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Adding a heatsink to a component increases the surface area that is exposed to cooling air. In other words the same amount of heat is spread out over a larger area and more air can get to it so the part stays cooler. ==Answer 2, More input == Answer 1 is correct, and my answer is NOT intended as a challenge, but 1 was not responsive in answering the question: The question was "HOW DOES...REMOVE heat...?" Answer 1 explains how the sink gets rid of the heat. The answer to HOW, is--"by CONDUCTION." The heatsink, usually made of aluminium, is very firmly and intimately attached to the component to be cooled, often using a small bolt or screw, or with spring tension built into the construction of the sink. The sink then "draws," in laymen's terminology, the heat from the component into itself. The miniscule "gap" remaining between the two surfaces is resistant to the conduction [transfer] of heat from the component to the sink, so to improve thermal conductivity, a thermally conductive "grease" is applied to the joint before mounting the sink to the component. The heat is then transfered to the sink by CONDUCTION, and by virtue of the sink material, and [as described in answer 1] the greatly increased surface area exposed to the air, the sink releases the heat to the air at a greater rate and volume than the component by itself could.

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Q: How does a heatsink on a computer remove heat to keep the components cool?
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Is the heatsink and fan required to cool down the CPU or can i build a computer without any heatsink or fan for the CPU?

A heatsink and fan is required. Without at least a heatsink, the processor would get way too hot in a very short period of time. This overheating of the processor could permanently damage it and render it useless.


What is a computer cooling systems used for?

Computer processors have a lot of electricity flowing through them. They use this electricity to perform calculations needed for doing things like opening programs, reading files, displaying things on your screen, etc. However, computer processors are not completely efficient, a lot of the electricity that they use causes heat to accumulate on different parts of the computer. In some cases the heat can be hot enough to boil water, and melt the parts inside of a computer -- and this is more true for more powerful computer processors like the ones used in desktop and laptop computers. In order to get rid of the heat that certain computer components generate, coolers are needed. Your most typical cooler is a heatsink and fan combo. A heatsink is a big block of metal with fins on it that sucks the heat from the processor and spreads it over a wide area so that the heat can radiate away from your super-hot components and be cooled by the air in your computer case. Fans are typically attached to a heatsink to 'blow' the heat away from the heatsink and processor which allows your computer to cool itself more efficiently so that your valuable computer components are protected from melting.


Why is overclocking not recommended by manufacturers?

In general, the average computer user would not know enough about the computer to safely over-clock it. They would be more likely to overheat or kill components of their systems than to get any noticeable benefit. Also, often computers straight from the manufacturers do not come with a heatsink (internal fan) that would be strong enough to effectively cool the processor if it were to be overclocked.


Why did the components inside a computer case keep a processor cold?

The components are usually insulated so the processor can stay pretty cool for a while


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The CPU is not part of the motherboard but it is placed on the motherboard. The CPU is squared and about a quarter inch square in size. It is placed in the CPU socket. A heatsink/fan is placed on top of the CPU to keep the CPU cool which makes it pretty hard to see because the heatsink/fan covers it when it is in a working computer.


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Tin foil is generally made of aluminum and can attract/transfer heat. Aluminium is widely used as cooling in computer systems, which spreads the heat all over the heatsink so the air can cool the aluminum down.


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Cool the burning material, Exclude oxygen, Remove the fuel, Break the chemical reaction


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It contains all the necessary parts, provides an electrical ground and helps to direct airflow to keep the components cool.


Diffrentiate between active heatsink and passive heatsink?

In a active heatsink system you have both a heatsink and a fan thus for the most part an active heatsink cools better with one exception. Should the fan fail the active heatsink will quickly overheat. Passive heatsinks relay on transferring heat without the aid of a fan. The advantage here is that a passive heatsink is fail proof and uses 0 electricity, however passive heatsinks don't typical cool as well. Passive heatsinks work great for supporting chips and RAM cooling. They are also found in servers because of the no fail aspect. EnzoTech produces some passive heatsinks you can read a bit more about them here: http://electricalninja.com/


What are the fan units for in the computer?

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Are components of a good warm up and cool down routine?

There are many components of a good warm-up and cool-down routine. These components are based on the type of warm-up and cool-down routine attempted.