An aluminum heat sink is a common device used to manage heat production and prevent electronics from overheating. It works by transferring heat from the electrical device to the heat sink, which has fins or pins that transfer the heat to the air around it. Copper and diamond are more efficient conductors of energy, but are more expensive and less common. Alloys that include copper or diamond are used in making heat sinks for major computer systems.
An aluminum heat sink is a device used with other electrical devices that produce heat to help manage heat production and prevent electronics from overheating. This type of heat sink is often used on the central processing unit (CPU) inside a computer. A variety of heat sinks in different sizes and styles are available. The material used to create a heat sink is a vital part of how well a heat sink will help reduce the heat in an electrical device it is connected to. An aluminum heat sink is one of the more common types of heat sink available, although these are usually made from an aluminum alloy and not pure aluminum.
The way an aluminum heat sink works is quite simple. A heat sink is attached to a flat surface on the device it is supposed to help cool, such as a CPU or graphics processor on a video card. Heat transfers from the electrical device to the heat sink, which typically has a number of pins or fins originating from the flat surface it shares with the device. Once the heat moves into these fins or pins, the air around the heat sink transfers the heat away from the heat sink and eventually out of the system. Some form of interface material, often thermal paste, is typically used between the device and the heat sink, which increases conductivity and heat transfer.
Heat sinks can be made using a number of different materials, although in general these materials are usually chosen for their good conduction of heat and energy. An aluminum heat sink is one of the most common and cheapest types of heat sinks. Aluminum alloys are typically chosen to increase the conductivity of such a heat sink, and the alloy used is often chosen for a combination of material strength and conductivity. There are also several alternatives that can be used instead of an aluminum heat sink.
Copper is a better conductor of energy than aluminum, making a copper heat sink a more efficient option than an aluminum heat sink. Because copper is typically heavier, more expensive, and more difficult to machine, however, such heat sinks are more expensive and less common for basic computer designs. Diamond is much more conductive than aluminum or copper, but it is also much more expensive. Alloys that include copper or diamond, as well as other materials such as aluminum, silicon, and silver, are typically used in making heat sinks for major computer systems that require more heat transfer than an aluminum heat sink could provide. .
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