A heat sink cools computer hardware and is held in place by a clip, usually made of carbon steel. There are active and passive heat sinks, with passive ones being larger and heavier. Overly heavy heat sinks can damage motherboards, so some use aluminum bars instead of clips. Thermal paste helps transfer thermal energy to the heat sink.
In computers, the heat sink clip is the connector that holds the heat sink in place. The heat sink is the unit that cools the computer hardware and is usually used on the main processing chip, which is located on the motherboard. A heat sink often has its base sitting flush with the processing chip in the computer’s processing unit (CPU) socket. The clip connects the heat sink to the CPU by attaching it to a base frame screwed around the processor chip bed. Usually, the heat sink clip is made of carbon steel.
A heat sink can most often be found attached to a motherboard. How a heat sink attaches to a motherboard depends on the manufacturers of the heat sink and the motherboard. To reduce CPU temperature, a heat sink is attached to the CPU so that it contacts the chip and conducts heat away from it. Most CPU heat sinks are attached to a fan that helps move hot air away from the computer hardware.
Heat sinks that use a fan to move air are called active heat sinks. Active heat sinks are the most common type of heat sink. Some heat sinks don’t use a fan, but instead have large metal coils to help conduct and redistribute heat away from the hardware. These types of heat sinks are called passive heat sinks. Since passive heatsinks rely solely on heat conduction through metal to cool the hardware, they tend to have more metal than active heatsinks, making them much larger and heavier.
Larger, usually passive heatsinks weigh much more and can stress a standard heat sink clip base. Too much weight on the motherboard can cause the motherboard to break. In some cases, the heat sink can break off the heat sink clip, detach from the motherboard, and fall, damaging other nearby hardware. This can be a particular problem when the heat sink is left hanging by its weight on the heat sink clip, upside down or on its side.
Overly heavy heat sinks often have retention bed designs that differ from the standard heat sink clip. These heavier heatsinks may have aluminum bars holding them down instead of a heat sink clip. Using passive heat sinks with an upgraded retention method can help prevent motherboard damage and heat sink clip breakage.
Because passive coolers don’t have a fan, they can cool a computer quietly, eliminating fan hum, but their size and weight can make them an unwise choice for some computer users. Smaller computer cases may not have the space for a passive cooling system. Active heat sinks are generally smaller in size and better suited to the needs of case size and cooling capacity.
Most heat sinks work best if thermal paste is applied where the heat sink and CPU chip touch. The paste helps facilitate the transfer of thermal energy to the heat sink. Thermal paste may also be called heat sink compound or heat sink paste.
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