a thermally advantaged chassis is a computer enclosure that is capable of maintaining an internal ambient temperature below 38 degrees Celsius when functioning with Intel's Pentium 4

Pentium 4

Pentium 4 was a line of single-core desktop and laptop central processing units , introduced by Intel on November 20, 2000 and shipped through August 8, 2008. They had a 7th-generation x86 microarchitecture, called NetBurst, which was the company's first all-new design since the introduction of the...

 and Celeron D

Celeron

Celeron is a brand name given by Intel Corp. to a number of different x86 computer microprocessor models targeted at budget personal computers....

 processors based on 90 nm process technology, and an ambient temperature below 39 degrees Celsius when using a Pentium D processor. Intel maintains that using a thermally advantaged chassis is the absolute minimum requirement for using Pentium 4 (Prescott), Pentium D

Pentium D

The Pentium D brand refers to two series of desktop dual-core 64-bit x86-64 microprocessors with the NetBurst microarchitecture manufactured by Intel. Each CPU comprised two dies, each containing a single core, residing next to each other on a multi-chip module package. The brand's first processor,...

, and Celeron D, processors.

Overview

In the 1.1 version, The TAC design is intended to disallow internal temperature rises of more than 3 degrees Celsius, and provide the processor with a cooler environment to work in. Its main feature is a Chassis Air Guide

Chassis Air Guide

Chassis Air Guide or CAG in abbreviation, is Intel's thermal solution to PC chassis.The solution includes an air duct for CPU, because in an environment of increasing thermal loads, the processor is generally the most demanding component in terms of system thermal design.It also describes optimal...

 that directs room temperature air directly in the path of the CPU fan and heat sink

Heat sink

A heat sink is a term for a component or assembly that transfers heat generated within a solid material to a fluid medium, such as air or a liquid. Examples of heat sinks are the heat exchangers used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems and the radiator in a car...

. The chassis air guide is a passive cooling system, and relies completely on internal system fans

Computer fan

A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached to, a computer case used for cooling purposes, and may refer to fans that draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside, or move air across a heatsink to cool a particular component...

 to guide the air.

Airflow pattern

As with most computers, the rear fan and power supply fan exhaust, moving hot air away from the computer. This causes a slight depressurization inside the chassis, and requires all other openings to become intake vents. Airflow from the front of the chassis moves around the Chassis Air Guide, allowing the processor fan to only draw air from outside the chassis, providing more effective cooling.

System fans

The rear chassis exhaust fan is required to be at least 92-mm or larger, providing a minimum of 55 CFM in free air. The processor is required to have an active cooling system, consisting of a fan and heat sink.

Side-panel venting

The side-panel is required to have an add-in card vent, which provides room temperature air to the add-in cards. High-performance graphics cards will benefit from the lower temperature air.

External links

• Thermally Advantaged Tested Chassis List
• Chassis Air Guide v1.1 (September 2003)

download.intel.com/jp/developer/jpdoc/dt11021_j.pdf