When Vapor Chambers Fail

[NTMBK]

Yeah, I don't think your heatsink is meant to look like that

http://semiaccurate.com/2016/05/04/when-vapor-chambers-fail/

EDIT: The linked Dell page has some even better ones:

 

[Zanovar]

ouch

 

[xthetenth]

Note to the interested: A BLEVE isn't a valid form of phase change cooling.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yikes.

 

[nanaki333]

Wow! Didn't even think those old passive cooled AMD 5450/6450, etc even got THAT hot. I buy those for work machines a lot but always get the ones with a small fan on it to avoid heat dumping in the case.

But.... YIPE!

 

[David_k]

Maybe its just a design flow in the specific 6450 oem cards dell uses.

 

[KingFatty]

What is a "failure" of a vapor chamber? I thought it would be a breach of the chamber. If that happened, the chamber would not be able to swell up like this.

In fact, I would guess that you need the vapor chamber to remain intact to be able to build pressure like this to inflate like a metal balloon.

And to build pressure like that, you would need extra heat to boil all the liquid in the vapor chamber, to where the vapor pressure could rise so high.

So could someone clarify? Is it possible there was a failure in the video card, that resulted in short circuit extra high heat output, that would naturally and expectedly cause over pressure in the properly functioning vapor chamber?

 

[Gunbuster]

Is it possible there was a failure in the video card, that resulted in short circuit extra high heat output, that would naturally and expectedly cause over pressure in the properly functioning vapor chamber?

More likely a case of quality fade. Chinese factory cuts and cuts to save in components or materials. Product fails at some-point down the line but the factory is long gone or says oops so sorry but what are you going to do about it? Use the other Chinese factory doing the exact same thing?

 

[Kenmitch]

Maybe its just a design flow in the specific 6450 oem cards dell uses.

....Or a lesson learned. Never mine for currency with a passive cooler.

 

[thesmokingman]

Pink... doesn't seem like a Dell color ya know?


http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3515/p/19598632/20747855#20747855

Looks like a design flaw.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Same card for sale here. My guess is that Dell (or AMD?) got those coolers from xyz supplier, lowest cost passive cooler made in China. Looks like the fluid inside might be breaking down into gases that creates enough pressure to bend the aluminum, just a guess.

 

[LTC8K6]

Same card for sale here. My guess is that Dell (or AMD?) got those coolers from xyz supplier, lowest cost passive cooler made in China. Looks like the fluid inside might be breaking down into gases that creates enough pressure to bend the aluminum, just a guess.

This video card was removed from a working unit and is ready for use. There is no puffing of these card's heat sinks. Get yours today!

 

[Piroko]

Pfft, just another one of those "issues" that get blown out of their proportions. The card is clearly vapour ware and lacks the right steam quality.


...scnr.

 

[Elixer]

Looks like a combination of faulty design, and picking a bottom rung manufacturer.
The stress on the card looks pretty substantial, I wonder if there are any cases of that just exploding off?

 

[Pottuvoi]

Saw few of those at work a while back.
Lets just say that it did affect overall performance and ability to output picture.

 

[techne]

I really don't like the idea of having water near of my PC; much less inside it.