liquid metal | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 01 Jun 2023 15:55:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png liquid metal | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Asus reveals ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 with liquid metal cooling https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/asus-reveals-rog-matrix-geforce-rtx-4090-with-liquid-metal-cooling/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/asus-reveals-rog-matrix-geforce-rtx-4090-with-liquid-metal-cooling/#respond Thu, 01 Jun 2023 08:45:55 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=617970 Asus has announced the world's first mass-produced graphics card using liquid metal on the GPU, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090. Thanks to its impressive cooling solution, it boasts the highest out-of-the-box boost clocks of any RTX 4090 card on the market today. Drawing from their expertise in liquid metal technology gained through their ROG …

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Asus has announced the world's first mass-produced graphics card using liquid metal on the GPU, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090. Thanks to its impressive cooling solution, it boasts the highest out-of-the-box boost clocks of any RTX 4090 card on the market today.

Drawing from their expertise in liquid metal technology gained through their ROG laptop division, Asus has developed an exclusive production process for the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090. By incorporating UV resin and protective layers between the die and the main PCB, the manufacturer ensures that the liquid metal remains securely contained without any risk of leakage.

 

To complement the liquid metal cooling solution, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 includes a custom 360mm radiator and three ROG MF-12S ARGB fans. The fans can be daisy-chained using a magnetic connector, simplifying installation and cable management. With high-static pressure and airflow, these fans effectively keep the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 operating at a cool 60°C under its 450-watt TGP. The need for an auxiliary fan is eliminated thanks to the custom full-coverage cold plate, which makes contact with all heat-producing components on the PCB.

The design of the ROG Matrix RTX 4090 is a testament to its flagship status. The GPU frame and housing are constructed entirely of metal, giving it a modern appearance. It incorporates indirect ASUS Aura Lighting and a distinctive ‘hollow' chamber enclosed by a larger aluminium frame to protect the main cold plate, circuit board, and pump shroud.

The ROG Matrix RTX 4090 also supports software features like Power Detector+, which enables the card to detect any anomalies with the power pins individually, and the Mileage feature, which tracks card usage across various power levels. In addition to the typical temperature sensors found on GPUs, this card incorporates additional sensors across the VRMs, chokes, and power input circuitry. These sensors provide real-time thermal data, which can be monitored using the new Thermal Map feature in the ASUS GPU Tweak III app. Lastly, a Dual BIOS switch lets users switch between Quiet and Performance modes.

Kitguru says: What do you all think of the ROG Matrix RTX 4090? How much more do you think it'll end up costing compared to a standard version? 

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AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX Review ft. Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/leo-waldock/amd-ryzen-9-7945hx-review-ft-asus-rog-strix-scar-17/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/leo-waldock/amd-ryzen-9-7945hx-review-ft-asus-rog-strix-scar-17/#respond Fri, 26 May 2023 16:58:36 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=616912 Leo checks out AMD's Dragon Range Ryzen 9 7945HX mobile CPU

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AMD announced their 7045 HX Series of Mobile Processors at CES 2023 and the specification sounded almost too good to be true. The top-of-the-line Ryzen 9 7945HX promised 16 cores, 32 threads, heaps of cache and up to 5.4GHz Boost speed. That sounds like a regular Ryzen 9 7950X with a TDP of a mere 55W which is surely impossible and something we have to see for ourselves.

Timestamps

00:00 AMD / ASUS story – Eh?
01:12 7045HX Series CPUs
01:47 Cinebench 23 (battery and mains runs)
02:25 Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
04:00 Vapor Chamber Cooler
05:29 AMD development / power / voltage
06:37 AMD claims the win / combined power budget
07:39 Asus Armory Crate Profiles
08:41 Testing the 7945HX
11:34 Performance charts / power
14:17 3DMark
14:39 Gaming Benchmarks
15:35 Battery Tests
15:51 1440p and GPU options
17:07 Some other bits and pieces
17:59 Leo’s Closing Thoughts

AMD gives details about their new Zen 4 Dragon Range CPUs and we can see they are impressive, packing the technology of a Zen 4 chiplet CPU in a laptop with the promise of high performance and low power draw. We are used to the idea of compromise so you will understand that an offer of a win-win will take a while to sink in.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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Here’s what liquid metal can do to an aluminum GPU heatsink https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/heres-what-liquid-metal-can-do-to-an-aluminum-gpu-heatsink/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/heres-what-liquid-metal-can-do-to-an-aluminum-gpu-heatsink/#respond Wed, 25 Jan 2023 14:50:44 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=590933 Liquid metal is known to be an extraordinary thermal conductor, but if not used properly, it can do more harm than good. One example of misusing this thermal product is to transfer heat from a chip to an aluminium heatsink, as you can see in Der8auer's latest video. Liquid metal thermal conductivity is superior to …

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Liquid metal is known to be an extraordinary thermal conductor, but if not used properly, it can do more harm than good. One example of misusing this thermal product is to transfer heat from a chip to an aluminium heatsink, as you can see in Der8auer's latest video.

Liquid metal thermal conductivity is superior to even the best thermal pastes. However, there are a few risks to consider when using it. First, it's not as easy to apply, even compared to the densest thermal pastes. Moreover, you'll also have to pay attention not to spill it onto other electric components, as it will probably shorten them. As if all that wasn't enough, you should also consider the material of the heatsink you're going to use to cool the heat source, as depending on the material, it may react to it.

Take Der8auer's latest video, for example. Here we see an RTX 2060 that was reportedly overheating and throttling. After inspecting, he found out the GPU transferred the produced heat to the aluminium heatsink via liquid metal. The previous owner had apparently applied the liquid metal correctly. Still, because this thermal compound is based on galium, it formed an alloy with the aluminium from the heatsink (it does the same with aluminium-zinc alloy and steel). This reaction ended up damaging the heatsink.

To solve the issue with the heatsink, Der8auer used a CNC machine to scratch the corrosion from the aluminium. Additionally, he removed the liquid metal remaining, replaced the thermal pads and applied a new thermal paste to replace the liquid metal. After finishing the process and testing the GPU, we see that it's working correctly and at much lower temperatures.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: If this happens to you and, like many of us, you don't have a CNC machine at hand, you can buy an aftermarket heatsink. It's probably the best alternative you'll have.

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Asus reveals its liquid metal thermal compound application process https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/james-dawson/asus-reveals-its-liquid-metal-thermal-compound-application-process/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/james-dawson/asus-reveals-its-liquid-metal-thermal-compound-application-process/#respond Sun, 05 Apr 2020 08:16:32 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=460632 One of the greatest challenges manufacturers face when creating powerful gaming laptops is keeping the device cool during intensive workloads. With their high-performance processors and GPUs, gaming laptops emit heat that can be difficult to control and when the temperature rises, core frequencies automatically lower to prevent damage which affects performance. Asus has come up …

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One of the greatest challenges manufacturers face when creating powerful gaming laptops is keeping the device cool during intensive workloads. With their high-performance processors and GPUs, gaming laptops emit heat that can be difficult to control and when the temperature rises, core frequencies automatically lower to prevent damage which affects performance.

Asus has come up with a solution to help reduce this heat problem and will be implementing it in ROG gaming laptops featuring 10th generation Intel Core processors. PC enthusiasts and professional overclockers have been using liquid metal to replace traditional thermal compounds for a number of years. Liquid metal can significantly reduce CPU core temperature when applied correctly, on a desktop CPU this is usually done by replacing the stock thermal compound that is applied directly to the die beneath the CPU heat spreader.

However, the use of liquid metal has not been feasible for mass production as there was no easy way to apply the liquid metal thermal interface material on a typical production line. Asus claims to have spent a year secretly researching how liquid metal could be introduced to laptop manufacture and has designed a factory-application process that makes this possible. According to Asus, its new 10th generation Intel Core CPU based laptops equipped with liquid metal yield significantly lower temperatures; therefore, performance is improved and noise levels are reduced.

Apparently, not even Intel was informed about this liquid metal project Asus has been secretly planning. ROG engineers selected Thermal Grizzly liquid mental compound for this project and initial purchases of the thermal interface material were made casually to keep the project a secret. Now that 10th generation Intel laptops have launched, Asus is pretty proud to share some details on this new liquid metal application process.

The two-step process uses custom machinery to apply the liquid metal so that it completely covers the CPU die, which is required for optimal performance, much like you would when applying liquid metal by hand. Step one “paints” the liquid metal to the CPU die by wetting its brush in a container of liquid metal and then gliding the brush across the CPU die with exactly 17 passes. According to internal testing, Asus says this number of passes is the ideal number to achieve complete liquid metal coverage.

To ensure there is no “spillage” of liquid metal, something that could be potentially damaging to the CPU or other components surrounding it, the die is set inside a stainless steel shim to prevent excess liquid metal compound spreading to the surrounding area. The second step of the application process injects more liquid metal at two points on the CPU die, the perfect amount for optimal performance. To keep any liquid metal from seeping out after this second phase of the application process, ROG engineers created a special barrier that fits in the tiny space between the CPU die and the heatsink.

The first Asus gaming laptop to take advantage of liquid metal was last years ROG Mothership, this made way for further refinements of the technology, allowing it to be rolled out across the full family of ROG gaming laptops equipped with 10 generation Intel Core processors that will be available for purchase during Q2 2020.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: I have personally used liquid metal thermal compound before and it significantly reduced temperature of the and Intel CPU for me, so this new application process from Asus should make a noticeable improvement in laptop thermal performance. Have any of you guys had any experience with liquid metal thermal compound before and were you pleased with the result?

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CES 2020: Der8auer discusses using liquid metal in laptops https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-reviews/matthew-wilson/ces-2020-der8auer-discusses-using-liquid-metal-over-thermal-paste-in-laptops/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-reviews/matthew-wilson/ces-2020-der8auer-discusses-using-liquid-metal-over-thermal-paste-in-laptops/#respond Wed, 08 Jan 2020 10:26:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=445257 Leo chats with Der8auer about the recent trend of liquid metal inside laptops

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While doing the rounds at CES this week, Leo had the chance to catch up with Der8auer to discuss his work with Thermal Grizzly and the recent trend of liquid metal inside laptops from the likes of ASUS. 

With laptop CPUs getting more and more powerful, cooling has become trickier to manage in such a small form factor. As Der8auer mentions in the video, using traditional thermal paste can be a limiting factor here, as you can lose about 5°C to 7°C compared to liquid metal.

A lot of people will apply liquid metal on their own to upgrade cooling but doing so is a tricky process as spilling any of it onto surrounding components can cause damage or short circuiting. If the notebook is prepared for liquid metal from the factory prior to shipping, then applying it becomes easier.

Examples of laptop makers designing some units with liquid metal in mind include HP and ASUS. That includes using a nickel-plated heatsink, as liquid metal is corrosive to copper, so nickel plating acts as a barrier to protect against that.

Check out the full video above for the full discussion between Leo and Der8auer, also be sure to check out Der8auer on YouTube as he often does in-depth cooling and overclocking related videos.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru Says: Replacing thermal paste with liquid metal is always an interesting talking point. Have any of you ever tried doing this before?

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T1000 incoming: new liquid metal can move and conform https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/t1000-incoming-new-liquid-metal-can-move-and-conform/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/t1000-incoming-new-liquid-metal-can-move-and-conform/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2015 08:13:17 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=244407 That's it, judgement day is practically a given and as usual, it's all the fault of those meddling scientists. Chinese researchers investigating unique properties of certain metallic alloys have managed to make a self assembling and self propelling liquid metal, which has the potential for a huge range of products and applications. Most notably this. …

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That's it, judgement day is practically a given and as usual, it's all the fault of those meddling scientists. Chinese researchers investigating unique properties of certain metallic alloys have managed to make a self assembling and self propelling liquid metal, which has the potential for a huge range of products and applications.

t1000
Most notably this.

The alloy is mostly made of gallium, a metal that exists as a liquid just under 30 degrees Celsius. It was discovered late last year that if you apply an electrical current to it that it can change shape, which is in itself quite a unique property. However, the new discovery that's been made with the specialist alloy is that if you ‘feed' it with chips of aluminium, it consumes them and exhausts hydrogen gas, propelling itself in a specific direction.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffxYE15JbPs']

Scientists now believe that with more research, this might make it possible to create liquid metal robots that can shape-shift and self propel.

“The machine has two processes. One is to create gases like hydrogen. Part of these gases form the propulsion. There's also something important, which is the electricity generated behind the alloy,” said professor Liu Jing from China's Tsinghua University (via Reuters). “So this galvanic battery creates an internal electrical power, and this type of electricity will very easily lead to stretching of the surface of the liquid metal in an asymmetrical pattern, and this pattern leads to rotations inside the liquid metal, and the process of these rotations will set the liquid metal in motion in a certain direction.”

Although the first thought in most people's minds is a T1000 like scenario, Liu believes this is more likely to apply to medical sciences, potentially being used to conform to certain body shapes for implants in places like the windpipe or digestive system. It could also be used, he said, to carry medicine to specific points in the body.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Pretty interesting tech. If they did make a T1000 out of it, we'd probably need that big vat of molten metal, as this stuff doesn't hit its boiling point until 2673 K, or around 2400 Celsius. 

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Jonathan Ive: next-gen Apple products will use all-new materials https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/anton-shilov/jonathan-ive-next-gen-apple-products-will-use-all-new-materials/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/anton-shilov/jonathan-ive-next-gen-apple-products-will-use-all-new-materials/#respond Wed, 18 Jun 2014 21:42:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=198891 Apple has always been a pioneer when it comes to materials. The company was among the first to use titanium to make its notebooks and was one of the first makers to use aluminium bodies for its laptops. The company continuously experiments with new materials to further improve its devices. Recently Jonathan Ive, the head …

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Apple has always been a pioneer when it comes to materials. The company was among the first to use titanium to make its notebooks and was one of the first makers to use aluminium bodies for its laptops. The company continuously experiments with new materials to further improve its devices. Recently Jonathan Ive, the head of design at Apple, reaffirmed that certain future products from the company will be made of something else than Corning’s Gorilla Glass or aluminium.

“I would love to talk about future stuff – they are materials we have not worked in before,” said Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of design at Apple, in an interview with the New York Times. “I have been working on this stuff for a few years now. Tim is fundamentally involved in pushing into these new areas and into these materials.”

For a number of years rumours about Apple’s plan to use the LiquidMetal alloy as well as sapphire glass have been circulating. However, at present the company does not use the Liquidmetal at all and only uses sapphire crystal glass for lenses and “home” buttons on the iPhone 5s.

Apple has exclusive rights to make consumer electronics products, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, smart-watches and other devices of the Liquidmetal alloy. The company first signed an exclusive agreement in 2010, then extended it in 2012 and recently it prolonged it further till February, 2015. Apple has secured exclusive supply of synthetic sapphire crystal glass from GT Advanced (which is probably one of the world’s largest makers of this material) and even invested into additional production capacities for the company early in 2013 – 2014.

The alloy developed by Liquidmetal can be cast in different forms and will retain a good look, remarkable strength, scratch and corrosion resistance as well as other advantages, such as light weight, elasticity and so on. At present the material is used in various medical, military, industrial, sports and technical applications. Synthetic sapphire crystal glass is much more rugged and scratch-resistant than the Corning Gorilla Glass used today.

apple_all_products_mac_ipad_iphone_3

While it is possible to use almost any materials for limited edition products, when it comes to Apple, it is necessary to manufacture tens of millions of units. In order to do that with brand-new materials, all-new supply chains (which consist of multiple new partners) have to be created. Tim Cook, which used to be the chief operating officer of Apple, is one of the world’s best supply chain specialists.

“I remember clearly a time when we made plastic portable computers, and Steve and Tim and I sat down and said we wanted to build an incredibly thin and light portable computer,” said Mr. Ive. “There was a whole range of challenges from an engineering point of view: How it worked in a new material, titanium. That meant we had to completely redesign and discover new partners to work with, hire a whole new organization.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It remains to be seen what materials and what “new stuff” Jonathan Ive talked about in the interview. While the liquid metal alloy remains an interesting candidate for adoption, it is likely that initially it will be used only for the iWatch devices, not smartphones, tablets or notebooks.

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