Hiawatha Bray Explains Chip Cooling

A ppleis latest crop of G5 Power Macs are hot, in more ways than one. For one thing, they are the fastest Macs on the planet, making them a must-have hot item for anyone needing the latest and greatest. The new machines also run hotter than their predecessors, require a novel approach to keeping the processors chilled, liquid cooling. Boston columnist Hiawatha Bray takes a look at the cooling technique in his latest article for the Boston Globe (via the International Herald Tribune). From the article:

Liquid cooling isnit a feature youill find on many computers, but Apple likes to stay out front. Indeed, the company is touting its new liquid-cooled machine as an engineering triumph. Perhaps it is, but it is one born of necessity. The dual microprocessors that drive the new G5 run hot - so hot that the old cooling system was no longer adequate.

"You need something thatis more efficient than a traditional copper heat sink," said Tom Boger, Appleis senior director of desktop product marketing. Hence the cooling technique that seems better suited to a V8 than a PC.

The full article nicely outlines the concerns facing the makers of computer processors, and is an interesting read.