Heat Sinks

A microprocessor works with transistors, these transistors can have three states are 0, 1 and undefined. Within any microprocessor there are several million of these transistors to make a state change need energy, and this consumption warms the microprocessor. First problem: the more energy consumption of radiant heat, and second, more speed (MHz) of the microprocessor state changes, which is also more heat radiated.

The only way to fight is to try lowering the temperature power consumption, but that involves reducing manufacturing technology, today's Pentium 4 are working with technology of 0.13 micron (1 micron = 1 meter / 1, 000, 000) and very soon came to 0.09. Working with this technology means that the tracks between transistors are twice the size of this measure. Right now we are reaching physical limits when working with tracks 0.00000018 meters, we are working at almost atomic.

Effects of heat on the hardware

Microprocessors today reach temperatures of over 100 ° C in split seconds without a heatsink. This so abrupt temperature change can break the silicon crystal, ie the heart of microprocessors.

More than about 45 ° C internal signals of microprocessors come with noise, and this becomes the system crashes, the dreaded 'blue screen', so it is very important to try to keep it below this temperature.

How to spread the heat?

Convection: in a liquid or gas in the heat and the cold goes low. (Fans)

Conduction: a metal heat is spread across the surface. (Sinks)

Radiation: heat moves through the infrared photons, ie moves through the light, so affects more dark and dull surfaces.

Sinks

We have to find a metal that gives us a good heat transfer and the price is not excessive. Metals have a value which is the thermal conductivity, the higher the better conductivity, of course. The value in parentheses is the conductivity in the following materials: Diamond (2300), Tantalum (575), Silver (427) Copper (398), Gold (315), aluminum (237), Steel (80) ...

We all know that Diamond, Gold and Silver are very expensive, the Tantalus also very rare in nature therefore we have the copper and aluminum, and the figures it is clear that if we can, we have to choose Copper .