Definition
Air cooling is the default and most common cooling method for ASIC miners. High-speed fans (typically 120mm) force air through aluminum heatsinks attached to the ASIC chips on the hashboards. The heated air is exhausted from the rear of the miner.
Stock fans on industrial miners are optimized for data centers and are very loud (75-85 dB). Home miners often replace these with quieter aftermarket fans (like Noctua) at the cost of some cooling capacity. Proper airflow management is essential for reliable mining operations.
In Simple Terms
Standard miner cooling using fans and heatsinks. Simple and effective but can be noisy for home use.
The standard cooling method for ASIC miners using fans to push air through heatsinks attached to the mining chips. Simple but can be noisy.