Different types of CPU coolers: from air to liquid

You can’t talk about computers without talking about cooling and the economy and culture that’s developed from all the different types of cooling methods available. And that’s perfectly natural considering that cooling is probably the most important aspect of building and using a computer. When home computers became “a thing”, cooling was constrained to the stock fan that came with the processor and maybe a few more expensive knickknacks if you were a true enthusiast. Today, several methods have become popular and affordable if you have even a decent budget and enough curiosity.

Why do we need CPU coolers and why do we want to change CPU coolers?

Before we talk about all the different types of cooling available, let’s answer the age-old question: WHY? Okay, maybe not age-old – but it is important to know why so many people are interested in cooling and why it’s so important.

Your computer generates heat. Due to the laws of physics, the electricity that runs through all of your components changes into thermal energy – and nowhere more so than the brain of your computer: the CPU. The CPU is the center of most of the transactions in your computer and as such will generate the most heat. Left unchecked, a CPU could easily heat up to temperatures of 100°C or more. When that happens, we need cooling to take care of the excess heat otherwise it will leak into other components such as the motherboard, RAM, or GPU and damage them.

In short, we need CPU coolers to dissipate the heat generated by the CPU.

Generally, if you're working with anything above a basic word processor, the stock cooler that your CPU comes with won't be enough. For gaming, video editing, or any heavy-duty browsing, you’ll need an upgraded air cooling system or a liquid cooling system. In all, there are actually 3 major types of cooling methods: air cooling, liquid cooling, and immersion cooling (the fancy one).

Let’s explore some of these.

Air coolers

Pros:

·        Easy to install/maintain

·        Cost-efficient

Cons:

·        Can be noisy

·        Not as powerful for high-end builds

First up is air cooling. Air cooling is the most common type of computer cooling. This category includes the stock fan that your CPU comes with and can be considered the “original” type of cooling for computers. While air cooling is often looked upon as the “lowest” grade of cooling, it is probably the best method to use most of the time. Even for high-end builds, some people prefer to use air cooling and structure the airflow in their PC and their PC’s environment to ensure maximum efficiency.

Air cooling works by first drawing the heat that the CPU generates through a “heatsink”. A heatsink is exactly what it sounds like – a place for heat to sink into. The heat first flows from the top of the CPU into the attacked metal plate, helped along by thermal paste which fills the gap in between. It then runs up the pipes into the larger metal (often aluminum) piece. This piece has ridges which give it a larger surface area to disperse heat. By drawing air over this last piece, we can quickly dissipate the heat and blow it outside the chassis while bringing new, cooler air in.

(Image: Amazon)

There are many different types of air coolers, but the most popular are "U-type". The “U-type” is named for the heat pipes at the bottom of the heatsink which form a U shape.

(Image: Amazon)

There are also C-Types – which are similarly named for the shape of the pipes. The advantage of these is their lower (and sometimes adjustable) profile, allowing them to sit more snuggly inside a compact case or a custom build. Some companies also claim that they allow superior airflow over the RAM and other motherboard modules because of their design.

(Image: Amazon)

Lastly, we have the Low-Profile Coolers. These have the smallest clearance and are the best for compact cases or custom builds with extremely-specified dimensions. However, because of their design they are often not as powerful as their C-Type or U-Type cousins.

Air coolers are probably the most common and least expensive cooling method. Air coolers can be considered a choice pick if you're not planning on overclocking too far past factory specifications or are looking to spend your budget in other areas. But if you plan on overclocking your CPU to its max, an air cooler is not going to be enough and you'll need something more robust (read: expensive).

Liquid coolers

Pros

·        Quieter than air cooling

·        Much better heat dissipation

Cons

·        More expensive

·        Can be more difficult to install/maintain

Next is liquid cooling. Liquid cooling is the most popular type of cooling with high-end builds. These are builds which often overclock their CPU’s and generate intense amounts of heat. Liquid cooling works similar to air cooling in that the main point is to draw heat away from the CPU into a medium and then dissipate it. For air cooling, this medium is air. For liquid cooling this medium is water (or sometimes a different liquid like glycol). The heat is absorbed into a water block rather than a heat sink. From the water block, it’s pumped into a radiator which then uses an air current to dissipate the heat. The now-cool water travels back to the water block to repeat the process.

There are mainly 2 types of liquid coolers: AIO (sometimes called Closed-Loop) and custom loops.

AIO stands for All-In-One and contain everything you need to readily install and use liquid cooling. AIO coolers come with a water block/pump/reservoir already attached to a radiator with basic tubing. These are best for anyone just getting started with liquid cooling. They are relatively easy to install and maintain.

(Image: Amazon)

Custom loops are also “all-in-one” so to speak. They provide all the necessary parts of the liquid cooling system but leave it up to you to put it together however you see fit. These types of kits are generally more expensive than AIOs, but give you leeway to play around with how the system looks aesthetically. These are often used for high-end and cosmetic builds.

Liquid cooling is more powerful than air cooling but at the same time more expensive. An average liquid cooler could run you anywhere from 2 to 6 times the price of a regular air cooler. At the level of custom loops, they can be much harder to install and if there is a leak or a piece isn’t properly secured, the maintenance is much more complex. However, a good liquid cooler blows a good air cooler out of the water (no pun intended).

Immersion cooling/submerged cooling

 (Source: @mr_matt_lee)

Pros

·        Extremely effective

Cons

·        Expensive

·        Difficult to set up and maintain

Finally, immersion cooling. Immersion cooling can be considered a subset of liquid cooling, but is seldom seen in commercial builds because of its cost and logistical complexity. It is mainly used to cool the data centers of major companies if it’s found that other heating methods are inefficient. Categorically, it is the most efficient form of cooling because the components are in direct contact with the medium – which is dielectric mineral oil. Dielectric mineral oil is an insulating liquid which is stable at high temperatures, which makes it great for this use.

There are 2 main types of immersion cooling: single-phase and two-phase.

In single-phase cooling, the heated mineral oil rises to the top of the enclosure where it is pumped into a heat exchange system. This can be a chilled water loop or a dry cooler (think similar to liquid cooling). Once it reaches a cooler temperature, it is then pumped back into the bottom of the enclosure and begins to again absorb heat. In two-phase cooling, the mineral oil is allowed to “boil” and shifts phases into a gas. It then floats up to the top of the encloser where it condenses on a condenser coil carrying cold water. As it condenses onto the coil, it releases the heat and changes states back into liquid. The heat is pumped away into the external cooling system and the now-cool mineral oil drips back down into the enclosure.

Though this process is highly-efficient, it is very rarely seen in user builds. There are currently no immersion kits on the market. 3 years ago a company named CoolBitts claimed to release an immersion kit for a whopping $2450 USD. Since then, the company has shut down. The cost of planning and building an immersion build would be extremely complex and expensive.

Even if you managed to build a completely functional immersion build, you would still need to maintain it. A leak in the case or any of the cooling components would guarantee a huge mess, and any components you’re looking to repurpose in a new non-immersion build would need to be specially-cleaned unless you want the inside of your case to look like the side of a deep fryer.

We recommend sticking to air or liquid cooling.