LIQUID METAL In Your PC and Console
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2022-05-05
·
856 words · ~4 min read
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Sony has stolen the headlines lately
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for how the PlayStation 5 uses a cooling method
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that's pretty different from what we've seen in consoles.
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And while people have modified their consoles
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to be liquid cooled, similar to what you'd see on a PC,
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we're not talking about putting the CPU under a water block.
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Instead, Sony has replaced
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the traditional thermal interface material
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with liquid metal.
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Sounds like something out of a James Cameron movie,
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but what exactly is it?
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And is it actually better
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than your typical goopy thermal paste?
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Liquid metal is actually a eutectic alloy
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of three different metals, gallium, indium, and tin.
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The word eutectic means that it has a melting point lower
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than any of the three metals do on their own.
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Pretty cool.
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The kind of liquid metal used for chip cooling
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doesn't solidify until you lower the temperature
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down to negative 19 degrees Celsius,
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or negative two Fahrenheit for you Yankees out there.
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So unless you're taking your PS5 outside
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during wintertime on the Canadian prairies,
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it stays liquid under normal conditions.
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But liquid metal isn't something that Sony just invented.
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It's actually been around for a while,
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and it's had a small niche in the PC enthusiast space,
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with some enthusiasts and over-clockers
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favoring it over thermal paste.
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And it can be very effective,
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regardless of whether you're using it
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on top of the integrated heat spreader,
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or going a step further and delidding your chip,
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replacing the stock thermal integration material
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with liquid metal.
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Liquid metal works better
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because it's a more effective conductor of heat.
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In contrast to thermal paste,
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which usually has some metal combined with some gas,
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the thermal paste does a better job of heating it,
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silicone, liquid metal is, well, all metal.
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But why exactly did Sony decide to go with liquid metal
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when plain old thermal paste is cheaper, more common,
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and seems to be good enough in most cases?
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Okay, Sony, why liquid metal now?
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The PlayStation 5 has power approaching
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that of an upper mid-range PC,
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which is not something we've been able to say
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about previous consoles.
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This means that there's a heck of a lot of computing muscle
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packed into a relatively small,
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small area with the CPU and GPU residing on the same chip.
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And as you might've guessed, it generates a lot of heat.
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Even so, Sony could have used thermal paste,
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which is cheaper per unit than liquid metal.
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But not only did Sony go with liquid metal
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to cool off that high performance SOC more efficiently,
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but it also helps to keep the PS5 quieter.
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Had Sony used regular thermal paste,
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it would have needed to spend more money
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on higher performing heat sinks and fans,
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which would have both made the system louder
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and driven up the cost.
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So even though liquid metal is pricier,
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it still saves money for Sony in aggregate,
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since they don't have to spend as much money
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on the rest of the cooling system.
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But what about for you, the home PC enthusiast?
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Is liquid metal a good idea for you?
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If you just need a single tube of the stuff,
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it's not much more expensive than regular old thermal paste,
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so why not go out and get some?
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Well, the big knock on is that because it's liquid,
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it flows much more easily than thermal paste,
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meaning it's easy to spill.
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And it's high connectivity means
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it can easily cause a ShortCircuit
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if you get it anywhere on your system
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other than on top of your CPU.
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This is the same reason that some people
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opt for ceramic thermal paste
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over regular metal-based thermal paste.
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Your system might run a few degrees warmer,
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but there's no risk of a short,
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a risk that just gets larger with liquid metal.
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So if you do decide to go this route,
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start with a small amount and be very careful when applying.
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Also, many liquid metals should not come in contact
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with aluminum coolers, as this can cause degradation.
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But if you take the appropriate precautions,
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it can make your home rig pretty cool.
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Ha, see what I did there?
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So thanks for watching, guys.
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If you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe,
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and hit us up in the comments section
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with your ideas for topics
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that we should cover in the future.