Refridgerator Case ?

[JimInMA50]

Hello all... as this is my first post (pause for applause ) I'll try to keep it short.

I just ventured into the world of AMD... and overclocking... and to be honest, am getting a little excited about it. I just purchased 2 AMD 1700+ XP chips... and using the rear window defogger repair kit... turned them into AMD 1700+ MP's!!!! Now this was my first mod with a computer ever... and it really suprised me how much information you all have to share... as fars as what bridges to jump/fill in....etc...etc...

So here is where I stand.... the 2 AMD's that I bought came with the factory heatsinks ( which I already found out are a little under powered )... and for me to buy 2 slk-800's... I'd be spending over $100... so I went out to SEARS and bought a mini fridge... the kind that fit nicely in dorm rooms. I can't post an image of it yet... as I'm still a new member here... but I suppose if I gave you the model number... you could go to sears.com and look it up...
Sears Item #04691171000
Mfr. Model #91171
It's a Kenmore 1.7 cu ft fridge.... I figure I'd mount the motherboard in the icecube tray... boar holes in the door for DVD & CD/RW drives... not sure where it'd be safe to boar holes for power cords/mouse/usb cables... but open for any suggestions. Guess this wasn't as short of a post as I hoped for... thanks for listening =)
Jim
PS: you can all blame Mr B for turning me onto this place ;-) thanks dude

[fiji]

oh oh oh


WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!


first
!!


ok and now onto your post lol
the fridge would have to be closed and not opened much or youll get condensation... id just watch out for that


dun wanna short your mobo

[JimInMA50]

Thanks Fiji.... I was worrying about that... so I figured once I got everything packed in there... I'd fill as many voids with styrofoam... seal up any holes in the door with silicon... and try to make the fridge airtight (this includes building a box to house the cd/rw & DVD drives... so that only the cables will break the seal into the heart of the fridge... and I'm using twisted cables... so I'll silicon those.

[fiji]

well tell us how it works out lol


** IDEA OK check this out strip the fridge down and figure out a way to get the condenser coils into like a plastic tub then fill the tub out of water and de-icer then you will have a helluva cold water cooling set up just get some pum,ps and a water block or 2

**

[Mr B]

LOL....Now, now Jim....I've been blamed for far worse things...and you know it... :p

Good to see you getting adventurous. A Frigidaire Duallie. ROTF. :D You build that and I'll personally spam Jon Phillips e-mail box at MAXIMUM PC Magazine to get it featured as "Rig Of The Month"... :D

Cheers!

B.

[cerberus]

if you seal the thing in styrofoam you will prevent good airflow and create pockets of hot and cold air.. while the cpu is on you wont be getting condensation... only when the system is off but the fridge is still on will it create frost or dew...

[JimInMA50]

Not sure I'm ready to strip this thing down... I've heard horror stories about water cooled systems... not sure if I'd want to go that root.... wouldn't putting the entire motherboard in the icecube tray be cold enough? would I still need to run fans & heatsinks?

[Mr B]

Originally posted by cerberus
if you seal the thing in styrofoam you will prevent good airflow and create pockets of hot and cold air.. while the cpu is on you wont be getting condensation... only when the system is off but the fridge is still on will it create frost or dew...

I'm hoping to get Jim to join the Folding Team...so if that happens, it'll be running 24/7 anyways....:p

[Butmonkey]

I say give it a shot. Man, you've got some bawls:D

[LilBuddy]

would it work to get a cooling unit out of a fridge and put it into a custom case to keep the temps down?

wonder how big the parts are inside the fridge

[Mr B]

Originally posted by JimInMA50
Not sure I'm ready to strip this thing down... I've heard horror stories about water cooled systems... not sure if I'd want to go that root.... wouldn't putting the entire motherboard in the icecube tray be cold enough? would I still need to run fans & heatsinks?

The secret to H20, is planning, and testing.

Carefull planning of a coordinated, integrated water system...parts that are known to work well, and work together.

Plan out the "layout"...where the pump is gonna go, the radiator...how you're going to route the hoses, etc... Read, read, read. Let others triumphs and tragedies be your tutor.

And then, test the system out for a couple days, before installing the motherboard/CPU(s)/cards, etc... Make damn sure it's not gonna leak, before introducing the actual computer components into the H20 system. And then, watch it closely for a few days, just to make sure all is well.

Careful planning, and comprehensive testing, make H20 a very worthwhile experience. Don't let it intimidate you. I'm not gonna say bad things don't happen, but with planning, it's very rare that they do.

B.

[LilBuddy]

just hook up a dehumidifier into the fridge

[Mr B]

Originally posted by JimInMA50
Not sure I'm ready to strip this thing down... I've heard horror stories about water cooled systems... not sure if I'd want to go that root.... wouldn't putting the entire motherboard in the icecube tray be cold enough? would I still need to run fans & heatsinks?

It *should* be, but you'll want heatsink/fans on the CPU's regardless. The MSI has fan headers right near the sockets, so hooking them up won't be an issue....just figuring out how to route cables for the KB/mouse/drives, monitor, etc...

The only time you would ever think about running an AMD w/o a HSF is if you're one of those psycho Japanese fellows playing with LN (liquid nitrogen). But that's more or less a one shot deal...fire it up, take a screenshot, and *poof*...all done.

B.

[JimInMA50]

Hey Brian... so is a twisted idea or what? I'll email ya the pic of the fridge.... maybe you can post it so others can see it. I was worried about the condensation... and like cerberus stated... hot and cold pockets will created it... so how do I get past that hurdle? I thought if I just made sure the fridge was never opened... then the change in temps would be minimal. I really want to go thru with this mod... it's really getting me thinking of ways to cut/mount etc... and I want to make a unique setup. I remember back in the days... when we hacked away on the C-64... and I bought that book "128 electronic projects for your C-64"... and while I only got to make a few of them, I've never been able to mod an IBM. Well this to me is very similar... and I want to make it work. I'm planning on getting a lot of advice here before I start hacking away with a hole-saw... and so far these guys have already found a few of my biggest hurdles (lets hope there arn't many more... is arn't an actual word?) ... anyhow, I learned a lot reading one guys post about "static pressure"... hope he pops in and tells me how condensation can be tackled! =)

[Mr B]

Use that "search" button up in the top right corner, and look for fridge, refridgerator, etc.. in the Cooling sections of the Forums... I'm certain you'll turn up a lot of info there.

Could it work? Absolutely. There's just a lot of things (condensation, the biggest) to consider, and prepare for. I don't know much about this end of "extreme cooling", so my advice on the subject is somewhat limited.

But I know for sure there's others around here that have at least thought of what you're thinking....check out the Cooling topics and see what they got for answers.

B.

[Mr B]

I give to you, the "Extreme Cooling Topic" (http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=72). Take a gander in there....;)

[JimInMA50]

OK... so after goig to tons of sites, and getting all kinds of information... I'm even more confused than before LOL... my original idea was just to throw the whole computer in the fridge... now condensation will be a major problem... so people are talking about spraying the motherboard with grease (will white lithium work?) to prevent water from ever touching the board.
Now I've seen people actually rip all the guts out of the fridge, and using copper tubeing, run freon blocks straight to the processors. But even they have problems with condensation.
So I'm really begining to wonder if this whole fridge idea was a good one. I really want to get into modding.... but not if I'm gonna fry a brand new motherboard. So far I'm getting the feeling I should return the fridge (haven't opened the box yet ), and just go out and get 2 slk-800's... and wait until I have an extra computer to hack away on.

[fiji]

heh yea thats a big one.. well might wanna start out with little mods first huh?

[Mr B]

Originally posted by fiji
heh yea thats a big one.. well might wanna start out with little mods first huh?

Not unwise advice.... learn to crawl, before you try to run, learn to walk, before attempting flight.

Worst case scenerio, Jim....put the lil' fridge next to your desk, and fill it with Mtn Dew. Go get UT2003, let me know when you're ready, and then log on to me server.... Then you won't have to take "gotta go get a soda" breaks in the middle of playin... :p

In all seriousness...with the case you have (once you get a full complement of fans installed/running), and the chips you have on that MSI K7D....you're gonna hit 12.5 x 150 easily...air will be sufficient, if the heatsinks are good.

If I can get 12.5 x 140 out of a pair of 1600+ Pallys at 1.85v on air, using Millennium Glaciators, you should have no troubles getting 12.5 x 150 out of those uber 1700+ T-Bred B's on air. You already know you've got 12.5 x 133 at default voltage. I'd be surprised if you have to raise it much with those "wunderchips" you've got to get to 150FSB.... ;)

Frankly, those 1700's of yours should go a ton further than 1875MHz (12.5 x 150). But that's fine, because you should get there at close to (if not) default voltage, which will keep the temps down somewhat.

B.

[JimInMA50]

Thanks for the advice MrB.... I think I am gonna hold off. Got caught up in the whole MOD thing LOL... and was getting worried that when summer finally gets here, this computer is gonna heat up quick! But I guess I'll cross that bridge after I burn it LOL

[four4875]

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=197769 <-- concerning condensation questions

and for the drives, i'd make a plexi/lexan box mounting the drives on top of the fridge, and put a fan blowing through to cool the hard drive. then cut a hole through the top of it, and run cables through there (unless the fridge's cooling system is in the top. dont wanna drill through the evaporator! lol) then you just hope the fridge is enough to cool the heat load of 2 CPUs, the MB, and whatever else will be in there. i would keep the power supply and drives out of there, to keep the heat load down, so the cpus can get more cooling. and you'll want decent HSF's in there, and strategically mounted ducting and fans (take the cooled air straight to the HSFs)

[four4875]

oh, and on the OCability of those chips, i've heard that they OC to higher speeds than the 2100 i killed. if so, you'll be able to run 150x13 fine. 166 wouldnt suprise me at all. especially on the cooled air goin to the HSFs

[Mr B]

Originally posted by four4875
oh, and on the OCability of those chips, i've heard that they OC to higher speeds than the 2100 i killed. if so, you'll be able to run 150x13 fine. 166 wouldnt suprise me at all. especially on the cooled air goin to the HSFs

He's got them on a MSI K7D Master-L, so they're unlocked thru 12.5x (without blowing bridges), and the board limits him to 150FSB. 1875MHz (12.5 x 150) should be a walk in the park for them...might even see that at default vcore, I think...

B.

[CrystalMethod]

You should be able to buy a spray on "conformal coating". It will keep condensation off of the motherboard, the only thing i haven't figured out yet is how to insulate the physical connections (CPU pins, AGP pins, PCI pins, etc...). I know DuPont, and 3M put out the product, but I don't know of any store that would normally carry it.

[four4875]

when will people realise that there will be no condensation..... grr i get aggrivated...

[zabomb4163]

I don't think mini fridges are designed for the load your going to try to put on it. My bets are that you kill the compressor inside of a week.

-no offence intended. just this has been tried so many times before.

[Forsaken]

I for see SERIOUS condensation issues with a fridge if you decide to run with it install a hydrometer on the out side of it to keep track of the humidity and personal i like peltier cooling its the only way to go in my humble opinion ;)

[JimInMA50]

Hey four4875 .... you seem convinced that there will be no condensation.... I wish I could believe that... have you seen any other articles to back yer theory up? I still want to go for it.... just not with my newest rig.... and I wasn't gonna hack up the fridge for an old pent 133mhz that I have to smash around.

[LuckyBob]

I'm inclined to agree with zabomb4163 on this one. 'Fridges were designed to cool stuff like milk and apples. Milk and apples don't exactly get hot enough to the touch to burn you just from sitting outside the fridge; I saw this done a long time ago with a lower end P3 setup (not exactly a lot of heat by today's standards), and the fridge couldn't even come close to keeping up. The compressor will probabally live a very short life in this configuration; I'd poke around the extreme cooling section here and look at what kind of compressor/condensor setups people're using now.

[MoonWolf]

Another thing, milk and apples don't continually generate heat, either. If you were to seal a computer inside a mini fridge, the heat generated by your components would have no place to go. I would say condensation is the last thing you have to worry about.

[UselesKnoledge]

BAKING SODA!!!! Baking soda cures anything, condensation, bad breath, black plague......
There is also something like it at your local uhaul but I can't remember what it's called, also if you wanted to be really good with the mod....hack apart a dehumidifier and throw all your extra pieces inside of the fridge with your components. Never waste what you kill, so, use the dehumidifier case as a house for your boards and drives for a future mod project.