected in series (the speed is adjustable, from 750 to 1500 rpm, the noise is up to 20 dBA). Used motherboard Asus P5B, which is able to regulate the speed of the processor cooler and case fans. A video card with a passive cooling system is installed.
Result: the computer makes such a noise that during the day it is not heard behind 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+ (1.8 GHz) processor is built in an inexpensive Delux package for up to $ 30, initially it contained a CoolerMaster RS-380 power supply (380 W, 1 fan 80 × 80 × 25 mm) and a GlacialTech SilentBlade video card GT80252BDL-1 connected to +5 V (about 850 rpm, noise less than 17 dBA). Used motherboard Asus A8N-E, which is able to regulate 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 makes less than 18 dBA noise). The problem with this motherboard: cooling the nVidia nForce 4 chipset, Asus installs a small 40 × 40 × 10 mm fan with a rotation speed of 5800 rpm, which whistles loudly and unpleasantly (in addition, the fan is equipped with a sliding bearing, which has a very short resource) ... To cool the chipset, a cooler for video cards with a copper radiator was installed, against its background you can clearly hear the positioning clicks of the hard drive heads. A working computer does not interfere with sleeping in the same room where it is installed.
Recently, the video card was replaced by the HIS X800GTO IceQ II, for the installation of which it was necessary to modify the chipset heatsink: bend the edges so that they did 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 run quietly, even with a fairly powerful video card.
Example 4: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Platform
A home computer based on an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (2.0 GHz) processor with a processor cooler (up to 1900 rpm, noise up to 20 dBA) is assembled in a 3R System R101 case (included 2 fans 120 × 120 × 25 mm, up to 1500 rpm, installed on the front and rear walls of the case, connected to a standard monitoring and automatic fan control system), an FSP Blue Storm 350 power supply unit (350 W, 1 fan 120 × 120 × 25 mm) is installed. A motherboard (passive cooling of the chipset microcircuits) was used, which is able to regulate the speed of the processor cooler. The video card GeCube Radeon X800XT was used, the cooling system was replaced with Zalman VF900-Cu. A hard drive known for its low noise generation 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 behind the wall are talking even louder).
It's no secret that when a computer is running, all of its electronic components heat up. Some elements get very hot. The processor, video card, north and south bridges of the motherboard are the warmest elements of the system unit. Overheating is generally dangerous and leads to an emergency shutdown of the computer.
Therefore, the main problem of the entire electronic part of computing is proper cooling and efficient heat dissipation. The vast majority of computers, both industrial and home, useair cooling... It gained its popularity due to its simplicity and cheapness. The principle of this type of cooling is as follows. All the heat from the heated elements is transferred to the ambient air, and hot air, in turn, is removed from the case of the system unit with the help of fans. To improve heat dissipation and cooling efficiency, the hottest components are equipped with copper or aluminum heatsinks with fans mounted on them.
But the fact that heat is removed by air movement does not mean at all that the more fans are installed, the better the overall cooling will be. Several incorrectly installed fans can do much more harm than solve the problem of overheating, when one correctly installed fan can solve this problem very effectively.
Choice of additional fans.
Take a good look at your computer before purchasing and installing additional fans. Open the case cover, calculate and find out the dimensions of the mounting places for additional case coolers. Look carefully at the motherboard - what connectors it has for connecting additional fans.
Choose the largest fan size that suits you. For standard cases, this is 80x80mm. But quite often (especially recently) fans with dimensions 92x92 and 120x120 mm can be installed in cases. With the same electrical characteristics, a large fan will run much quieter.
Try to buy fans with more blades - they are also quieter. Pay attention to the stickers - they indicate the noise level. If the motherboard has 4-pin connectors for powering the coolers, then buy exactly four-wire fans. They are very quiet and have a fairly wide range of automatic revs.
Between the fans receiving power from the power supply viaMolex connectorand working from the motherboard, definitely choose the second option.
Fans are commercially available with real ball bearings - this is the best option in terms of durability.
Installation of additional fans.
Let's take a look at the basics of properly installing case fans for most system units. Here we will provide tips specifically for standard cases, since non-standard fan arrangements are so diverse that it makes no sense to describe them - everything is individual. Moreover, in non-standard cases, the dimensions of the fans can reach up to 30cm in diameter.
There are no additional fans in the chassis.
This is the standard layout for almost all computers sold in stores. All hot air rises to the top of the computer and is forced out by a fan in the power supply.
The big disadvantage of this type of cooling is that all the heated air passes through the power supply, heating it even more. And therefore, it is the power supply unit of such computers that breaks down most often. Also, all the cold air is not sucked in in a controlled manner, but from all the slots in the case, which only reduces the efficiency of heat transfer. Another disadvantage is the rarefaction of the air obtained with this type of cooling, which leads to the accumulation of dust inside the case. But still, it is in any case better than improper installation of additional fans.
One fan on the back of the case.
This method is used more out of hopelessness, since there is only one place in the case for installing an additional cooler - on the back wall under the power supply. In order to reduce the amount of hot air passing through the power supply, one fan is installed, working to "blow" out of the case.
Most of the heated air from the motherboard, processor, video card, hard drives comes out through an additional fan. And the power supply heats up much less. Also, the total flow of moving air increases. But the sparseness increases, so the dust will accumulate even more.
Additional front fan in the case.
When the case has only one seat on the front of the case, or it is not possible to turn on two fans at once (there is nowhere to connect), then this is the most ideal option for you. It is necessary to put on "blowing" one fan on the front part of the case.
The fan must be installed opposite the hard drives. And it would be more correct to write that the hard drives need to be put in front of the fan. So the cold incoming air will immediately blow over them. This setup is much more effective than the previous one. A directed air flow is created. The vacuum inside the computer decreases - dust does not linger. When additional coolers are powered from the motherboard, the overall noise is reduced, as the fan speed decreases.
Installing two fans in the case.
The most efficient method of installing fans for additional cooling of the system unit. On the front wall of the case, a fan is installed for "blowing", and on the rear wall - for "blowing":
A powerful constant airflow and directional flow is created. The power supply unit works without overheating, since the heated air is removed by the fan installed under it. If a power supply unit with a variable speed fan is installed, then the overall noise will be noticeably reduced, and more importantly, the pressure inside the case will equalize. The dust will not settle.
Incorrect installation of fans.
Below are examples of unacceptable installation of additional coolers in a PC case.
One rear fan is set to “blow in”.
A closed air ring is created between the power supply and the auxiliary fan. Some of the hot air from the power supply is immediately sucked back inside. At the same time, there is no air movement in the lower part of the system unit, and therefore the cooling is ineffective.
One front fan is set to “blow out”.
If you put only one front cooler, and it works for blowing, then you end up with a very low pressure inside the case, and ineffective computer cooling. Moreover, due to the reduced pressure, the fans themselves will be overloaded, since they will have to overcome the back pressure of the air. The computer components will heat up, resulting in increased operating noise as the fan speeds increase.
The rear fan is for “blowing in”, and the front fan is for “blowing out”.
An air short circuit is created between the PSU and the rear fan. The air around the central processor works in a circle.
The front fan tries to “lower” the hot air against the natural convection rise, working under increased load and creating a vacuum in the casing.
Two additional coolers are for "blowing in".
An air short circuit is created at the top of the housing.
At the same time, the effect of the incoming cold air is felt only for hard drives, since then it gets into the oncoming flow from the rear fan. Overpressure builds up inside the chassis, making it difficult for additional fans to operate.
Two additional coolers work for "blowing".
The most severe duty of the cooling system.
There is reduced air pressure inside the case, all case fans and inside the power supply operate under suction back pressure. There is not enough air movement inside the air, and therefore all components work overheating.
These are, in principle, all the main points that will help you in organizing the correct ventilation system for your personal computer. If there is a special plastic corrugation on the side cover of the case, use it to supply cold air to the central processor. All other installation issues are resolved depending on the structure of the case.
Computer cooling is an integral part of a desktop PC. All parts of this device are subject to heating due to the power supply from electric current, and the load level directly affects the amount of heating. To prevent PC breakdown and ensure faster performance, you need to take care of cooling. It is important even for the simplest device that is not subject to high loads.
Varieties
Computer cooling is divided into two main types - water and air. The latter option has become the most widespread today. This system has the following mechanism of action: heated parts transfer heat to the radiator, which then goes outside the PC. The air flow rate, the materials used for and its usable area affect the efficiency of this type. For example, copper conducts heat better than other materials, but its cost is appropriate. An increase in heat transfer is also possible by blackening the surface of the radiator. The aerial technique is classified into two types: passive and active.
The passive option is suitable for personal computers that are not designed for intensive work. It has a rather low efficiency. Despite this, as part of a silent system, it provides intensive removal of warm air during a slow flow.
The active view contains both a fan and a radiator at the same time - this way the heat goes much faster from the internal elements outside the system unit. It is possible to install additional coolers for the most heated parts of the PC - video card and processor.
Liquid based cooling
Previously, this technique was found only in server systems, but the modern spread of technology has made it possible to use it in home devices. The computer is based on a working composition - a special refrigerant that transfers heat to the radiator from the heated components. The main advantage is the speed provided by the physical properties of the liquid, since it conducts heat much faster than air. Antifreeze, purified oil, and even ordinary water can act as a refrigerant.
This cooling of the computer consists of a steel plate that acts as a heat sink, a pump for circulation, pipes through which fluid passes and a radiator. It has a complex design, so its installation cannot be done by inexperienced users. Illiterate installation or the use of low-quality materials can lead to leaks, the consequences of which can damage important internal elements. In the absence of relevant experience, it is worth buying a PC with an already installed system or contacting professionals.
Selection of the required option
The liquid cooling of the computer is used to ensure quiet operation and high performance. To obtain high efficiency, an addition is required in the form of a powerful pump, which can make more noise than an air active system. At the same time, the silent technique is not capable of such results and is not suitable for professional and gaming PCs.
A computer, even in its simplest design, has a rather high cost, so it has not become widespread. It is most popular among gamers and web designers, as in most cases the air option is sufficient for normal PC operation.
Certain parts are very hot, and as a result, they need better heat dissipation, this should be taken into account when distributing cooling elements.
How to improve cooling
If there is a need to increase the quality of cooling, it is worth buying a new radiator and fan, as well as renewing the layer of thermal paste.
The new cooler also becomes a way out of the situation when the unstable operation of the fan is noted. It is worth paying attention to the need to match the motherboard and the purchased devices. In this case, the new fan must be more powerful than the existing analogue.
The coolers are positioned in such a way that their blades rotate in different directions, thanks to this, a noticeable improvement in cooling efficiency can be achieved.
One of the main conditions for high performance of a computer is thorough cleaning of internal elements from dust and accumulated debris.
Frame
Air exchange in budget versions of home computers is performed by an exhaust cooler located on the power supply unit and a ventilation grill. enters into passes through its constituent parts, and through the supply element the heat is outside. But with an increase in the power of a personal computer, this becomes insufficient, and it becomes necessary to use additional coolers. They must be installed in certain places, if this rule is not followed, they will not bring the proper efficiency, due to the fact that warm air flows will constantly pass through the system unit. Typically, a large computer cooling fan located at the bottom is used to get airflow in, and several smaller coolers provide an outlet.
CPU
It is this part that undergoes the greatest heating, due to which, subsequently, the speed of the PC is reduced. The way out of the situation is with a medium-sized fan, so you can achieve sufficient efficiency and at the same time a low degree of reproducible noise.
Systematic monitoring of the presence of thermal paste is of particular importance. It is applied to the area between the heatsink and the processor and prevents the formation of a layer of air that has a low level of thermal conductivity.
Other details
A heavy load in the process of work falls on the video card, which is especially noticeable in the process of using graphic editors and other programs. This element is often equipped with a built-in fan. There are also passive cooling options, common among those who prefer quiet systems or want to increase performance by installing an additional cooler.
For ordinary users, cooling of a computer, in particular, elements such as a hard drive or a motherboard, does not matter as much as for gamers. The motherboard chipset has the hardest part - its heating temperature can reach 70 degrees.
Dust control
To ensure high efficiency, it is not enough to do the cooling of the computer with your own hands; it is necessary to systematically clean the inside of the case. The quality of work of radiators clogged with dust is practically reduced to nothing, and coolers clogged with dust cannot create proper air circulation in the system unit. That is why regular cleaning of the PC from dust is required. In this case, special attention should be paid to the contact planes of the parts, the power supply unit, radiator and coolers.
"Advanced" cooling
By strong acceleration.
*** ill black_mamba
Cold and silent:
Air is our everything!
But, if you do not have a top-end gaming system and you are not an avid overclocker, then you probably won't need a water system, let alone liquid nitrogen or any other fancy system. To lower the temperature by a few degrees (up to ten), which is required in the hottest summer, it will be enough to update the usual air cooling (and also do a couple of simple steps; see the box "10 Commandments of Proper Cooling"). To do this, it will be enough to add a few new coolers or update the existing ones. In this context, it is important to remember that for proper, efficient air cooling, location plays an important role.
The coming summer, according to forecasts of weather forecasters, promises to be quite hot. And you willingly believe this, remembering the unprecedented heat already in mid-April. And this means that our computers, or rather their components, will again drop an additional load in the form of extra degrees. Of course, if there is an air conditioner at home, then you do not need to worry about it, but if it is not there, there is a real threat of overheating of components and their failure. How to help our electronic friends in the summer heat? Simple, inexpensive and advanced methods will be discussed further.
"Advanced" cooling
You can additionally cool your PC in a variety of ways. 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 race car driver and an ordinary (even advanced) car enthusiast. The difference between these very technical needs is obvious.
Water cooling systems are popular among overclockers. Their principle of operation is based on the circulation of the coolant. The computer components that need cooling heat the water, and the water is in turn cooled in the radiator. In this case, the radiator can be outside the case and even be passive (i.e. work without a heat dissipating fan).
It should be said separately about cryogenic cooling systems for PCs operating on the principle of a change in the phase state of a substance, like a refrigerator and an air conditioner. The disadvantages of cryogenic systems are high noise, high weight and cost, and complexity in installation. But only using such systems, it is possible to achieve a negative temperature of the processor or video card, and, accordingly, the highest performance. by strong acceleration.
Cold and silent: This is how a PC looks pretty nice with a water cooling system. The big advantage of such a system is that the computer works almost silently.
It is worth adding a few words about the benefits of sophisticated cooling systems. They are silent, and you can enable forced forced cooling in your PC at any time. Of the minuses for an ordinary user, it is worth noting the rather high cost (from $ 100) of the finished system, the requirement for great accuracy when using it and the need for additional accessories during installation. In any case, experimenting with these types of cooling should be done only when needed - if your PC has really huge capacities.
Air is our everything!
But, if you do not have a top-end gaming system and you are not an avid overclocker, then you probably won't need a water system, let alone liquid nitrogen or any other fancy system. To lower the temperature by a few degrees (up to ten), which is required in the hottest summer, it will be enough to update the usual air cooling (and also do a couple of simple steps; see the box "10 Commandments of Proper Cooling"). To do this, it will be enough to add a few new coolers or update the existing ones. In this context, it is important to remember that the location of the fans is essential for proper, efficient air cooling. In fact, the maximum effect is achieved not when as much cold air as possible is blown inside the case, but when effective air flows are organized, with competent input of cold air inside and output of warm air outside (if all the fans work for blowing, the air inside will simply heat up quickly without being able to extend the normal outside the body).
The possibility of installing additional fans depends not only on your wallet, but also on the case. In this regard, you will not envy the owners of the oldest or the cheapest cases. Often they do not have additional places for installing coolers, and the hot air outlet in them is very simple: the flows are removed using a fan located on the power supply unit and on 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 right in the upper part. Therefore, if you buy a new computer, do not regret the extra 300-400 UAH for the case. And the old PC can be moved to a new "home" - it's easy to do it.
Most modern cases have several places for installing coolers. If you carefully read the 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 take a look at which fans are best placed (for simplicity, we will assume that our virtual case has footprints on all panels).
Advanced cooler models have a number of advantages over conventional fans. For example, this cute green "baby" from ThermalTake has six copper heat sinks with the radiator far enough away from the processor. Two fans are used to cool the radiator. One pumps air, the other effectively removes it
On injection:
Coolers working for blowing are always installed on the front panel. There, they will effectively cool the hard drives and force air inward - such a gate for cold air. If you have one hard drive, you can completely get by with such blowing fans, but it is better (and if there are several hard drives, it is highly recommended) to put the fans on the side panels (or on one of them, often there are such places on the left, less often on both , well, and quite an exceptional case, when only on the right). As a result, air will be blown directly to the motherboard area (that is, directly to 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 hard drives. If possible, you can put the fan on the lower panel (bottom) - cold air from the bottom will also effectively supplement the air flow and better displace the heated air to the top.
For blowing:
Coolers that discharge 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.
How not to do it:
Place the fan on the rear panel for blowing. Because of this, a closed air ring is created between the power supply and the cooler, and part of the hot air from the power supply is immediately sucked back inside.
Set the front fan to blow out. There are several options, depending on the location of other fans, but in any case, given that the cooler on the power supply also works for blowing out, there will be no effective air flow, and hard drives will carry an additional heat load.
Perhaps the most clinical case is when all fans operate for blowing, thus creating a rarefied atmosphere and low pressure inside the case. Yes, we know that a rarefied medium heats up worse, but with this arrangement of the cooling system, there will be almost no air movement inside, and the one that is will still heat up significantly over time. Such a scheme, by the way, is the most difficult for PC components, which have nowhere to throw out the accumulated heat.
The cooling method shown in the diagram is one of the most effective. Depending on the needs, blowing coolers can be delivered to the bottom and side panels
Silence is the key to health
Some users are discouraged from installing additional fans because the noise level emitted by the system will then rise. But in reality, the amount of extra decibels can be minimized. Here are some guidelines:
1. If the slot allows, buy a larger fan. Contrary to popular belief, with the same volume of inhaled air, it will emit less noise than a small one, due to the fact that for this it will need to make fewer revolutions. More blades will also result in less noise generation.
2. Some enclosures have a manual fan speed control function. 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, the maximum speed of the cooler is not always necessary, and at the minimum speed the system, even with many coolers, will work very quietly.
3. If the motherboard has four-pin connectors for powering the coolers, then buy exactly four-wire fans. They are very quiet and have a fairly wide range of automatic revs.
4. Pay attention to the type of bearing. For example, fluid dynamic bearings provide 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"
With laptop cooling, the story is completely different and much more complex. Though in terms of heat dissipation, they are much inferior to desktop PCs, and the manufacturer himself lays in the optimal design of heat sinks in them, it is very problematic to change anything in the laptop cooling system (if its capabilities are not enough). So to speak, there is nowhere to screw an additional cooler. Therefore, there are other options. By the way, the first thing worth mentioning is the same notorious program setting for checking temperatures. You can find out the normal temperature for specific laptop components on the manufacturer's website. Although for laptops there are still approximate norms. So, for a processor, the normal temperature is 75–80 ° C under load (if it is higher than 90, it is definitely overheating); for a video card - 70–90 ° C; for a hard drive - 50–55 (if it is higher than 60, then it is worth copying important data from the hard drive. There is a risk of losing it); and the chipset will calmly withstand heat up to 90 ° C.
The golden rule of the laptop user should be to check if the ventilation holes are covered. 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 overheating of the laptop is ensured. Usually nothing terrible happens, but in some cases the video card, north and south bridges may fail. The hard drive can also fail, which will lead to loss of information. This happens because the chips have a maximum temperature, after which the destruction of their structure begins. Usually it is 110–125 ° C. At this temperature, both the chip itself and the contact of the chip with 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 breaks down very rarely.
If you really want to work on the bed, but there is no way to spend money on a cooler - a stand, you can use a regular plastic / metal / wooden food tray or a plywood board to fit the device to work in an armchair or bed. Naturally, you should make sure that no ventilation holes are blocked.
When using a laptop at a table, there is one trick - to put something under its rear end. In most cases, the air that cools laptop components is sucked in through holes and slots in the bottom of the laptop. Some of the air is also sucked in from the keyboard side. Raising the rear edge of the laptop increases the gap between the bottom and the table. As a result, air circulation improves. In other words, the air that is forced through the radiator of the cooling system becomes colder. Also, due to a decrease in the resistance of this air, more is sucked in. As a result, the temperature can drop by 5–10 ° C. You can put anything under the rear end, from books to rubber bands. Although there are special gadgets for this, for example, Belkin Laptop CoolStrip.
Finally, laptop cooler pads are also a good option for cooling. But then again, not all are effective enough. For example, small folding fans that fit under a laptop usually just blow the air around them and raise dust. It is optimal to take the stand not curved inward, but with a straight surface, possibly slightly inclined for greater convenience, so that the laptop screen is located slightly higher. Most 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 is much faster: the return to the "background" temperature takes only about two minutes, and without it - almost 15.
10 commandments of proper cooling
Like the mathematician and philosopher René Descartes, let's go from simple to complex. Repetition of common truths about PC cooling sometimes helps to understand what has been overlooked. So…
1. It is better to lower the system unit lower (ideally on a special stand on wheels). From the school physics course, everyone probably remembers that hot air usually rises up, and cold air goes down.
2. Explore the environment of the system unit - if there are curtains, napkins, armchairs and other household utensils nearby that can interfere with the full air exchange of the computer.
3. Clean the inside of the PC with a vacuum cleaner regularly. Dust and animal hair can very noticeably clog coolers, especially on the power supply.
4. Set the coolers on the front panel for blowing in, on the back - for blowing.
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 impede air circulation, so they should be carefully laid and reinforced with ordinary clamps.
7. Check for the presence of thermal paste and, if necessary, update it (a 50-gram tube costs a penny, but it will be 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 scrupulously grease the contact surfaces of the processor and heatsink and put everything 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 and other things to the PC (this is especially true for laptops).
10. If necessary, change the standard coolers to more advanced ones or deliver new ones if there are corresponding slots on the case.
The aforementioned PC tricks - cleaning up 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 (with a PC in terms of assembly, everything is much easier). If the first condition is not met, but you suspect that your portable "friend" is clogged, it is better to contact a service center. Experience and knowledge are required to replace thermal paste, and the warranty is lost when self-cleaning.
Laying wires inside the PC is a matter of five minutes, but the efficiency will be evident
