AN INTRODUCTION TO FANLESS PC COOLING

Are you wondering if it is possible to keep your PC cool without a fan? Well, thanks to developments in technology and a clever application of physics, it is.

Fans used to be an essential component for a computer to function properly, but they can fail at crucial times, forcing you to lose data and uptime due to system failure. And the constant stream of air through a system can also cause it to clog up with dust, moisture and other contaminants.

How does it work?

The basic cooling process in a standard PC with a cooling fan involves the circulation of cool air within the components. It pulls in fresh, cool air from outside of the PCs chassis, the heat transfers from the components to this new, cool air, and then the fan blows the warm air out through the exhaust vents in the PC.

Fanless PCs, however, do not need air vents for the circulation of air. In a fanless PC, the internal components are sealed in a chassis, protected from external dust and debris. The aim of a fanless PC is to find a way to direct the thermal energy away from the processor, RAM, and other chips; all without the use of a fan.

A fanless PC makes liberal use of a device called a heatsink to connect with these components and allow the heat they emit to flow through it, in order to control the direction of heat transfer. Most PCs use heatsinks internally to facilitate in drawing the heat off of the components, to be further drawn out by the cool air, but fanless systems take this technology a step further! With fanless systems, the entire chassis acts as a heatsink! Through the use of copper, aluminum, and other conductive materials, the chassis makes contact with every major heat producing component, as listed above, draws the heat out of them, up into numerous fins on the chassis which disperse the heat out into the open air.

Fanless PCs are also designed with external power supplies, effectively removing yet another heat creating component from inside of the computers.

Benefits of Fanless Cooling

With fanless cooling, you are able to eliminate the buildup of dirt, dust and other materials on the internal components over time because there are no air vents. This buildup of dust and debris can be a cause of overheating, corrosion, static, or even short circuiting depending on the volume and composition of the debris.

Additionally, there is the factor that any moving part is a potential point of failure. By removing the need for a Fan, you are removing one more point of failure for your system.

Here at New Era Electronics we carry Fanless Embedded Systems, Embedded Systems, Panel PCs, Peripherals and more. Visit our site to request a quote today.