I think that carbon fiber is a really good insulator which is not good for a computer. Think carbon fiber mufflers on motorcycles not getting hot. Composite skis don't get cold. I suppose plastic is the same in that respect... But there is something from my days as a machinist / composite-ist telling me that all the heat will stay in and everything will melt. My memories are hazy but it doesn't feel right...
This actually sounds pretty good to me. Ideally in a laptop you want to get rid of the heat through the vents, not through the case. Nobody likes burning their thighs and/or wrists, and that's a big problem with the metal macbooks.
Now I come to read the article more carefully, in fact, the part they're considering replacing with carbon fiber is the bottom cover, which suggests they really are thinking in terms of heat conduction, even though that's not mentioned in the article.
The insulation properties of carbon fiber depend on the resin used in construction. Some resins are quite thermally conductive. Also, most of the cooling is dominated by advection; air flow, that is, forced by the fan.
Comments
I think that carbon fiber is a really good insulator which is not good for a computer. Think carbon fiber mufflers on motorcycles not getting hot. Composite skis don't get cold. I suppose plastic is the same in that respect... But there is something from my days as a machinist / composite-ist telling me that all the heat will stay in and everything will melt. My memories are hazy but it doesn't feel right...
This actually sounds pretty good to me. Ideally in a laptop you want to get rid of the heat through the vents, not through the case. Nobody likes burning their thighs and/or wrists, and that's a big problem with the metal macbooks.
Now I come to read the article more carefully, in fact, the part they're considering replacing with carbon fiber is the bottom cover, which suggests they really are thinking in terms of heat conduction, even though that's not mentioned in the article.
The insulation properties of carbon fiber depend on the resin used in construction. Some resins are quite thermally conductive. Also, most of the cooling is dominated by advection; air flow, that is, forced by the fan.