This prototype could well be the ideal CPU cooler of the future: quiet, reliable and effective
If you’ve ever thought about installing an AIO (all-in-one) liquid cooler for a processor but never got around to it, a new invention might tempt you to test the waters (so to speak).
A traditional AIO liquid cooling system has a block with a pump on a CPU, connected by two hoses connected to a radiator unit with several fans (often two or three) that cool the liquid as it is pumped around in a loop. This provides more effective cooling than a typical air-based solution, which typically consists of a single fan and heat sink. The cooler your CPU runs, the higher you can increase its processing speed.
The new invention in question is essentially a fancy AIO system that doesn’t require a traditional pump and instead uses a ‘thermosyphon principle’ for cooling. This means it’s quieter (without that pump), with other advantages that we’ll get to later – and one notable disadvantage.
It is a Wieland cooler, currently a prototype, which has been tested on YouTube by the well-known overclocker Der8auer (hats to you VideoCardz).
Der8auer compared the Wieland concept to a traditional 240mm AIO liquid cooler from Corsair (the Wieland cooler also uses a pair of 120mm fans, just like the Corsair product).
The results were that the Wieland ran nicely, and certainly quieter, and cooled the CPU well enough during gaming tests. It wasn’t as effective as the Corsair AIO, but the Ryzen 9 7950X in the test PC ran about 8 degrees warmer with the Wieland cooler.
In the Cinebench R23 stress tests, the Wieland wasn’t far off either, although the AMD processor ran about 150MHz to 200MHz slower than with the Corsair cooler.
With some work this could be an excellent option
As Der8auer noted, the Wieland is about 8 degrees behind the Corsair AIO and is about as effective as a solid air cooler – which isn’t great for liquid cooling. But remember: this is just an early working prototype, and for such a model it looks quite promising.
There are potential improvements, as the overclocking expert explains in the video, such as refining the construction (closing holes in the construction) and considering different materials, or increasing the size of the radiator. An improvement of 4-5 degrees seems achievable, we’re told, and that would make the Wieland look quite competitive with a traditional AIO. As for the slightly higher temperatures, you would get a noticeably quieter cooler, and it would probably also come out cheaper and more durable, since it wouldn’t have the moving parts that a pump mechanism has.
Not that the Wieland can’t fail, of course – but should it leak, which is obviously any PC owner’s worst nightmare with liquid cooling bubbling around the inside of their case – then it might not be as disastrous as with a traditional AIO like the Wieland cooler uses vapor instead of liquid. In that case, there would be a leak of vapor instead of liquid, which wouldn’t be as catastrophic for your PC’s internal components.
It’s worth remembering that this kind of pumpless AIO system has been tried before, by Der8auer along with others, and has not yet come to market. Perhaps Wieland will further develop its prototype and manage what other companies have not yet achieved: a real product of this nature that could at some point compete for the title of best CPU cooler. Or of course it could come to nothing: vaporware, if you like.