Air cooling systems
The air cooling device are the most common even in the personal computer OEM business.
The operation is based on the use of fans and heat sinks, which can be replaced by more powerful fans and heat sinks, capable of generating a rapid recirculation of air and thus more effective for heat dissipation.
As for heatsinks, the latest innovation is the introduction of heatpipes: With this technology the passage of heat takes place using the copper tubes which are then dissipated by aluminum fins to further increase heat dissipation.
Heat Sinks
Are commercially available heat sinks of various types made of copper or aluminum extruded fin heat sinks, or the latest, called HeatPipes, with very high dispersion coefficient appropriate to ensure the success and stability of a conventional overclocking.
To improve the efficiency of dissipating surface (measured in square inches total and characterized by the coefficient of thermal conductivity of the material used), there are several possibilities:
- cleaning the original sink
- the use of high-performance thermal grease instead of the poorer thermal pad
- choose a sink with a high coefficient of dissipation coupled with the use of conductive paste with high efficiency.
The thermal grease is composed of electrically non-conductive mineral-based has the consistency of a gel that can increase cohesion heat between two surfaces as stated in the first law of thermodynamics. The paste (or gel) is spread between the processor and the heatsink that is superimposed, is used universally, even on processors not involved in the overclock or personal computers.
Fans
The cooling fans are cool enough to overclock systems modified with conventional techniques even if they must be enhanced or increased to allow for the replacement of air inside the computer case and a proper flow of air over the surface of the heat sink in contact dall'overclock concerned with the CPU.
You can find fans on the market with varying degrees of noise which, in the same size, are able to move more air in the same unit of time than the economy fans.
Parameter measuring the power of the fans is determined by volume of these feet per minute CFM. The higher the CFM value, the better the services provided but greater the noise emitted.
A key trick to ensure that the system cooled with air cooling is the maintenance: Remove the Dust.
Benefits: Simply and inexpensive.
Disadvantages: It can be noisy and not powerful enough for extreme overclocking.