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cooler

(kū'lər)

A device, container, or room that cools or keeps cool.
A cold drink, often a mixture of white wine and juice.
Slang. A jail.

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Computer Desktop Encyclopedia: CPU cooler

A device that draws heat away from a CPU chip and other hot-running chips such as a graphics processor (GPU). The simplest type of cooler is a heat sink, which is a metal cover glued to the chip that provides a larger surface area for heat dissipation. Even more effective is a CPU fan because it forces the hot air away from the chip. It is often used in conjunction with a heat sink. Water-cooled systems and heat pipe coolers provide more esoteric solutions (see heat pipe). Refrigeration systems have also been built to cool down the CPU.

Heat Sink

The simplest cooler is an aluminum heat sink, which uses fins to provide the maximum cooling surface for making contact with the air.

Fans and Heat Sinks Together

This Chip Coolers fan sits on top of a heat sink to cool a hot-running CPU chip. Fans and heat sinks are widely used in combination. (Image courtesy of Tyco International, Ltd.)

Water Cooled

For years, water systems cooled large mainframes, but the Zalman Reserator 1 www.zalmanusa.com.is used here to make a quiet PC. By taking the heat directly from the hot chips, a quieter fan can be used for the rest of the components. Water is pumped in a closed loop from the external radiator to the CPU to the graphics processor (GPU) on the display adapter. The tube runs around the front of the case in order to connect to a flow indicator.

Thesaurus: cooler

noun

Informal

Slang

Chiefly Regional

See

Architecture: cooler

1. A thermally insulated enclosure, kept at a reduced temperature by means of refrigeration.
2. An air conditioner.

Wikipedia: cooler

A cooler most commonly is an insulated box, used to keep food or drink cool. Ice cubes which are very cold are most commonly placed in it to make the things inside stay cool. Ice packs are sometimes used, as they either contain the melting water inside, or have a gel sealed inside that also stays cold longer than plain water.

Coolers are often taken on picnics, and on vacation or holiday. Where summers are hot, they may also be used just for getting cold groceries home from the store, such as keeping ice cream from melting in a hot car. Even without adding ice, this can be a big help, particularly if having to make another brief stop on the way home.

They are usually made from interior and exterior shells of plastic, with a hard foam in between. They also come in sizes from small personal ones to large family ones with wheels. Disposable ones are made only from styrene foam (like a coffee cup) about 2 cm or one inch thick. Most have molded-in handles, a few have shoulder straps.

The cooler was invented in Australia, where it is sometime called an esky, a genericized trademark.

Thermoelectric coolers

Some modern coolers are thermoelectric, plugging in to a car's cigarette lighter socket. Rather than using a compressor and refrigerant like a refrigerator or other heat pump, these use the Peltier effect along with an external fan to draw away the heat. These can also heat the contents instead of cooling them, useful for keeping dinner hot from a drive-through, or even to keep things from freezing in severely cold winter climates.

Thermoelectric coolers typically can drop the temperature by about 40 °F or 22 °C, and can raise it by at least that much. Some better units even have digital thermostat controls. They do draw a significant amount of power however, and can drain a car's battery enough so that it cannot start. Most electric coolers have an undervoltage shutoff at around 10.0 or 10.5VDC to prevent this. Many also come with power adapters, which use an electronic transformer to convert alternating current mains or line voltage (120 or 240VAC) down to 12VDC, with a lighter-like socket for the cooler's cord to plug in.

Thermoelectric coolers are, however, not limited to use in cars. They can also be bought as household appliances in the form of small fridges; they may be preferred because of price and size.

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. THIS COPYRIGHTED DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. © 1981-2008 Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cooler". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

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