Why does the design of laptop heat sinks bypass PCH chips
There are not only large components such as CPU, GPU, and PCH inside laptops, but also many other electronic components. When designing heat dissipation systems, their temperature effects should also be taken into consideration. Avoiding excessive concentration of heat dissipation design on non critical components can better distribute heat dissipation effects to the entire system, ensuring that all components operate within a reasonable temperature range.
If the PCH chip overheats, it may cause some performance and stability issues. PCH chips are typically used to handle tasks related to input and output, such as USB, SATA, Ethernet, etc. If the chip overheats, it may cause abnormal operation or reduced speed of these interfaces. In addition, excessively high temperatures may have a negative impact on the lifespan of chips. Therefore, although the heat dissipation requirements of PCH chips are relatively low, appropriate heat dissipation measures are still needed to maintain their temperature within an acceptable range. Although PCH chips also generate a certain amount of heat, their power consumption and heat dissipation requirements are relatively low. Moreover, modern laptops typically use other cooling designs to ensure that the temperature of PCH chips is maintained within a reasonable range, such as through heat pipes or heat transfer pads.
The laptop heat sink design bypass the PCH chips due to considerations of thermal design power consumption (TDP), optimization of heat dissipation efficiency, and space and layout limitations. Specifically, compared to processors (CPUs) and graphics processors (GPUs), PCHs (Platform Control Centers, i.e. chipsets) have relatively lower power consumption and therefore generate less heat. In the compact space of laptops, designers will concentrate limited cooling resources on CPUs and GPUs with high heat generation to improve overall cooling efficiency and performance. Correspondingly, PCH typically relies on passive cooling or inefficient heat dissipation measures to control temperature.
Generally speaking , the design of laptop heat sinks avoids PCH chips for comprehensive consideration of the overall system performance and stability. While ensuring sufficient heat dissipation for the CPU and GPU, it also ensures stable operation of the PCH chip and other components at safe temperatures, while balancing cost and portability. This design strategy is widely adopted in modern compact computer products to meet the dual needs of consumers for performance and portability.
