Thermalright
Encyclopedia
Thermalright is a Taiwan-based company that manufactures high-quality, high-performance aftermarket heat sink
s for desktop computers. Thermalright products are primarily marketed towards gamer and enthusiasts who commonly overclock different parts of their computer, generating large amounts of heat.
Since the release of AMD's Thunderbird CPU in 2002 Thermalright has been making high-performance heat sinks, not only for AMD processors, but Intel as well. Their current product line includes heatsinks for CPUs, GPUs, RAM
, and Motherboard components. Thermalright's primary focus is fanless heatsinks which can be used passively making quiet computers
, however many enthusiasts choose to use the heat sinks with a fan for better heat dissipation.
may be used. More commonly for a personal-computer CPU, a clamp holds the heat sink
directly over the chip, with a thermal grease
or thermal pad
spread between. This block usually has fins and ridges to increase its surface area. The heat conductivity of metal is much better than that of air, and it radiates heat better than the component that it is protecting (usually an integrated circuit
or CPU). Until recently, fan-cooled aluminium
heat sinks were the norm for desktop computers. Today, many heat sinks feature copper
base-plates or are entirely made of copper.
Dust
buildup between the metal fins of a heat sink gradually reduces efficiency, but can be countered with a gas duster by blowing away the dust along with any other unwanted excess material.
Passive heat sinks are commonly found on older CPUs, parts that do not get very hot (such as the chipset), and low-power computers.
Usually a heat-sink is attached to the integrated heat spreader (IHS), essentially a large, flat plate attached to the CPU, with conduction paste layered between. This dissipates or spreads the heat locally. Unlike a heat sink, a spreader is meant to redistribute heat, not to remove it. In addition, the IHS protects the fragile CPU.
Passive cooling involves no fan noise.
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...
s for desktop computers. Thermalright products are primarily marketed towards gamer and enthusiasts who commonly overclock different parts of their computer, generating large amounts of heat.
Since the release of AMD's Thunderbird CPU in 2002 Thermalright has been making high-performance heat sinks, not only for AMD processors, but Intel as well. Their current product line includes heatsinks for CPUs, GPUs, RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
, and Motherboard components. Thermalright's primary focus is fanless heatsinks which can be used passively making quiet computers
Quiet PC
A quiet PC is a personal computer that makes little noise. Common uses for quiet PCs include video editing, sound mixing, home servers, and home theater PCs. A typical quiet PC uses quiet cooling and storage devices and energy-efficient parts....
, however many enthusiasts choose to use the heat sinks with a fan for better heat dissipation.
Passive heat-sink cooling
Passive heat-sink cooling involves attaching a block of machined or extruded metal to the part that needs cooling. A thermal adhesiveThermal adhesive
Thermal adhesive is a type of thermally conductive glue used for electronic components and heatsinks. Thermal adhesive is similar to thermal paste in that it is used for transferring heat from one surface to another...
may be used. More commonly for a personal-computer CPU, a clamp holds the 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...
directly over the chip, with a thermal grease
Thermal grease
Thermal grease is a viscous fluid substance, originally with properties akin to grease, which increases the thermal conductivity of a thermal interface by filling...
or thermal pad
Thermal pad (computing)
In computing and electronics, thermal pads are a pre-formed square or rectangle of solid material commonly found on the underside of heatsinks to aid the conduction of heat away from the component being cooled and into the heatsink .As an alternative to thermal grease In computing and...
spread between. This block usually has fins and ridges to increase its surface area. The heat conductivity of metal is much better than that of air, and it radiates heat better than the component that it is protecting (usually an integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
or CPU). Until recently, fan-cooled aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
heat sinks were the norm for desktop computers. Today, many heat sinks feature copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
base-plates or are entirely made of copper.
Dust
Dust
Dust consists of particles in the atmosphere that arise from various sources such as soil dust lifted up by wind , volcanic eruptions, and pollution...
buildup between the metal fins of a heat sink gradually reduces efficiency, but can be countered with a gas duster by blowing away the dust along with any other unwanted excess material.
Passive heat sinks are commonly found on older CPUs, parts that do not get very hot (such as the chipset), and low-power computers.
Usually a heat-sink is attached to the integrated heat spreader (IHS), essentially a large, flat plate attached to the CPU, with conduction paste layered between. This dissipates or spreads the heat locally. Unlike a heat sink, a spreader is meant to redistribute heat, not to remove it. In addition, the IHS protects the fragile CPU.
Passive cooling involves no fan noise.
Types of Products
- CPU Heat sinks
- VGA Heat sinks
- Chipset Heat sinks
- MOSFETMOSFETThe metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor is a transistor used for amplifying or switching electronic signals. The basic principle of this kind of transistor was first patented by Julius Edgar Lilienfeld in 1925...
Heat sinks - Memory Heat sinks
- Cooling Fans
- Other small accessories