Active Cooling vs Passive Cooling: What's the difference?

Cooling is crucial for electronics to prevent damage from overheating. There are two primary types of cooling: active and passive. Active cooling involves fans or liquid coolers and is effective but noisy and power-consuming. Passive cooling, used in smartphones and some laptops, relies on conduction and is quieter but less effective at preventing thermal throttling. Choosing between them depends on the device's power requirements and form factor.