Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Vapor-phase Processor Cooling

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the over-the-top-approaches dept.

Econolinecrush writes "If even exotic water-cooling isn't enough for your processor cooling needs, there's always vapor-phase cooling. The Tech Report has an interesting review of Asetek's latest Vapochill system, an admittedly pricey cooling option, but one that manages to fight off condensation while keeping even high-end processors running at sub-zero temperatures. A little extreme? Sure, but it's undeniably cool nonetheless." I haven't seen a cooling system this intense since my organic chemistry labs.

4 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The thing you people miss... by LBArrettAnderson · · Score: 5, Informative

    partly true, partly false. Cooling a CPU increases its lifespan (as if they'll die before they're 1/1000 the speed of newer cheaper processors). All you have to do is cool AROUND the threads. They can get as hot as they want, and as long as they don't melt the silicon (around) or other stuff, it should be perfectly fine. If I could have a processor cooled to 20 K, i'd do it.

  2. Kind of on-topic (cooling systems) by questionlp · · Score: 5, Informative
    The [H] has some pictures and links to a company that is providing low-profile waterblocks and watercooling solutions for rackmount servers, even a look at a watercooled dual Opteron server. I'm not sure if I would be all that comfortable with using such a solution in a production environment or if that will help reduce the noise produced by those servers (10K and 15K RPM hard drives and blowers to keep those things cool aren't exactly... quiet).

    Interesting nonetheless.

  3. Too cool for comfort by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    Too cold is not good. Sub-zero is not good. Cooling should keep the CPU near the ideal transistor "junction temperature" for which it was designed (ok, equivalent "Tj" in the case of CMOS). Operate at the wrong temperature and you get clock skew, conductivity weirdness, capacitance changes etc. which were not planned for in the chip's design.

    Cool yes, but not too cold. Keep the chip in spec for stability and long life. Colder is not necessarily always better.

  4. Re:The thing you people miss... by The+Clockwork+Troll · · Score: 5, Informative
    Actually both typically increase when overclocking.

    The poster probably meant that you can run a higher Vcore without as much concern for the increased temperature that results (from the increased current).

    For those who don't know, you typically run a higher Vcore when overclocking a system in order to improve stability (i.e. in order to ensure that CPU signals can still ramp up/ramp down to valid voltages quickly enough at the faster clock rate).

    For those who know more than I, please feel free to correct me or elaborate where I've oversimplified.

    --

    There are no karma whores, only moderation johns