CompTIA A+ 220-1201 (3.5 - Cooling)

Case fans

• Cool air is pulled through a personal computer

- Always check for good airflow

• Motherboard layout becomes important

• Component location is key

- Devices, wiring, power

• Many different sizes and styles

- And volume levels

On-board fans

• Designed to cool an entire adapter card

• Can be bulky

- May take additional adapter card space

• Usually seen on high-end graphics cards

Fan specifications

• Standard sizes

- 80 mm, 120 mm, 200 mm, etc.

• Different speeds

- Variable speed

• Different noise levels

- Not all fans sound the same

Heat sink and fans

Fanless / passive cooling

• No fans, no noise - Silent operation

• Specialized functions

- Video servers, TV set top box,

satellite receiver, media server

• Functions are very controlled

- Carefully measured thermal tests

• Low-power components - Heat sinks

Heat sink

Dissipate heat through thermal conduction

- Copper or aluminum alloy

• Fins/grid increase surface area

- Heat is then transferred to the cooler air

• They get HOT - don't touch them!

• Thermal paste creates a good contact between the chip and the heat sink

Thermal paste

• Thermal grease, conductive grease

- Thermally conductive adhesive

• Place between the heat sink and the component

- Improves thermal conductivity

- Moves the heat away from the component

• A little bit goes a long way

- Pea-sized application

Thermal pad

• Conduct heat without the mess - Cut to size and install

• Easy to use - Won't leak and damage components

• Almost as effective as thermal paste

- But still very good

• Not reusable - Remove and replace

Liquid cooling

• Coolant is circulated through a computer

- Not a new concept

- Automobiles, mainframe computers

• High-end systems

• Gaming, graphics

• Overclocking