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Liquid Metal CPU Cooling

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the doesn't-look-that-great dept.

IceFoot writes "Bored with water cooling? Try a liquid metal cooler. It's a proven technology, used in nuclear reactors for decades because it carries heat away much better than a heat sink, heat pipe, or water cooling."

4 of 494 comments (clear)

  1. Um, details? by Alcimedes · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I actually went ahead and read TFA, at least the linked one.

    Although there was talk of "high tech this" and "required for the future" type crap, there really wasn't a whole lot of meat to the story.

    Maybe I missed the link that actually describes what kind of metals they're using, how the pump actually works (it's magnets! doesn't count) and what types of temperatures they're able to achieve relative to other liquid cooling methods.

    Could someone please fill in the other half of this submission, this time with less Sales pitch and more Info?

  2. Re:That's a little... extreme by thsths · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > it is probably a gallium alloy

    Or some other weird alloy. You can buy "liquid metal" for fun at http://www.scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/thermo/ther mo4.html . They even claim it is nontoxic (no cadmium or mercury).

    But I still wonder what this has that water does not? :-) Cooling wise, I mean.

  3. specific heat by ehudokai · · Score: 4, Interesting
    IANAC , and it's been a while since I took chemistry, although I did ACE it. Isn't the specific heat of water 4x greater than that of metal?, or does the specific heat of metal increase in a liquid state.

    IIRC, the specific heat of water is around 4 while most metals are around 1. This means it takes 4x the amount of heat energy to raise water by 1 degree than to raise a similar metal by 1 degree.

    therefore, what is the benefit of metal cooling?

    Just because they used it to cool nuclear reactors, doesn't mean its good for computer cooling.

    --
    This is just sig!
  4. Water vs. Metal -- Try Mineral Oil by N30F3AR · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For the record... Water is chemically the best cooling agent available. The reason that liquid metal is used in nuclear reactors is that it's much easier to contain in a closed environment than water because it has a MUCH higher boiling point. For those of you that are concerned about the electroconductivity of your coolant, I suggest mineral oil. Mineral oil is cheap, cools well and above all not electroconductive. Unless, of course, your CPU is generating heats at nuclear levels, then i guess liquid sodium might be the only route.