Personal computers are becoming more and more powerful, their processors faster and more efficient, so they tend to overheat. Together with the graphics card, the processor is the part of the PC most susceptible to overheating. What can you do to prevent your PC from overheating? Use this guide to find the right cooling system.
Why is cooling so important?
Modern processors increasingly contain transistors to increase the performance and speed of the hardware. Due to the electrical load, each of these transistors releases heat, which causes the surface of the processor to heat up.
This heat effect is enhanced by the fact that many transistors are mounted next to each other in a very small space. If the temperature of the PC exceeds 60 degrees Celsius, performance can be severely affected and this can eventually damage the hardware.
To avoid this, it is advisable to install a cooling system on the computer. The purpose of the cooling system is to remove heat as quickly as possible from the processor core. Another way to prevent overheating is to enlarge the heat-releasing surface.
What are the different types of cooling?
In addition to air cooling, there is also water cooling. Modern chillers are also equipped with heat pipes, in which there is a special liquid or gas, which transports the heat not by conduction but by convection.
It is also possible to cool your PC with nitrogen. But this type of cooling is less common than the others and is only used by experts because it can be a health risk.
Air cooling
In the case of passive air cooling, the heat escapes into the air. To be more efficient, some cooling systems use heat pipes to conduct the heat to the outside.
With active air cooling, the heat is forced outwards by an additional fan, producing a continuous air flow. In general, air cooling is a cheaper alternative to water cooling.
Passive air cooling is quiet because it does not require the movement of certain parts. However, it is only recommended for low-performance processors where the risk of overheating is reduced. For modern, higher performance processors, active air cooling is required.
The performance of the cooling system depends, firstly, on the size of the cooler and, secondly, on the airflow produced by the fan. Note that active air cooling is not silent. A system with a large fan at low speed will make less noise than a smaller fan with a higher speed.
Water cooling
The special feature of water cooling is its ability to dissipate heat efficiently and quietly. Thanks to its cooling capacity, which is higher than air cooling, water cooling is better suited for more sophisticated PCs, which have additional features compared to conventional PCs.
In most cases, the cooler is made of aluminium or copper. The water is circulated through it by means of a pump. The heat from the processor enters the circuit and is sent to a radiator, where the heat is cooled by the water before being expelled.
Water cooling also has a passive and an active version. In the case of passive water cooling, cooling in the radiator takes place naturally by means of air currents. In the case of active water cooling, a fan produces the airflow.