On Reddit, a user shares a picture of a huge CPU cooler with the community. The cooling tower consists of several Intel boxed models. These extend far beyond the edge of the case, stacked on top of each other.
Gamers and PC enthusiasts strive for ever better solutions to keep their powerful PCs adequately cool and manage the high temperatures. When PCs didn’t yet have glass side panels and came in dull beige colors, standard coolers from Intel and AMD, known as boxed models, were widespread.
The advantage of buying a processor in the boxed variant lies mainly in the manufacturer’s warranty, which generally exceeds the legally mandated warranty of two years. The included coolers were often not the primary reason for purchase and thus often remained unpacked in some corner or were annoyingly lying around on the desk.
Especially the older models of boxed coolers were surpassed by far better and, above all, more stylish models from various manufacturers. What you can still do with the annoying boxed coolers is shown in this article.
After all: Intel finally improves its unpopular boxed coolers
The Leaning Tower of Intel
What kind of cooler does the photo show? The user “hartigan99” posted a picture of a special processor cooler in the official subreddit “PC Master Race”. It is a creation made from several standard coolers from the CPU manufacturer Intel.
How is the huge cooler construction put together in detail? The individual heat sinks were stacked on top of each other and connected by cable ties. At the top end is a fan that comes with a cooler. The bottom cooler in the tower was installed in the conventional manner. This sits directly on the processor and is connected to the backplate by its 4 plastic pins.
You can see the whole structure here:
What is the purpose of the backplate? The backplate is a plate attached to the back of the motherboard. It serves to secure the CPU cooler. By providing a secure hold, it is supposed to protect against damage from overly heavy cooler models. Given the current structure and its total weight of at least 8 coolers, it may be doubted whether the protection is still adequate.
The Reliability Remains Unclear
Does this assembly work reliably? The creator of the post does not say a word about the efficiency of the cooler formation. It is unclear whether there is sufficient contact between the individual boxed coolers to adequately dissipate the CPU’s heat.
For better heat transfer from the top of the processor to the cooler, heat paste is normally used. It could also be conceivable to use this between the individual coolers for more efficient transmission.
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Does the mounted fan provide an advantage? No, not really. It can be assumed that the dissipated heat does not even reach the fan at the top. The main heat exchange occurs much more passively through the much lower heat sinks.
The further the heat source is away, the less effective the heat dissipation is. Coolers with heat pipes, designed to effectively transport heat, are much better choices nowadays.
But generally remember to open your PC regularly and remove the dust that has accumulated.
How about the robustness of the construction? The stability of the tower itself can also be doubted. It is held together only by cable ties and will likely come to a significant tilt when the PC is no longer used lying on its side.
Due to the height, the case can also no longer be closed. The side panel would have to be modified accordingly.
All in all, this is more of a fun project than a serious attempt to cool a system properly. The risk of failure is very high. For your expensive hardware, you should stick to the conventional options from cooler manufacturers.
How’s your PC cooling? Have you also had a go at building your own construction in the computer? Or would you rather stick to the standard models from manufacturers?
The presented solution is not good, but expensive ones are not always better
