The purpose of a CPU cooler is to transfer enough heat away from the processor so that it can operate within its optimal parameters, for example clock speeds. These are only achieved within the expected range if the processor, in combination with the cooler being used, does not heat up more than is desirable for achieving attractive performance. Yes, everything usually revolves around speed, but that is also associated with factors such as power consumption.
How it works (heat dissipation)
The basic principle is that heat is transferred from the processor into the cooler. That heat is then dissipated into the surrounding environment—either “actively” (by a fan on the radiator/heatsink) or “passively” (naturally). This is a very simplified explanation, but it is sufficient for now. Although in practice you will encounter terms such as “liquid cooler” and “air cooler,” air plays an important role in both cases.
The heat transferred into the radiator must then be removed from the radiator (or the heatsink—the terms are essentially interchangeable) and released into the surrounding environment, for example by a fan. The difference lies in the transfer medium used. While liquid coolers (“water coolers”) use coolant to transport heat through tubes to the radiator, “air” coolers (tower coolers) use heat pipes, which have already been discussed.
To ensure even heat distribution, these heat pipes are arranged in different configurations (the more effectively this is done, the more “efficient” the cooler becomes…). In liquid coolers, a network of channels inside the radiator is used, through which the coolant flows, transferring the heat it carries into the radiator fins. In the end, however, it is always the fan that removes the absorbed heat into the surrounding environment—unless it is a purely passive cooler that does not use any fans.
- Read more: Gigantic retrotest of 80 CPU coolers
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
