In the vast majority of modern graphics cards we can find two types of heatsink : the blower type or the normal model, with a copper heatsink and aluminum sheets cooled by fans. In this article, we are going to tell you what the difference is between these two types of graphics card cooling, and of course which of the two types is better in each case.
Both types of heatsink perform the same task: remove heat from the GPU and surrounding components (such as VRAM or VRM) on the graphics card using a heatsink and one or more fans. This is a fundamental principle that is used in almost all desktop processors and in most notebooks: it distributes the heat of the processor across a large area of brass or aluminum and then you push cold air to eliminate it.
The fans in the PC case do the same thing: the inlet fans draw cool air from the outside into the case, and the outlet fans blow the hot air out, in order to cool the PC hardware. But let’s focus on the types of graphics card heatsink to see how they work.
How does a blower type heatsink work?
Graphics cards with a blower-type heatsink create a kind of closed chamber that runs through almost the entire graphics card PCB, with a hot air outlet grille that is usually located at the rear of the device, where the ports are. video output. A single turbine-type fan takes fresh air from outside and pushes it inside; As everything is “closed”, the air is forced to pass through all the components, dragging the heat towards the grill.
Obviously, the GPU has a “passive” heatsink to encourage this cooling. In some models there is also a grill at the back, but it is also for hot air outlet (this is in the case that the PCB has a component such as the VRMs in this area, so that it is also adequately cooled).
How a “traditional” heatsink works
When we talk about the “normal” heatsink that custom models of graphics cards generally have, there are one or more fans that take in the fresh air from outside and push it directly towards the aluminum fins of the heatsink. This heatsink, as a general rule, is quite similar to the CPU ones but with a different shape given the format of graphics cards. Thus, it consists of several copper heat pipes that are distributed to the sides in blocks of aluminum fins that are cooled by the fans.
In this case, as you can see in the image above, the hot air is expelled to the sides, although a small part also goes to the rear and that is why many models have a grill, just like blower-type heatsinks.
Blower or normal type heatsink, which is better?
The biggest difference is essentially where the hot air is blown out. A blower-type heatsink is less efficient than a normal one, since the turbine-type fan spins much faster and must create a higher static air pressure to ensure that the air ends up exiting the rear grill. For its part, the hot air in a traditional fan heatsink stays inside the case, and depends to a great extent on the air flow of the same to be expelled to the outside, while the blower expels it directly outside without having to help. of the case fans.
So, answering the question about which of the two types is better, the answer is that it depends. If you only have one graphics card in the system and your case has good airflow, then a traditional heatsink will give you a better temperature and noise ratio than a blower type. However, if your case does not have good cooling or if you have a configuration of several graphics cards and they are too close together (so they cannot “breathe” properly), then blower type heatsinks will give you better results, since As we have explained, they expel the hot air directly out of the box without depending on other elements.
The same is true if you have a small form factor box (like mini ITX, for example). As space is quite tight, even with decent airflow the graphics will have little fresh air to draw inside and cool the components, so a blower-type heatsink will generally give a better result.
