News - Danamics to launch LM10 liquid-metal CPU cooler in November

[HEXUS]

Danamics' LM10 - the world's first commercially available liquid metal-based CPU cooler - will arrive in Europe on November 17th.

Read more.

[AdamAnubis]

Bet it's going to be priced 'nicely'. Should be interesting for benchmarks etc, and seeing if it does actually make a difference.

[Webby]

It still falls foul of the same issue all air cooled systems (including watercooling) fall at they are limited in performance by the ambient room temperatures.

Also not sure how it will be out performing a watercooling set up, the liquid in my loop is currently about 27°C entering my radiator this is cooling my CPU, GPU and northbridge (see my system for details) currently running the F@H GPU2 client and CPU client so CPU load is 100% and so is GPU load my CPU cores are currently at 36 and 37°C and my GPU is 35°C, I am pretty sure my radiators have a slightly higher surface area than that tower cooler and I am using cool room air rather than warm case air to do my cooling.

While I am all for inovation and new methods I think it unlikely that this cooler will challenge a decent quality water cooling set up, compare it tot he Xigmatec tower water cooling thing and yes, but a custom built system will out perform it every day of the year.

I actually hope I am wrong but I can not see that being the case you can move the heat from the CPU to the fins as fast as you like but if the fins cant dissipate that heat then it doesn't really matter.

I will wait for a review and if it outperforms the best tower air coolers and has a reasonable price tag then great (water cooling is certainly not for everybody) and on a price for performance I'm sure it will beat water cooling (current air coolers do that!) but I will be very surprised if it out performs a water cooling set up where it really matters in a heavily overclocked system where the heat is really being pumped out.

[shaithis]

Agreed, their claim seems rather silly IMO.

I cannot see how it will get anywhere near most water-cooling setups, let alone "put most water-cooled setups to shame"

[Whiternoise]

Their argument, presumably, is that water is nowhere near as efficient at heat transfer as liquid metal. In theory, if they put in a fan to complement just the plain heat sink (looks passive to me), then it should be pretty good.

[thompsd]

There was a similar product a couple of years ago by a company called Nanocoolers, you can wayback their site to find some info on it. While it worked there were a couple of problems;
1 - the liquid metal was toxic, they claimed otherwise but would you drink mercury?
2 - the liquid metal was very pricey
3 - Not RoHas compliant, how are you going to dispose of it, this is not a green solution
4 - It was pumped with magnetic pumps, interesting idea, how about some nice magnetic pumps next to your sata raid

They went bankrupt, wonder why?

[badass]

1 - the liquid metal was toxic, they claimed otherwise but would you drink mercury?

You can safely drink mercury. It goes straight through you.
Not saying I would, mind.

[Nick]

Just to give you guys an update, we now have an RRP on this monster.

I hope you're sitting down...

225 Euros... PLUS VAT! :O

And no, sorry, it doesn't come in a velvet case with your very own lapdancer to help you install it...

[shaithis]

WOWZERS.

225 EUR + VAT!!!

At that price I hope the CPU never rises in temp by more then 1 deg over ambient!

[Webby]

Congratulations they have priced themselves out of the market!

£180 + VAT so £211

It is going to have to be monumentally good to get anybody to use it.

Decent basic watercooling for just the CPU could be had for ~£120 (Swiftech Compact H20-220) and I am doubtful this liquid metal cooler will out perform even that.

[digit]

What a shame, I would have been interested if the price is right. Everyone will just be giving watercooling a go now that this isnt a viable alternative ...

[badass]

Let's put this straight, you can't drink mercury!!! You can't even be in the same room as it without breathing in mercury vapou!

Well I guess I was at huge risk working in the Chemistry labs at university then

Quote from wikipedia:

"Case control studies have shown effects such as tremors, impaired cognitive skills, and sleep disturbance in workers with chronic exposure to mercury vapour even at low concentrations in the range 0.7–42 μg/m3.[37][38]

A study has shown that acute exposure (4–8 hours) to calculated elemental mercury levels of 1.1 to 44 mg/m3 resulted in chest pain, dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, impairment of pulmonary function, and evidence of interstitial pneumonitis.[39]

Acute exposure to mercury vapor has been shown to result in profound central nervous system effects, including psychotic reactions characterized by delirium, hallucinations, and suicidal tendency. Occupational exposure has resulted in broad-ranging functional disturbance, including erethism, irritability, excitability, excessive shyness, and insomnia. With continuing exposure, a fine tremor develops and may escalate to violent muscular spasms. Tremor initially involves the hands and later spreads to the eyelids, lips, and tongue. Long-term, low-level exposure has been associated with more subtle symptoms of erethism, including fatigue, irritability, loss of memory, vivid dreams, and depression.[40][41]"

Wikipedia

[Nick]

And to think they used to boil Mercury, collect the gas and breathe it for a bit of high... If my high school chemistry is anything to go by I think it was mainly oxygen in the gas.... giving them possibly the first intentional head rush followed by what could be the first come-down crash?

[matty-hodgson]

Their argument, presumably, is that water is nowhere near as efficient at heat transfer as liquid metal. In theory, if they put in a fan to complement just the plain heat sink (looks passive to me), then it should be pretty good.

why don't they just put liquid metal in a watercooling setup?
SORTED

[SiM]

why don't they just put liquid metal in a watercooling setup?
SORTED

Because then death would be a likely outcome

[finlay666]

And no, sorry, it doesn't come in a velvet case with your very own lapdancer to help you install it...

I'd want a butler to install it while I get a lapdance, no point wasting talent