Completely eliminating fans from a computer by relying solely on natural convection: that’s the challenge der8auer has taken on with a prototype that’s as original as it is ambitious.
A renowned overclocker before becoming an entrepreneur (he heads the Thermal Grizzly brand), Roman Hartung is better known as der8auer and has created numerous videos discussing hardware, with a particular focus on processors, graphics cards, overclocking, and cooling systems. His latest video covers his cooling project, which is based on a well-known phenomenon: the chimney effect. Natural convection tells us that hot air rises naturally, but by slightly constraining that hot air, it’s possible to significantly improve efficiency. der8auer explains this in his video and decided to put his solution to the test.
Using a 3D printer, der8auer fabricated small ducts that he arranged on a water-cooling radiator. The radiator comes from any AiO kit currently on the market, and der8auer removed its fans before placing it horizontally. The tubes placed on top form a sort of chimney, and this is where the chimney effect comes into play. In fact, the hot air expelled by the radiator is forced to remain within this confined space of the chimney. Following the principle of natural convection, it rises on its own, creating a slight vacuum. This vacuum—again, without any intervention required—accelerates the process and causes the hot air to rise more quickly.
der8auer explains the principle of the chimney effect. © der8auer
Tested under real-world conditions by der8auer, the principle initially yielded a result of just a few degrees: at that point, the flue was only 30 centimeters long. der8auer wanted to take it further and printed additional ducts to create a chimney with a total height of 110 cm. The effect was indeed amplified: a Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor was able to be maintained at a temperature of 71°C… without a single fan, mind you! We invite you to watch the full video (in English) to learn more, but this naturally raises the question of how much space such a setup would take up.
