[Nfbf-l] controlling computer heat is crucial

[Sherrill O'Brien]

Hi all,

If there's something in this article that helps any of you just a little,
then I'm glad I passed it along.

Sherrill

On Computers: Controlling computer heat is crucial
- Galesburg, IL - The Register-Mail
GateHouse News Service
Posted Jun 21, 2010 @ 11:40 AM
From Day 1, the big challenge of designing computers has centered on heat,
the
great killer of electronics. You’ve got to pump heat out of the system box,
pronto.

Heat comes from the friction of electronics moving through wires. There’s a
lot
of that in your system.

A few years ago, I saw a Cray super computer. A large portion of it was a
chiller to send cold water through tubes around the processing chips. A tech
told me the Cray would last “about 45 seconds” without this refrigeration.

At that time, computers were hot, but that’s only gotten worse. Even small
systems today are packed with heat-generating gear. The heat from a modern
central processor is much higher than an older one.

Heat can kill quickly or slowly. An overly hot system may work OK but will
wear
out faster than a cooled one. The first tip-off to heat problems is the
system
becomes unstable.

Laptops have a poor reliability record. They try to deal with heat without a
cooling fan. Many are so hot you cannot hold them in your lap.

In the laptop world, we now have cooling mats, flat fan units that sit under
the
computer, cooling the bottom.

These coolers are inexpensive. A three-fan Kinamax is $15 with free shipping
on
Amazon.com. Its power source is the USB plug on your system, making it
portable.
Others range from $11 to $40.

Note: Be careful of the popular Neoprene notebook sleeves. These can act as
insulation by trapping heat.

In the more spacious desktop world, heat is easier controlled by fans. Your
average system now has two fans or more. This blows air over the central
processor and motherboard.

Some computers still run hot. Heat engineering may be lacking in cheaper
systems. All modern gear, including video and audio cards, generates
substantial
heat. Gaming rigs are primary offenders.

For $12, you can buy a card exhaust fan from Startech that sits in a slot
next
to your hot card. It will knock a few degrees off your heat production.

For performance systems, a water cooler is preferred. These add cooling to
your
fan with an external refrigeration unit. It sounds expensive, but the
Corsair
Hydro is about $80. The big issue here is leaks. One drop of liquid on your
motherboard can ruin it. The Corsair is a sealed-loop system guaranteed not
to
leak.

Liquid coolers will lower heat close to half, depending on your system.
The Repository (Canton, Ohio)
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