What is a heat sink?

Modern smartphones, computers and other gadgets today function on processors. Modern processors are fast enough to multi-task and run everything from resource-intensive programs to graphic-heavy games. However, components like processors, along with other internal components including storage are known for generating heat. If left unchecked, this heat can damage components over time. That is where heat sinks come in.   

What is a heat sink?

A heat sink is an object made of thermally conductive metal and is used to absorb and distribute heat away from high-temperature components, including processors. In the case of desktops and laptops, where heat sinks are crucial, these are often directly attached to the CPU.   

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Typically, heat sinks in desktops have built-in fans to aid in the flow of unwanted heat away from the processor. Metal heat sinks, such as those constructed of copper or aluminium alloy also often have fins, which are long, slender pieces of metal attached to the heat sink’s base and used to disperse heat over a vast surface. There are also heat sinks that don’t use fans, also known as passive heat sinks. While fan-aided active heat sinks are seen in tech like desktops, passive heat sinks can be seen in more compact gadgets like smartphones and tablets.   

Heat sinks also often feature a coating at the point of contact with the CPU to enhance thermal conduction, called thermal paste. For a heat sink to work efficiently, an even spread of good quality thermal paste is essential. This thermal paste should also be replaced every few years for optimal performance.