Concept "Monoblock" Style ITX coolers

[el01]

To increase surface area and to allow adept VRM cooling, what if a CPU cooler was made with contact plates touching the VRMs and extending over the rear I/O?

Sort of like this:

in which the orange area overhangs the other components.


(sort of like a monoblock water cooler's coverage)

 

[cribbit]

If you custom made it for a specific mobo, sure. Otherwise you'll run into a nightmare of compatibility issues.

 

[FoskcoRS5]

If you custom made it for a specific mobo, sure. Otherwise you'll run into a nightmare of compatibility issues.

Kind of like how motherboard mono blocks in water cooling are made for specific mobos...

 

[el01]

The point was to have a semi-custom layout in mind.

 

[Ross Siggers]

The Dreamcast actually used a somewhat simplified version of this.

Whilst a few of the earliest models(VA0) used actual heat pipes, the majority of the units you'll find(VA1) used a large metal plate, and thermal pads contacting it to the hotspots on the board. This was screwed down on top of the motherboard, sandwiching it between the plate and the floor of the case, applying pressure to the thermal pads. There was a larger metal shield above this too, but that was more for protection.

As people have said, compatibility would be hell in a PC. It only works on a console due to such a high volume, single design scenario.

 

[NinoPecorino]

you mean like this?


https://grabcad.com/library/asrock-x99e-itx-ac-custom-low-profile-heatsink-1

i think this was covered somewhere on this forum, but i can't find it right now.

 

[Ross Siggers]

I think maybe looking at the orange sketch, a compromise could be met;

How about you get those tiny stick on square heatsinks, and stick them onto your VRMs...then build a flat metal plate the size of the motherboard, and cut a fan hole. You'd essentially be building a compartment above the motherboard, forcing the air to travel along the surface of the board more effectively than normal.

 

[Wenemun]

You don't really need VRM cooling if you have a down force air cooler going over them... Only reason they do it on water blocks is because they have no airflow...

 

[el01]

You don't really need VRM cooling if you have a down force air cooler going over them... Only reason they do it on water blocks is because they have no airflow...

What if the board at hand has a potato VRM, and a terrible VRM heatsink?

 

[Wenemun]

What if the board at hand has a potato VRM, and a terrible VRM heatsink?

Spend the money on a better board rather than custom heatsink. You're just rolling dren in glitter.

Also, do you really want your vrm to melt and the caps to pop, because thats what will happen, even with extra cooling, cruddy vrms are still cruddy vrms, they have a max amperage they can take.

Unless its the asrock x299 which is the only x299 itx board... I can understand that. Maybe see if But its vrm is actually quite good (the cooling is potato, and power delivery to them could be better).

But even then, the most a low profile air cooler like the one above could disperse would be like maybe 120w. or a 140mm which would do maybe 140w... (for comparison, the silverstone ar11 which is about the same thickness, but with a 90mm can do around 90w). 7960x and 7980xe are 165w at stock, so doesnt leave you much room.

If you could get a 160mm heatsink with 160mm fan on top with 65cfm you might get close. The issue is getting it to the fins, and getting it away from them without making it sound like a jet engine...

Id just put little copper heatsinks on it and call it a day.

 

[TristanDuboisOLG]

you mean like this?


https://grabcad.com/library/asrock-x99e-itx-ac-custom-low-profile-heatsink-1

i think this was covered somewhere on this forum, but i can't find it right now.

I believe you're thinking of "Project Mercury". The user's name is all numbers so I'd never be able to remember it off the top of my head.

 

[el01]

Spend the money on a better board rather than custom heatsink. You're just rolling dren in glitter.

Also, do you really want your vrm to melt and the caps to pop, because thats what will happen, even with extra cooling, cruddy vrms are still cruddy vrms, they have a max amperage they can take.

Unless its the asrock x299 which is the only x299 itx board... I can understand that. Maybe see if But its vrm is actually quite good (the cooling is potato, and power delivery to them could be better).

But even then, the most a low profile air cooler like the one above could disperse would be like maybe 120w. or a 140mm which would do maybe 140w... (for comparison, the silverstone ar11 which is about the same thickness, but with a 90mm can do around 90w). 7960x and 7980xe are 165w at stock, so doesnt leave you much room.

If you could get a 160mm heatsink with 160mm fan on top with 65cfm you might get close. The issue is getting it to the fins, and getting it away from them without making it sound like a jet engine...

Id just put little copper heatsinks on it and call it a day.

concept only lol

 

[NinoPecorino]

I believe you're thinking of "Project Mercury". The user's name is all numbers so I'd never be able to remember it off the top of my head.

@1461748123 did some amazing work on project mercury. that's a waterblock though.

edit: maybe you were suggesting that's where i saw the monoblock. i just went through the whole thread again and couldn't find it.

 

[TristanDuboisOLG]

@1461748123 did some amazing work on project mercury. that's a waterblock though.

edit: maybe you were suggesting that's where i saw the monoblock. i just went through the whole thread again and couldn't find it.

Nope, that's a monoblock. Check the pictures, the post, and his store.

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...an-internal-watercooled-skyreach-4-mini.6503/

 

[NinoPecorino]

Nope, that's a monoblock. Check the pictures, the post, and his store.

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...an-internal-watercooled-skyreach-4-mini.6503/

yeah it's for watercooling, not aircooling.

 

[KepKe]

The idea is great in my opinion, considering that a lot of mainboards block the airflow of downforce coolers like the L9i. I also could see a benefit in exhausting a bit of air out of the i/o shield opening.

The issue tho is that the cooler would be limited to a single board/layout. If let's say Asus and Noctua teamed up for something like that, then Asus would have to stick to the "first" layout without moving even a hair.