Cooling with water in cold regions Water cooling techniques are effective in chilly environments.
Cooling with water in cold regions Water cooling techniques are effective in chilly environments.
We reside in Wyoming, and my workspace is in the garage. The garage climate is ideal for computer performance most of the year (40-80°F, about eight months), but during two to three winter months the temperatures fall between 0-30°F, sometimes reaching as low as -10 to -20°F.
I plan to build a new machine soon, using an EVGA Hadron Air ITX case. I’ll be running an i7-6700K and either an MSI Aero GTX 1070 or 1080 ("rear-blower" setup). Clearly, considering the typical temperatures in my area, overclocking should be feasible at least half the year with basic air cooling, even in a compact Hadron.
My concerns are twofold:
1) Should I install a simple watercooling system (such as one of Corsair’s single radiator coolers) for three to four months when temperatures rise above 70-80°F?
2) Would I need to take the watercooling offline during the colder months to prevent freezing and damage to the system?
Thank you for any guidance!
If the system is expected to operate in a very cold environment, using water cooling might not be ideal. An air cooler would be a better choice, and you can still overclock it.
see no reason you cant put some anti freeze in a watercooling loop--not 100% anti freeze-- for example 90% distilled water and 10% anti freeze or whatever
amount is needed for the lowest temperature it can possibly get to in your garage
though would have to be one you could top up yourself
though it is possible to open up those corsair ones add fluid then put them back together its a bit of a pain
My goal is to manage heat effectively, especially with liquid cooling. I don’t think liquid cooling is necessary unless your setup is limited in size for a cooler that high.
Remember that neither air cooling nor water cooling can drop below the surrounding temperature, meaning even with top-tier systems, you can't reach cooler than normal room conditions during hot weather.
Keep in mind, air and water cooling systems can't go below the surrounding temperature, meaning you can't reach cooler than room temperature, no matter how advanced your setup is. Unless you use special methods like cooling liquid in ice water or other techniques. That's outside the main discussion.
yes, we've even noticed some folks going all out by placing the radiator outside the building, which keeps it much colder than inside. lol
I've noticed that, which seems like a good idea until the power cuts out or the PC stops working and the coolant stops flowing. At that point, you'd need to apply an antifreeze solution.
I've been considering trying it myself, but it would require more effort than I'm willing to put in right now.