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Introduction
to the Niveus Passive Cooling System
Learn
more about the technology behind Niveus "fanless" Media Centers
and Storage Servers. |
The
Case for Passive Cooling
The
number one complaint of someone using a media center in their living
room is the noise. Noise is caused by the moving parts in computers;
namely fans and hard drives. The average computer has five fans: CPU
Fan, VGA Card Fan, Case Fan, Northbridge Fan, and the PSU Fan. Don't
be deceived by manufacturers that will tell you their fans are quiet,
they're not. Writers, reviewers, and customers have made this abundantly
clear.
"The
box was loud, and its constant fan noise wasn't particularly appealing".
- Paul Thurrott (Writer/Reviewer) | Source: Paul
Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows Dec. 04 | System: HP Media Center PC
(873n)
"...
its loud fans will make you think twice before installing this otherwise
competent system there."
- Carla Thornton (Reviewer) | Source: PC World Dec. 04
| System: CyberPower Media Center PC Limited Edition
"...
the base system is as noisy as a PC"
- Andrew Park (Writer/Reviewer) | Source: Business Week Nov. 04 | System:
Alienware DHS 5
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The
Technology
Thankfully,
you don't have to settle for fans. Passive cooling technology has been used
for years in the electronics industry and is an established method for removing
heat from electronic components. Most notably, Pentium powered laptop computers
make use of heatpipe technology to transfer the heat away from the processor
to other, more advantageous, areas of the computer. Since then, heat pipes have
become standard in nearly every laptop PC produced.
While
there are several means to passively cool hot computer components, Niveus Media
currently employs three techniques to keep those noisy fans out of our systems:
Heat Pipes, High Performance Heat Sinks, Thermal Pads.
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Heat
Pipes
A
heat pipe moves heat from spot-to-spot with little loss in temperature.
The heat pipe employs a two-phase process in which a liquid is evaporated
inside the pipe by heat input at one end. The resulting vapor is condensed
back into the liquid by heat removal at the pipe's other end. The condensate
is then returned to the evaporator by capillary action in a wick.
Summary: The main advantage to heat pipes is that they transfer
the heat from one location, to another location.
Niveus
Implementation: Niveus Media uses heat pipe technology to conduct
the heat from the processor, the graphic card, and the northbridge to the heat sink extrusions
on all Niveus Media Centers.
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High
Performance Heat Sinks
A
heat sink is designed to lower the temperature of an electronic device
by dissipating heat into the surrounding air. Heat sinks are generally
made of an aluminum alloy and often have fins. The large extrusions
found on the sides of the Niveus Media Centers, and Storage Servers
are prime examples of these fins & extrusions.
Summary:
The main advantage of the heat sink to so release the heat into the
surrounding air.
Niveus
Implementation: The Niveus Media Center, and A/V Storage Server
each use exotic heat sink extrusions to dissipate the heat out and away
from the unit.
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Thermal
Pads
A
thermal pad is a thin, flexible pad that can be used to transfer heat
from a broad heat source to a large heat sink. Thermal pads are made
of substances that have an extremely high heat tolerance, yet a high
capacity for heat transfer.
Summary:
The main advantage to thermal pad is to transfer the heat from one broad
location, to another location.
Niveus
Implementation: Thermal pads are used in and around every hard
drive that goes into a Niveus Media Center, or Niveus Storage Server.
These pads additionally serve to dampen the vibration caused by the
spinning hard drives, creating an even more effective silencing system.
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The
only way to ensure total system silence and correct cooling is to purchase a
system with zero fans and one that makes use of passive cooling technology such
as described in this article.
If
you'd like to ask more questions regarding the Niveus Passive Cooling System,
or questions specific to our products, please contact
us. For more information on our recent award winning systems based on the
Niveus Passive Cooling System, please check our the Denali
Edition Media Center, and the Niveus
A/V Storage Server.
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