What is the difference between a radiator and a water cooling plate?

Many people think that heat sink and water cooling plate are the same things. They are just a part of the heat exchange system. This article will introduce you to the concept of radiator and water-cooling plate in detail.

The radiator, also known as the heat exchanger, is used to exchange heat through liquid circulation. That is the meaning of a heat exchanger, such as the finned radiator in a car.　If a device directly contacts an electronic component to dissipate heat, it is generally called a cooler. For example, it is called　CPU cooler, PC cooler. At the same time, some people call the heat sink, heatsink, also called a radiator. Strictly speaking, the heat sink does not have a fan, they are just a hardware product, and the heat sink achieves the purpose of heat dissipation by combining with other parts.

A cold plate is also called a water cooling plate or liquid cooling plate. It is an element that exchanges heat through liquid cooling. Its working principle is to form a flow channel in the metal sheet. The electronic components are installed on the board's surface, and the contact surface is coated with a heat-conducting medium material. Coolant enters from the inlet of the cold plate and flows out from the outlet. Take away the heat emitted by the component.

Separate radiators and water-cooling plates are challenging to achieve the best results. We need to assemble them into a complete cold plate cooling system. A complete liquid cooling heatsink can exert the best heat dissipation effect.