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It looked like the AMD heat-pipe thing (from that first link) was a system without a compressor. Would it be like an old amonia system in a referigerator? Or do heat pipes work in another way?


The other geeks have litterally made home made evaporator plates that clamp to a CPU. The computer usually looks pretty hideous with pipes ran out of it and ran to a small refer compressor from what I've seen from overclocking geeks.

Originally posted by ralphtheplumber
Looks like a good application for a mini- heat pipe.

I wonder how long it'll be before we hit the limit of the thermal grease.. have to start making the processors bigger or adding some texture.

By then, every CPU would have the evaporator bonded to the CPU itself, with the expansion valve built in and the refrigerant lines connecting to the condensing unit by means of flexible lines with flare connectors. We can expect lots of messed-up DIY installs then... Or maybe they'll put the CPU and cooling system in one package and connect it to the motherboard using fiber optics.
For now, the evaporator just bolts onto the CPU.

And yes, when semiconductors get cold, the thermal noise goes down. IIRC, some professional cameras (the big ones used for filming movies) actually use a cascade system to cool the CCD. Those audiophiles striving for the best audio quality will also appreciate active cooling for semiconductors.

BTW, I have actually worked on an 8 way Britney "mini supercomputer" using a custom R410a cooling system. (That system also had advanced controls, EEVs, and a variable speed 2HP scroll compressor.) It was fast enough to demodulate HDTV from the digitized IF signal in real time entirely in software - no DSPs other than the algorithms in software. (There were even enough CPU cycles left over for deinterlacing 1080i, but it starts to become a little unreliable. However, I've heard that Nicole tweaked the code a few weeks ago and it now works great.) When the system is not being used for SDR (Software Defined Radio) experiments, it runs folding@home.
EDIT: forgot to mention that the machine rendered raytrace 3D extremely well.

Looks like a good application for a mini- heat pipe.

I wonder how long it'll be before we hit the limit of the thermal grease.. have to start making the processors bigger or adding some texture.

Sounds like overclockers, but I don't think their goal is to get rid of all the heat these super computers generate.

I think it is chill the CPUs and make computers run faster.

Other boards out there that have overclocker forums, email me if you want a link.

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/...E13332,00.html
That appears to be the solution for the CPUs that keep on getting hotter and hotter.
While most current CPU coolers that use refrigerant are passive (no compressor), there are a few (mostly homemade) that do have compressors.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...ad.php?t=88368
Will the PC builders start bringing PCs into HVAC shops to get them charged up? Will PC repair shops start hiring HVAC/R technicians to fix the cooling systems?

EDIT: fixed link