TEC cooling has a few drawbacks compared to a regular HSF setup, the main one being that it's cooling is usually so efficient that temperatures will drop to below ambient, which means that you will need to insulate against condensation. This kind of setup also usually requires a separate power supply and more often than not, watercooling to cool the hot side of the TEC. But take the middle ground of a low power TEC coupled with a HSF combo, and while the temperatures won't drop below ambient, they should get down lower than a HSF combo alone.



Link: Viper's Lair