Custom Water Cooling System Including Chiller
Custom Water Cooling System Including Chiller
I'm not entirely sure about the right category for this, but since it mainly involves overclocking, I think it fits there.
If aiming for sub-ambient cooling, standard water cooling blocks are sufficient. However, reaching close to 0 degrees requires concern about condensation forming inside the case.
If your goal is sub-ambient cooling, standard water cooling blocks should suffice. However, if you aim for temperatures close to zero, you'll need to consider the risk of condensation forming inside the case.
Typically, PCs cooled with exotic methods aren't designed for continuous high-voltage overclocking throughout the year. Increased voltage raises the likelihood of electromigration, which can damage the silicon in the CPU die. In reality, most enthusiasts would find Antarctica an ideal environment for an overclocker.
Using basic calculations, you can easily convert BTU to a more understandable unit—or use an online tool if available.
The 14565 J/sec represents the heat your water reservoir can remove. Using the formula Q=mcΔT with water's specific heat at 4184J/kg, we find:
Q = 10 kg × 4184 J/kg × ΔT
Solving gives ΔT ≈ 0.348 degrees.
This means the cooler removes about 0.348°C of heat each second. If your system heats the water faster than the cooler can handle, temperatures will continue to fall. Increasing the reservoir size reduces cooling rate but requires a significantly stronger pump.
This approach is manageable, but upgrading might be more practical. Replacing an outdated air conditioner would save you substantial expenses. Even a modest AC rated at 500W costs around $175 annually for electricity. A mid-range unit in the video could cost $315 per year. For a substantial upgrade to your CPU and memory, this expense could easily exceed half of what you’d need.
In addition to the excellent (very detailed and high-quality) review by LowlySkeleton, I would like to mention a few aspects. The cost of liquid cooling is quite high. We're discussing 250-350$ for just the CPU alone, which is at least enough for a decent loop. Absolutely not, liquid cooling isn't an efficient method for boosting performance. In short, spending 350$ on a new and shiny i5 system (CPU + RAM + storage) will likely outperform your current setup in real-world tasks. If you don’t consider Intel as a suitable platform, the Ryzen 5 will match it with slightly reduced gaming performance compared to the i5. The only valid scenarios for liquid cooling are: 1. I need a system that is both extremely compact and very quiet. 2. I’m a plumber by profession and enjoy doing it – it’s a hobby. It becomes more logical when you already have a top-tier CPU, a top-tier (or top-1) GPU, a solid power supply, good storage, ample RAM, and a suitable case. Only then does investing in liquid cooling make sense for a performance increase. Please note that on Pascal cards, I was able to reach about 25MHz more with liquid than with air. A liquid-cooled CPU could give an additional 100-200MHz at most (for sustained overclocking), compared to high-end air coolers like Noctua. If you’re simply drawn to the concept of sub-ambient cooling, this individual (Ryan) has done impressive work and is very knowledgeable on the topic:
4ryan6 is no longer present on the forum, meaning the details in the discussion remain unchanged. It seems he has shifted all the links to the photo section for embedded images, which are now not visible.
Ryan was the one who made me decide to stay and try helping lost souls here. It was actually just you and him who attempted to answer my question—using copper shims instead of thermal pads for big gaps. But we had a long and interesting chat with Ryan in PM. Eventually, I had to figure it out myself through experimentation. For my part, it didn’t offer much benefit since the RAM doesn’t generate much heat. It was challenging and messy, but still achievable.
Not certain of his current location, but it seems likely he might be in a few other forums. We were quite close for a while, though our relationship shifted near the end of his time here before he left. He's a genuinely nice person, but we did have some disagreements on topics unrelated to assisting others.
Regarding the original link the OP shared – this is part of my current research into temperature-controlled beer fermentation. I'm an enthusiastic home brewer who loves working on projects. Usually I rely on a standard fridge or freezer with a temperature controller, but this setup might offer more consistent temperature control, provided the system remains stable over time.
However, using this as the main cooling method could lead to increased electricity costs if it becomes your sole solution without a backup plan in place.
When I decide to relocate to Canada or the US, I’ll have a basement and garage packed with exciting projects. Brewing my own beer is definitely on the list.