What is a CPU water cooling radiator？

CPU water cooling radiator refers to the use of liquid to be forced to circulate under the driving of a pump to take away the radiator's heat. It has the advantages of quiet operation, stable cooling and reduced environmental impact compared to air cooling.

The heat dissipation performance of the water-cooled radiator is directly proportional to the flow rate of the cooling liquid (water or other liquid), and the flow rate of the refrigerant fluid is related to the power of the water pump of the refrigeration system. Moreover, the heat capacity of water is large, which makes the water-cooled refrigeration system have good heat load capacity. It is equivalent to 5 times that of an air-cooled system, and the direct benefit is that the CPU operating temperature curve is very flat. For example, when a system using an air-cooled radiator is running a program with a heavy CPU load, the temperature will spike quickly, or the CPU warning temperature may be exceeded. However, due to the large heat capacity of the water-cooled heat dissipation system, the thermal fluctuations are relatively much more minor, and the temperature changes will be relatively gentle.

1.Principle

From the perspective of water cooling heat dissipation principles, it can be divided into two categories: active water cooling and passive water cooling. In addition to having all the accessories of the water-cooling radiator, active water cooling also needs to install a cooling fan to assist heat dissipation, which can significantly improve the heat dissipation effect. This water-cooling method is suitable for DIY overclocking players with fever. Passive water cooling does not require the installation of any cooling fans. It only relies on the water-cooling radiator itself for heat dissipation. At most, some heat sinks are added to assist heat dissipation. This water cooling method is less effective than active water cooling, but it can achieve an utterly silent effect. , suitable for mainstream DIY overclocking users.

The real advantage of all-in-one water cooling is that it can handle much higher CPU wattage than any air-cooled radiator and is unaffected by high temperatures inside the case. If used for low-power CPUs, water-cooling radiators are similar to suitable air-cooling radiators in cooling the CPU. But when using a high-end or extremely overclocked CPU that generates much heat, even a tiny DIY water cooling system can keep the CPU temperature relatively low.

2. Classification

Integrated: Integrated water cooling is an integrated system. Like split water cooling, it also includes water cooling heads, cold radiators, water pipes, water pumps, and water tanks. However, integrated water cooling only combines these accessories and facilitates user installation.

Split type: fixed on the CPU as a heat conductor, connected to the water pump and cold radiator through water pipes to form a heat dissipation system.

3. Install

From the perspective of water cooling installation methods, it can be divided into two types: built-in water cooling and external water cooling. Built-in water cooling mainly consists of radiators, water pipes, water pumps, and sufficient water sources. This determines that most water cooling systems are large and require adequate space inside the chassis. As for the external water-cooling radiator, since its working components, such as the water tank and water pump, are all installed outside the chassis, it not only reduces the space occupied inside the chassis but also achieves better heat dissipation effects.

4. effect

What's well known is that high temperature is the enemy of integrated circuits. High temperatures will not only make the system unstable and shorten its life, but may even burn some components. The heat causing the high temperature does not come from outside the computer but inside the computer. The radiator's function is to absorb this heat and ensure that the temperature of the computer components is average. There are many types of radiators. CPUs, graphics cards, motherboard chipsets, hard drives, chassis, power supplies, optical drives, and memory require radiators. These different radiators cannot be mixed, and the most common one is the CPU radiator. Subdivided heat dissipation methods can be divided into air cooling, heat pipes, water cooling, semiconductor refrigeration, compressor refrigeration, etc.

Integrated water cooling, as a cooling mode that is gradually emerging, has quickly become popular among gamers due to its easy installation and small footprint in the box. The buckle used in the integrated water-cooling radiator is easy to install and requires no changes. It can work typically for at least three years without leakage, paralysis, and other failures, and there is no need to inject coolant. Nowadays, with the rapid development of graphics card technology, the GPU on the graphics card can already emit as much heat as the CPU, so water cooling is no longer limited to the CPU.