The present invention relates to a cooling system for a central processing unit (CPU) or other processing unit of a computer system. More specifically, the invention relates to a liquid-cooling system for a mainstream computer system such as a PC.
During operation of a computer, the heat created inside the CPU or other processing unit must be carried away fast and efficiently, keeping the temperature within the design range specified by the manufacturer. As an example of cooling systems, various CPU cooling methods exist and the most used CPU cooling method to date has been an air-cooling arrangement, wherein a heat sink in thermal contact with the CPU transports the heat away from the CPU and as an option a fan mounted on top of the heat sink functions as an air fan for removing the heat from the heat sink by blowing air through segments of the heat sink. This air-cooling arrangement is sufficient as long as the heat produced by the CPU is kept at today's level, however it becomes less useful in future cooling arrangements when considering the development of CPUs since the speed of a CPU is said to double perhaps every 18 months, thus increasing the heat production accordingly.
Another design used today is a CPU cooling arrangement where cooling liquid is used to cool the CPU by circulating a cooling liquid inside a closed system by means of a pumping unit, and where the closed system also comprises a heat exchanger past which the cooling liquid is circulated.
A liquid-cooling arrangement is more efficient than an air-cooling arrangement and tends to lower the noise level of the cooling arrangement in general. However, the liquid-cooling design consists of many components, which increases the total installation time, thus making it less desirable as a mainstream solution. With a trend of producing smaller and more compact PCs for the end-users, the greater amount of components in a typical liquid-cooling arrangement is also undesirable. Furthermore, the many components having to be coupled together incurs a risk of leakage of cooling liquid from the system.