CPU cooling. Take care of particularly hot surfaces

High temperatures, in addition to malware and mechanical damage, one of the most serious threats to your computer.

To protect your computer from overheating, there are several effective methods to cool it down.

To solve cooling problems, you first need to determine the hot spot on your computer.

The efficiency of computer components

Computer components such as the processor or graphics card generate the most heat.

Manufacturers are trying to increase maximum efficiency. One of the main methods for reducing the size of components.

Then the required voltage for power supply decreases. Energy consumption is reduced and thus heat transfer is reduced.

Despite great progress in this area in last years, computer components still require refrigeration.

Active and passive cooling

Modern electronic equipment(including computers) usually use an active or passive mode cooling.

Active mode is well known to most computer owners. Includes a fan that forces air to cool the heatsink.

The heatsink is connected to the component with a layer of paste, which further improves thermal conductivity. It effectively collects heat from computer components.

Modern PWM fans run faster and quieter, giving the user better comfort.

Passive - works on the basis of natural convection. It does not have a fan. The radiator has to handle everything alone. It is found in smartphones and tablets.

Water cooling

Water is a type of cooling that combines the advantages of passive and active methods.

In the past, this was considered too extravagant. Today it is becoming more and more popular.

Such a system consists of plastic tubes installed inside the housing. The block, in turn, consists of a copper or aluminum plate that is in contact with the heating elements.

The second part of the block acts as a water reservoir. The liquid cooling system also includes a radiator, which is an element for cooling water.

In addition, there is also a pump that circulates the liquid and acts as a reservoir for the expansion tank.

The downside is the cost. A complete system for installation costs up to several hundred dollars.

Cooling for laptops

Laptops have gradually begun to replace desktop models over the course of several years.

In the past, cooling was very simple - a heatsink and a fan were installed in the appropriate places to maintain the correct operating parameters.

Overheating problems appeared in the generation of netbooks and ultrabooks.

Even the giant air vents (usually located on the side of the case) did not help.

New generations of processors have led to improved cooling efficiency. They use other types of materials that are characterized by significantly higher thermal conductivity.

The modern case uses these elements to reduce heat build-up.

Cooling System Care

In order to guarantee maximum cooling capacity, you must first remember to clean.

When desktop computer the essence is simple - remove the side panel and clean the dust with compressed air

Dust is problematic for several reasons. Firstly, it enters the fan bearings and thus interferes with its operation.

Second, it acts as a thermal insulator, reducing the efficiency of radiators.

Cleaning a laptop is more difficult - removing the cover will void the warranty.

Thus, it is often necessary to clean laptops in services. This is a case within a year or two after the date of purchase, depending on how much the manufacturer gave a guarantee.

Hopelessly dirty or worn bearings may necessitate fan replacement.

In the case of laptops, this procedure can be expensive. Stubborn dust clots can first be removed with plastic tweezers and then blown off with compressed air.

PC temperature diagnostics can be performed by a program called SpeedFan.

It gains access to built-in components and temperature sensors, which are used for emergency shutdown when overheating is detected.

SpeedFan will help you see if the system is working properly.

Replacing thermal paste

Every 2-3 years, you will need to replace the thermal paste between the GPU and the heatsink. To do this, you must unscrew the fan, pull out the block, and then carefully remove the old paste.

After that apply new layer in accordance with the instructions on the package. Then install the fan correctly.

An alternative to paste is thermally conductive tapes. They are mainly used where we are dealing with small details.

Proper Behavior

Even better cooling doesn't relieve you of the obligation to apply some good practices in dealing with excess heat.

Among the most important rules to ensure proper air flow.

Avoid a desk with dedicated computer shelves - their walls are often too close to the case, which has holes to get cool air.

Do not place the laptop on a blanket or other soft surface that is firmly in contact with the bottom of the case.

In addition, you can buy a special stand. It not only improves cooling, but also improves ergonomics.

On hot days, you can use a small USB fan and blow air directly onto the keyboard.

Some effect in the fight against high temperature, can be obtained by updating the BIOS and parts of the software. Good luck.

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

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

Recommendations for choosing here are the same: use slow and large-sized fans, the largest possible heatsinks. So, for example, popular cooling systems for video cards and Zalman VF900 look like:

Usually, the 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 very recently, cooling systems have been used to cool video cards that carry hot air outside the case: the first steels and a similar design from the brand:

Similar cooling systems are installed on the most powerful modern video cards ( nVidia GeForce 8800, ATI x1800XT and older). Such a design is often more justified, in terms of the proper organization of air flows inside the computer case, than traditional schemes. Air flow organization

Modern standards for the design of computer cases, among other things, regulate the way the cooling system is built. Starting with, the release of which was launched in 1997, the computer cooling technology is being introduced with a through air flow directed from the front wall of the case to the back (additionally, air for cooling is sucked in through the left wall):

Those interested in details are referred to latest versions 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 rotation speed of each of them, and, hence, the noise during operation). Additional fans can be installed anywhere inside the computer case to increase airflow. Be sure to follow the rule: on the front and left side walls, air is blown into 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 rear wall of the computer does not fall 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 mounts in the walls of the case. Fan noise is mainly determined by fan speed (see section ), so slow (quiet) fan models are recommended. With equal installation dimensions and rotational speed, the fans on the rear wall of the case are subjectively noisier than the front ones: firstly, they are farther from the user, and secondly, there are almost transparent grilles at the back of the case, while various decorative elements are located at the front. Often the noise is created due to the air flow around the elements of the front panel: if the transferred volume air flow exceeds a certain limit, vortex turbulent flows 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 vast majority of computer cases on the market today comply with one of the versions of the ATX standard, including in terms of cooling. The cheapest cases are not equipped with either a power supply or additional devices. 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 adjust 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 PSU on their own. Of the other options for additional equipment, it is worth noting the special fastenings of the side walls, hard drives, optical drives, expansion cards that 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 case. Exploring the fan

Used to transport air in cooling systems 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 (number of 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 must work around the clock for many years, it is worth choosing more reliable fans.

Many have come across old fans in which the plain bearings have worn out their life: the impeller shaft rattles and vibrates during operation, making a characteristic growling sound. In principle, such a bearing can be repaired by lubricating it with solid lubricant - but how many will agree to repair a fan that costs only a couple of dollars?

Fan characteristics

Fans vary in size and thickness: commonly found in computers are 40x40x10mm for cooling graphics cards and hard drive pockets, as well as 80x80x25, 92x92x25, 120x120x25mm for case cooling. Also, fans differ in the type and design of the installed electric motors: they consume different current and provide different impeller rotation speeds. The size of the fan and the speed of rotation of the impeller blades determine the performance: the generated static pressure and the maximum volume of air transferred.

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

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

Fan noise level

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

Bold font indicates the most popular types of fans.

Having calculated the coefficient of proportionality of the air flow and the noise level to the speed, we see an almost complete match. To clear our conscience, we consider deviations from the average: less than 5%. Thus, we got three linear dependencies, 5 points each. Not God knows what statistics, but for linear dependence this is enough: we consider the hypothesis confirmed.

The volumetric efficiency 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 obtained results using the least squares method (LSM): in the table, these values ​​are marked in italics. However, it must be remembered 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 neighborhood of this range; but at very high and very low speeds, the picture can change significantly.

Now consider the line of fans from another manufacturer:, and. Let's create a similar table:

Calculated data are marked in italics.
As mentioned above, at fan speeds 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's pay attention to two circumstances. Firstly, GlacialTech fans are 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 graph growth. AND the noise level at the same speed is approximately equal to: the proportion is observed even for fans of different manufacturers with different impeller shapes.

You need to understand that real noise characteristics fan depend on it technical design, the pressure created, 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. Due to the wide variety of cases used, it is not possible 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.

Price categories of fans

Consider the cost factor. For example, let's take and in the same online store: the results are entered 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 run at lower rpm, so they make less noise; at the same speed they are more efficient than 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 strict requirements or with a limited budget (for example, for an office computer), more simple fans. different type The 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 beveled corners on one side. The wires are connected as follows: two central - "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). Connecting them to different contacts connector, you can get a different fan speed. A standard voltage of 12V will run the fan at normal speed, a voltage of 5-7V provides about 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, 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 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 work their devices only when using the standard supply voltage. But, as practice shows, the vast majority of fans start up perfectly even at low voltage.

The contacts are fixed in the plastic part of the connector with a pair of folding 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 that, the "antennae" must again be unbent 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: a molex connected in parallel and a three- (or four-) pin. In this case you need to connect power only through one of them:

In some cases, not 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 drive or optical drive. If you are rearranging the pins in the connector to get a non-standard voltage on the fan, please refer to Special attention to rearrange the contacts in the second connector in exactly the same order. Failure to do so will result in the wrong voltage being supplied to the hard drive or optical drive, which will most likely result in 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 enters between the guides, also acting as a retainer. The corresponding connectors for powering the fans are located on the motherboard (usually several pieces 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 tachometric 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 omitted. If the fan is powered separately (for example, via a molex connector), it is permissible to connect only the speed control contact and a common wire using a three-pin connector - this scheme is often used to monitor the fan speed of the power supply, which is powered and controlled by the internal circuits of the PSU.

Four-pin connectors have appeared relatively recently on motherboards with processor sockets LGA 775 and socket AM2. They differ in the presence of an additional fourth contact, while being fully 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 have 6 V of supply voltage, both fans will rotate at half speed. For such a connection, it is convenient to use fan power connectors: the contacts are easy to remove from plastic case by pressing the fixing "tongue" with a screwdriver. The connection diagram is shown in the figure below. One of the connectors connects to the motherboard as usual: it will provide 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 not recommended to connect two different electric motors in this way.: due to the inequality of electrical characteristics in various operating modes (startup, acceleration, stable rotation), one of the fans may not start at all (which is fraught with failure of the electric motor) or require an excessively high current to start (it is fraught with failure of the control circuits).

Often, fixed or variable resistors connected in series in the power circuit are used 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 are arranged. 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 effective cooling; Secondly, electrical characteristics motors 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 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 cooling, as I believe that a computer is quite a 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 fans connected to some three- or four-pin connectors. Moreover, some of the connectors support software control of the speed of rotation 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 rotation speed does not depend on the chipset used or south bridge, but on the specific motherboard model: models from different manufacturers may differ in this regard. Often, motherboard designers deliberately deprive cheaper models of fan speed control capabilities. For example, the Asus P4P800 SE motherboard for Intel Pentiun 4 processors is able to regulate the speed of the processor cooler, while 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) - there are more and more of them on the modern market.

Fan speeds can be controlled 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 various operating systems that allow you to control and adjust the speed of fans, as well as monitor the temperature of various components inside the computer. Manufacturers of some motherboards package their products proprietary programs for Windows: 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, not updated since 2004). The most popular program of this class - :

These programs allow you to monitor a number 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 motherboard connectors with appropriate support. Finally, the program is able to automatically adjust the fan speed depending on the temperature of the observed objects (if the motherboard manufacturer has implemented hardware support for this feature). In the figure above, the program is configured to control only the processor fan: at a low CPU temperature (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 channels of the motherboard controller are connected to fans, and which of them can be controlled by software;
2. specifying which temperatures should affect the speed of the 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 temperature of the GPU. With help 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 in the program:

Passive cooling

Passive cooling systems are called those that do not contain fans. Individual computer components can be content with passive cooling, provided that their heatsinks are placed in sufficient airflow created by “foreign” fans: for example, a chipset chip is often cooled by a large heatsink located near the CPU cooler. Passive cooling systems for video cards are also popular, for example:

Obviously, the more heat sinks one fan has to blow through, the more flow resistance it needs to overcome; thus, with an increase in the number of radiators, it is often necessary to increase the speed of rotation of the impeller. It is more efficient to use a lot of low-speed large-diameter fans, and passive cooling systems are preferably avoided. Despite the fact that passive heatsinks for processors, video cards with passive cooling, even power supplies without fans (FSP Zen) are produced, trying to build a computer without 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 only by passive systems. Due to the low thermal conductivity of air, it is difficult to organize effective passive cooling for the entire computer, except 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 conventional computer!

Perhaps, completely passive cooling will be enough 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 - the question "what will the computer do when nothing needs to be done?" It was solved simply: 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 running the Manager Windows tasks and watching the CPU Load History ( CPU). Thus, with the old approach, about 90% of the processor time flew to the wind: the CPU was busy executing no one necessary commands. Newer operating systems (Windows 2000 and later) act more sensibly in a similar situation: using the HLT (Halt, stop) command, the processor is completely stopped for a short time - this obviously allows you to reduce power consumption and processor temperature in the absence of resource-intensive tasks.

Experienced computer scientists can recall a number of "software processor cooling" programs: when running under Windows 95/98/ME, they stopped the processor using HLT, instead of repeating meaningless NOPs, which lowered the processor temperature 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 measures to combat possible overheating, as well as tools that increase the efficiency of saving mechanisms when the computer is idle.

CPU thermal protection

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 one, the processor is forcibly stopped by the HLT command so that the crystal has a chance 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: xx%); new implementations "slow down" the processor automatically until the temperature of the crystal drops to acceptable level. Of course, the user is interested in the fact that the processor does not cool down (literally!), but performs useful work To do this, you need to use a sufficiently efficient cooling system. You can check if the processor thermal protection mechanism (throttling) is enabled using special utilities, eg :

Minimization of energy consumption

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

1. enable the use of supported technology in BIOS Setup;
2. install the appropriate drivers in the OS you are using (usually this is a processor driver);
3. in Panel Windows controls(Control Panel), under Power Options ( power management), 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 in the User's Guide):

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 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 speed: from specialized types, up to the Windows Control Panel (Control Panel), section System (System):

AMD Cool "n" Quiet in action: current CPU frequency (994 MHz) is lower than nominal (1.8 GHz)

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

The processor frequency changes from maximum (in the presence of computational load) to some minimum (in the absence of CPU load).

RMClock utility

During the development of a set of programs for comprehensive testing processors, was created (RightMark CPU Clock/Power Utility): it is designed to monitor, configure and manage the power-saving features of modern processors. The utility supports all modern processors and the most different systems control of energy consumption (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 by the OS using the processor driver. But the possibilities of this utility are much broader: 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 nominal frequency.

Video card auto overclocking

A similar method is used by video card developers: the full power of the GPU 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 tuned so that the graphics chip serves the 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 only starts to work at full capacity when running 3D applications, such as computer games. Similar logic can be implemented programmatically, 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 sufficiently quiet computer will be considered such, the noise of which does not exceed the ambient 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, it is permissible for the computer to make a little more noise. A home computer that is planned to be used 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

My office uses 10 3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 computers with standard CPU coolers. All machines are assembled in inexpensive Fortex cases priced up to $30, Chieftec 310-102 power supplies (310 W, 1 80×80×25 mm fan) are installed. In each case, a 80x80x25 mm fan (3000 rpm, noise 33 dBA) was installed on the back wall - they were replaced by fans with the same performance 120x120x25 mm (950 rpm, noise 19 dBA) ). AT file server local network for additional cooling hard drives on the front wall there are 2 fans 80 × 80 × 25 mm, 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 processor cooler. Two computers have cheaper Asus P4P800-X boards, where the cooler speed is not regulated; to reduce noise from these machines, the CPU coolers have been replaced (1900 rpm, 20 dBA noise).
Result: computers are quieter than air conditioners; they are almost 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 $25 aigo case, a Chieftec 360-102DF power supply (360 W, 2 80 × 80 × 25 mm fans) was installed. There are 2 fans 80×80×25 mm connected in series in the front and rear walls of the case (speed adjustable, from 750 to 1500 rpm, noise up to 20 dBA). Used motherboard Asus P5B, which is able to regulate the speed of the CPU 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 audible 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 the processor AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1.8 GHz) is assembled in an inexpensive Delux case priced under $30, initially containing a CoolerMaster RS-380 power supply (380 W, 1 fan 80 × 80 × 25 mm) and a GlacialTech SilentBlade GT80252BDL-1 video card connected to + 5 V (about 850 rpm, noise less than 17 dBA). The Asus A8N-E motherboard is used, 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 noise is less than 18 dBA). The problem with this motherboard: cooling of 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 sleeve bearing that has a very short life) . To cool the chipset, a cooler for video cards with a copper radiator was installed; against its background, clicks of the positioning of the hard disk 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 based 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 (2 fans 120 × 120 × 25 mm, up to 1500 rpm, installed on the front and rear walls of the case, connected to the standard monitoring system and automatic control fans), an FSP Blue Storm 350 power supply (350 W, 1 fan 120 × 120 × 25 mm) is installed. A motherboard was used (passive cooling of the chipset microcircuits), which is able to regulate the speed of the processor cooler. Used graphics card GeCube Radeon X800XT, cooling system replaced by Zalman VF900-Cu. A hard drive was chosen for the computer, known for its low noise level.
Result: The computer is so quiet that you can hear the sound 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).

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

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

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

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

Try to monitor the temperature indicators of the processor and video card more often. If the temperature often exceeds the allowable values ​​of 60-70 degrees, especially when the system is idle (when heavy programs are not running), then take active steps to reduce the temperature.

Consider several ways to improve the quality of cooling.

Method 1: Proper Housing Location

The case for productive devices should be large enough (preferably) and have good ventilation. It is also desirable that it be made of metal. In addition, you need to take into account the location of the system unit, because. certain objects can prevent air from getting inside, thereby disrupting circulation and raising the temperature inside.

Apply these tips to the location of the system unit:

Method 2: Clean up the dust

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

Cleaning should be done with a non-rigid brush, dry rags and napkins. AT special occasions you can use a vacuum cleaner, but only at minimum power. Consider step-by-step instructions for cleaning the computer case from dust:

Method 3: Install an additional fan

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

First you need to choose a fan. The main thing is to pay attention to whether the characteristics of the case and the motherboard allow you to install additional device. It is not worth giving preference in this matter to any manufacturer, because. this is a fairly cheap and durable computer element that is easy to replace.

If they allow overall characteristics cases, you can install two fans at once - one on the back, the other in the front. The first takes out hot air, the second draws in cold air.

Method 4: Speed ​​Up the Fans

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

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

Method 5: We replace the thermal paste

Replacing thermal paste does not require any serious costs in terms of money and time, but here it is advisable to show some accuracy. It is also necessary to take into account one feature with warranty period. If the device is still under warranty, then it is better to contact the service with a request to change the thermal paste, this should be done for free. If you try to change the paste yourself, the computer will be removed from the warranty.

With an independent change, you need to carefully consider the choice of thermal paste. Give preference to more expensive and high-quality tubes (ideally those that come with a special brush for application). It is desirable that silver and quartz compounds are present in the composition.

Method 6: installing a new cooler

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

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

To cool the processor, a cooler is used, which consists of a heatsink and a fan.

Different processors provide different cooler mounts and have different heat dissipation (TDP). As for heat dissipation, the more powerful the processor, the larger the cooler should be.

For the cheapest 2-core processors (Celeron, A4, A6), any simplest cooler with an aluminum radiator and an 80-90 mm fan will suffice. The larger the fan and heat sink, the better the cooling. The lower the fan speed, the less noise. Some of these curers are not suitable for all processors, so check the supported sockets in the description. For example, Deepcool GAMMA ARCHER fits almost all sockets except AM4.
CPU Cooler Deepcool GAMMA ARCHER

Most coolers for more powerful processors are universal and have a set of mounts for all modern processors. Coolers DeepCool and Zalman have an optimal price/quality ratio, and I will recommend them first of all.

Please note that not all coolers can be equipped with an AM4 socket mount, and sometimes it can be purchased separately, check this point with the seller.

For 2-core Intel processors (Pentium, Core-i3) and 4-core AMD processors (A8, A10, Ryzen 3), a small cooler with 2-3 heat pipes and a 90-120 mm fan, such as Deepcool GAMMAXX 200T (for TDP 65 W).
CPU Cooler Deepcool GAMMAXX 200T

Or Deepcool GAMMAXX 300 (for TDP 95W).
CPU Cooler Deepcool GAMMAXX 300

For more powerful 4-core Intel (Core i3, i5) and AMD (FX-4,6,8, Ryzen 5) you need a cooler with 4-5 heat pipes and a 120mm fan. And the minimum option here would be Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 (4 tubes) or slightly better Zalman from the CNPS10X series (4-5 tubes) for more powerful processors.
CPU Cooler Deepcool GAMMAXX 400

For even hotter 6-core Intel (Core i5,i7) and AMD (Ryzen 7) as well as for overclocking, it is advisable to purchase a large powerful cooler with 6 heatpipes and 120-140mm fan. One of the best in terms of price / power ratio are Deepcool Lucifer V2 and Deepcool REDHAT.
CPU Cooler Deepcool Lucifer V2

2. Do I need to buy a cooler separately

Most boxed processors that are sold in a cardboard box and have the word "BOX" at the end of the marking have a cooler in the kit.

If "Tray" or "OEM" is written at the end of the marking, then there is no cooler in the kit.

Some expensive processors, despite the fact that they have the word "BOX" in the marking, are sold without a cooler. But the box is usually smaller in this case, and the description often indicates that the processor does not have a cooler in the kit.

If you purchase a processor with a cooler, then you do not have to buy a cooler separately. It usually comes out cheaper, and a boxed cooler is enough to cool the processor, since it is just designed for it.

disadvantages boxed coolers is more high level noise and the lack of a heat sink in case of overclocking the processor. Therefore, if you want to have a quieter computer or overclock the processor, it is better to purchase a separate processor and a separate quieter and more powerful cooler.

3. CPU options for cooler selection

In order to choose the right cooler, we need to know the socket (Socket) of the processor and its heat dissipation (TDP).

3.1. Processor socket

Socket is a motherboard socket for installing a processor, which also has a cooler mount. Different sockets have different types cooler mounts.

3.2. CPU heat dissipation

As for heat dissipation (TDP), this indicator is also often indicated on the websites of online stores. If the TDP of the processor is not indicated, then it is easy to find it on the website of another online store or the official websites of processor manufacturers.

There are many other sites where you can find out the characteristics of the processor by the model number.

You can also use the search engine Google or Yandex.

4. Main characteristics of coolers

The main characteristics of coolers are supported sockets and TDP, which the cooler is designed for.

Each cooler is designed for certain sockets, it simply won't install on others. Which sockets are supported by this or that cooler is indicated on the websites of manufacturers and online stores.

4.2. cooler TDP

Despite the fact that the TDP of the processor for which the cooler is designed is the main parameter, its value is not indicated on the websites of online stores and most manufacturers. However, this data can sometimes be found. For example, on the site of one of the leaders in the production of coolers, the Austrian company Noctua, there is a comparative table of TDP coolers.

The TDP value of some popular cooler models, determined approximately from the test results, can be found on the Internet. Based on this information and personal experience, I have compiled a table with which you can easily choose the best cooler depending on the TDP of the processor. You can download this table at the end of the article in the "" section.

5. Cooler design

CPU coolers come in many different designs.

5.1. Cooler with aluminum heatsink

The simplest and cheapest are coolers with an aluminum radiator and a standard 80mm fan. The shape of the radiator may be different. Basically, in coolers for Intel processors, the radiator has a round shape, for AMD processors- square.

Such coolers are often bundled with low-power boxed processors and usually it is enough for them. Such a cooler can also be inexpensively purchased separately, but their quality is likely to be a little worse. Well, such a cooler is not suitable for overclocking the processor.

5.2. Plate heatsink cooler

On sale, you can still find coolers with a heatsink made of stacked aluminum or copper plates.

They are better at dissipating heat from the processor than coolers with a solid aluminum radiator, but have become obsolete and have been replaced by more efficient coolers based on heat pipes.

5.3. Horizontal heatpipe cooler

Heatpipe coolers are the latest and most efficient.

These coolers come bundled with more powerful processors. They remove heat from the processor much better than cheap coolers with an aluminum radiator, but they blow warm air in a not very efficient direction - towards the motherboard.

This solution is more suitable for compact cases, since in other cases it is better to purchase a more modern vertical cooler.

5.4. Vertical cooler with heat pipes

The vertical cooler (or tower cooler) has a more optimal design.

Warm air from the processor is not blown towards the motherboard, but towards the rear exhaust fan corps.

Such coolers are the most optimal, they have a very large selection in terms of size, power and price. They are best suited for very powerful processors and their overclocking. Their main disadvantage is their large dimensions, which is why not every such cooler will fit into a standard case.

The efficiency of the cooler depends most of all on the number of heat pipes. For a processor with a TDP of 80-100 W, a cooler with 3 heat pipes is enough, for a processor with a TDP of 150-180 W, a cooler with 6 heat pipes is already needed. You will find out how many heat pipes a particular processor needs from the table, which can be downloaded in the "" section.

In the characteristics of the cooler, they usually do not focus on how many heat pipes it has. But it's easy to calculate from a photo of the base of the cooler or by counting the number of outgoing ends of the tubes and dividing them by 2.

6. Base design

The base of the cooler is called the contact pad, which is in direct contact with the processor. The efficiency of the cooler also depends on its quality and design.

In coolers with an aluminum heatsink, the heatsink itself acts as a contact pad. The base can be solid or through.

A solid base is more preferable, as it increases the area of ​​contact between the heatsink and the processor, which has a positive effect on cooling. And in a through design, dust can accumulate in the gap between the radiator and the fan.

First, it has a bad effect on cooling. Secondly, the dust from there cannot be cleaned without removing the cooler from the processor, while the radiator with a solid platform can be easily cleaned without dismantling it.

6.2. Radiator with copper insert

The radiators of some coolers have a copper insert at the base, which is in contact with the processor.

Radiators with a copper insert are slightly more efficient than all-aluminum options.

Heatpipe coolers may have a copper base.

This design is quite efficient.

6.4. Direct contact

Some manufacturers are actively preaching almost space direct contact technology (DirectCU), which consists in saving copper by pressing heat pipes in such a way that they themselves create pad in direct contact with the processor.

In fact, this design is close in efficiency to a radiator with a copper base.

7. The design and material of the radiator

The efficiency of the cooler also strongly depends on the design of the radiator and the material from which it is made.

The cheapest coolers have an all-aluminum heatsink, as this metal is cheaper than copper. But aluminum has a low heat capacity and uneven distribution heat, which requires stronger airflow and correspondingly noisy fans.

7.2. Aluminum with copper

Coolers with aluminum heatsinks with copper inserts are slightly more efficient, but are no longer relevant.

7.3. copper heatsink

You can still find coolers with copper plate heatsinks on sale.

Copper has a high heat capacity and the heat in it is distributed evenly. This makes it possible to stabilize the processor temperature at a certain level and does not require fast, noisy fans. But the efficiency of such a system is limited due to the fact that the copper radiator has a large thermal inertia and it is difficult to quickly remove heat from it. But such a cooler can be indispensable in compact cases for media centers, since it is quite low.

7.4. Aluminum plate radiator

The most effective today are coolers with heat pipes and a radiator made of many thin aluminum plates.

The heat from the processor is instantly removed through the heat pipes to the plates, which are also quickly removed by the fan airflow due to the large dissipation area. This design has a very low heat capacity and thermal inertia, so the cooling efficiency is greatly improved with a small increase in fan speed.

7.5. Nickel plating

Good branded coolers can have nickel-plated heatpipes, copper bases, and even aluminum heatsink fins.

Nickel plating prevents surface oxidation. It always remains beautiful and shiny. But the most important thing is that the oxide does not interfere with heat removal and the cooler does not lose its properties. Although, by and large, the difference will not be significant.

7.6. Radiator size

The efficiency of the cooler always depends on the size of the radiator. But coolers with large heatsinks can't always fit into a standard computer case. The height of the tower radiator for a standard case should not exceed 160 mm.

The width of the radiator also matters. A cooler with a large heatsink may not fit due to the closely spaced power supply. You also need to consider the size and layout of the motherboard. It may happen that the cooler cannot be installed due to high protruding motherboard heatsinks near the processor, high memory modules located close together, etc.

All this must be taken into account in advance and, if in doubt, measure the required distances in your computer. Better to play it safe and take a cooler a little smaller. If the processor is very hot, and the case is small or the elements sticking out on the motherboard interfere, then tear them off. A horizontal cooler with heat pipes and specially designed with sufficient indentation from the motherboard will suit you.

7.7. Radiator weight

The larger the heatsink, the heavier it is, and the heavier the heatsink, the larger it is. Well, in essence, the higher the TDP of the processor, the heavier the heatsink should be. For a processor with a TDP of 100-125 W, a radiator weighing 300-400 grams is enough, for a monster like AMD FX9xxx with a TDP of 200-220 W, you need a radiator of at least 1 kg, or even all 1200-1300 grams. I will not give the weight of the radiator for each processor, since you will see all this in the table, which can be downloaded in the "" section.

8. Fans

The size, speed and other parameters of the fan determine the efficiency of the cooler and the level of noise that it creates.

8.1. Fan size

In general, the larger the fan, the more efficient and quieter it is. The cheapest coolers use 80x80mm fans. Their advantage is the simplicity and cheapness of replacement (which is rare). The disadvantage is the highest noise level.

It is better to purchase a cooler with a larger fan - 92×92, 120×120 mm. These are also standard sizes and are easy to replace if something happens.

For particularly powerful and hot processors, such as AMD FX9xxx, it is better to take a cooler with a standard 140x140 mm fan. Such a fan is more expensive, but the noise will be less.

It is better to limit the choice to coolers with standard fan sizes, what if you still have to replace it sometime? But this is not important, since among us there are real nuggets of Kulibins who will screw any fan on their knees to any radiator

8.2. Fan bearing type

The cheapest fans have a sleeve type bearing (Sleeve Bearing). Such fans are considered less reliable and less durable.

Fans with ball bearings (Ball Bearing) are considered more reliable. But they make more noise.

Most modern fans have a hydrodynamic bearing (Hydro Bearing), which combines reliability with a low noise level.

8.3. Number of fans

To overclock such monsters as AMD FX9xxx with TDP 200-220 W, it is better to take a cooler with two 140x140 mm fans. But keep in mind, the more fans, the higher the noise level. Therefore, it is unnecessary to take a cooler with two fans for a processor with a TDP of up to 180W. Recommendations for the number and size of fans are in the table from the "" section.

8.4. Fan speed

The smaller the radiator and fan size, the higher its speed will be. This is necessary to compensate for the low dispersion area and weak airflow.

In cheap coolers, the fan speed can vary between 2000-4000 rpm. At 2000 rpm the fan noise becomes very noticeable, at 3000 rpm the noise becomes annoying, but at 4000 rpm your room will turn into a small airstrip...

The ideal option is a 120-140 mm fan with a maximum speed of 1300-1500 rpm.

8.5. Automatic speed control

Motherboards are able to regulate the speed of the cooler depending on the temperature of the processor. Adjustment can be done by changing the supply voltage (DC), which is supported by all motherboards.

More expensive coolers can be equipped with fans with a built-in speed controller (PWM). In this case, the motherboard must also support speed control through a PWM controller (PWM).

It's good if the cooler has a 120-140 mm fan with a speed in the range of 800-1300 rpm. In this case, you will almost never hear it.

8.6. cooler connector

CPU coolers can have a 3-pin or 4-pin connector for connecting to the motherboard. 3-pin controlled by voltage change motherboard(DC), and 4 pins using a PWM controller (PWM). The PWM controller can more precisely control the speed of the cooler, so it is better to purchase a cooler with a 4-pin connector.

8.7. Noise level

The noise level depends on the speed of the fan, the configuration of its blades and is measured in decibels (dB). Fans with a noise level of up to 25 dB are considered quiet. By this indicator, you can compare several coolers and, other things being equal, choose the one that emits less noise.

8.8. Air flow

The efficiency of heat removal from the radiator and, accordingly, the efficiency of the entire cooler and the noise level depend on the strength of the air flow. Airflow is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). By this indicator, you can compare several coolers and, other things being equal, choose the one that has a higher CFM. But do not forget to pay attention to the noise level.

9. Cooler mount

There are no pitfalls in mounting a small or medium-sized cooler. But with big models there are surprises...

Carefully read the cooler mounting scheme before buying it. Some heavy coolers require reinforced mounting with a special frame on the back of the motherboard.

In this case, the motherboard should allow the installation of such a frame and there should be no soldered electronic elements at the installation site. There should be a recess in the computer case where the processor is supposed to be located. Even better, if there is a window that allows you to install and remove such a cooler without removing the motherboard.

In a set of universal coolers that fit a variety of sockets, there can be many different mounts.

If the cooler is of high enough quality and expensive, then they will not be superfluous if you suddenly want (or have to) change the motherboard and processor to another platform (for example, from AMD to Intel). In this case, the cooler does not need to be changed.

10. Backlight

Some coolers have LEDs and glow in the dark beautifully. It makes sense to purchase such a cooler if your case has a transparent window through which you can enjoy how it works while you are relaxing. But keep in mind that the backlight can interfere and annoy not only you, but also your family members. Therefore, think in advance where the body will stand and where the light will go.

11. Thermal paste

Thermal paste is applied to the processor to improve heat transfer and this is very important. In cheap coolers, thermal paste can already be applied to the contact pad and covered with a plastic cover.

In more expensive models, comes with a small tube of thermal paste, which can last 2-3 times. Sometimes thermal paste is not included. Check the availability of thermal paste on the website of the online store.

If there is no thermal paste in the kit, then it will need to be purchased separately. The transfer of heat from the processor to the cooler is quite dependent on thermal paste. The difference in CPU temperature with bad and good thermal paste reaches up to 10 degrees!

As budget option you can take KPT-8 in a white aluminum tube. Its thermal conductivity is not that high, but if the processor is not very hot (TDP up to 100 W) and you do not plan to overclock it, then this will be enough. The main thing is that it be original! It is not advisable to purchase it in syringes, jars, plastic tubes with stickers self made, since there are a lot of fakes in such packaging.

It should be absolutely obvious that the packaging is factory.

Close in quality and price is Alsil-3 thermal paste, but even in the original it is sold in syringes that are difficult to distinguish from a fake.

12. Cooler manufacturers

The best cooler manufacturers are the Austrian company Noctua and the Japanese company Scythe. They produce high quality coolers and are well-deservedly popular with wealthy enthusiasts. Noctua gives a 72-month warranty for coolers.

Under the above-named brands, the Taiwanese company Thermalright successfully mows, in the arsenal of which there are very similar models for a slightly more reasonable price.

But the coolers of such well-known brands as Cooler Master, Thermaltake, Zalman are the most popular in Russian-speaking countries. Coolers from these manufacturers have best ratio price quality.

But by and large, the manufacturer of the cooler is not so important, since there is nothing special to break apart from the fan. Therefore, it is not a sin to save money and take something cheaper. A fairly large assortment and low prices are offered to us by DeepCool, GlacialTech, Ice Hammer and TITAN.

Don't be afraid to make a mistake, it's just a cooler And let the presence of a guarantee calm your nervous system

13. Warranty

The cheapest coolers come with a standard 12 month warranty. In principle, all that can get out of the cooler is a fan, and it will not be difficult to replace it.

But if you are purchasing good cooler with branded fans, it is better that the warranty is 24-36 months, since finding high-quality fans with the same characteristics can be difficult and expensive.

Top coolers are expensive, but manufacturers give them a guarantee of up to 72 months.

I do not recommend buying coolers a little well-known manufacturers, the lineup of which is represented by only a few models, as there may be problems with warranty service. Remember - the guarantee has not hurt anyone yet

14. Setting up filters in the online store

1. Using the table, determine the main parameters of the cooler for your processor.
2. Go to the "Cooling Systems" section on the seller's website.
3. Select the "For Processor" destination.
4. If you want a better cooler, then choose only the best manufacturers.
5. If you want to save money, then select all popular manufacturers, in model range which there are at least 15-20 models.
6. Select your processor socket.
7. Note the presence of heat pipes in the filter.
8. The size and number of fans (optional).
9. The presence of a speed controller (only if necessary).
10. Cooler height (for a standard case up to 160 mm).
11. The presence of backlight (strongly narrows the choice).
12. Other options that are important to you.
13. Sort the selection by price.
14. Browse coolers, starting with the cheaper ones (from the photo you can determine the number of heat pipes and the massiveness of the radiator).
15. Pick a few suitable models, view their photos from different angles and compare them according to those parameters that were not in the filter.
16. Buy the cheapest of the suitable models.

Do not overdo it with filters, as you can weed out successful models. Choose only the options that are most important to you.

Thus, you will get the optimal price / quality / efficiency cooler that meets your requirements at the lowest possible cost.

15. Links

Below you can download a table that allows you to easily determine the main parameters of the cooler, depending on the processor heat dissipation (TDP).

CPU Cooler Deepcool REDHAT
cooler for Zalman processor CNPS10X Optima
CPU Cooler Deepcool GAMMAXX S40

One of the essential elements of a personal computer is its cooling system. Since all PC components are powered by electric current, then they tend to heat up, and the degree of their heating is directly proportional to the level of load on these components. In other words, if you want the computer to be able to successfully cope with the tasks at hand, and not burn out, then you should pay attention to the selection of high-quality cooling. A basic cooling system is needed even for the simplest computer, but if you are or plan to become the owner of a gaming or professional PC, then in no case should you save on good cooling.

Types of cooling systems

On this moment There are two main types of computer cooling systems: air and water.

Air cooling systems

Today, air cooling is the most common. The principle of operation of the air cooling system is that the heat from the heating element of the PC is directly transferred to the radiator, and then dissipated into the surrounding space. The efficiency of this cooling method depends on several conditions: the usable area of ​​the radiator, the material from which it is made, and the speed of the passing air flow. For example, copper is the best guide heat than aluminum, though its cost is much higher. Also, for better heat transfer of the radiator, blackening of its surface can be used. Computer air cooling can be active or passive.

• Active cooling implies the presence, in addition to the radiator, also of a fan, which significantly speeds up the process of heat removal from the radiator tubes to the surrounding space. As a rule, active cooling fans, or, as they are also called, coolers, are used to cool the “hottest” PC components - the processor and video card.
• passive cooling is mainly installed on those elements of the computer that do not heat up very much during operation, since its efficiency is significantly lower than that of the active one. However, there are passive radiators that are specifically designed to build a silent system - they are characterized by high heat removal efficiency at a low air flow rate.

Liquid cooling systems

Water cooling systems, which were previously used only on server systems, in recent times quite effectively used in home computers. Their main advantage is their cooling speed, since liquid can conduct heat approximately 30 times faster than air. The basis of liquid cooling is a refrigerant - a working fluid, with the help of which heat is removed from the heating element of the PC to the radiator, where it is then dissipated into the environment. Distilled water, oil, antifreeze, liquid metal or other special substance can be used as such a working fluid.

In addition to the radiator and tubes through which the working fluid is carried, the water cooling system includes a pump for circulating the fluid, a reservoir for compensating for the thermal expansion of the fluid, and a heat sink, a metal plate that collects heat from computer components.

As you can see, the liquid cooling system is a rather complex structure, the installation of which requires special knowledge and considerable effort. Moreover, if you set water system cooling is not correct, leakage may occur, resulting in damage to computer components or even failure. Therefore, it is better to entrust the equipment of such a system to professionals, or simply buy a ready-made water-cooled PC.

A water cooling system can be used for two purposes: to provide a high performance computer or to create a silent PC. Some mistakenly believe that with the help of water cooling you can achieve the maximum of both, but unfortunately this is not the case. A high-performance liquid cooling system must have a powerful pump, and the noise from such a pump may well exceed that of an active PC ventilation system. On the other hand, silent water cooling will not provide such high efficiency.

Anyway fluid systems cooling is not a mass product at all, because even the most inexpensive configuration of such a system will be several times higher than the cost of air cooling. Therefore, water-cooled computers are most often purchased by gamers, as well as those for whom high performance is critical to their work. For the rest of the users, traditional air cooling is enough.

Elements of the cooling system

To build a competent cooling system, you need to know which elements of the computer most need heat removal, and how to properly organize this removal.

Case Cooling

In low cost configurations personal computers air exchange in the system unit occurs due to the ventilation grill and exhaust fan on the power supply. Air enters the case through the ventilation holes, passes through the PC components and removes heat to the outside through the power supply. However, with a more or less decent computer power, this is often not enough and then additional fans must be installed in the system unit. But you need to put them not at random, otherwise the hot air will “walk” inside the system unit, which will negate the entire cooling efficiency. The illustration below shows a diagram of the correct air exchange inside the computer case: cold air is drawn in by a large fan from below, passes through all the main components of the PC and is pulled up with the help of several small fans.

CPU cooler

The processor is the "hottest" component of the computer and therefore especially needs good cooling. The best solution to remove heat from the processor, there will be a high-quality radiator with a cooler of medium or large diameter - this will provide high efficiency with a low noise level.

Also, do not forget about the correct and timely application of thermal paste - without this substance, a thin air layer with extremely low thermal conductivity will form between the processor and the heatsink.

Cooling for the video card

The video card also needs high-quality cooling, because she also experiences a considerable load during work (especially during games, or working with graphic editors). Most video cards are sold with a built-in active cooling cooler, but there are also models with a passive cooling radiator. The latter are purchased by amateurs silent systems, as well as enthusiasts who additionally install a cooler on them, thereby increasing the performance of the video card.

Cooling for hard drive, chipset and RAM

The average user hardly needs to worry about motherboard cooling, random access memory or Winchester. However, the owners of powerful components will not interfere with the installation of passive heat sink elements on the above components. The motherboard chipset can become especially hot - under heavy loads, its temperature sometimes reaches 65-70 degrees Celsius.

Dust is the main source of overheating

In addition to installing a good cooling system, you must also keep the internal space of the computer system unit clean. When clogged with dust, the efficiency of heatsinks is reduced by at least half, and a fan clogged with dust is not able to provide sufficient air circulation inside the case. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out scheduled cleaning of the computer from dust in time, which should also include: cleaning fans, radiators, power supply and contact surfaces of components (video cards, RAM, etc.).