Extreme Cooling

By Joshua Erdman
Digital Foundation, inc.

CPUs and Heat

Cooling is a necessity no matter what you are running. Even with a regular desktop keeping it cool will help it last longer. If you begin to explore overclocking, then cooling is even more important. As the speed of each overclocked component increases, so does the heat generated.

If you look back in the 486 days, CPUs have increased in speed from 33MHz to well over the 3.0 GHz mark (as of Nov 2004). But the voltage running the CPUs has changed from 5V to less than 2V to keep heat down. Keep in mind that newer chips have millions of more components than the processors back in the 486 days so all the circuits must be smaller so the CPU can remain approximately the same size. This increases circuit density and adds to increased heat.

A CPU must be cooled so that it does not fry. Yes literally CPUs of today will burn up in a matter of seconds if there is no cooling mechanism installed. Even if a CPU has a cooling fan but is still hot to the touch it may not perform correctly. As the temperature of electronics change so does their properties. If a CPU gets too hot it can cause crashing or system slow down. Modern computers of today monitor their temperature and will automattically throttle their speed in order to stay cool. As a high performance gamer you want to ensure that nevers happens especially when you have the enemy in your crosshairs. That is where high performance CPU fans and case circulation fans come into play.

Extreme CPU Cooling

Cyberguys.com is a great place to get customized cases, CPU fans, and even lighting effects to build a really tricked out box guaranteed to keep your CPU as cool as possible. There are even some cooling components that will refrigerate your CPU chip allowing you to overclock it to more than twice the rated speed! Check out water cooling.

Cooling for Hard Drives

Each hard drive creates a lot of heat, especially the high performance 15,000 RPM drives. When you have 3 hard drives installed, all stacked up on top of eachother how are they going to stay cool? You should try to space them apart and get special hard drive mounting brackets with built-in cooling fans (especially for the 15,00RPM drives). These fans will not only keep the drive cool but will increase the air flow through the case.

Computer Case Air Circulation

You need to pay attention to the circulation fans that your case comes installed with. Some fans may suck air into the case instead of blowing it out. Try to create a flow of air that would pass through the front to the back. That will work really well with the Hard Drive Coolers which always force air into the case over each hard drive.

References:
Overclocking
Computer Performance

Article last reviewed: 11/01/2004

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Created by: Digital Foundation, inc.

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