Even fans are going solid-state

Darius Chang | Mar 24, 2008

Moving parts seem to be going the way of the Dodo. Harddisks, with its rotating platters and swivel reader arm, were the first to go solid state. With no mechanical movements involved, these drives not only save power, but are less prone to damage and makes almost no noise.

Now, CPU fans are following the trend as well. The internal fan of the system is possibly the noisiest part of a machine, generating enough sound to annoy especially when the processor is going full blast. Thorrn Micro Technologies, maker of the RSD5 fan, has created what may be the first such solid-state device in the market. Despite being only a quarter of the size of its mechanical equivalent, it is up to three times more effective. The underlying technology is similar to ionizing air fresheners, using ions to push air molecules and hence generating wind.

Who knows, perhaps in the near future we can even customize heat vents to generate a cool howling sound for a gaming laptop, or a soothing breeze in an ultraportable.

Image credit: Thorrn Micro Technologies

Filed under: Notebooks, PC & Peripherals
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