Liquid cooling come to future iMacs, Macs in general? Eh…don’t get too excited…yet.

As Apple transitions more towards actual desktop processors in the iMac line, heat is going to be an issue. The next logical step would be to add water cooling. But such setups take up pretty generous amounts of room — something the iMac doesn’t really have much of. But when there’s a will, there’s a way. A patent filed way back in ’06 showed Apple to be working on a type of iMac water cooled dock. While a dock and an actual iMac implementation are two completely different things, as processor speeds, cores, and demands rise, cooling will be an even greater necessity than before.

What kind of water cooling system would fit in something with as little space to spare as an iMac? That’s a good question. I’m not a hardware engineer so I can’t really offer up any beneficial solutions. Besides space requirements, actually maintaining and keeping a water cooled computer running is a much bigger job than a non-water cooled one. Spills and leaks are the number one danger of course, seeing as how water and electronics are violent enemies. Shockingly horrific self destruction tales aside, we have to expect that water cooling would come at some point, wouldn’t we?

Not necessarily. Just because a patent is filed doesn’t mean said feature is coming soon if ever. Sadly, in this day and age it is easier to file for a slew of patents just to cover you ass in stead of actually filing for patents on products you intend on bringing to market.

Another point worth mentioning — Mac Pro’s have a considerable amount more stuffed inside the case. From processors, to RAM, hard drives, and big fat video cards, I’d wager there’s quite a bit more heat under the hood of a Mac Pro than an iMac. Conversely, there’s also more room for cooling and fans. Valid points can be made both for and against water cooling. But really, it all comes full circle, back to reliability.

The only Mac’s to get water cooling from the factory were the higher-end 2.5GHz Dual-core G5′s. Even with Apple’s extra thorough testing and scrutinizing eye, the use of water cooling in the high-end G5′s was marginal at best. Ultimately, maintaining the water cooling system was more of a chore than the typical hands off approach Apple hardware boasts of.

Perhaps Apple is ready to give it another go. As we look towards the upcoming 6-core Gulftown processors and even larger graphics cards, unless something in those devices designs changes drastically, the heat issue for Apple, and iMac’s more specifically, are only going to grow.

What do you think? It’s no secret that Apple probably has a few water cooling test solutions working away, deep inside some secret Apple bunker. But will these designs ever make it to market? Or will Apple work some of their magic on the internal structures of iMacs, Macbooks, and Mac Pros to make them even more heat resistant without water cooling?

MacDailyNews > Patently Apple

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Author: Mike Norris

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Gadget lover, smartphone collector, and beer connoisseur. I've been writing about gadgets for three years now and loving every minute of it. Outside of the digital landscape, I enjoy being active outdoors. I'm always up for a good conversation, so feel free to drop me a line!