And how effective can it be? The need for liquid cooling appeared due to the fact that it was decided to overclock the processor, and the faster it works, the hotter it gets. That is, a standard cooler was no longer enough, and store-bought cooling systems are quite expensive.

Materials and tools for homemade:
- heat exchanger or water block;
- cooling radiator (from the car);
- pump (centrifugal type water pump with a capacity of 600 liters per hour);
- expansion tank (in our case under water);
- four 120 mm fans;
- power supply for the fan;
- various others expendable materials and tools.

The process of making homemade:

Step one. Water block manufacturing
The water block is necessary in order to most efficiently remove heat from the processor. For such purposes, materials with good thermal conductivity will be needed, the author chose copper. Another option is to use aluminum, but its thermal conductivity is half that of copper, that is, for aluminum it is 230 W / (m * K), and for copper it is 395.4 W / (m * K).

It is also important to develop a water block structure for efficient heat dissipation. The water block must have several channels through which water will circulate. The coolant must not stagnate and water must circulate through the entire water block. It is also important to make the area of ​​contact with water as large as possible. To increase the area of ​​​​contact with the coolant, frequent cuts can be applied to the walls of the water block, and you can also install a small needle radiator.

The author decided to follow the path of least resistance, therefore, as a water block, a water tank was made with two tubes for its supply and selection. A brass pipe connector was used as the basis. The base was a copper plate 2 mm thick. From above, the water block is also closed with such a copper plate, in which tubes are installed to match the diameter of the hoses. The whole structure is soldered with tin-lead solder.

As a result, the water block turned out to be quite large, which was reflected in its weight; in the assembled state, a load of 300 grams was placed on the motherboard. And this led to additional costs. To facilitate the design, it was necessary to come up with an additional system for attaching hoses.

Water exchanger material: copper and brass
The diameter of the fittings is 10 mm
Assembly by soldering with tin-lead solder
The structure is fastened with screws to the store cooler, the hoses are additionally fixed with clamps
The cost of homemade at this step is around 100 rubles.

Learn more about waterblock assembly
How the assembly process took place can be seen in the photo. That is, the necessary blanks were cut out of a sheet of copper, the tubes were soldered, and then, with the help of a soldering iron, everything was combined into a ready-made organ of the system.

Step two. Dealing with the pump
Pumps can be divided into two types, they are submersible and external. The external pump passes water through itself, while the submersible pump pushes it out. The author used a submersible type of pump for his homemade product, since he could not find an external one anywhere. The power of such a purchased pump ranges from 200 to 1400 liters per hour, and they cost in the region of 500-2000 rubles. As a power source, there is a regular socket here, the device consumes from 4 to 20 watts.

To reduce noise, the pump must be installed on foam rubber or other similar material. The reservoir was a jar in which the pump was placed. To connect the silicone hoses, you need metal clamps with screws. To make the hoses easy to put on and take off in the future, an odorless lubricant can be used.

As a result, the maximum productivity of the pump was 650 liters per hour. The height to which the pump can lift water is 80 cm. The required voltage is 220V, the device consumes 6W. The cost is 580 rubles.

Step three. A few words about the radiator
The success of the whole undertaking will depend on how well the radiator will work. For homemade, the author used a car radiator from the Zhiguli stove of the ninth model, it was bought at a flea market for only 100 rubles. Due to the fact that the distance between the radiator plates turned out to be too small for the coolers to be able to drive air through it, they had to be forced apart.

Radiator Specifications:
- tubes are made of copper;
- aluminum radiator fins;
- dimensions 35x20x5 cm;
- the diameter of the fittings is 14 mm.

Step four. Radiator airflow
To cool the radiator, two pairs of 12 cm coolers are used, two are installed on one side and two on the other. For fans, a separate 12V power supply was used. They are connected in parallel with regard to polarity. If the polarity is reversed, the fan can be damaged. Minus is indicated in black, plus in red, and speed values ​​are transmitted in yellow.
The fan current is 0.15A, one costs 80 rubles.

Here, the author considered the efficiency and low cost of the device to be the main task, so no efforts were made to reduce noise. Cheap Chinese fans are quite noisy by themselves, but they can be mounted on silicone grommets or other mounts to reduce vibrations. If you buy more expensive coolers costing 200-300 rubles, then they work more quietly, but they still make noise at maximum speeds. But they have high power and consume 300-600 mA of current.

Step five. Power Supply
If a desired block there is no power at hand, then you can collect it yourself. You will need an inexpensive microcircuit for 100 rubles and several other available elements. For four fans, you need a current of 0.6 A, and of course you need to have a little in stock. The assembled microcircuit produces about 1A at a voltage in the region of 9-15V, depending on specific model. In general, any model is suitable, you can change the voltage using variable resistor.

Tools and materials for the power supply:
- soldering iron with solder;
- microchip;
- radio components;
- insulation and wires.
The issue price is 100 rubles.

Step six. The final stage. Installation and verification

Test computer:
- Intel processor Core i7 960 3.2 GHz / 4.3 GHz;
- thermal grease AL-SIL 3;
- power supply unit OCZ ZX1250W;
- motherboard ASUS Rampage 3 formula.

Software used: Windows 7 x64 SP1, RealTemp 3.69, Prime 95, Cpu-z 1.58.

In this article I will try to talk about my attempt to make a water cooling system for the processor at home. At the same time, I will describe the main points and technical subtleties using the example of my own experience. If you are interested in a detailed illustrated manual for the manufacture, assembly and installation of such a system, then welcome under cat.

Traffic, lots of pictures! Video of the manufacturing process at the very bottom.

The thought of creating more efficient cooling home computer I was born in the process of finding a way to improve the performance of my computer by "overclocking" the processor. An overclocked processor consumes one and a half times more power and heats up accordingly. The main limiter to buying a ready-made one is the price, buying a ready-made water cooling system in a store is unlikely to cost less than a hundred dollars. Yes, in reviews. budget systems liquid cooling is not particularly praised. So it was decided to make the simplest CBO independently and at minimal cost.

Theory and Assembly

Main details

• Water block (or heat exchanger)
• Centrifugal water pump (pump) with a capacity of 600 liters / h.
• Cooling radiator (automotive)
• Expansion tank for coolant (water)
• Hoses 10-12 mm;
• Fans with a diameter of 120mm (4 pieces)
• Power supply for fans
• Expendable materials

water block

The main task of the water block is to quickly take heat from the processor and transfer it to the coolant. For these purposes, copper is most suitable. It is possible to manufacture a heat exchanger from aluminum, but its thermal conductivity (230 W / (m * K)) is half that of copper (395.4 W / (m * K)). Also important is the device of the water block (or heat exchanger). The heat exchanger device is one or more continuous channels passing through the entire internal volume of the water block. It is important to maximize the surface of contact with water and avoid water stagnation. To increase the surface, frequent cuts are usually used on the walls of the water block or small needle radiators are installed.

I didn't try to make anything complicated, so I started making a simple water container with two holes for pipes. A brass pipe connector was taken as the basis, and a copper plate 2 mm thick became the base. From above, two copper tubes of the hose diameter are inserted into the same plate. Everything is soldered with tin-lead solder. Making the waterblock bigger, at first I did not think about its weight. Assembled with hoses and water, more than 300 grams will hang on the motherboard, and additional hose mounts had to be used to make it easier.

• Material: copper, brass
• Fitting diameter: 10 mm
• Soldering: Tin-lead solder
• Mounting method: screws to the store cooler mount, hoses are attached with clamps
• Price: about 100 rubles

Sawing and soldering

water pump

Pumps are external or submersible. The first only passes it through itself, and the second pushes it out, being immersed in it. Submersible is used here, it is placed in a container with water. It was not possible to find an external one, I looked in pet stores, and there only submersible aquarium pumps. Power from 200 to 1400 liters per hour price from 500 to 2000 rubles. Powered by a wall outlet, power from 4 to 20 watts. On a hard surface, the pump makes a lot of noise, and on foam rubber, the noise is negligible. A jar containing a pump was used as a water reservoir. To attach the silicone hoses, steel clamps with screws were used. An odorless lubricant can be used to make hoses easy to put on and take off.

• The maximum productivity - 650 l/h.
• Water lifting height - 80 cm
• Voltage - 220V
• Power - 6 W
• Price - 580 rubles

Radiator

How high quality the radiator will be, will largely determine the efficiency of the entire water cooling system. Here an automobile radiator of a heating system (stove) from nine was used, an old one was bought at a flea market for 100 rubles. Unfortunately, the interval between the plates in it turned out to be less than a millimeter, so I had to manually move apart and compress the plates in several pieces so that weak Chinese fans could blow through it.

• Tube material: copper
• Fin material: aluminum
• Size: 35x20x5 cm
• Fitting diameter: 14 mm
• Price: 100 rubles

blowing

The radiator is blown by two pairs of 12 cm fans in front and behind. It was not possible to power 4 fans from the system unit during the test, so I had to assemble a simple 12-volt power supply. The fans were connected in parallel, and connected with respect to polarity. This is important, otherwise the fan can be damaged with a high probability. The cooler has 3 wires: black (ground), red (+12V) and yellow (speed value).

• Material: Chinese plastic
• Diameter: 12 cm
• Voltage: 12V
• Current: 0.15 A
• Price: 80*4 rubles

Note to the owner

I did not set the goal of reducing noise because of the cost of the fans. So the fan for 100 rubles is made of black plastic and consumes 150 milliamps of current. These are the ones I used to blow the radiator, it blows weakly, but it's cheap. Already for 200-300 rubles you can find much more powerful and beautiful models with a consumption of 300-600 milliamps, but at maximum speed they are noisy. This is solved by silicone gaskets and anti-vibration mounts, but for me the minimum cost was decisive.

Power Supply

If there is no ready-made one at hand, you can assemble the simplest of improvised materials and a microcircuit, which costs less than 100 rubles. For 4 fans, a current of 0.6 A is required and a little in reserve. The microcircuit gives approximately 1 ampere at a voltage of 9 to 15 volts, depending on the model. You can use any model by setting 12 volts with a variable resistor.

• Tools and soldering iron
• Radio components
• Chip
• Wires and insulation
• Price: 100 rubles

Installation and verification

Hardware

• Processor: Intel Core i7 960 3.2 GHz / 4.3 GHz
• Motherboard: ASUS Rampage 3 formula
• Power supply: OCZ ZX1250W
• Thermal Grease: AL-SIL 3

Software

• Windows 7 x64 SP1
• Prime 95
• RealTemp 3.69
• cpu-z 1.58

I didn’t have to test for a particularly long time, because. the results did not even come close to the capabilities of an air cooler. The CBO radiator has so far been blown by only two Chinese fans out of 4 possible and have not yet been moved apart wider than the plates for better blowing. So in the energy saving mode and zero load, the temperature of the processor in the air is about 42 degrees, and on a self-made CBO 57 degrees. Running the prime95 test on 4 threads (50% load) warms up to 65 degrees in air and to 100 degrees in 30 seconds in CBO. When overclocked, the results are even worse.

An attempt was made to make a new water block with a thinner (0.5 mm) copper base plate and almost three times more capacious inside, though from the same materials (copper + brass). The plates have been moved apart in the radiator for better ventilation and two more fans have been added, now there are 4 of them. This time, in the power saving mode and zero load, the temperature of the processor in the air is about 42 degrees, and on a self-made CBO, about 55 degrees. Running the prime95 test on 4 threads (50% load) warms up to 65 degrees in air and up to 83 degrees in CBO. But at the same time, the water in the circuit starts to heat up quite quickly and after 5-7 minutes the temperature of the processor reaches 96 degrees. These are the readings without overclocking.

Of course, it was interesting to collect CBO, but to use it for cooling modern processor failed. In older computers, a regular cooler does an excellent job. Maybe I picked up poor-quality materials or made the water block incorrectly, but it’s not possible for me to assemble a CBO for less than 1000 rubles at home. After reading reviews of budget ready-made CBOs available in stores, I did not hope that my homemade product would be better than a good air cooler. For myself, I concluded that it is not worth saving in the future on components for SVO. When I decide to buy a CBO for overclocking, I will definitely assemble it myself from individual parts.

Video

Every year, manufacturers of computer microchips are trying to reduce the manufacturing process, improve technology, and apply new materials. We already have this issue. As you remember, one of the main problems that engineers are struggling with is increased heat dissipation. In other words, heat.

When heat became a real problem in computing, engineers began to develop various systems cooling. At the beginning, these were small aluminum radiators, then coolers were added to the design. Over time, cooling technologies have become more sophisticated as newer and higher performing systems have been introduced. Of course, you will begin to deny, saying that the standard "boxed" coolers have not changed much since their appearance. But we are talking about the most advanced technologies on our site, and they require very non-standard approaches. There are quite a few such non-standard cooling systems, both by large companies and by simple fans of modding and overclocking.

The system called Orgasmatron is quite original. The builder aodqw97 created it completely from scratch back in 2005.

On the front panel of the computer, you can see the original reset and power buttons, and to the right of them a special toggle switch turns on / off the cooling of hard drives. The case itself is made of acrylic, and the tubes are sensitive to ultraviolet light, they glow in the dark with the appropriate backlight.

Sledgehammer by TommyTech

This water cooling system is called the Sledgehammer, and it contains a rather original cylindrical tank mounted on the side of the 4U rack case. The tank is not filled to the maximum, so a beautiful bubble effect occurs during the operation of the system. On the front panel there is a panel for adjusting the fan speed and pump speed. This system cools the CPU, GPU and chipset. Quite enough, in my opinion.

Fancy heat exchanger by syman_leeds_uk

Before us is a water cooling system with a radiator, which can be called unusual. Attached to the wall is a round sheet of metal with copper tubes - all this was done by hand. The very large area of ​​the metal allows it to dissipate heat into the air without the aid of fans, which reduces the overall noise level.
And the large cylinder in the background that looks like a water heater is actually a computer. A good way to save on heating in winter. The only question is - what to do in the summer?

Green Cooling by PCGH Extreme

The system in the photo uses a cylindrical inner tank filled with a green liquid. Thanks to the bubbles, a jelly-like effect is created. In any case, the system looks very stylish.

One hundred pipes by silviarb20det

The photo shows the water-cooled system of one of the modders. The number of tubes is simply amazing. When you upgrade something, it can be difficult to deal with pipes.

Huge number of fans by rubin1456

Before us, although not a water cooling system, but a rather original case, consisting of a huge number of 120 mm fans. The system is cooled not only from the back and front, but also from all sides, including the bottom!
Of course, you can't dream of an optimized airflow in such a system. Does it cool effectively? Hardly. But who cares, just another crazy modder decided to stand out from the crowd. Well, he succeeded!

Dive computer from Puget Systems

Puget Systems sells submersible computer systems, both ready-made and just "aquarium case". The motherboard and all components are mounted inside, with the exception of hard drives, after which the case is filled with oil, which Puget puts in the package. And you get your own liquid-cooled submersible system. It remains to run the fish.

Project Monolith by rainwulf

The system shown in the photo was compiled by rainwulf from overclockers.com.au and named Project Monolith. The system is completely built from scratch: from the body to the tubes. Of all the systems we've looked at in this review, the rainwulf is the craziest. Even the power supply has water cooling! Rainwulf has fully described the entire manufacturing and assembly process, which you can read.

Look what rainwulf did to the graphics card. You can see the amazing attention to every detail. All this had to be carefully planned.

Unusual cooling system surprised us Apple company, releasing a new model of his workstation - Mac Pro. The entire body of the station is an aluminum cylinder, reminiscent of an aircraft turbine. Inside, all components are soldered around an unusual triangular-shaped heatsink.

Such a non-standard arrangement allowed Apple to accommodate such a powerful filling in a small and very stylish case. What is most surprising is that the workstation's cooling system is very quiet and does not irritate the ear.

Another cooling system has been assembled for a long time, but it deserves attention. If only because its author tried very hard. It is difficult to call such a layout successful, but it works, and this is a fact.

So we decided to write a special article dedicated to computer water cooling systems. We will try to cover all aspects water cooling for computers, in particular, we will talk about what a water cooling system is, what it consists of and How does it work. We will also cover popular questions such as water cooling system assembly, water cooling system maintenance and many related topics.

What is a water cooling system

Water cooling system- this is cooling system which uses water as a heat carrier to transfer heat. Unlike systems air cooling, which transfer heat directly to the air, the water cooling system first transfers heat to water.

The principle of operation of the water cooling system

In computer water cooling system warm generated by the processor is transferred to the water through a special heat exchanger, called water block. The water heated in this way, in turn, is transferred to the next heat exchanger - radiator, in which the heat from the water is transferred to the air and escapes the computer. The movement of water in the system is carried out using a special pump, which is often referred to as pomp.

Water Cooling Excellence over air is due to the fact that water has higher than air, heat capacity(4.183 kJ kg -1 K -1 for water versus 1.005 kJ kg -1 K -1 for air) and thermal conductivity(0.6 W/(m K) for water versus 0.024-0.031W/(m K) for air). NWO provides faster and more efficient heat dissipation from the cooled elements and, accordingly, lower temperatures on them.

Efficiency and reliability of water cooling systems proven by time and use in a large number of various mechanisms and devices that need powerful and reliable cooling, such as internal combustion engines, high-power lasers, radio tubes, factory machines and even nuclear power plants.

Why does a computer need water cooling?

Due to its high efficiency, using the system water cooling you can achieve both more productive cooling, which will have a positive effect on overclocking, system life and stability, and a lower noise level from the computer. If desired, you can also assemble the system water cooling which will allow you to work overclocked computer when minimum noise. For this reason, water cooling systems are primarily relevant for users of especially powerful computers, fans of powerful overclocking, as well as people who want to make their computer quieter, but at the same time do not want to compromise with its power.

Quite often you can see gamers with three and four chip video subsystems (3-Way SLI, Quad SLI, CrossFire X) who complain about high operating temperatures ( over 90 degrees) and constant overheating of video cards, which at the same time create very high noise level their cooling systems. Sometimes it seems that the cooling systems of modern video cards are designed without taking into account the possibility of their use in multi-chip configurations, which leads to disastrous consequences when video cards are installed close to each other - they simply have nowhere to draw cold air for normal cooling. They don't save alternative air cooling systems, because only a few models available on the market provide compatibility with multi-chip configurations. In such a situation it is water cooling can solve the problem - radically lower temperatures, improve stability and increase the reliability of a powerful computer.

Water cooling system components

Computer water cooling systems consist of a specific set of components, which can be divided into mandatory and optional, which are installed in the CBO at will.

The essential components of a computer water cooling system include:

• water block (at least one in the system, but more are possible)
• radiator
• water pump
• hoses
• fitting
• water

Although this list is not exhaustive, optional components include:

• storage tank
• thermal sensors
• pump and fan controllers
• drain taps
• indicators and meters (flow, pressure, flow, temperature)
• secondary water blocks (for power transistors, memory modules, hard drives etc.)
• water additives and ready-made water mixtures
• backplates
• filters

To begin with, we will consider the required components, without which NWO simply cannot work.

water block(from English waterblock) is special heat exchanger, with the help of which heat from a heating element (processor, video chip or other element) transferred to water. Usually, the design water block comprises copper base, as well as a metal or plastic cover and a set of fasteners that allow you to fix the water block on the cooled element. Waterblocks exist for all computer fuel elements, even those that don't really need them.

To main types of water blocks can safely be attributed processor water blocks, water blocks for video cards, as well as water blocks on the system chip ( north bridge). In turn, water blocks for video cards also come in two types:

• Water blocks covering only the graphics chip - the so-called gpu-only water blocks
• Water blocks that cover all the heating elements of the video card (graphic chip, video memory, voltage regulators, etc.) - the so-called fulcover(from English fullcover) water blocks

Although the first water blocks were usually made of rather thick copper (1 - 1.5 cm), in accordance with modern trends in water block construction, they try to make their bases thin to make water blocks work more efficiently. Also, to increase the surface heat transfer, in modern water blocks usually use a microchannel or microneedle structure. In cases where performance is not so critical and there is no struggle for every degree won back, for example, on a system chip, water blocks are made without a sophisticated internal structure, sometimes with simple channels or even a flat bottom.

Radiator. A water-to-air heat exchanger is called a radiator in water cooling systems. which transfers the heat of water collected in the water block to the air. Radiators of water cooling systems are divided into two subtypes:

• Passive, i.e. fanless
• Active, i.e. blown by fans

Fanless (passive) radiators for water cooling systems are relatively rare (for example, a radiator in Zalman Reserator CBO) due to the fact that, in addition to obvious advantages (lack of noise from fans), this type of radiator has a lower efficiency (compared to active radiators), which is typical for all passive systems cooling. In addition to low performance, radiators of this type, usually take up a lot of space and rarely fit even in modified cases.

blown by fans(active) radiators are more common in computer systems water cooling, as they have a much higher efficiency. In this case, in the case of using quiet or silent fans, it is possible to achieve, respectively, quiet or silent operation cooling systems - the main advantage of passive radiators. Radiators of this type come in a wide variety of sizes, but the size of most popular models radiators is a multiple of a 120mm or 140mm fan, meaning a three 120mm fan heatsink will be about 360mm long and 120mm wide - for simplicity, radiators of this size are commonly referred to as triple or 360mm.

Although it is rare that computer cases have space for water cooling radiators larger than 120mm, it is not difficult for a real modder to install a radiator.

water pump - it is an electric pump responsible for the circulation of water in the water cooling circuit computer without which NWO would simply not work. pumps used in water cooling systems There are both working from 220 volts, and from 12 volts. Previously, when it was rare to find specialized components for CBO on sale, enthusiasts mainly used aquarium pumps, which worked from 220 volts, which created certain difficulties, since the pump had to be turned on synchronously with the computer - for this, most often, a relay was used that turned on the pump automatically when the computer started. With the development of water cooling systems, specialized pumps began to appear., such as Laing DDC, which had compact size and high performance, while powered by standard computer 12 volts.

Since modern water blocks have a fairly high rate hydraulic resistance, which is a price to pay for high performance, it is recommended to use specialized powerful pumps with them, since with an aquarium pump (even a powerful one), a modern CBO will not fully reveal its performance. Especially pursue power, using in one circuit 2 - 3 pumps installed in series or using a circulation pump from the home heating system is also not worth it, since this will not lead to an increase in the performance of the system as a whole, because it is, first of all, limited by the maximum heat-dissipating capacity of the radiator and the efficiency of the water block.

Hoses or tubes, whatever they are called, are also one of the mandatory components in any water cooling system, because it is through them that water flows from one component of the water cooling system to another. Most often, in a computer water cooling system, hoses made of PVC are used, less often silicone. Despite popular misconceptions, the size of the hose does not have a strong impact on the performance of CBOs in general, the main thing is not to take too thin (inner diameter, which are smaller 8 millimeters) hoses and everything will be OK

Fitting are special connecting elements that allow connect hoses to CBO components (water blocks, radiator, pump). Fitting and screw into a threaded hole on component of the NWO, you do not need to screw them in tightly (no wrenches), since the sealing of the connection is most often carried out using a rubber o-ring. Modern tendencies on the market of components for CBO are such that the vast majority of components are supplied without fittings in the kit. This is done so that the user can choose your own fittings required specifically for its water cooling system, because there are fittings different type and for different sizes of hoses. The most popular types of fittings can be considered compression fittings (fittings with a swivel nut) and herringbone type fittings (unions). Fitting there are both straight and angular (which often turn) and they are placed depending on how you are going to place the water cooling system in your computer. Fittings also differ in the type of thread, the most common thread in computer water cooling systems is G1 / 4 threads, but in rare cases G1 / 8 or G3 / 8 threads are also found.

Also a required component NWO For When refilling cooling water systems, it is best to use distilled water., that is, water purified from all impurities by distillation. Sometimes on Western sites you can find references to deionized water - it has no significant differences from distilled water, except that it is produced in a different way. Sometimes, instead of water, specially prepared mixtures or water with various additives are used - there are no significant differences in this, so we will consider these options in the section on optional components of water cooling systems. In any case, pouring tap water or mineral / bottled drinking water is highly discouraged.

Now let's take a closer look at optional components for water cooling systems.

Optional components are components without which the water cooling system can work stably and without problems, usually they do not affect the performance of the CBO in any way, although in some cases they can reduce it a little. The main purpose of the optional components is to make the operation of the water cooling system more convenient and beautiful, or to make the user feel safe to operate the air cooler. So, let's move on to the consideration of optional components:

Storage tank(expansion tank) is optional water cooling systems, despite the fact that most water cooling systems are still equipped with them. Often enough for easy filling of the system liquid instead of a reservoir is used tee fitting (T-Line) and filler neck. Advantage tankless systems in that if the CBO is installed in a compact case, it can be placed more conveniently. Reservoir systems have the advantage of more convenient filling of the system (although this depends on the reservoir) and more convenient removal of air bubbles from the system. Tanks come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and they must be selected according to the criteria for ease of installation and appearance.

Drain tap is a component that allows you to more conveniently drain water from the water cooling circuit. In the normal state, it is blocked, but when it becomes necessary to drain water from the system, it is opened. A fairly simple component that can greatly improve usability, or rather service, water cooling systems.

Sensors, indicators and meters. Since enthusiasts usually love all sorts of gadgets and bells and whistles, manufacturers simply could not stand aside and released quite a few different controllers, meters and sensors for CBOs, although a water cooling system can work quite calmly (and at the same time reliably) without them. Among such components, there are electronic sensors for pressure and water flow, water temperature, controllers that adjust the operation of fans to temperature, mechanical indicators of water movement, pump controllers, and so on. Nevertheless, in our opinion, for example, it makes sense to install pressure and water flow sensors only in systems designed to test the components of water treatment systems, since this information makes little sense for ordinary user just no. Putting several temperature sensors in different places of the CBO circuit, hoping to see a large temperature difference, also makes little sense, since water has a very high heat capacity, that is, heating up literally one degree, the water “absorbs” a large amount of heat, while it moves in the CBO circuit at a fairly high speed, which leads to the fact that the temperature of the water in different places of the CBO circuit at one time differs quite slightly, so you won’t see impressive values. Yes, and do not forget that most computer thermal sensors have an error of ± 1 degree.

Filter. In some water cooling systems, you can find a filter connected to the circuit. Its task is to filter out a variety of small particles that got into the system - it could be dust that was in the hoses, solder residues in the radiator, sediment that appeared from the use of a dye or anti-corrosion additive.

Additives to water and ready mixes. In addition to water, various water additives can be used in the CBO circuit, some of them protect against corrosion, others prevent the development of bacteria in the system, and still others allow you to tint the water in the water cooling system with the color you need. There are also ready-made mixtures that contain water as the main component with anti-corrosion additives and a dye. There are also ready-made mixtures that include additives that increase the performance of CBOs, although the increase in performance from them is insignificant. On sale you can also find liquids for water cooling systems made not on the basis of water, but on the basis of a special dielectric liquid that does not conduct electricity and, accordingly, will not cause a short circuit when leaking to PC components. Ordinary distilled water, in principle, also does not conduct current, but if spilled on dusty PC components, it can become electrically conductive. There is no special meaning in a dielectric liquid, since a normally assembled and tested water cooling system does not leak and is quite reliable. It is also worth noting that anti-corrosion additives, sometimes, during their operation, precipitate with fine dust, and coloring additives can stain hoses and acrylic in CBO components a little, but, in our experience, you should not pay attention to this, since this is not critical. The main thing is to follow the instructions for additives and not pour them excessively, as this can already lead to more disastrous consequences. Whether to use just distilled water in the system, water with additives or a ready-made mixture - there is not much difference, and the best option depends on what you need.

Backplate- this is a special mounting plate that helps relieve the textolite of the motherboard or video card from the force created by the water block mounts, respectively, reducing the bending of the textolite and the chance to ruin expensive iron. Although the backplate is not a mandatory component, it can be found quite often in CBO, some models of water blocks come with backplates immediately, and for others it is available as an optional accessory.

Secondary water blocks. In addition to cooling critical and hot components with water, some enthusiasts put additional waterblocks on components that either heat up slightly or do not require powerful active cooling, for example. Components that need water cooling only for appearance include: power transistors for power circuits, RAM, south bridge and hard drives. The optionality of these components in a water cooling system lies in the fact that even if you put water cooling on these components, you will not get any additional system stability, overclocking improvement or other noticeable results - this is primarily due to low heat dissipation these elements, as well as the inefficiency of water blocks for these components. Of the clear advantages of installing data with a water block, only appearance, and from the minuses - an increase in hydraulic resistance in the circuit of the SVO, an increase in the cost of the entire system (at the same time significant) and, usually, low upgradeability of these water blocks.

In addition to the mandatory and optional components for water cooling systems, a category of so-called hybrid components can also be distinguished. Sometimes, on sale you can find components that are two or more CBO components connected into one device. Among such devices are: hybrids of a pump and a processor water block, radiators for your own with a built-in pump and reservoir, pumps combined with a reservoir are very common. The meaning of such components is to reduce the space occupied and more convenient installation. The disadvantage of such components is usually their limited upgradeability.

Separately, there is a category of home-made components for water cooling systems. Initially, since about 2000, all components for water cooling systems were made or modified by enthusiasts with their own hands, because then there were simply no specialized components for water cooling systems. Therefore, if a person wanted to establish a CBO for himself, then he had to do everything with his own hands. After the relative popularization of water cooling for computers, components for them began to be produced by a large number of companies and now you can easily buy both a ready-made water cooling system and everything necessary components for self-assembly. So, in principle, we can say that now there is no need to manufacture CBO components on your own in order to install water cooling on your computer. The only reasons why now some enthusiasts are engaged in the manufacture of CBO components on their own is the desire to save money or try their hand at making such components. However, the desire to save money is not always possible to fulfill, because in addition to the cost of work and components of the manufactured part, there are also time costs that are usually not taken into account by people who want to save money, but the reality is that you will have to spend a lot of time on independent production and the result however, will not be guaranteed. And the performance and reliability of home-made components often turn out to be far from the highest level, since for the manufacture of serial-level components it is necessary to have very direct (skillful fingers If you decide to independently manufacture, for example, a water block, then consider these facts.

External or internal CBO

Among other features, water cooling systems are divided into external and internal. External water cooling systems are usually made in the form of a separate "box", i.e. a module that is connected with hoses to the water blocks installed on the components in your PC case. The case of an external water cooling system almost always contains a radiator with fans, a pump, a reservoir, and sometimes a power supply for the pump with temperature and / or fluid flow sensors. External systems include, for example, the Zalman water cooling systems of the Reserator family. Systems installed in the form separate module, are convenient in that there is no need for the user to modify the case of their computer, but they are very inconvenient if you plan to move your computer even at minimal distances, for example, to the next room

Internal water cooling systems are ideally located entirely inside the PC case, but due to the fact that not all computer cases are well suited for installing CBOs, some components of the internal water cooling system (most often a radiator) can often be seen installed on the outer surface of the case. The advantages of internal CBOs include the fact that they are very convenient when carrying a computer, since they will not interfere with you and will not require you to drain the liquid during transportation. Another advantage of internal CBOs is that when indoor installation CBO in no way suffers from the appearance of the case, and when modding a computer, the water cooling system can serve as an excellent decoration for the case.

To the minuses of internal water cooling systems can be attributed to the relative complexity of their installation, compared with external ones, as well as the need to modify the hull to install SVO in many cases. Another negative moment can be called what internal SVO will add a couple of kilograms of weight to your body

Ready-made systems or self-assembly

Water cooling systems, among other features, are also divided according to the assembly and configuration options into:

• Ready-made systems, in which all CBO components are bought in one set, with installation instructions
• Self-made systems that are assembled independently from individual components

Usually, many enthusiasts believe that all "systems out of the box" show poor performance, but this is far from the case - water cooling kits from such well-known brands as Swiftech, Danger Dan, Koolance and Alphacool demonstrate quite decent performance and you certainly can’t talk about them say that they are weak, and these companies are well-established manufacturers of high-performance components for water cooling systems.

Among the advantages of ready-made systems, convenience can be noted - you immediately buy everything you need to install water cooling in one set, and assembly instructions are included. In addition, manufacturers of finished water cooling systems usually try to foresee all possible situations so that the user, for example, does not have problems installing and fixing components. The disadvantages of such systems include the fact that they are not flexible in terms of configuration, for example, the manufacturer has several options for ready-made water cooling systems and you usually do not have the opportunity to change their configuration in order to select the components that are best suited for you.

Buying water cooling components separately, you can choose exactly those components that, in your opinion, will suit you best. In addition, sometimes you can save money by buying a system from individual components, but it all depends on you. Of the minuses of this approach, one can single out some difficulty in assembling such systems for beginners, for example, we have seen cases when people who are not well versed in the topic did not buy all the necessary components and / or components that were incompatible with each other and got into a mess (understood that something then it’s not so here) only when they sat down to assemble the CBO.

Pros and cons of water cooling systems

The main advantages of water cooling computers include: the ability to build a quiet and powerful PC, advanced overclocking options, improved overclocking stability, excellent appearance and long service life. Due to the high efficiency of water cooling, it is possible to assemble a CBO that would allow the operation of a very powerful overclocked gaming computer with several video cards at a relatively low noise level, unattainable for air cooling systems. Again, thanks to their high efficiency, water cooling systems allow you to achieve more high level overclocking a processor or video card, unattainable with air cooling. Water cooling systems, most often, have a great appearance and look great in a modified (or not so) computer.

Of the minuses of water cooling systems, they usually distinguish: assembly complexity, high cost and unreliability. Our opinion is that these minuses are based on few real facts and are very controversial and relative. For example, the complexity of assembling a water cooling system definitely cannot be called high - assembling a CBO is not much more difficult than assembling a computer, and indeed the times when all components had to be finalized without fail or all components made by one's own hands are long gone and at the moment in the field of CBO, almost everything is standardized and commercially available. The reliability of properly assembled computer water cooling systems is also beyond doubt, just as the reliability of an automobile cooling system or a private house heating system is beyond doubt - there should be no problems with proper assembly and operation. Of course, no one is safe from marriage or an accident, but the likelihood of such events exists not only when using CBO, but also with the most common video cards, hard drives and other components. The cost, in our opinion, should also not be singled out as a minus, since such a “minus” can then be safely attributed to all high-performance equipment. And each user has his own understanding of the high cost or low cost. I would like to talk about the cost of CBO separately.

water cooling system cost

Cost, as a factor, is probably the most commonly cited "con" that is attributed to all PC water cooling systems. At the same time, everyone forgets that the cost of a water cooling system strongly depends on which components to assemble it on: you can assemble CBOs so that the total cost is cheaper without sacrificing performance, or you can choose components at the maximum price. At the same time, the final cost of similar in efficiency CBO will differ significantly.

water cooling system cost also depends on which computer it will be installed on, because what more powerful computer, so, in principle, the CBO will be more expensive for him, since for a powerful computer and CBO you need a more powerful one. In our opinion, the cost of the CBO is quite justified against the background of other components, because the water cooling system is, in fact, a separate component, and, in our opinion, a must for truly powerful PCs. Another factor that must be taken into account when evaluating the cost of a CBO is its durability, since, properly selected, CBO components can serve for more than one year in a row, surviving numerous upgrades of the rest of the hardware - not many PC components can boast of such survivability (except perhaps the case or taken in excess, BP), respectively, spending a relatively large amount on SVO is smoothly distributed over time and does not look wasteful.

If you really want to install a CBO for yourself, but you are strained with finances and no improvements are planned in the near future, then no one has canceled homemade components

Water cooling in modding

In addition to high efficiency, PC water cooling systems look great, which explains the popularity of using water cooling systems in many modding projects. Thanks to the ability to use colored or fluorescent hoses and/or liquids, the ability to illuminate water blocks with LEDs, to choose accessories that will suit your needs. color scheme and style, a water cooling system can fit perfectly into almost any modding project, and / or make it the main feature of your modding project. Using CBO in a Modding Project, at correct installation, allows you to improve the visibility of some components, usually hidden by large air cooling systems.

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Summer quickly came into its own; the thermometer is creeping up, and more and more often you have to think about how to ensure a comfortable temperature. Believe me: for computers, the problem of dealing with heat is no less relevant than for their users. Even if the conditions in the room are quite normal (20 - 22°С), the temperature in the system unit reaches 30–32°С. And this is at best. The hotter it is outside and in apartments, the more acute the issue of protection against overheating and the more attention is paid to the cooling systems of the system unit and its components.

In order to solve the problem competently, it is necessary, at least in general terms, to understand why computers need cooling systems at all, why system units overheat and how to protect the “computing friend” from thermal shock. In this article you will not find a long list of cooler models, but after reading it, you will be able to choose the right components for your PC cooling system and choose a new case wisely.

Why is he getting hot

The reason is trivial: like any electrical appliance, a computer dissipates a part (sometimes quite significant) of the consumed electricity in the form of heat - for example, the processor converts almost all of the energy used into heat. The more it is needed by the system unit, the more its components heat up. If the heat is not removed in time, this can lead to the most unpleasant results (see "Consequences of overheating"). The problem of heat dissipation and cooling is especially urgent for modern models of processors (both central and graphic), setting new performance records (and often heat dissipation).

Every PC component that dissipates a lot of heat is equipped with a cooling device. As a rule, in such devices there is a metal radiator and a fan - these are the components that a typical cooler consists of. The thermal interface between it and the heating component is also important - usually it is thermal paste (a mixture of substances with good thermal conductivity), which ensures efficient heat transfer to the cooler's heatsink.

Advances in cooling systems, through which technological innovations such as thermal tubes have appeared, have provided new opportunities for the creators of components for personal computers, allowing them to abandon noisy coolers. Some computers are equipped with water cooling systems - they have their advantages and disadvantages. All this is discussed below.

Increasing PC heat dissipation

The main reason why computers generate more and more heat is that their computing power. The most significant factors are:

• growth of clock frequencies of the processor, chipset, memory bus and other buses;
• growth in the number of transistors and memory cells in PC chips;
• increase in power consumed by PC nodes.

The more powerful the computer, the more electricity it "eats" - therefore, an increase in heat generation is inevitable. Despite the use of sophisticated technological processes in the manufacture of chips, their power consumption is still growing, increasing the amount of heat dissipated in the PC case. In addition, the area of ​​video card boards is increasing (for example, due to the need to accommodate more memory chips). The result is an increase in the aerodynamic resistance of the case: a bulky board simply blocks the access of cooling air to the processor and power supply. This problem is especially relevant for PCs in small cases, where the distance between the video card and the "basket" for the HDD is 2-3 cm - and yet in this space there are still drive cables and other cables ... Microcircuits random access memory are also becoming more “gluttonous”, and modern operating systems require more and more RAM. For example, in Windows 7, 4 GB is recommended for it - thus, several tens of watts of heat are dissipated, which further aggravates the situation with heat dissipation. The system logic chip on the motherboard is also a very "hot" component.

HARD DRIVE VULNERABILITY

Inside the case hard drive moving magnetic heads controlled by high-precision mechanics slide above the surface of the rotating plates. They write and read data. When heated, the materials that make up the disk components expand. In the operating temperature range, mechanics and electronics can cope with thermal expansion quite well. However, when it overheats, it exceeds acceptable limits, and the hard drive heads can “overshoot”, writing data in the wrong place until the computer is turned off. And when it is turned on again, cooled down HDD will not be able to find data recorded in an overheated condition. In such a case, information can be saved only with the help of complex and expensive special equipment. If the temperature exceeds 45°C, it is recommended to install an additional fan to cool the hard drive.

There is a paradox: the thermal load in modern cases is growing at a high rate, and their design remains almost unchanged: manufacturers take as a basis the design recommended by Intel almost 10 years ago. Models adapted to intense heat generation are rare, and low-noise models are even rarer.

Consequences of overheating

With excess heat, the computer will, at best, begin to slow down and freeze, and at worst, one or more components will fail. High temperatures are very harmful to the "health" of the element base (microcircuits, capacitors, etc.), especially for a hard drive, overheating of which is fraught with data loss.

APPROXIMATE HEAT RELEASE PARAMETERS

Approximate parameters of heat dissipation of the components of an average computer system unit (with a high computing load). The main sources of heat are the motherboard, CPU and the graphics processor of the video card (they account for more than half of the dissipated heat).

The capacity of modern HDDs allows you to store extensive collections of music and videos, work documents, digital photo albums, games and much more. Disks are becoming smaller and faster, but this comes at the cost of greater data density, structural fragility, and hence the vulnerability of the filling. Tolerances in the production of capacious drives are measured in microns, so the slightest "step to the side" disables the drive. Because HDD is so sensitive to external influences. If the drive has to operate under suboptimal conditions (such as overheating), the chances of losing written data increases dramatically.

PC Cooling Basics

If the air temperature in the system unit is kept at 36°C or higher, and the processor temperature is more than 60°C (or the hard drive constantly heats up to 45°C), it's time to take measures to improve cooling.

But before you run to the store for a new cooler, take into account a few points. It is possible that the problem of overheating can be solved more in a simple way. For example, the system unit should be positioned so that there is free air access to all ventilation openings. The distance at which its rear part is separated from the wall or furniture should be no less than two diameters of the exhaust fan. Otherwise, the resistance to air outflow increases, and most importantly, the heated air stays near the vents longer, so that a significant part of it again enters the system unit. If it is installed incorrectly, even the most powerful cooler will not save you from overheating (the efficiency of which is determined by the difference between its temperature and the temperature of the air cooling the radiator).

COOLER BASED ON THE PELTIER EFFECT

One of latest models, which uses the Peltier effect. Typically, these coolers feature a full range of the latest technological advances: TEMs, thermal tubes, fans with advanced aerodynamics, and an eye-catching design. The result is impressive; there would be enough space in the system unit ...

The most effective cooling is achieved when the air temperatures in the system unit and in the room where it is located are equal. The only way to get this result is to provide effective ventilation. For this, coolers of various designs are used.

In standard modern personal computer Usually several coolers are installed:

• in the power supply;
• on the central processor;
• on the GPU (if your computer has a discrete video card).

AT individual cases additional fans are used:

• for chips of system logic located on the motherboard;
• for hard drives;
• for PC case.

Cooling efficiency

When choosing a case for a PC system unit, each user is guided by their own criteria. For example, modders need an original design solution or the possibility of rework to implement it. Overclockers need a case in which the overclocked processor, video card, RAM (the list goes on) will feel comfortable. And at the same time, everyone, of course, wants the system unit to be quiet and small in size.

However, a fancy PC can generate up to 500W of heat (see table below). Are wishes feasible from the point of view of the laws of physics?

HOW MUCH HEAT DOES A COMPUTER GIVE OUT

There are several ways to measure heat dissipation.

1. According to the power consumption values ​​specified in the documentation for the PC components.

• Advantages: accessibility, simplicity.
• Disadvantages: high error and, as a result, excessive requirements for the cooling system.

2. With the help of sites that provide a service for calculating heat dissipation (and power consumption), for example, www.emacs.ru/calc.

• Advantages: you do not have to rummage through manuals or travel through manufacturers' websites - the necessary data is available in the databases of the services offered.
• Disadvantages: database compilers do not keep up with node manufacturers, so databases often contain unreliable data.

3. According to the values ​​of the power consumed by the nodes and the heat release coefficients found in the documentation or measured independently. This method is for professionals or great enthusiasts of optimizing the cooling system.

• Pros: Provides the most accurate results and optimizes your PC most effectively.
• Cons: to use this method requires serious knowledge and considerable experience.

Solutions

The main principle: in order to remove heat, it is necessary to pass a certain amount of air through the system unit. Moreover, its volume should be the greater, the hotter the room and the stronger the overheating.

Simply installing additional fans will not solve the problem. After all, the more numerous, powerful and “resourceful” they are, the “sounder” the PC. Moreover, not only are the motors and fan blades noisy, but the entire system unit makes noise due to vibrations (this is especially common with poor-quality assembly and the use of cheap cases). To correct this situation, it is recommended to use low-speed fans of large diameter.

In order to be able to achieve effective cooling without using noisy fans, the system unit must have low resistance to the air that passes through it (at professional language this is called aerodynamic drag). To put it simply - if the air is difficult to "crawl" through a tight space clogged with cables and components, you have to install fans with a lot of overpressure, and they inevitably create a lot of noise. Another problem is dust: the more air you need to pump, the more often you need to clean the inside of the case (we'll talk about this separately).

Aerodynamic drag

For optimal cooling, it is always desirable to use a large case. This is the only way to achieve comfortable operation without noise and overheating, even in abnormal (over 40 ° C) heat. A small case is appropriate only if the computer has low heat dissipation or water cooling is used.

However, to minimize noise, it is not necessary to build an air-cooled PC in a sea container or in a refrigerator. It is enough to take into account the recommendations of experts. So, the free section in any section of the body should be 2–5 times larger than the flow section exhaust fans. This also applies to the air inlets.

THERMAL PIPE COOLER

Thermotube coolers are "silent" and allow you to cool even very hot PC components, such as GPUs video cards. However, it is imperative to take into account the specific features of these cooling systems.

Hybrid systems include, along with thermotubes and heat sinks, conventional fans. But the presence of thermotubes, which facilitate heat removal, makes it possible to get by with a fan smaller sizes or use low-speed, and therefore not so noisy models.

In order to reduce aerodynamic drag, you need:

• ensure enough free space for air flows (it should be several times greater than the total cross section of the exhaust fans);
• neatly lay the cables inside the system unit using cable ties;
• in the place of air supply to the housing, install a filter that traps dust, but does not provide strong resistance to air flow;
• the filter should be cleaned regularly.

Compliance with simple rules will allow you to install low-speed exhaust fans. As already mentioned, the case must ensure the supply of cold air from the room where the PC is located to all the “hot” components without high energy costs (ie, with a minimum number of fans). The volume of air must be sufficient so that its temperature at the outlet of the case does not turn out to be too high: for efficient heat transfer of PC components, the difference in air temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the system unit should not exceed a few degrees.

FAN AND CASE UNIT LAYOUT OPTIONS FOR EFFICIENT PC COOLING

Here is one of the concepts for building an air cooling system:

• air intake is carried out below and in front, in the "cold" zone;
• air outlet is made at the top and rear, through the power supply. It corresponds natural movement heated air up;
• if necessary, an additional exhaust fan with automatic adjustment is installed, located next to the PSU;
• additional air intake is provided for the video card through the PCIE plug;
• low ventilation of 3" and 5" drive bays is provided due to slightly bent blanks of unoccupied bays;
• it is important to let the main air flow through the “hottest” components;
• it is desirable to bring the total area of ​​the intake holes to twice the area of ​​the fans (it is no longer required, since this will not give an effect, and the accumulation of dust will increase).

In accordance with these recommendations, you can modify the cases yourself (interesting, but troublesome) or choose the appropriate models when buying. Approximate options for organizing air flow through the system unit are given above.

The "correct" fan

If the system unit weakly “resists” the flow of blown air, you can use any fan, as long as it provides enough flow for cooling (this can be found in its passport, as well as using online calculators). Another thing is if the resistance to air flow is significant - this is exactly the case with fans mounted in densely “populated” cases, on radiators and in perforated holes.

If you decide to replace a failed fan in the case or on the cooler yourself, install one that has at least the flow rate and excess air pressure (see data sheet). If there is no relevant information, it is not recommended to use such a fan in critical nodes (for example, to cool the processor).

If the noise level is not too important, you can install "revolving" fans of a larger diameter. Thicker models allow you to reduce noise levels while increasing air pressure.

In any case, pay attention to the gap between the blades and the fan rim: it should not be large (the optimal value is calculated in tenths of a millimeter). If the distance between the blades and the rim is more than 2 mm, the fan will be inefficient.

Air or water?

It is widely believed that water systems are much more efficient and quieter than conventional air systems. Is it really? Indeed, the heat capacity of water is twice, and the density is 830 times higher than that of air. This means that an equal volume of water can remove 1658 times more heat.

However, the noise is not so simple. After all, the coolant (water) eventually gives off heat to the same “outboard” air, and water radiators (with the exception of huge structures) are equipped with the same fans - their noise is added to the noise of the water pump. Therefore, the gain, if any, is not so great.

The design becomes much more complicated when it is necessary to cool several components with a water flow proportional to their heat release. Apart from branched pipes, complex control devices have to be used (simple tees and crosses cannot be dispensed with). Alternative option– use a design with flows adjusted once and for all at the factory; but in this case, the user is deprived of the opportunity to significantly change the configuration of the PC.

Dust and its control

Due to speed differences, the system blocks of computers become real dust collectors. The speed of the air going through the inlets is many times higher than the speed of the flows inside the housing. In addition, air currents often change direction around PC components. Therefore, the majority (up to 70%) of dust brought from outside settles inside the case; should be cleaned at least once a year.

However, dust can become your "ally" in the fight to improve the efficiency of the cooling system. After all, its active subsidence is observed just in those places where air flows are not distributed optimally.

Air filters

Fiber filters intercept more than 70% of dust, which allows you to clean the case much less often. Often, several 120 mm exhaust fans are installed in modern PC cases, while air enters the case through many inlets dispersed throughout the structure - their total area is much less than the area of ​​the fans. Installing a filter in such a housing without modification is pointless. Professionals give here a number of recommendations:

• inlets for the intake of cooling air should be located as close as possible to its base;
• points of entry and exit of air, the paths of its passage should be organized so that the air flows "washed" the most heated elements of the PC;
• the area of ​​the air intake openings should be 2-5 times the area of ​​the exhaust fans.

Coolers on Peltier elements

Peltier elements - or, as they are also called, thermoelectric modules (TEMs) operating on the principle of the Peltier effect - have been produced on an industrial scale for many years. They are built into car refrigerators, beer coolers, industrial coolers for cooling processors. There are also models for PC, although they are still quite rare.

First - about the principle of work. As you might guess, the Peltier effect was discovered by the Frenchman Jean-Charles Peltier; it happened in 1834. The cooling module based on this effect includes a plurality of series-connected semiconductor elements of n and p types. When passing direct current through such a connection, one half of the p-n contacts will heat up, the other will cool.

These semiconductor elements are oriented so that the heated contacts face one side and the cooled contacts face the other. It turns out a plate, which is coated on both sides with a ceramic material. If a sufficiently strong current is applied to such a module, the temperature difference between the sides can reach several tens of degrees.

It can be said that a TEM is a kind of “heat pump”, which, using the energy of an external power source, pumps the generated heat from a source (for example, a processor) to a heat exchanger - a radiator, thus participating in the cooling process.

To effectively remove heat from a powerful processor, you have to use a TEM of 100-200 elements (which, by the way, are quite fragile); therefore, the TEM is equipped with an additional copper contact plate, which increases the size of the device and requires the application of additional layers of thermal paste.

This reduces the efficiency of heat dissipation. The problem is partially solved by replacing the thermal paste with soldering, but this method is rarely used in models available on the market. Note that the energy consumption of the TEM itself is quite large and comparable to the amount of heat removed (about a third of the energy used by the TEM is also converted into heat).

Another difficulty that arises when using TEMs in coolers is the need for precise control of the module temperature; it is provided by the use of special boards with controllers. This increases the cost of the cooler, besides, the board takes up additional space in the system unit. If the temperature is not regulated, it can drop to negative values; condensation is also possible, which is unacceptable for the electronic components of the computer.

So, high-quality coolers based on TEM are expensive (from 2.5 thousand rubles), complex, cumbersome and not as efficient as one might think, judging by their size. The only area in which such coolers are indispensable is the cooling of industrial computers operating in hot (above 50°C) conditions; however, this is not the subject of our article.

Thermal interface and thermal paste

As already mentioned, integral part any cooling system (including a computer cooler) is a thermal interface - a component through which thermal contact is made between the heat-generating and heat-removing devices. The thermal paste acting in this role ensures efficient heat transfer between, for example, the processor and the cooler.

Why heat conductive paste is needed

If the cooler's heatsink does not adhere tightly to the cooled chip, the efficiency of the entire cooling system immediately decreases (air is a good heat insulator). Making the surface of the heatsink smooth and flat (for perfect contact with the cooled device) is very difficult, and not cheap. This is where thermal paste comes to the rescue, filling the irregularities on the contacting surfaces and thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of heat transfer between them.

It is important that the viscosity of the thermal paste is not too high: this is necessary to displace air from the place of thermal contact with a minimum layer of thermal paste. Note, by the way, that polishing the cooler base to a mirror state may not improve heat transfer by itself. The fact is that with manual processing it is almost impossible to make the surfaces strictly parallel - as a result, the gap between the heatsink and the processor may even increase.

Before applying new thermal paste, carefully dispose of the old one. For this, napkins made of non-woven materials are used (they should not leave fibers on surfaces). It is highly undesirable to dilute the paste, as this greatly impairs the heat-conducting properties. Let's give a few more recommendations:

• use thermal pastes with a thermal conductivity of more than 2–4 W / (K * m) and low viscosity;
• when installing a cooler, apply fresh thermal paste each time;
• during installation, after fixing the cooler with a mount, firmly (but not too much, otherwise damage is possible) press it with your hand and rotate it around the axis several times within the existing backlashes. In any case, installation requires skill and accuracy.

Thermotubes

Thermotubes are great for removing excess heat. They are compact and silent. By design, these are sealed cylinders (they can be quite long and arbitrarily curved), partially filled with a coolant. Inside the cylinder is another tube made in the form of a capillary.

The thermotube works as follows: in the heated area, the coolant evaporates, its vapor passes into the cooled part of the thermotube and condenses there - and the condensate returns to the heated area through the capillary inner tube.

The main advantage of thermotubes is their high thermal conductivity: the rate of heat propagation is equal to the rate at which coolant vapor passes through the tube from end to end (it is very high and close to the speed of sound propagation). In conditions of changing heat dissipation, thermotube cooling systems are very effective. This is important, for example, for cooling processors, which, depending on the operating mode, emit different amounts of heat.

Currently produced thermotubes are capable of dissipating 20–80 W of heat. When designing coolers, tubes with a diameter of 5–8 mm and a length of up to 300 mm are usually used.

However, with all the advantages of thermotubes, they have one significant limitation, which is not always written about in manuals. Manufacturers usually do not indicate the boiling point of the coolant in the cooler's thermotubes, meanwhile, it is this temperature that determines the threshold, at the crossing of which the thermotube begins to effectively remove heat. Up to this point, the passive thermotube cooler, which does not have a fan, works like a regular radiator. In general, the lower the boiling point of the coolant, the more efficient and safer the cooler on thermotubes; the recommended value is 35-40 ° С (it is better if the boiling point is indicated in the documentation).

Let's summarize. Heat pipe coolers are especially useful for high (more than 100 W) heat dissipation, but they can be used in other cases - if the price does not bother. In this case, it is necessary to use thermal pastes that efficiently transfer heat - this will allow you to fully realize the capabilities of the cooler. General principle The choice is as follows: the more thermotubes and the thicker they are, the better.

Varieties of thermotubes

High pressure thermotubes (HTS). At the end of 2005, ICE HAMMER Electronics introduced the new kind high-pressure heat pipe coolers based on Heat Transporting System (HTS) technology. It can be said that this system occupies an intermediate position between heat pipes and liquid cooling systems. The coolant in it is water with an admixture of ammonia and other chemical compounds at normal atmospheric pressure. Due to the rise of the bubbles formed when the mixture boils, the circulation of the coolant is significantly accelerated. Apparently, such systems work most efficiently when the tubes are in a vertical position.

The NanoSpreader technology makes it possible to create hollow copper heat-conducting tapes 70–500 mm wide and 1.5–3.5 mm thick, filled with a coolant. The role of the capillary is played by a sheet of copper fibers, which returns the condensed coolant from the condensation zone to the heating and evaporation zone. The shape of the flat tape is supported by an elastic large-pore material, which does not allow the walls to fall off and ensures the free movement of vapors. The main advantages of thermal tapes are their small thickness and the ability to cover large areas.

Modding and cooling systems

The word "modding" is derived from the English modify (modify, change). Modders (those who modder) transform the cases and "innards" of computers in order to improve specifications and most importantly, looks. Like car tuning enthusiasts, computer users want to personalize their work and creativity tool, an indispensable communication tool and home entertainment center. Modding is a powerful means of self-expression; this is, of course, creativity, an opportunity to work with your head and hands, to gain valuable experience.

PRODUCTS FOR MODDING

There are many specialized online stores (both Russian and foreign) that offer goods for modding, delivering them all over the world. It is more convenient to use domestic ones: with foreign ones there is more trouble (for example, when transferring money), and delivery is usually expensive. Such specialized resources are easy to find using search engines.

Sometimes modding accessories are unexpectedly found in the price lists of ordinary online stores, and the price for them is sometimes lower than in specialized ones. Therefore, we recommend that you do not rush to buy this or that accessory - first carefully study several price lists.

What modders change in computers

It is unlikely that the average modder is able to remake a complex filling: the capabilities of a user who does not have special knowledge in the field of radio electronics and circuitry are still limited. Therefore, computer modding mainly involves a "cosmetic" transformation of the computer case.

MAIN MANUFACTURERS OF GOODS FOR MODDING

To better navigate the components, it makes sense to know the names of some companies specializing in the production of mod products: Sunbeam, Floston, Gembird, Revoltec, Vizo, Sharkoon, Vantec, Spire, Hanyang, 3R System, G. M. Corporation, Korealcom, RaidMax, Sirtec ( computer cases and power supplies), Zalman, Akasa (PSUs, cooling systems), Koolance, SwiftTech (water cooling), VapoChill (cryogenic cooling systems), Thermaltake (mainly cases and mod panels).

In particular, the so-called blowhole mods are implemented: holes are cut in the case for ventilation, as well as for installing additional coolers. Such modifications do not just improve the appearance - they are useful for the overall "health" of the computer, as they increase the cooling of the system components.

Experienced modders often combine business with pleasure: install liquid cooling systems (most of them have a completely futuristic design).

Building effective system water cooling (WCO) is not an easy task, both technically and financially. As it was said, a solid baggage of special knowledge is needed, which not everyone has; Yes, and without technical skills can not do. All this greatly stimulates the purchase of a finished CBO. Leaning towards this option, be prepared to fork out a lot. Moreover, it is far from certain that the increase in the performance of the processor and other components of the system unit, even overclocked due to the efficient heat removal of the new CBO, will pay for the difference in cost compared to the standard (or even improved) air cooling system. But this option has obvious advantages. By purchasing a ready-made CBO, you will not have to independently select individual components, order them on websites different manufacturers or sellers, expect delivery, etc. In addition, you do not have to modify the PC case - often this advantage outweighs all the disadvantages. Finally, serial CBOs are usually cheaper than models assembled in parts.

An example of a CBO that provides a reasonable compromise between free creativity and ease of assembly (without sacrificing cooling efficiency) is the KoolanceExos-2 V2 system. It allows you to use a variety of water blocks (the so-called hollow heat exchangers that cover the cooled element) from a wide range manufactured by the company. The block of this CBO combines a radiator-heat exchanger with fans, a pump, an expansion tank, sensors and control electronics.

The process of installing and connecting such CBOs is very simple - it is described in detail in the user manual. Please note that ventilation holes SVO are located on top. Accordingly, there must be enough free space above the fans for the outflow of heated air (at least 240 mm for fans with a diameter of 120 mm). If there is no such space on top (for example, the countertop interferes computer desk), you can simply put the CBO block next to system unit- although this option is not described in the instructions.

The easiest and most obvious modding method is to replace stock coolers with backlit modder ones (their choice is also quite wide: there are both powerful CPU coolers and weak decorative ones).

The main rule: compare prices in different search engines and online stores! The amplitude of oscillations will surprise you a lot. Of course, you should choose cheaper offers, by all means paying attention to the terms of payment, delivery and guarantees.