Computer chips are getting so hot these days that some companies are starting to put liquid cooling in laptops so they can run faster – or quieter and cooler to the touch.
Just look at Germany-based Tuxedo Computers, which earlier this year launched a high-performance 15-inch laptop with support for an external liquid cooling module. After initially running Windows, the Tuxedo Stellaris 15 – Gen4 now works well with Linux, the vendor recently announced.
The laptop can be configured with some of the fastest processors on the market, allowing users to choose between an Intel Core i7-12700H, Intel Core i9-12900H, or AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX. For the GPU, the laptop supports a wider range of options, from Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 to the RTX 3080 Ti.
Tuxedo’s liquid cooling module, called Aquaris, is offered as a €199 ($201 based on current exchange rates) add-on for the laptop, the price of which varies depending on the setup but starts at around €2,000 ($2,028) for the hardware.
The PC vendor said the water cooling system can be used to supplement the laptop’s conventional air cooling, either to maximize CPU and GPU performance or to reduce fan noise and reduce overhead. laptop surface and hardware temperatures.
Unfortunately, Tuxedo didn’t provide any claims on what additional performance Aquaris would enable. However, a review of a competing liquid-cooled laptop with similar specs, the XMG Oasis, said that liquid cooling provided around a 10% improvement in gaming performance. (And yes, there are laptops competitors and similar kits: tell us about your experiences with other gear in the comments.)
Aquaris is controlled via software using a Bluetooth connection, and the software allows users to adjust fan speeds based on thermal needs and monitor the impact of this on the CPU and GPU.
The system works by sending cold water through two hoses that connect to connectors on the back of the laptop. Water flows from one pipe in the laptop, goes through an internal cooling tube that sits above the air cooling heat pipes, and returns hot water through the other pipe.
The liquid cooling system weighs about 3.06 pounds and needs to be plugged into a power outlet. It is therefore in no way a mobile solution. However, it could be useful for someone who plans to use the laptop for less compute-intensive on-the-go needs and then has a dedicated station for liquid cooling setup.
We hear about liquid-cooled desktops and servers fairly regularly, so the idea of a liquid-cooled laptop is still pretty new.
Whether or not enough people will accept the lack of mobility and configuration requirements in exchange for extra performance is another story, but these computer chips seem to be getting hotter and hotter. ®
