1. Field of the Invention
The present application is directed generally to environmental control for personal computers, and in particular to removal of waste heat from personal computer systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, computer technology has continued to advance at an ever greater pace. In particular, improvements in microchip manufacturing technology have led to the development of ever more powerful processors and memory chips having greater capacity than previously available. These improvements are due in large part to the reduction in size of individual circuits on the microchips. These advances, in turn, have led to systems, such as personal computers, having vastly greater speed, power, and data handling capabilities than previously available.
One consequence of this trend toward more compact, faster, and more powerful systems, is that heat production, as a waste byproduct, is concentrated into smaller areas. Inasmuch as excessive heat may affect the performance of a computer system, or even cause damage, various means are employed for control and removal of heat generated by components of computer systems. For example, most modern computer systems include a fan located in the power supply of a computer system, which in turn is located, generally, in an upper back portion of a typical computer tower cabinet. The cabinet is generally provided with louvers or intake vents in a lower front portion, and the fan is configured to blow air outward from the upper rear portion. Accordingly, exterior air is drawn in through the lower front region of the case, through the interior of the case to the upper rear portion, where it is blown outward. Additionally, individual components of a computer system that are especially high in production of heat, such as the CPU, may be provided with heat-sinks or fans.