One of the main problems that does not allow to install high-performance components into mobile or all-in-one (AIO) computers is inability to properly cool down very hot chips. Asetek, a leading maker of liquid cooling solutions, this week introduced a groundbreaking slim form-factor liquid cooling system for extreme performance and workstation grade laptops and AIOs.
The fundamental challenge in cooling desktop replacement laptops and all-in-one PCs is the lack of space for a proper thermal solution. Consequently, previous attempts at liquid cooling laptops have offered no performance improvement over traditional heat-pipe based heat sinks. Asetek has designed a sealed combo liquid cooling solution that concurrently cools down central processing unit, graphics processing unit(s) and simultaneously uses all cooling modules available in particular notebook.
The proprietary Asetek liquid cooling solution was designed specifically for Alienware M18x desktop replacement notebook and is powered by three heatsinks, Asetek's coldplate technology as well as a small liquid pump. Similar cooling solutions may be used inside AIO desktops to install desktop-class microprocessors and graphics cards, which should revolutionize all-in-one desktops.
“We see a growing need for higher performance personal computers, driven by ever more powerful modeling software for engineering, scientific and financial work, and for content creation and gaming. For laptops and AIOs to deliver workstation and gaming PC performance, these machines must be able to take full advantage of desktop grade performance hardware. We have identified this need and designed our cooling solution to target these thinner machines,” said André S. Eriksen, founder and chief executive officer of Asetek.
Asetek has showcased its new technology in an Alienware M18x notebook with the Intel Core i7-2920XM overclocked from 3.50GHz to 4.40GHz and two AMD Radeon HD 6990M GPUs overclocked from 680MHz to 800MHz. The overclocked M18x achieved a 23% improvement in Futuremark’s 3D Mark Vantage benchmark while reducing the noise output of the stock air-cooled laptop.
Since modern laptops and AIO desktops are usually custom-designed, Asetek's liquid coolers for them will also be proprietary and thus pretty expensive. Nonetheless, if Asetek manages convince a lot of manufacturers to use such coolers, pricing may eventually get lower.
Water can pull heat out but you still need to remove the heat from the water - which is going to take a lot of airflow which doesn't exist in laptops. The fan noise to cool a radiator is likely to be unacceptable to most people and conduction alone won't cut it for very long before everything gets too hot.
There are three pretty powerful fans in the M18x. They are what will be removing the heat from the water.
I put new thermal paste and pads on my two 6990s, and I'm nowhere near overheating the cards. This is running Furmark at 800/1000 clocks. I will run out of voltage long before I am having any sort of heat issue.
The problem is if the three fans move enough air to cool the radiators then they end up making annoying noise which for most people using laptops is unacceptable. Lower power CPUs with higher performance are still the desired route, not water cooling.
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| Date: 03/23/12 11:49:01 AM]
| Date: 03/23/12 09:07:05 PM]
