If you’re the type that likes to see your CPU reach "cool" temperatures of only 100 degrees Fahrenheit or less, you maybe be interested in this article published last month by physorg.com, which is sort of like GamerNode, but only for scientist types. (I know, poor analogy.)
The story reveals something even more exotic and interesting in keeping your CPU cool. Is it liquid hydrogen? Perhaps it is a new thermal paste compound? How about liquid cooling with a large automotive radiator? Nay, nay thou noob. What we have here is ionic wind cooling.
Essentially, the principle is similar to those expensive ion air scrubbers that you see on late night TV commercials. The principal is simplicity itself. Set up two opposing electrically charged anodes (or wires) in close proximity to each other and the electrons happily jump through the air to reach the other side. This produces the "ionic wind."
No moving parts. No more broken CPU fans. No more turbine engine sounds when you turn on your computer.
So how good does this work? How about up to 250% better than a standard mechanical fan? In one test, a CPU that clocked in at 140 degrees Fahrenheit was chilled down to a low 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical results are more in the 40 to 50 percent improvement over standard fans. In any event, it sure beats buying a liquid cooled chiller for your rig.
The eggheads at Purdue University, where the research was conducted, expects this new technology to be available in about two to three years. The applications of this new tech will probably be first used in laptops, to decrease the footprint of the devices and to make them thinner.
But having a few of these babies on my home computer wouldn’t be so bad either-the technology would be quieter and less power hungry.
