Intel CPU Cap: Copper 'N' Aluminium

[Jagz64]

The Picture Below Tells A 1000 Words



Why not use copper instead of aluminium for better heat transfer ?

Your Views Guys

[mike]

cause of oxidation

[Mikesnav]

$$$

[Scarlet Infidel]

Technically aluminium pretty much always has an oxide layer, its very reactive. But that doesn't matter in these cases.

Yes, cost is porbably a large factor along with the more negative type of oxidation, im sure there are more reasons.

[freecableguy]

Technically aluminium pretty much always has an oxide layer, its very reactive. But that doesn't matter in these cases.

Yes, cost is porbably a large factor along with the more negative type of oxidation, im sure there are more reasons.

WTF? Aluminum is as non-reactive as a metal comes. Besides its tin over copper. Just do what I (and others do), lap it down yourself to the copper. Better heat xfer and flatter surface.

[AzraelDarkangel]

I believe I read in another forum that was discussing the Coollaboratory Liquid pro that it's not actually Aluminum, but I'm too lazy to go look it up now. However you could coat the copper to prevent oxidization. If you wanted to get fancy you could coat it with gold plating but that would start to get expensive for a very small increase in cooling. In the processor business you want to keep things as cheap as possible to compete with the other guy. You could do it with the Extreme edition chips and they would probably sell it for $200 more as a super extreme edition, lol.

[AzraelDarkangel]

Ohh...Freecableguy beat me to it. So it is copper underneath...there you go.

[Delirious]

The Picture Below Tells A 1000 Words



Why not use copper instead of aluminium for better heat transfer ?

Your Views Guys

Cause the world is in a shortage of copper right now, so that would mean alot higher costs.

[Scarlet Infidel]

WTF? Aluminum is as non-reactive as a metal comes.

Aluminium is far more reactive than Copper.

Copper is a transition metal wheras Aluminium is in group 3 or something. Normally as soon as you cut into aluminium its oxidised almost instantly. When you look at your aluminium heatsink (if you have such a thing) you are actually looking at a thin layer of aluminium oxide covering the whole thing. This stops the almunium reacting with anything else.

I knew GCSE Chemistry had its uses... wait, this hasnt helped at all.

[pitata]

Actually alu. gets an oxid layer when in contact with air rather quickly. That thin layer of Al2 O3 (if i remember rigth) is what protects it.

[Scarlet Infidel]

Yeh, that must be right pitata because its obviously O2- and as i suspected its Al3+ so the compound is Al2 03.

[zabomb4163]

Aluminium is far more reactive than Copper.

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correct. however we do not use pure aluminum. there are corrosion resistant aluminum alloys. very little of the aluminum you see in the world is "pure". Not quite sure why no one else in this thread picked up on that fact. Corrosion resistant aluminum is great.

Now to the subject of why they use this aluminum alloy to cover the copper. Oxidized copper has significantly lower conductivity than normal copper. surfacing the copper with a material that has a higher thermal conductivity than oxidized copper makes a lot of sense.

http://www.key-to-metals.com/PrintArticle.asp?ID=14

[cirthix]

they are and have been copper for a long time now.

the last alu heatspreader i saw was on a k6-2

[Pete]

Coper + tin electroplated outer surface...all it is

[zbogorgon]

ISH is made of coper, not alu, 100%, the gray thing is tin electroplated nickel it does not affect cooling transfer and if not anything else, it looks beter that black marks that appear on non-coated coper.

[eva2000]

yeah it's copper underneath, i bought hardass's old 920D it's lapped and shows a full copper IHS

[ted3]

Cause the world is in a shortage of copper right now, so that would mean alot higher costs.

Yes, worlds copper resources will run out in 50-100 years or so, thats why the price of copper has increased almost 500% in the last 3 years. There is a lot of copper on planet earth but the remaining ores might be too thin to mine with acceptable profit even with new technology, since it needs to be 2 kilos copper per metric ton of ore, and the average is only 33 parts per million...

[metro.cl]

Yes, worlds copper resources will run out in 50-100 years or so, thats why the price of copper has increased almost 500% in the last 3 years. There is a lot of copper on planet earth but the remaining ores might be too thin to mine with acceptable profit even with new technology, since it needs to be 2 kilos copper per metric ton of ore, and the average is only 33 parts per million...

prices are up because china is demanding too much they buy 1/3 of the inventories of copper.

we produce 1/3 if the copper the world buys

[ted3]

I guess that could be the real reason metro.cl, i came across some articles mentioning something about it but didnt read up on it yet.

A bit OT: anyone have accurate meassure how how thick the Intel IHS is? I was thinking of gringding it down to at least less than half thickness on my 930 before i change from boxed cooler to XP120 later today (waiting for mr postman now). Anyone tried something similar maybe? Or anyone have any warnings about this kind of mod?

[Para]

You should consider grinding down LGA's pressure plate, too, or you'll be running into contact/pressure trouble if you use a rectangular-base cooler.
The boxed one won't mind, since it has the round tronconic copper core that would "sink" inside the plate.

Now, will a chem grad explain why did they use nickel to plate the copper heatspreader and not silver !? I'm building short-run watercooling kits, and while the blocks are 99.98% copper, I chose to electroplate them with silver to prevent oxi.

[ted3]

Yah, that could be Para, i have to look at the XP120's layout first. Maybe i can grind of the cooler if it interferes with the pressureplate. Doesnt feel like i be doing it today anyway, need to go over it in my mind for a few days more since i started to plan this just yesterday (and planning is half the fun of mods anyway)

I would also think silver would be better, and with the thickness needed it isnt a price issue. However, i vote for gold plated =) - soft, durable and a great conductor.

[Nazu]

Yah, that could be Para, i have to look at the XP120's layout first. Maybe i can grind of the cooler if it interferes with the pressureplate. Doesnt feel like i be doing it today anyway, need to go over it in my mind for a few days more since i started to plan this just yesterday (and planning is half the fun of mods anyway)

I would also think silver would be better, and with the thickness needed it isnt a price issue. However, i vote for gold plated =) - soft, durable and a great conductor.

Gold? It has probably the worst thermal conduction abilities compared to aluminium, copper or silver.

[Scarlet Infidel]

Yes and diamond beats silver by miles.... but now im getting ridiculous.

[Sir Random]

The IHS is made of nickel-plated copper. The nickel coating is only 1~2mm thick, so it doesn't take too much lapping to expose the copper.

Here's my old P4 2.4b:

[jdam]

i thought gold was the metal that disposed heat the fastest?