The working principles of computer heat sinks mainly include heat conduction, heat radiation and heat convection.
Heat conduction is the most basic form of heat dissipation, transferring heat from one object to another through direct contact. In computer heat sinks, the heat sink is usually in direct contact with the heat source components, the most common heat sources being the central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU). These hardware components generate a lot of heat during operation, and heat sinks use thermally conductive materials (such as thermally conductive adhesives or thermal pads) to ensure efficient heat transfer.