Air cooling vs Liquid cooling: a brief discussion

Air cooling vs Liquid cooling: a brief discussion

There are a lot of heat sources in a computer system: almost any component generates heat such as CPU, RAM, GPU etc. Most of them include their own heatsinks which in some cases are passive and in some other cases are energetic. Passive heatsinks are components which can be adjusted on the surface of the element and guide the heat through it. Heat is dissipated on the air. Energetic cooling mechanisms are also properly mounted on the element and have a fan which helps in the heat dissipation.

Energetic cooling mechanisms include air and water cooling systems. Next, a brief discussion on the basic air and liquid cooling mechanisms will follow.

An air circulation system used typically in PCs is depicted at the image following:

On the other hand, a liquid cooling system is:

 The cost of air cooling systems contain the proper placement of a few fans along the box of the computer such that the air flow goes from the front part of the computer towards the upper back part of the computer. The cost of the liquid cooling system is higher than this of air cooling since it includes pipelines, the fridge, the fluid and a pump which circulates the fluid.

Air cooling systems with fans are proper for the average user which is not pushing the system very hard. Liquid cooling systems are more proper for gamers and high-demanding users whose computer systems generate a lot of heat due to high usage.

In the case of over-clocking, a more effective cooling method is using liquid nitrogen which is a super-cold liquid. Many over-clockers around the world use liquid nitrogen to get rid of the big amounts of heat generated during over-clocking.

Another exotic method to get rid of heat is immersing the system inside a non-conducting liquid. This method was popular among hobbyists but companies have recently paid attention to it and they offer commercial solutions already.            

                   

Another tip to keep the system properly cooled is trying to get rid of dust regularly and replace thermal paste on the components (like CPU) when it is necessary.