The Benefits of Liquid Cooling for Professional Workstations

THE BASICS
Heat is the single most crippling byproduct of computing technology. Thermal fluctuation, performance throttling and system fatigue are all critical factors that restrict the potential of hi-performance professional computers.

The default and usually the only factory option for professional-grade computer components is air cooling. It’s the cheapest, easiest solution requiring little engineering and uses readily available materials and components i.e. aluminum & copper heatsinks, thermal pastes and fans.

However, with today’s more powerful computer hardware using higher density components and higher power draws, air-cooling is reaching its practical limit. Manufacturers and hardware configurators can continue to use high-speed fans and let components run hotter or as we recommend, integrate hi-quality liquid cooling systems into their workstations.

 

WHY LIQUID COOLING
Water-based coolants have about 4x better thermal conductivity than air. They absorb heat energy quickly and efficiently from components using specially designed ‘water-blocks’. Properly designed liquid cooling loops offer the most efficient method for mitigating heat-related issues.

Hi-performance computers running intense workloads for extended periods (e.g. 3D Rendering) can draw 250W to 450W per component. These high heat loads are only compounded when using multi-CPU / multi-GPU configurations. Keeping key components running at cooler temperatures allows for higher, longer sustained boost clocks, increased long-term performance, and even increase the life span of components.

 

CONCLUSION
When first introduced to the PC market in the early 2000’s liquid cooling systems weren’t very practical and had reliability issues such as leaking. And in many cases they weren’t as durable or efficient as air cooling methods.

Since that time many, if not all of the issues associated with liquid cooling have been resolved. In short, current high-quality liquid cooling systems offer many benefits and little to no drawbacks. They allow components to run at peak performance while operating within acceptable parameters. Liquid cooling systems also run whisper-quiet thus eliminating noise pollution from the creative environment.

MORE INFO

If you have any questions or would like additional information regarding liquid cooling systems please contact us at info@ccsrents.com or call (818) 479-4202.

You may also want to check out the proprietary liquid cooling systems found in our Xenowulf line of Supercomputer Workstations: ccsrents.com/Xenowulf