Noctua Thermosiphon "Liquid" Cooler Prototype Looks Promising

[Nomad76]

Noctua, known for air cooling solutions, revealed a prototype for a "liquid" cooling product at Computex. However, this "liquid" cooler has no pump, Noctua's design aims to provide effective cooling without it. We got the chance to see it during our visit to the Noctua Computex booth, and we can say that even in its early prototype stage, it looks good.

Instead of a traditional pump, Noctua's design uses a two-phase thermosiphon. This technology works by heating a fluid, causing it to evaporate and circulate through density differences. The evaporated fluid moves through a vapor tube to a condenser, where it cools down and returns to liquid form. The liquid then flows back to the evaporator, and the cycle repeats.





This process is similar to how a heatpipe functions, which Noctua has expertise in. Noctua collaborated with an aviation cooling company called Calyos on this thermosiphon project, the phase change process allows for absorbing a lot of heat before vaporization, making it suitable for cooling power-hungry CPUs.

The goal is to achieve performance comparable to an all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooler without the drawbacks, such as pump noise, vibration, or failure risk. However, the thermosiphon relies on gravity, so the radiator (240 mm or 360 mm) must be top-mounted in the chassis. While fans are still attached to the radiator in the prototype, it eliminates the need for a pump.

For the moment, according to Noctua, this is a long-term project in the early development stage, with no ETA or pricing being made.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[vimsux]

So, it's just an inferior heatpipe.

 

[Chaitanya]

Could be useful if it performs well.

 

[usiname]

What is the point in this? There were already a similar tested prototype, the results were terrible, way worse than 240 AIO and for sure worse than high end twin tower air cooler so why this exist? At least put some thick radiator or 360 rad, just make it better than the air coolers or the whole point is lost

 

[JWNoctis]

So this is...heatpipe, except with gravity return? And could it accurately be called a "thermosiphon" with phase change?

The Model T used thermosiphon to cool its engine. Modern cars no longer do, and high-power processors are more power dense than the surface of a nuclear reactor, and probably much more than any auto engine.

That being said, there might well be uses where absolute silence would be nice. A massive passive radiator that doubles as the off-side panel of a tower case, something like that.

 

[aktpu]

What is the point in this?

"this is a long-term project in the early development stage"

 

[Wirko]

absolute silence

You won't be getting all of these but half of them you surely will.

 

[kapone32]

I read some of the exact same words when I bought my Sapphire 7950X Vapor. That card was the first more than 2 slot card I had but ran about 10 degrees cooler. The thing is though that was a GPU. Has anyone tried to start a PC without the fans installed on the Air cooler. I bet you won't even get to Windows before the board shuts down. This uses natural convection but would also be effected by the ambient in the case. In a setup like in the pics you would not have the heat soak that M2, GPUs and Chipsets radiate into a closed case.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

Well it's Noctua, not some unknown Chinese company, so there must be something in it. I'm sure they don't want to sully their good name with a piece of junk. Tests of this will sure be interesting.

No one remember the streamcom SG10? that was calyos cooling system.

 

[Rob_1]

These are already available:

https://www.icegiantcooling.com/
https://www.jjcooling.com/lts-cooling-system-for-2u-servers

Thermosyphons - Wieland MicroCool

Thermosyphons - MicroCool brings decades of experience both engineering and manufacturing enhanced boiling surfaces. Brazed Construction.

www.microcooling.com

Several degrees less cooling than a pump, but nothing to break down (or fan noise).

 

[usiname]

"this is a long-term project in the early development stage"

The problem is the lack of any improvement in the cooling systems in the past decades, D15 is already 10 years old and the new version will be 3-4 degrees cooler, but not because some kind of real improvements, but bigger and heavier cooler with more heatpipes. The real engeenering could add 1 degree excra cooling, but nothing more, the gains will be from the bigger size. There is your development for the past 10 years. This new pumpless cooler is nothing new, wanna bet how many decades they will need to achieve some improvement? By the time, the air coolers will become better also and you will be stuck again with pumpless AIO, witch actually does not bring anything over air cooler, just worse thermals.

 

[Steevo]

It's almost like they invented the wheel, but theirs is square, and has all of the leak, kinked hose, fan noise, dust, issues but not the round wheel benefits of a simple high quality pump that should outlast the fans and makes less noise than the fans, and provides the cooling benefit of circulating liquid...


They thought so far out of the box on this one.......

 

[jmeistr]

If they can keep up with normal AIOs this will be quite interesting. From my experience the longevity of AIOs can be so-so and the pumps usually are pretty noisy.

 

[OverZerg]

I bet this pointless piece of crap would never be released, their own air coolers would beat it any day.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

I'll stick with my D15 I think........

 

[photonboy]

Many seem to MISS the point of the cooler...
There are PROS and CONS to every cooler. Noctua had a FANLESS cooler, the NH-P1, but it cools worse than most other coolers with fans.

The NH-P1 is meant for people who want no fans. For whatever reasons. That's not most people but there is a small niche.

The Thermosiphon has a few pros:
- no PUMP vs AIO
- takes less space above CPU vs air cooler

You could, for example, make a very narrow case and turn the radiator sideways.

The cooling might be WORSE than a similar AIO, but if it's GOOD ENOUGH for the task that's all you need.

There's a use case that makes sense for this product.

 

[kondamin]

I wonder how they are planning to deal with the pressure from the formed gas

 

[N3utro]

If it indeed has the same performance of an AIO without a pump i'll gladly buy one. AIO pumps make high pitched noise which i can't stand.

 

[OverZerg]

Many seem to MISS the point of the cooler...
There are PROS and CONS to every cooler. Noctua had a FANLESS cooler, the NH-P1, but it cools worse than most other coolers with fans.

The NH-P1 is meant for people who want no fans. For whatever reasons. That's not most people but there is a small niche.

The Thermosiphon has a few pros:
- no PUMP vs AIO
- takes less space above CPU vs air cooler

You could, for example, make a very narrow case and turn the radiator sideways.

The cooling might be WORSE than a similar AIO, but if it's GOOD ENOUGH for the task that's all you need.

There's a use case that makes sense for this product.

You CAN'T put it on side, since it needed to be above cpu, also being worse then aio, and in narrow case air cooler with suitable height would be easier and better from all points of view.

If it indeed has the same performance of an AIO without a pump i'll gladly buy one. AIO pumps make high pitched noise which i can't stand.

There is absolutely no way how the vaporizing/condensation match to the pump, so for your case - just get quality pump or switch to air cooling.

 

[N3utro]

there is absolutely no way how the vaporizing/condensation match to the pump, so for your case - just get quality pump or switch to air cooling.

The volume of vaporized water generated doesn't have to be as great as the flow rate of a watercooling pump for the cooling to be as efficient.

In a typical watercooling loop the flow rate is so high that water temperature is the same everywhere in the loop, usually around 35-40°C at full load.

With phase change the vaporized water reaching the radiator would be around 100°C, so for the same volume of air going through the radiator the dissipated heat would be much greater.