Feed: AnandTech
Feed Link: https://www.anandtech.com
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Title: Noctua Shows Off Thermosiphon Based CPU Cooler Prototype At Computex
2024

Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2024 10:30:00 EDT
Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/21446/noctua-s...

Many companies showed off a range of concept designs during Computex 2024,
but perhaps Noctua had one of the coolest. Noctua, primarily known for its
air coolers, had a pumpless prototype that showcased Thermisiphon cooling. It
looks like a conventional AIO cooler on the surface but is much more
efficient, cooler, and quieter than traditional water coolers.

Touching quickly on Thermosiphon cooling, it uses the natural laws of
thermodynamics to use heat (the CPU) as a source to turn the liquid to the
top, evaporating through the system. This evaporated liquid rises and is
pushed into the condenser (radiator), which, in the case of Noctua's cooler,
is cooled by fans and turned back into liquid, which then flows back toward
the CPU. Not only does Theromsiphon technology use gravity to help aid the
flow of liquid, but it is also a highly efficient way of distributing heat as
vaporization can absorb heat better, and it doesn't feature any moving parts
in the mechanism, aside from the fans, of course.

As with traditional AIO CPU coolers, Noctua's Thermosiphon design has a 240mm
radiator with a pair of 120cm Noctua fans, which cools the vapor down and
sends it back to the evaporator. While this isn't a new concept and vapor
chamber cooling has been used for many years in CPUs and even laptop coolers,
Thermosiphon is certainly a technology Noctua thinks it can leverage to
ensure better cooling performance and robust reliability.

Speaking to Noctua at Computex 2024, they informed me of the benefits and
pitfalls of the Thermosiphon technology. In terms of the pros, Thermosiphon
cooling in itself has no moving parts, which not only improves reliability
but also means there is less to go wrong. Another positive is that even the
quietest AIO CPU coolers can be quite noisy, as the water pump that
circulates the fluid can cause vibrations, which in turn makes noise. The
biggest drawback of implementing Thermosiphon cooling for PCs is that
conventional tubing can wear out over time. While adding metal tubing would
last longer, it's not flexible, although Noctua said they have discussed this
with system integrators.

Although Noctua's Thermosiphon is currently just a proof of concept and sis
in the early development stage, there's no launch date or indication it will
hit the market. It's an interesting design, and we hope it does eventually
come to market.

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