How do we maximize performance from our PCs? Prepared by Yousef Debs ELEC 101 DECEMBER 5 TH, 2007

CPUs Thermodynamics Electronic thermodynamics show that CPUs run more efficiently under cold temperatures Maximizing speeds and performance requires more voltage supplied to the CPU More voltage = More heat With extremely low temperatures, heat inefficiency is negated! How do we get these freezing temperatures?

Is LN2 Viable? Liquid Nitrogen has been used to obtain the lowest temperatures LN2 cost efficiency? Safety? Ready availability? Phase Change cooling, the alternative Based on principles of refrigeration (HVAC)

What is Phase Change? Just like an AC, refrigeration principles can be used to cool computers as well as rooms! Phase Change refers to the evaporation of refrigerant in the unit’s evaporator Gas is compressed back to liquid Liquid is cooled, and evaporated at extremely low temperatures -42F) How do we get an AC into a PC?

Components

Evaporator The evaporator is the CPU heatsink Common OEM Computers have air cooled (fan powered) heatsinks to moderate temperatures In a Phase change unit, the evap. block is the heatsink – freezing cold refrigerant is pushed through to cool the CPU at amazingly low temperatures

Heatsink Vs. Evaporator Standard Heatsink/FanAcrylic/Copper Evaporator

How does this work with a PC?

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Is there a market for this? Phase change and watercooling are extremely popular in computer/overclocking enthusiasm Prometeia and Vapochill Retail value of Phase Change coolers is $600

Temperatures Vapochill and Prometeia advertise a full load CPU core voltage of approximately -20oC to -40oC! With these temperatures, almost double the stock voltage can be applied to the CPU, maximizing clock and bus speeds.

Results? Intel Quad Core Extreme Overclock Stock Frequency is 1.35V This is an overclock of 1.65V Cooler core temp. allows for more efficient gain on voltage rise

Conclusions Catered to enthusiasts, but a viable option for high performance computing LN2 and other alternatives are sparse, dangerous, and impractical Phase change cooling can be fit into a large ATX case form factor Extreme cooling allows users to maximize their PCs performance (Gaming)