Cryogenics chilled systems at CeBIT 4 - Page 4

This liquid-cooled system put together by cooling company Zalman is suitable for noise-sensitive environments, where air-conditioning or fans may be too disruptive, the company claims. Korea-based Zalman didn't have a figure for the decibels, but the system was near-noiseless, tucked away in a quiet corner of the CeBIT show in Hanover.

Published: March 4, 2008 -- 19:22 GMT (11:22 PST)
Caption by: Matt Loney
The inside of this PC, from motherboard maker Foxconn, looks more like a refrigerator.

Published: March 4, 2008 -- 19:22 GMT (11:22 PST)
Caption by: Matt Loney
If you want to get a system running really cool, there's only one option: liquid nitrogen, as seen in the wings of the Foxconn stand at CeBIT.

Published: March 4, 2008 -- 19:22 GMT (11:22 PST)
Caption by: Matt Loney
Not so carefully does it: supercooling a motherboard in the heat of a CeBIT exhibition halls requires regular top-ups. Luckily liquid nitrogen is a very good insulator so a little spillage won't harm the electronics.

Published: March 4, 2008 -- 19:22 GMT (11:22 PST)
Caption by: Matt Loney
Finally the Foxconn staff get the machine to boot, with an expectation that it will reach "something over 5GHz".

Published: March 4, 2008 -- 19:22 GMT (11:22 PST)
Caption by: Matt Loney

Cryogenics chilled systems at CeBIT

Amid the talk of green and power-efficient computing at CeBIT this year, in some cases it is all about faster and cooler — and in one instance, that involves liquid nitrogen