Goodbye watercooling, hello liquid metal cooling??

[thanasi]

it got to be some other chemical cause its way expensive and you know a company doesnt want to help you they want to make a prophit,and look at the article theres a spelling error in fan less they spelled it fan ess but who cares.

 

[Emultra]

$84 for an ounce? An ounce isn't that much, right?

Well, if it works as good as they say it is (*caugh*benchmarks?*caugh*) then what the hey.

 

[Maluno]

How it works is very simple, you have some liquid metal and some pipes and metal will actually circle the pipes using electromagnetic phenomenon and will be able to cool the card just fine.

This is a terrible article; improper grammer usage, speling erors all over the place... I can't even bear to read the rest. Who proofreads this stuff?!? Seriously, how could you miss "Fan ess" and "marchitecture..."

 

[TRUMPHENT]

Originally posted by: Maluno

How it works is very simple, you have some liquid metal and some pipes and metal will actually circle the pipes using electromagnetic phenomenon and will be able to cool the card just fine.

This is a terrible article; improper grammer usage, speling erors all over the place... I can't even bear to read the rest. Who proofreads this stuff?!? Seriously, how could you miss "Fan ess" and "marchitecture..."

"grammer", the intentional misspell of "grammar" used to confuse the reader. Also Kelsey's last name.

"fan ess" The second cousin, twice removed from Nessie, famous underwater actress located in Scotland. Also affectionately known by locals as Fanny.

"marchitecture" A new word used to describe the application of military technology to general commercial use. It is awaiting approval by the Pentagon for release to the consumer manufacturing industry. Its misuse may jeopardize national security.

 

[Mark R]

This is a terrible article; improper grammer usage, speling erors all over the place... I can't even bear to read the rest. Who proofreads this stuff?!? Seriously, how could you miss "Fan ess" and "marchitecture..."

LOL. It's deliberate.

The article is taking the mick out of the press release that they were sent, which was just as fact-imapired as the article you read.

Similarly, 'fan ess', 'marchitecture' are also deliberate - puns on 'finesse' and 'marketing / architecture' (as in technology).

 

[hippotautamus]

Defend your GPU from heat with your very own TX model Thermalator!

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Greenman
Hrm... sounds like a snake oil cure to me. I might buy the claim that it cooled a card to 12C, if the test was done in a 0C room.

http://www.sapphiretech.com/

They claim it's true. They call it the blizzard and have cards ready for the market.

Then I doubt that it's snake oil. I'm sure there were those who didn't think water-cooling would be an efficient way to transport heat in computer systems when it was first introduced decades ago. I look forward to seeing this technology mature and perhaps even some DIY FRU's for the adventurous among us. 😉

 

[Sentential]

If this stuff is so fine and dandy, why hasnt Thermaltake or Thermalright (and the like) contracted the design? Hell what about Zalman? If it really worked as well as Sapphire would lead you to belive, one would think that HSF makers would have the jump on this technology.

 

[HardWarrior]

I'm not aware of any formerly new technology that's been immediately adopted by all parties. Maybe it's me, but I don't understand this knee-jerk resistance when there isn't even a shipping product to be reviewed. Liquid metal-based cooling may indeed be shiznit, but wouldn't it be prudent to wait for some reviews before bad-mouthing it?

 

[Amplifier]

Give me a lame T-1000 joke, someone!

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: Zebo
It's a pipe dream.😀

If it's mercury, it will never get approved. If its' a liquid metal alloy such as a gallium/indium/tin matrix, galliums like $2000 a kilo (those tubes look pretty large) and will disolve containment metals over time wether annodized or not.

it boils at 2000 degrees C so it cant be mercury.....i dont think,

 

[Munky]

I happen to know how refrigeration/air conditioning works, and if the stuff boils at 2000 degrees, then it cant work on the same principle. AC works on phase-change, which means most of the heat is absorbed by evaporating a liquid coolant. No silicon chip today is ever going to operate anywhere close to 2000 degrees, so this thing cant be compared to a refrigeration unit. Without phase change, it's basically a water-cooling solution, with a different coolant, and it's not as good at removing heat as a real refrigeration cooler. Of course, all of this is still based on rumors, but I'd be surprised if this actually worked out like they say it will. However, if it does work, then this might probably be the best invention since sliced bread.

 

[Zap]

What if the "liquid metal" is actually just some metal in solution? Imagine, really tiny bits of metal (metallic dust?) suspended in coolant. The coolant would keep the solution from vaporizing (though at 2000º F ???), perhaps something oil based to suspend the metal better? The metal would be useful for absorbing/moving the heat and also for the electromagnetic pumps to "push" the solution along.

 

[BitByBit]

It's a shame such elabourate cooling methods are required.
More emphasis should be placed on efficiency, but it seems these companies are so desperate to outdo their competitors in clock speed and what not, that efficiency takes a back seat.
If Via can design processors that don't require fans, surely larger companies can do the same?
In fact, it may be in their interests to do so, since each bump in speed seems to require disproportionately more power, and as things are with Prescott, I'm surprised Greenpeace don't protest outside Intel HQ.

 

[CMar]

Originally posted by: Zap
What if the "liquid metal" is actually just some metal in solution? Imagine, really tiny bits of metal (metallic dust?) suspended in coolant. The coolant would keep the solution from vaporizing (though at 2000º F ???), perhaps something oil based to suspend the metal better? The metal would be useful for absorbing/moving the heat and also for the electromagnetic pumps to "push" the solution along.

exactly what i was thinking.

in todays marketing word somthing called "Liquid Metal" might not even have metal in it, or it might just be a liquid with atomized aluminium floating around in it.

 

[hippotautamus]

Originally posted by: Amplifier
Give me a lame T-1000 joke, someone!

"Defend your GPU from heat with your very own TX model Thermalator!"

I already did!

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Zap
What if the "liquid metal" is actually just some metal in solution? Imagine, really tiny bits of metal (metallic dust?) suspended in coolant. The coolant would keep the solution from vaporizing (though at 2000º F ???), perhaps something oil based to suspend the metal better? The metal would be useful for absorbing/moving the heat and also for the electromagnetic pumps to "push" the solution along.

Because thermal conductance is predicated on the carrier or contact element which water is far superior than any other compound besides liquid metal. So in using a non-metal liquid as a carrier you'd have worse cooling than water since right away you've taken some of waters (or whatever carrier compound) excellent capacitance away by displacing it with metal particals which have no capacitance to speak of. The metals excellent conductance is a non-factor since it's not able to conduct being in non-contact. That's the whole idea anyway or liquid metal cooling. Virtually instant conductance from the chip to surrounding area, or heat sink, which is then cooled with air.

 

[Zebo]

However, if it does work, then this might probably be the best invention since sliced bread.

Just explain to me how it's physically possible to get lower temps than ambient without mechanical, chemical or electrical means??

You'd be a gazillionaire... put power companies out of biz, all air conditioning and refidgeration makers too.

This is snake oil plain and simple.

 

[Zebo]

here is a newscientist link.. Like is said a gallium alloy.. first gallium is hella expensive 1/3 the price of gold.. add another $100 to your card at least.. second is it's corrosive nature which I don't know how they are going to deal with... Need to think about it some more.. been awile since I played with electrochemistry kenetics.. maybe it'll survive long after card is obsolete or they'll ablate the internal HS with gold which will stave off corrosion a bit.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7348

but still lower than ambient is a joke, better than water is a joke, cheaper than water is a joke.

 

[Emultra]

Calling a metal solution without actual molten metal in it "liquid metal" would be fraud.