PC cooling system

What is it?

The components inside your PC generate heat as they work, particularly your main processor and the chips on your graphics card. There are two main methods of keeping these components cool – air flow or water cooling.

How does it work?

Air cooling uses heat sinks and fans to draw the hot air away from the surface of components. Heat sinks are attached directly to the chip and look like spiked combs made of highly conductive metal. This draws heat away from the component and uses the air around its prongs to dissipate the heat. These are often used in combination with fans – such as the Deepcool

AS500 Plus (pictured) – to further increase air flow. Larger fans then vent the hot air out of the PC.

Water or liquid-cooled systems work in a similar way, transferring heat from the PC’S components by flowing liquid over them. This is then piped elsewhere within the PC where it can cool before being sent back through the closed system to trap and dissipate more heat.

What are the specs?

Fanless PCS designed for basic work – such as mini PCS – don’t tend to overheat and can often make do with just a heat sink. Harder-working PCS will also need fans. Air cooling is usually sufficient for gaming PCS, though they may need more powerful (and noisy) fans. Liquid cooling is much quieter – even if you’re carrying out resourceheavy tasks.

Can I change it later?

You can with desktop PCS. Most cooling is added after the components are installed, so upgrading or adapting your cooling system is fairly straightforward. Laptops have less room for adding new, bulky components, so are harder to upgrade.