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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Overclocking? A: Overclocking is defined as the act of taking a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and forcing its frequency (speed) beyond the specifications for which it has been tested, approved, and sold for by the manufacturer. Q: What exactly does cooling my CPU have to do with overclocking? A: Well, without getting into the physics of resistivity I will simply tell you that lowering the temperature of an electrical circuit will allow a higher electron transfer rate. Causing a greater frequency to be achieved. Q: But I heard that you had to cool an overclocked CPU just because it overheated. A: Here's the catch, both of the reasons - implying lower resistivity at lower temperatures and taking care of overheating are valid. However they are linked to each other. In essence, when you overclock, you always get overheating of the CPU. Therefore you obviously need cooling, better cooling than the classical fan/heatsink combination present by default on nearly all sold CPU's. But the reason you can overclock by taking care of absorbing the overclocked CPU's massive generated heat is due to the fact that you are lowering the resistivity of the circuitry, allowing stable operation of that CPU. Q: Are there any benefits to Malic's advanced CPU coolers besides relatively high overclocking rates? A: ABSOLUTELY!! Having extensively studied the behavior of various types of processors at high temperatures I can assure you that efficient cooling greatly reduces the chances of the famous BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) i.e. that nifty Windows screen that indicates that your system is either frozen or is about to lock up. Therefore, by using better cooling methods, you are assured less frequent lock-up or freezing problems with your machine (pertaining the problem arises from your processor not handling heat very well). Through experience, I can tell you that most of the time those lock-ups are due to inefficient cooling of the CPU.
Q: OH MY, you're using WATER in a computer, what if it leaks!!! A: Firstly, 99.99% of the people that ask me this question are taken over by the psychological aspect of liquid cooling a electrical components. My first reaction to this question is the following - "Aren't YOU worried that as your driving your car the gas tank starts leaking with all of that moving around and you suddenly explode?". Now my question sounds incredibly ignorant at first but if you analyze the situation you will see it is not far from the frequent question posed to me. When using a liquid CPU cooler, I run the system on a flat surface covered with newspapers (essentially made of cellulose which we all know is highly absorbent). If leaks appear, they show up immediately on the newspaper and the exact spot can be located, and sealed with glue, or the entire water jacket can be taken apart and re-glued more carefully. I assure you that hot glue is perfect, it is 100% water tight, so any stronger glue will also do. In the worst case scenario, if a horrific accident happens and the system DOES leak, do not worry (if you've used distilled water). I always use distilled water in my liquid systems. Simply because that by studying AP Chemistry we all found out that it is not water that conducts electricity (remember, H2O is not an electrolyte anyway), but it is the minerals present in water. Therefore distilled water (being mineral free) will not harm your components. Just make sure that after the leak you turn off the system, unplug it, and allow all of the water to evaporate or use a blow drier to evaporate it. |
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