[luau] Underclocking / Aluminum cases

[Robert Green]

Your idea of just leaving the cover off is less efficient than a
well-designed case with good air flow via a case fan, unless you're
going to use a room fan to blow into the open case (or other method
to increase the air flow across the components).

Cooling (heat transfer) is a function of the thermal properties of
the meterials involved (heat sink metal, and the air or water cooling
medium) combined with the flow rate of the coolant (i.e. air
circulation or water flow). 

Without a strong air flow, you rely mainly on radiant heat transfer
and natural convection. Forced convection using a fan / pump in a
closed case is much more effecient, assuming the case has good air
flow paths available.


--- Joe Linux <joelinux at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Refrigeration systems tend to use Steel in the condenser coil (the
> hot 
> one) and aluminum or copper in the evaporative coil.
> My feeling is that copper would tend to hold the heat, for example 
> a 
> copper clad bottom on a pot or skillet.  I'm pretty certain that 
> aluminum cooling fins are the most efficient, although aluminum car
> 
> radiators aren't very good while car radiators with copper fins are
> common  and easy to repair.

This is incorrect. Copper is a better heat conduction than aluminum
or steel. The reasons steel and aluminum are in common use is cost,
weight, strength and corrosion resistance.

> Maybe wayne can get the heater coil out of a car and put that
> outside 
> his house with a small electric water pump.  Then he could pipe in
> the 
> cooled water through a copper tube forced in between the  fins of
> an 
> aluminum heat sink.

A pre-made water cooling system would probably be a better option
than a home-grown one. It can be devillishy hard to get a leak-proof
system without the proper tools, materials and practice; a small leak
in a car is not a big deal, but a spray onto a motherboard is
basically guaranteed to fry a computer.


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Sign up for SBC Yahoo! Dial - First Month Free
http://sbc.yahoo.com