Future Chip Cooling Technologies

[CityK]

Just going through and cleaning up collected bookmarks for the last several weeks and I came across the following article that I meant to post a while back but must have forgot. Anyway, here she be:

IBM Researchers Develop NextGeneration ChipCooling Technologies

 

[Mercutio]

At the beginning of the year, I read something about Intel engineers building an inexpensive ($25-ish) and utterly reliable watercooling rig using off-the-shelf parts. The article suggested it might be available in the near future, but of course I've heard nothing about it since.

 

[sechs]

Today's high-performance chips already generate a power density of 100 Watts per square centimeter — one order of magnitude more than that of a typical hotplate.

So, why don't they make hotplates from semiconductors? I see a profitably side business for Intel....

 

[ddrueding]

At that power, a small hotplate (150 square cm) would use 15,000 watts. That would be 136 amps in the US, or enough to trip 4 standard house circuits simultaneously.

 

[CityK]

At the beginning of the year, I read something about Intel engineers building an inexpensive ($25-ish) and utterly reliable watercooling rig using off-the-shelf parts. The article suggested it might be available in the near future, but of course I've heard nothing about it since.

Was it part of their BTX initiative...which has apparently been shelved

 

[Mercutio]

I do not think so.

BTX has been killed? Really? When did that happen?

 

[Buck]

BTX is alive and well with OEMs.

 

[sechs]

At that power, a small hotplate (150 square cm) would use 15,000 watts. That would be 136 amps in the US, or enough to trip 4 standard house circuits simultaneously.

That's not a small hotplate. A small hotplate would be about the size of a USB thumb drive. Enough for a nice cup of tea.

 

[CityK]

Have seen a number of sources that say Intel approached the board makers in early fall about this. Wikipedia's BTX article entry includes reference and a link to one such "rumour" report ... but if you google, you'll find others too etc etc.

 

[Clocker]

At that power, a small hotplate (150 square cm) would use 15,000 watts. That would be 136 amps in the US, or enough to trip 4 standard house circuits simultaneously.

I believe a standard breaker size is 15A. I wired my basement with 20A circuits but I could have done 15A. So I'd say 9 standard circuits is a bit more accurate (and even more ridiculous!),

 

[ddrueding]

Sorry 'bout that. I did 30A breakers, in anticipation of all the computers

 

[Clocker]

I hope you know what you're doing. The purpose of the breaker is to protect the wire from burning up in your walls. If you try to pull 30A through 15G or 12G wire, you have a major fire hazard and are not compliant with building codes anywhere in the US.

10G wire is expensive and very hard to route. If you actually did that, I would be very suprised. You would have been better of using a double pole 20A breaker with 12-3 wire so you could have two alternating separate 120V 20A circuits in one run (for a total of 40A available). It's much easier to route than 10G, (but still hard compared to 14G wire) and much less expensive.

 

[ddrueding]

I didn't actually do it, I had an electrical contractor do it. <shrug>

He was certified, the work was permitted, and I don't live there anymore

 

[Clocker]

No worries then...the $ is already spent. C'est la vie!

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

I hope you know what you're doing. The purpose of the breaker is to protect the wire from burning up in your walls. If you try to pull 30A through 15G or 12G wire, you have a major fire hazard and are not compliant with building codes anywhere in the US.

Clocker you beat me to the keyboard.

Trying to draw over 20 amps through 14 gauge Romex is a disaster in waiting. This is one area not to skimp. Proper grounding is also essential.

I've been running computers on 208 volts here in the USA for over a decade. Virtually all computers are capable of running on voltages up to 220 VAC at 50 or 60 Hz. Look on the back panel for more information. Your electric meter spins a lot slower if you run as much as you can on 208 VAC. E/(I*R) ... Increase voltage and proportionally decrease current. Current (amperage) is what makes ye ol' electric meter spin.

 

[Bozo]

I've been running computers on 208 volts here in the USA for over a decade. Virtually all computers are capable of running on voltages up to 220 VAC at 50 or 60 Hz. Look on the back panel for more information. Your electric meter spins a lot slower if you run as much as you can on 208 VAC. E/(I*R) ... Increase voltage and proportionally decrease current. Current (amperage) is what makes ye ol' electric meter spin.

Uhh, running on 208V doesn't buy you anything. The electric meter is a Watt Meter. W=Amp*Volts. Look at the specs for a power supply. On an Antec box I have here it says 7A at 115V or 3.5A at 230V. If you multiple them out, it's the same wattage.
Besides, if your computer needs 100W to run, thats what it is going to use no matter what the voltage supplied to it is.

Bozo :joker:

 

[Pradeep]

One thing I do miss about Aus is the 220V. Hard to do anything useful with 110V without drawing too many Amps.

 

[Sol]

It's always fun to hear bout the Americans who managed to blow up or set fire to random devices by plugging them in in Australia or Europe with nothing to drop the voltage. It's a story you get to hear fairly often living in backpackers hostels...