14 DAY TRIAL // You remember the cooler that was shown at CES covering the CPUs of a Dell XPS710 H2C system, don't you? A lot of things have been said about this cooler, many being related to the fact that it represents a new type of hybrid cooling which is in fact better than water cooling or TECs. However, you have to understand that this cooling method is in fact not related to Dell in any way. It actually belongs to a well known cooling system designer called "CoolIT".
CoolIT systems started as a small cooler integrator, supplying Alienware with TEC-chilled water cooling devices which were mounted on Alienware;s ALX line. In the mean time, Alienware has been bought by Dell, motive for which the latest XPS 710 H2C machine has inherited the hybrid TEC-based cooler. But that's only the beginning of the story because the guys at CoolIT have announced that they plan to release a new version of the system and that they will mass release it with the intention of integrating the new device into high-end PCs.
All CoolIT hybrid devices function based on a simple principle: you have a waterpump and a reservoir with Thermo-Electric Cooling elements. The TECs are keeping the water cool and the water circulates towards and from the CPU waterblock. This method is somewhat different than the direct application of a TEC element on the CPU, but seems to have a better control over the CPU's final temperature.
The guys at CoolIT seem to have developed a hardware/software combo which - with the help of a service loaded when the OS starts - can keep the CPU at the same temperature regardless of whether the CPU is in idle or full load state. CoolIT says that we'll see more details about this cooler soon. CeBIT, anyone?