Hi Bill Jackson &al.; I thought "active" cooling meant a cooling system that requires power to operate. This includes fans and also those thermoelectric thingies. Passive cooling meant something that doesn't require power. This would include radiators, as well as fluid filled thingies.
The same applies to other components. "Active components are those that require a power supply, or those that can amplify a signal. This includes ICs, as well as transistors in general. "Passives", by contrast, have no power inputs, or ability to amplify a signal. This traditionally includes resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc. I haven't been able to figure out where diodes go, I think of them as passives, but maybe they are actually actives...
Here's a link culled from EE-Times for those who wish to continue this fascinating discussion of terminology:
techweb.com
As long as I'm on the subject, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be legitimate for a CPU to be marketed with a better cooling system than just a fan. Why not? As it is, I hate the sound of my fans, and have been planning on underclocking my next machine, and eliminating the noisy cooling.
Maybe I'll put in a thermoelectric cooler instead of a fan. I plan on taking a look at what the overclockers are doing before getting my next machine. One neat thing about AMD's resurgence in high end machines is that it makes it a lot more fun to DIY.
-- Carl
P.S. "Thingy" is a technical term used by guys who design integrated circuits when describing mechanical equipment. Interestingly, mechanical engineers refer to the contents of integrated circuits as "thingies", as well. |
