The Danamics LMX looks like a typical single-tower air cooler with multiple heat pipes. But the unique feature is that these pipes are filled with liquid metal alloy, i.e. a mixture of sodium and potassium. Unlike the more common gallium, indium, and tin alloys used for thermal interfaces, this mixture is chemically aggressive and can ignite when exposed to air or water.

unique development

According to Der8auer, Danamics sought to improve the efficiency of traditional heat pipes by researching liquid metal alloys for CPU coolers in 2008. The LMX cooler model, which was found in the hands of a German enthusiast, was released in limited numbers at the beginning of 2010.

During testing, Der8auer found that the liquid metal alloy in the Danamics LMX cooling system was only 25% higher heat capacity compared to water. But its thermal conductivity was 30 times higher. Such high thermal conductivity, while impressive, had limited practical effect in the closed, compact circuit of the CPU cooler’s heat pipes.

In addition, the Danamics LMX cooler is equipped with a unique feature – a neodymium electromagnetic pump located in its upper part. This pump is hidden under the cover and is powered by cables carrying powerful 30A current. During operation, these cables heated up significantly, reaching temperatures of 40-50 degrees Celsius.

To evaluate cooling performance, der8auer conducted synthetic and gaming tests comparing the Danamics LMX to the Noctua NH-U12A, a conventional air CPU cooler equipped with a single 120mm fan. The flagship Intel Core i9-12900KS processor was used on the test platform.

Danamics LMX cooler test: watch video

There was no clear winner as both coolers showed similar results in gaming tests. However, in the Cinebench synthetic test, the Noctua cooler beat the Danamics LMX by 5-6 degrees. Despite its age, the Danamics LMX received high marks for its performance; However, conventional heatpipes with standard heatsinks in the Noctua cooler have proven to be more efficient than the liquid metal alloy of sodium and potassium.

It is unknown whether the development of the Danamics LMX cooler played any role in the future fate of the company. It is noteworthy that the company responsible for this unique cooling system went bankrupt in 2010. Only a few prototypes and early samples of LMX coolers distributed to reviewers and testers have survived to this day.

In conclusion, Roman Hartung talked about the potential dangers associated with transporting LMX coolers. An accident in which even one of these cooling systems is damaged can turn into a much more serious disaster due to the volatile nature of the liquid metal alloy it contains.