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We Have Moved!

We’re now conveniently located near the corner of Whitcomb and Westnedge behind the Burger King. We are the upper suite in the rear of the building. If you need driving directions, please don’t hesitate to call!

Geek Easy Computers
435 Whitcomb St. UL 201
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
(269)548-TECH (8324)

Heatsink 101

We have talked about preventing overheating of your computers in a few different posts on the blog.  One of the methods mentioned was a “heatsink service”, which entails replacing the thermal grease on the heatsink.  But we never really explained what a heat sink is, or what it (and the thermal grease) actually does.  So we aim to fix that oversight today!

heatsink

A heatsink is a metal device, usually aluminum or copper (or a combination of the two), that rests on top of your microprocessor.  It’s primary function is to draw the heat produced by the microprocessor, away from the chip so that it doesn’t damage the circuitry.  Depending on the power of the microprocessor, sometimes the heatsink is combined with a fan to assist in the heat dissipation. The “filling” in that microprocessor cooling “sandwich” is called thermal grease.  It is exactly what it sounds like:  a substance used to promote better heat conduction between the microprocessor and a heatsink .  The surface of typical microprocessors is not perfectly flat. This can produce air gaps between the microprocessor and the heatsink and reduce the cooling performance of the heatsink. The thermal grease fills those air gaps by applying a thin layer to the top of the microprocessor and the base of the heatsink.  It should be noted that heatsinks are also sometimes used on graphic processor chips.

We briefly mentioned earlier that heatsinks are typically aluminum or copper.  This is because of the heat wicking properties of the metals.  Which is best you ask?  You’ll find that the majority of heat sinks are made from milled aluminum.  Higher end heatsinks tend to incorporate more copper with the top of the spectrum being completely copper.  Copper and aluminum are very similar in thermal performance.  Because of its lighter weight and lower cost, aluminum is the choice of most mass producers.  Pure copper has about 2x the conductivity of aluminum but that advantage is really only useful in specific situations.  The cost of a copper heatsink can be up to 3x the cost of the same sized aluminum version.

The reason why it is important to maintain this arrangement is vital.  What happens when a computer overheats, is the thermal grease actually dries out, becoming solid. When this happens, is actually does the opposite of what it was intended for.  It traps the heat against the microprocessor which can, and usually does, lead to malfunctions and damage. Too much, or too little of this thermal compound can have the same effect.

This is a fairly straightforward procedure for a certified computer professional.  If you have it done on a regular basis, say every 6 months or so, you can be assured of getting extended life out of your computer!

Hopefully we’ve cleared up any confusion and answered any questions regarding heatsinks and their purpose in your computers.  As always, if you have any other questions, let us know!  We want to make your technology easy!

 

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