Which Type of Radiator is Generally Used in Computers?

In computers, choosing the right radiator depends on the purpose of the computer, performance requirements and budget. Here are several common types of computer radiators and their applicable scenarios:

Air-cooled radiator

Air-cooled radiators are the most common type of radiators in computers. They use fans to blow heat away from the heat sink of the CPU or GPU to keep the system temperature stable.

Passive air-cooled radiators

without fans, they rely on natural air flow to dissipate heat. They are suitable for low-power devices such as entry-level desktop computers or office computers. Its advantage is that it is noiseless, but the heat dissipation effect is limited.

Active air-cooled radiators

with fans, they dissipate heat through forced air flow. Most home computers and gaming computers will adopt this solution, which is cost-effective and easy to install. The performance of the radiator and the quality of the fan determine its heat dissipation efficiency.

Applicable scenarios:

Home desktop computers

Gaming computers

Office computers

Liquid-cooled radiators

Liquid-cooled radiators use coolant circulation to remove heat. They are usually composed of water cooling heads, coolant pipes and radiators. Liquid cooling has higher heat dissipation efficiency than air cooling, and is suitable for scenarios that require higher temperature control, such as high-performance gaming computers and workstations.

All-in-one liquid cooling radiator (AIO): This type of radiator has a compact structure and is relatively simple to install. It is suitable for users who want to improve the heat dissipation effect but do not want to operate it too complicatedly.

Customized liquid cooling system: Suitable for extreme performance pursuers, allowing users to design the circulation route of the coolant, the size of the heat sink, etc. according to their needs, which can provide stronger heat dissipation capabilities for the CPU and GPU. Such systems are usually used in high-end workstations and fever-level gaming computers.

Applicable scenarios:

High-performance gaming computers

Overclocked computers

Workstations and servers

Heat pipe radiator

Heat pipe radiator is a radiator between air cooling and liquid cooling. It uses vacuum-sealed heat pipes to transfer heat from the heating element to the heat sink, and then discharges the heat through the fan. Heat pipe radiators can provide efficient heat dissipation in a small space, so they are often used in compact PCs (such as mini hosts) or laptops with high heat dissipation requirements.

Applicable scenarios:

Compact desktop computers

High-end laptops

Passive cooling

Passive cooling does not rely on fans or pumps, but dissipates heat through larger heat sinks or natural convection. This cooling method is suitable for small devices or systems with low power consumption. Since there is no fan, the noise is zero, but the heat dissipation capacity is limited. It is often used in HTPC (home theater PC) or minimalist configuration computers.

Applicable scenarios:

Low-power mini PC

Office computer

Home theater PC (HTPC)

The above is an introduction to "what kind of radiator is generally used for computers". For most daily computers, air-cooled radiators are the most cost-effective and most commonly used choice, especially when extreme performance is not required. If you have high-performance gaming or work needs and want a more efficient and quiet cooling solution, an all-in-one liquid-cooled radiator would be a good choice. For small computers or scenes with extremely high requirements for silence, heat pipe radiators and passive cooling may be more suitable.