What is Blower Heatsink | Types and Use

Do you want to know what blower heatsink is and what are its different types and use of heatsink with blowers? You have landed at the right spot to know the answer of this question.

In graphics cards we can see custom models with a blower heatsink, which looks like a single and small fan.

Even the mini-ITX models have a bigger fan, so what is this and why do they make it? We give you the answers.

Many have associated this type of fan with a low-cost GPU, but we have seen that it is always present in professional GPUs, such as the NVIDIA Quadro range, etc.

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We had not addressed this topic in such a specific way before, and knowing that many of you ask us about it, we have decided to make this article explaining the reason for its existence.

What is Blower Heatsink

Also known as air blowers, the heatsink blower is a type of fan whose operation resembles a windmill, but with many propellers attached to a rotor called an impeller.

These propellers or blades rotate sucking and dragging the air that circulates through them, which usually comes from the sides or from the top.

The main difference between a blower and a fan is in the way the air is moved:

• The fans take in the air that swarms around them and push it forward .
• The blower sucks in the air from one side or from above; once trapped, the blades inside accelerate it and expel it in a concentrated and powerful way.

So while the fan has a spinning rotor with blades that grab the air and push it forward, the heatsink blower grabs the air, spins it in a centrifuge, and shoots it out.

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Therefore, we could say that the blower heatsink is much more sophisticated, being the fans more energy efficient and with a lower cost.

Although we are referring to the type of ventilation of a heatsink, the blower is present in many different applications: dryers, grills, industrial vacuum solutions that require negative pressurization, even in domestic applications.

The ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) defines fans and blowers according to the ratio of discharge and suction pressure. The definitions of this American society are as follows:

• The ventilator is a device with a pressure ratio of up to 1.11.
• The blower has a pressure ratio between 1.11 and 1.2.

Different Types of Blowers Sink

Mainly, they can be divided into 2 types:

1. Centrifugal

They resemble centrifugal pumps and come with a gear system that allows them to reach over 10,000 RPM. Its construction can be made up of one stage or several stages, the first being more efficient and the second offering much more air flow and continuous pressure.

2. Positive offset

They are designed to capture air pockets in order to propel them in the desired direction. Also they spin at a lower RPM, but have enough pressure to expel objects that may be clogging the system. Positive Offset heatsinks are usually made up of belts, and not gears.

Differences between Blower Heatsink and Fans

Although we have already distinguished both types of ventilation regarding their operation, but in terms of their characteristics… these are the differences between a blower and a fan.

Blower Heatsink

• It is a mechanical device
• consume more electricity
• has boosters
• better airflow
• positive displacement or centrifugal

Fan

• It is an electrical device
• consume less
• Makes use of blades for rotation
• Medium air flow
• Radial, axial or helix

Why Graphics cards have Blowers

It is common to see high – end graphics card models or professional models equipped with a blower, instead of a fan. Blower heatsink is smaller and can work with higher temperatures, especially when the air flow is limited.

In graphics cards we usually see axial fans because it is cheaper and more efficient: it expels the heat from the heatsink directly. On the other hand, you will also see open heatsinks with vertical fins in which the air is expelled above and below the GPU.

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Just look at the latest RTX 3000 and RX 6000 with a cut-out backplate so air can escape behind the GPU.

There is no temperature problem when we have a good air circuit and several fans in the PC to expel all the hot air. However, the blowers are independent of the box ventilation: they blow their own air out of the box.

This is made possible through the grilles on the video outputs and by generating a negative pressure in the casing to suck in cold air from outside.

Of course, everything has a cost, and, in the case of blowers, it lies in the sound: the blower heatsink causes the turbine to rotate at a higher RPM and becomes a noisy component.

To recap, are you telling me that blower GPUs make more noise and consume more power? Indeed, but it must be said that the thickness of these GPUs is less, which makes them ideal for instances or racks in which 2 or 4 GPUs have to be installed on the same motherboard.

We are talking about a 2-slot thickness and for configurations with several GPUs they are more interesting, because they expel the air through the video outputs.

In this way, recirculation is avoided and they all manage to have a low temperature. This would be the reason for their existence and why many professionals choose them.

When to buy a GPU with fans or blower

After explaining everything, we consider it useful to establish the purposes for which type of ventilation is good.

Blowers

• PC with mini-ITX form factor or similar
• Multiple GPUs with NVLink
• Avoid thermal throttling on GPUs
• Noisy

Fan

• Only one GPU
• Good ventilation in the box
• Overclock or maximum performance
• Little noise

Conclusion

In the professional sector, they always work at higher performance, so data centers, workstations or others do not meet their needs with a low-end GPU.

For this reason, you will not see GTX 1650, RTX 3050, or anything similar (not even mid-range) because it is not profitable for companies to opt for this type of GPU.

It should be remembered that a blower cooler is more expensive to build than a GPU with axial fans that simply push air out.

So, that’s yet another reason why you won’t see low-end GPUs in this design, and if there are, it must be a rare or special edition.

We hope this information has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, do not leave without commenting so that we can solve it for you.