Graphics Card Bracket Cooling Secondary Heat Sources
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern graphics cards with GPUs face overheating issues due to inefficient cooling solutions, which are often noisy, unreliable, and violate size restrictions, especially for high-end GPUs, and existing water cooling solutions are expensive and impractical.
Innovation Solution
A thick, stamped bracket with thermal interface material for heat transfer and mounting of closed loop liquid coolers, designed to channel airflow over heat transfer surfaces, including secondary heat sources like memory and voltage regulators, and compatible with standard GPU mounting patterns, incorporating thermal pads or grease for enhanced heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cooling solutions are used for high-end GPUs, then cooling capability is provided, but the solutions are noisy and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple functional components: a bracket with heat transfer surfaces for secondary heat sources, thermal interface material layers for targeted heat extraction, and airflow channeling structures. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function, improving overall reliability while maintaining quiet operation through efficient heat distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Thermal interface material serves as an intermediary between the bracket and heat-generating components (GPU, memory, voltage regulators). This intermediary ensures efficient thermal contact and heat transfer, improving cooling reliability without requiring high-noise forced convection systems.
2Temperature
If cooling systems are made larger to improve cooling capability, then heat dissipation improves, but size restrictions of PCI Express specification are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket utilizes the vertical dimension and side surfaces of the PCI Express card for heat dissipation. By extending heat transfer surfaces along the bracket structure and utilizing airflow channels in multiple directions, the system achieves enhanced cooling capability within the constrained horizontal footprint of the PCI Express specification.
Solution Approach 2:
Heat transfer surfaces and thermal interface materials are strategically placed at locations with highest heat generation (GPU area, memory modules, voltage regulators). This localized approach concentrates cooling effectiveness where needed most, achieving high heat dissipation capability without requiring uniform expansion of the entire cooler structure.
3Temperature
If cooling systems are made more complex to improve cooling efficiency, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket serves multiple functions simultaneously: structural support for the PCI Express card, heat sink for secondary heat sources (memory, voltage regulators), mounting structure for the GPU cooler, and airflow channeling component. This multi-functionality achieves high heat transfer efficiency without requiring separate components, simplifying manufacturing and reducing assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system merges the bracket structure with heat transfer functionality by integrating thermal interface materials directly onto the bracket surfaces. This combination eliminates the need for separate heat transfer components and simplifies the overall manufacturing process while maintaining efficient heat transfer from multiple heat sources.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively cools GPUs and secondary heat sources, improving heat transfer efficiency and reducing noise and size constraints, while being compatible with existing hardware and allowing for standard or customized fan integration.
Implementation Method 1
A thick, stamped bracket which makes contact with secondary heat sources (other than the GPU chip itself) via thermal interface material acts as a heat transfer surface
Implementation Method 2
the bracket is also used for channeling airflow from the fan/blowers such that the airflow is directed over the heat transfer surfaces of the bracket to help remove heat from the GPU chip and secondary heat sources
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket for cooling a peripheral component interconnect card is disclosed. The bracket includes a plurality of heat transfer surfaces, mounting systems for a blower fan, fan shroud and liquid cooling system for cooling the peripheral component interconnect card.