Usually, CPU heatsinks are enormous and take up a lot of space inside the case, however, these may soon cease to exist as a group of researchers propose a new and more effective alternative, a coating made of copper in conjunction with an electrically insulating layer of polymer. This new system is emerging as a great alternative because it improves CPU performance, saves space in the case, and would not be an expensive option.
One of the main reasons the CPU starts to show problems and eventually gets damaged is overheating, so it is vital to keep the CPU temperature under control to prolong its life, in which the heatsink plays a key role. However, a new study has recently been published in which using a copper coating can reduce the CPU temperature more than with a traditional heatsink. In addition, it also has another benefit, since by not having to use those huge heatsinks, it also saves space inside the case, which improves airflow.
ALMOST INVISIBLE HEATSINKS
With the advancement of technology, new applications, games, and programs demand the maximum from the hardware, so it is essential to keep the processor well cooled, hence more and more companies seek to develop better and bigger heatsinks, which thanks to their conductivity prevent the CPU temperatures exceed the limits.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California at Berkeley have formed a research group that has been developing a new system to replace the traditional heatsinks and firmly believe that there is a very hopeful option to change this trend, a combination of the coating and the parylene layer.
According to this study, the efficiency provided by this combination is superb and has a promising future since in all tests it kept CPU temperatures in a good range, even when used at full power it did not overheat. Besides, it can increase the power of the device per unit volume by more than 600%. In fact, it also optimizes space as multiple printed circuit boards can be used using this coating, instead of classic heatsinks or even liquid heatsinks.
In addition, they claim that the materials used to manufacture the coating are inexpensive, which makes it more affordable for companies to start implementing this system. However, this new technology is still being developed and it is not known for sure if it will reach the market because some details still need to be polished, researchers are still doing new tests and evaluating the performance of this coating on graphics cards, RAM memories, among others.
This could revolutionize the market because instead of having a large metal case it would be a thin coating, which would have more compact computers and more space in the case to add more components. It would also help the PC to have a better appearance and look cooler, not to mention that it would be a more economical option than the classic heatsinks.
