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CPUs, or central processing units, are components of a computer that execute instructions from its software.
CPUs generate considerable amounts of heat when running, which can be damaging to their components.
The heat generated can be managed with the installation of heat sinks, components engineered to help the heat dissipate as efficiently as possible, enabling the CPU to run without interruption.
Overclocking is defined as running a CPU faster than its manufacturer's instructions. It helps improve a computer’s performance without a hardware upgrade. The downside is that it generates a considerable amount of heat which can lead the CPU to slow down its performance. Efficient heat sinks are therefore needed to enable proper overclocking.
Several actors in the hardware engineering world use overclocking to maximize hardware performance and push it to the limit.
Among those actors, ElmorLabs, a design firm specializing inoverclocking, and SkatterBencher, an engineer and YouTuber, used ColdStream to create a liquid nitrogen heat sink capable of extreme CPU cooling.
Overclocking refers to pushing a processor beyond the limits specified by its manufacturer.
While it helps achieve higher performance, overclocking generates a substantial amount of heat that risks degrading the quality and capabilities of the processing unit.
Chip manufacturers use heatsinks and other cooling systems to keep their CPUs at reasonable temperatures when running.
The better the heatsink, the faster the CPU can run without suffering from heat damage.
A CPU’s capacity to overclock is hence determined by the efficiency of its heatsinks.
The heat sink is a container filled with liquid nitrogen boiling at -196°C, a cold reservoir at extremely low temperature. This temperature cools down the CPU to a cryogenic state, enabling it to overclock without causing damages and to remain stable.
A heat sink with the lowest thermal resistance will necessarily help CPUs achieve their best performance.
Using advanced two-phase boiling physics (the study of heat transfer mechanisms that occur during phase change processes) and specific engineering inputs, ColdStream generated a structure that maximizes heat transfer to unprecedented levels while adhering to the constraints of 3D printing manufacturability.
Initial testing demonstrated a thermal resistance as low as 0.011 K/W. This equates to just 1.1°C of temperature difference between the heatsink base and the liquid nitrogen per 100W of CPU power, making it one of the most powerful heatsinks globally.
Direct Metal Printing technology was used to manufacture the parts and validate the design.
Employing oxygen-free copper with a superior thermal conductivity of 390 W/mK helped create geometries unattainable by traditional manufacturing methods. The purity of the copper powder during printing is crucial, as any oxygen in the copper matrix can significantly impair its thermal conductivity.
Following its development, the LN2 heatsink underwent physical testing by ElmorLabs to validate its performance. The heatsink exhibited a whopping 3x faster cooldown behavior compared to the Volcano LN2 cooler, one of the leading products on the market today.
Given that both the Diabatix-designed heatsink and the Volcano cooler have an identical mass of 1.7 kg and are made from copper, this difference can be attributed solely to improved heat transfer at the surface and superior heat transport within the copper.
The tests demonstrated that the LN2 container easily handles the Core i9-14900KF with P-cores clocked up to 7.5 GHz, consuming 600W of power. The AI-designed heatsink achieved a base temperature difference of 11°C compared to the Volcano LN2 cooler, indicating its potential to manage more than twice the power for the same base temperature. This confirmed the heatsink’s exceptional cooling capabilities.
ElmorLabs is a design firm that specializes in creating products for PC overclocking and DIY enthusiasts. They handle every aspect of product development, from the initial concept to the final packaging. Their expertise is centered on electronic hardware, firmware, and software design, allowing them to provide comprehensive and tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of their customers.
SkatterBencher is a YouTuber and content creator who writes simple overclocking guides. His work spans a wide array of topics in overclocking such as CPUs, GPUs, APUs, and SoCs through well-documented experiments and comprehensive guides. His mission is not just about achieving high benchmark scores but also about pushing technological boundaries to obtain greater performance potential. This includes understanding the hardware architectures, cooling methods, and overall system optimization strategies.
