Question

What is a heat sink and how does it work? What is it made out of?

Answer 1

A heat sink is a thermal conductive metal device designed to absorb and disperse heat away from a high temperature object such as a computer processor. Usually heat sinks are outfitted with built-in fans to help keep both the CPU and the heat sink at an appropriate temperature. Heat sinks are made out of metal, such as a copper or aluminum alloy, and are attached to the processor. Most heat sinks have fins, thin slices of metal connected to the base of the heat sink, which help spread heat over a large area.

The combination of a heat sink and fan (HSF) is referred to as an active heat sink, while a heat sink without a fan is a passive heat sink. In addition to the HSF, a heat sink compound is sometimes used. This is a coating between the device and the heat sink to improve thermal conduction.

Heat sinks are commonly used in all CPUs and are also used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, GPUs and video card processors.