[quotemsg=21055714,0,5190][quotemsg=21055490,0,328798]Vapor chambers work like heat pipes and are used in high-end GPUs (GTX 1080 and above) and rackmount servers. Heat pipes are orientation-independent, relying only on capillary action to return the working fluid to the heat source.[/quotemsg]I understand heat pipes, and orientation can absolutely have an impact. It depends on the length and type of heatpipe.
http://www.enertron-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Things-to-Consider-When-Designing-With-Heat-Pipes.pdf
So, which of those designs most closely reflects CM's implementation of a combined 3D heatpipe vapor chamber whosawhatsit?
Edit: Thanks for the review links. I generally don't visit those sites. These all appear to be tested on open-air beds in the vertical (gravity assist) orientation. I really would like THG to test it both ways to see if this is a "minimal impact" scenario or not. I automatically typed THG. I'm leaving it for nostalgic reasons.[/quotemsg]
To quote your linked paper:
But as previously mentioned, the groove heat pipe, with the
lowest capillary limit, works best under gravity-assisted conditions where the evaporator is
located below the condenser. Fig 3 shows the effect of gravity on groove wick heat pipes.
While heatpipe teardowns are exceptionally rare, I've never heard of PC heatpipes using anything but mesh/braid wicks. This is rather logical, as CPU coolers are mounted in various directions, chief of which is with the heatpipes either horizontal (perpendicular to a vertical motherboard) or vertical but with a complex shape (low-profile downdraft coolers with criss-crossing heatpipes parallel to the motherboard, U-shaped pipes that are both horizontal
and vertical, and so on). Then there's the various mounting directions relative to the socket (airflow up/down or front/back). In other words, it would be extremely stupid for a CPU cooler designer to use a type of heatpipe that they know will work poorly in 90% of installations.
Other than that, this cooler looks like it'd be a perfect companion for Noctua's new 120mm fans. CM makes okay fans, sure, but sticking an NF-A12x25 in there would likely make this a truly excellent cooler, both dead silent
and with great performance.