Apple introduced the new M1-series Macs last year which boasted enhanced better life and performance on the machines. Intel, on the other hand, has been working to get its chips as good as Apple’s but we are not sure when might those hit the market. Now, a user fed up with the noisy fans of the Intel MacBook Pro installed an external water-cooling system. The system turned out to perform better in terms of performance as well. Let’s check out more details on the scenario and how was it achieved,
User Adds External Cooling System to the MacBook Pro And the End Result is Surprising
In comparison to Apple’s M1 series MacBook, Intel models tend to get hot. A MacRumors forum member took his intellects and developed an external cooling system for the 15-inch MacBook Pro. He states that his Intel MacBook Pro had become ‘disruptive’ and the fans would start making noise even during a video call. The results are pretty surprising as the fans went quiet and the performance was better as well.
To develop the external cooling system for the MacBook Pro, inexpensive parts were used such as Bitcoin ASIC minor blocks from AliExpress, a Zalman radiator, a 2005 reservoir, and an Aquastream XT Ultra water pump. In addition, multiple transmissive thermal pads were incorporated between the metallic shells of the case and motherboard components which would conduct the heat away from the machine.
Once the equipment was ready, the thermal pads were connected to the external water cooling system. Since the pump supported Windows software to run, Theodoric had to use a VM on his laptop. For monitoring purposes, he used a Raspberry Pi which he connected to the system. According to the user, the “normal desktop working conditions raise the water temp from ~17-18ºC to 26ºC in about 6 hours.” After this, the external fan would start working which will run at 700 RPM until the water cools down to 23ºC.
While the process required external hardware and software working together, the end result was a silent MacBook Pro with better performance. Apple will further improve the thermal performance of its MacBook lineup in the future. As for now. We are expecting new MacBook models this year, so be sure to stick around for all the leaks and rumors.
