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Questions tagged [cooling]

Removal of heat from computer components such as CPU and GPU, required to ensure reliable operation and prevent overheating and failure.

Computer cooling refers to the many ways of removing waste heat from computer components such as the CPU and GPU. Cooling is necessary to ensure the reliable operation of these components as overheating can lead to hardware malfunction or failure.

The most common computer cooling solution is a fan attached to a heatsink in contact with a CPU or GPU. Power supply units typically have one large fan for removal of heat from within the computer case as well as the PSU itself, while computer cases often have fans attached to them as well. More advanced cooling solutions such as liquid cooling are often used with overclocked processors and sometimes graphics cards when air cooling is not sufficient.

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Will it damage my MacBook if I put it in the fridge to cool it down?

I've a got longstanding problem with laptops overheating (MacBook Air/Pro) and it's not only related to one machine. The laptops are overheating especially during hot days (summer). I've found that keeping them in the fridge for half an hour makes a…
kenorb
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Tiny copper waffle squares inside computer

I've been hearing a sound from inside my MSI GE60 laptop for a while now, so I opened it up to find that these two tiny copper waffle squares came loose. They were originally stuck to the board with some black adhesive, so I stuck them on again, but…
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Is it OK to use toothpaste instead of thermal paste when fitting a CPU?

I was told many years ago to do this by someone who at the time knew more than I did. The CPU was a celeron in the Pentium 2 era. It ran cooler with the toothpaste between the chip and the heatsink than what it did with nothing between. Has anyone…
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Why do laptops need fans but tablets don't?

I'm curious why a tablet doesn't need fans but all laptops do, even the cheap and less powerful netbooks. I thought at first it would be that the screen on a tablet is smaller than a laptop, so the graphics chip doesn't have to be as powerful and so…
Jonathan.
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Why are modern CPUs "underclocked"?

I keep reading since years about magical overclockability of modern CPUs. It is said that CPUs (with open multiplier) which are shipped to customers with (let's say) preset 3GHz, can be overclocked "without problems" to (let's say) 4GHz. But I can't…
java.is.for.desktop
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My computer is loud: How do I tell which fan is the issue?

On my new computer, my fan(s) is/are plain LOUD! Using SpeedFan, I find that my temps are all under 32 degrees C under my normal use (IDK how accurate that is but the CPU itself says 27 C). The fan doesn't sound unbalanced and it isn't making sounds…
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Does the color of a heatsink affect its performance in dissipating heat?

I know that heatsinks come in different fin forms and those different fin forms affect the way how they dissipate heat. However, there's something I could not get about them and it's their color. Can someone explain how does color affect a heatsink…
Bob Freaking
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Can I remove and put back the heatsink of my processor without reapplying thermal paste?

If I remove the heatsink from my processor temporarily, then later put it back without changing the heatsink or CPU, do I need to reapply thermal paste?
Zero
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How do software programs determine the HDD temperature?

Some software programs can etermine the temperature of the hard drive. E.g. HWMonitor: I say that there must be a thermometer inside the HDD and the data (via SMART) is passed as regular info to the soft which wants that info . My colleague say…
Royi Namir
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Three-wire and four-wire CPU fans, what's the difference?

What is the difference between 3-Wire and 4-Wire CPU cooling fans? Of course, the obvious answer is “1 Wire!” :-)
RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket
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What is a normal/safe temperature for an i7 2600K CPU?

I just completed my first build, and while I was finagling around in the BIOS I noticed, with some concern, that my CPU was sitting around 60 °C. Even when I set the maximum temperature to 55 °C, it didn't seem capable of going below 58 °C. Judging…
Arthur Skirvin
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Is it safe to use a laptop if the CPU fan is failing?

I'm having problems with my fan which went from being annoyingly loud to sometimes completely stopping and failing to dissipate the heat form my laptop. I'm in the process of replacing it, however, I was wondering if I could continue using my laptop…
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Is liquid cooling necessary for high CPU performance over extended periods?

I'm planning on building a system for high CPU and memory performance. Graphics performance is not a major concern, as I do not plan to use it for gaming. I noticed that liquid cooling seems to have become common since my last build, and I am…
Qudit
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What makes a laptop overheat?

Is there a correlation between CPU usage and heat? RAM usage? Other things? How can software affect overheating in a laptop?
nute
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Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework Settings - what exactly do they do?

Despite the fact that virtually all modern Dell laptops (and probably others) are supposed to have the Intel Dynamic Platform & Thermal Framework Driver installed, I couldn't find any end-user documentation about what exactly the settings do, and…
Dan Dascalescu
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