I've read "CPU Cooler Charts 2008" and think that Tom's has done a great job reviewing different coolers in real-world environments. But I think the subject of heatpipe orientation was overlooked and possibly misunderstood.
Heatpipes depend upon convection and gravity for effective operation. The fluid should be in contact with the heat source (the CPU) so it can absord heat, boil off, rise as vapor, be cooled by the heatsink/fan, condense to liquid and then trickle back down to the heat source to begin the cycle again.
In my experience, the majority of system boards are mounted vertically in tower cases, which means that virtually all heatpipes are running horizontally through the heatsinks.
Regardless of orientation, the heatpipe fluid is going to collect at the lowest point. With every heatpipe cooler Tom's reviewed, that lowest point is at the CPU ONLY if the system board is mounted horizontally. With the vertical system board orientation, none of these coolers
collects the fluid at the CPU and therefore the heatpipe is nowhere near as effective as it could be.
It would be interesting to see a few of those tests repeated with the system board mounted horizontally. There's no question that the coolers will be much more effective in that orientation, but it might be surprising to see just how much of a difference it makes.
Tom's may find that some of the coolers rated poorly in the review actually perform acceptably well when oriented as designed.
Also, why doesn't someone design a heatpipe CPU cooler specifically for vertically-mounted system boards?
Heatpipes depend upon convection and gravity for effective operation. The fluid should be in contact with the heat source (the CPU) so it can absord heat, boil off, rise as vapor, be cooled by the heatsink/fan, condense to liquid and then trickle back down to the heat source to begin the cycle again.
In my experience, the majority of system boards are mounted vertically in tower cases, which means that virtually all heatpipes are running horizontally through the heatsinks.
Regardless of orientation, the heatpipe fluid is going to collect at the lowest point. With every heatpipe cooler Tom's reviewed, that lowest point is at the CPU ONLY if the system board is mounted horizontally. With the vertical system board orientation, none of these coolers
collects the fluid at the CPU and therefore the heatpipe is nowhere near as effective as it could be.
It would be interesting to see a few of those tests repeated with the system board mounted horizontally. There's no question that the coolers will be much more effective in that orientation, but it might be surprising to see just how much of a difference it makes.
Tom's may find that some of the coolers rated poorly in the review actually perform acceptably well when oriented as designed.
Also, why doesn't someone design a heatpipe CPU cooler specifically for vertically-mounted system boards?
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