Performed Mods:
This is my second oil submerged HTPC. First one can be seen here http://www.techpowerup.com/gallery/2144.html
The original one has run for around three years with not one problem. The hardware was getting old and needed an upgrade so decided to build a new tank.
Same basic idea with some refinements. Submerged the pump in the oil to eliminate noise and make the entire computer one unit that can be removed from the oil by using the handles. Quick disconnects make is easy to remove the radiator. With the fans on low speed the machine is totally silent.
18 Comments on Oil Submerged HTPC Mark II
dont see the point in it
9/10 :D
9/10
10/10. I know it's not the first one I've seen, but these are awesome. It takes BALLS and a lot of ingenuity to build something like this.
Trifixion, you still need to dissipate the heat from the CPU over a large surface area. The CPU die heat spreader is just not enough area to get the heat away unless you dump liquid nitrogen on it. The CPU cooler just gives you a big surface area to het the heat away with. Plus the fan moves the oil around and it had a green LED :)
I have a few questions though:
-What kind of "oil" is that? Non-conductive liquid for water cooling I assume?
-Does the fluid evaporate over time? Do you have to keep topping it off every now and then?
-Is that a fish tank or a custom made tank?
-How much cooler does it make your processor/GPU compared to a standard air cooled comp?
oh and P.S.
10/10!!!
The oil is highly refined mineral oil. You can get it pretty easily. I buy it in 20L drums. It dosnt conduct electricity. In fact its used to cool large electrical transformers that hang off power polls in most neighbourhoods.
The oil level does drop over time.. but very little. My last oil PC only needed a slight top up after over two years of operation.
Yes, that is a regular fish tank. Choosing one around the right size is the hard part. Also finding one that you can get the perspex lid to sit in can be a bit trickey. I had to do a bit of dremel work to get the tank ready so the Perspex lid just sits in the right spot.
As for cooling, i dont know that it makes a huge drop in operating temps. The thing that i notice is that the system as a whole seems more stable as the heat is dissipated evenly over the whole system.. rather than getting hot spots here and there as you do when air cooling. I have overclocked this machine a little, but at the end of the day, the oil submerssion is for visual effect rather than any sort of super dupper overclocking. Its great fun and is a fantastic display in our living room... guests just loose thier minds when they see it!
For everyone else: Thermaltake Toughpower 550W EVO_Blue (I love these PSU's)
9/10
I cant understand why you get a person giving you a 4 because they dont get it.
Case modding is unique to the person building it and this is a place to show your ideas and how you did them.
Regardless of colours and specs what really matters is in how it has been constructed and cables routed.
I too have seen mineral oil rigs before but I can see alot of time and effort in this one - nice rig.
Great work!
Awesome :)
btw can anybody tell me which song in the video?