Computer Anatomy

Heatsinks:

How they work:

Heatsinks work by transferring heat from the CPU, through the thermal compound, into the Copper pipes on the heatsink. The heat then transfers through the heat pipes up to the top. While the heat is going through the Copper heat pipes, the heat is being dissipated into the heatsink fins. Air is usually then injected through the heatsink fins and blows the warm air out.


What to look for in a heatsink:

What you should be looking for in a cooler is first off' which materials are used. Copper has a very high thermal conductivity and is what you should look for in a heatsink. Secondly, you should look for a greater area of heatsink. The more fins the better and that means that more fans to cool more heatsink is also ideal.

What I did and learned: I researched how heatsinks work and documented my learning.


Custom water-cooling components:

Water cooling:

	Water blocks for GPU and CPU work similarly to a heatsink. The thermally conductive base, which is typically and ideally Copper, makes contact with the CPU and absorbs the heat the CPU is emitting. The water inside of the water block, typically distilled water, then absorbs the heat which is transferred to the radiator which also absorbs the heat and the heat inside of the radiator is blown out by the radiator fans.

What I did and learned: I researched on many websites and read about how a CPU water block works, the materials used, etc.

Computer Cases and Airflow:

What makes a computer case good:

The most important thing about a computer case is its airflow. If you have high-end components in your system, they generate lots of heat and that heat has to be moved outside of your case or else your components will overheat or thermal throttle, which will affect performance greatly and can be detrimental to the longevity of your system.

The first thing that you want to look at in terms of airflow is how the case is ventilated. If your case doesn’t have at least decent ventilation, you already know that it will not have good temperatures. For example, the Cooler Master H500P Mesh case, it has a full mesh front with optimal ventilation and room for dual 200MM case fans in the front, along with room for one 140MM fan in the back and three 120MM fans on the top or a 360MM water cooling radiator. On the other hand, we have cases like the NZXT H500, it’s one of the most popular cases on the market today, but is also infamous for its airflow. Below you can observe the differences between the cases and get an idea of what designs promote airflow and which designs restrict airflow. Don’t fall victim to certain case aesthetics or else you could leave your components susceptible to thermal issues.










For keeping optimal temperatures you also want to use a decent fan configuration. Keeping neutral static pressure is optimal, which means that you have the same amount of air coming in as the amount going out.













If you can, it is best to put intake fans in the front and bottom sides of the case to pull in cool air, and exhaust fans in the back and topside as the cool air will go into the front of the case, go over the motherboard vrms, through the hard drive bay, etc and then rise to the top and back exhaust fans.