Modder der8auer builds 110cm 3D-printed chimney to passively cool Ryzen 7 9800X3D without fans, cuts temps by 19C without fans — radically simple PC mod cuts uses the 'stack effect'

(Image credit: der8auer on YouTube)

Mechanical pressure serves as a better system to design computers around than natural buoyancy, but a new experiment from der8bauer is attempting to challenge that notion. The legendary modder recently built a chimney to exploit the "stack effect," which uses temperature differences to catalyze natural convection to the point where it becomes effective again. As a result, the CPU in his test bench saw temperatures drop by 19 degrees Celsius without any fans.

Chimney Cooling: A 3D-Printed Chimney Drops Temperatures by 19°C - YouTube

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The video above explains the concept of the stack effect pertaining to its foundation, natural convection, in great detail. Also known as the chimney effect, it relies on differences in indoor-to-outdoor air density, which are dictated by differences in temperature and humidity. The bottom of the chimney becomes a low-pressure zone, sucking in cold air that escapes through the low-pressure exit at the top.