View Full Version : Who says mini-fridge setups don't work? (pics)
Theorie
12-15-05, 01:15 AM
Awhile back I had a mini-fridge setup. I've been seeing people say it can't be done, but this setup worked great for me. That's my old hardware setup in the pic, it was an AMD Athlon XP 3200 I believe. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I think I was running a 20% overclock on it. I took it apart shortly after though because I needed the computer to install/test/review some new Swiftech parts. Anyway, here are the pics, enjoy.
inside the mini-fridge
http://gallery.tfrascone.net/g2data/albums/mycomputer/pc_2002-10-02/inside-fridge.jpg
a closer look
http://gallery.tfrascone.net/g2data/albums/mycomputer/pc_2002-10-02/inside-diagram.jpg
the in/out lines in the back of the fridge
http://gallery.tfrascone.net/g2data/albums/mycomputer/pc_2002-10-02/rear-of-fridge.jpg
the waterblock...yep, lots of insulation
http://gallery.tfrascone.net/g2data/albums/mycomputer/pc_2002-10-02/installed-and-running.jpg
System wasn't very hard or expensive to make. The hardest part was making sure the CPU was insulated well enough. With the CPU overclocked, at idle I would see negative water temps, and at full load 1c or 2c at most. Oh and I think I was running a 40/60 antifreeze/water mixture.
Theorie
Ad Rock
12-15-05, 03:31 AM
Heh what is up with all the labels on everything? :D.
Reminds me of like a "water-chilling for dummies" article or something.
Theorie
12-15-05, 09:28 AM
Heh what is up with all the labels on everything? :D.
Reminds me of like a "water-chilling for dummies" article or something.
haha yeah well i found those stickers stuck to some pipes actually
Pretty cool. Great water temps. What kind of temps were you getting from the CPU?
zebkoolindc
12-15-05, 12:42 PM
Do you leave your computer on for long lengths of time under load. Most of the complaints I've seen about mini-fridges is that they can't keep up with a constant load. They are made to get somthing cold and then shut off, not run 24/7 with a 200 watt load inside.
I'm betting if you start up prime 95 and come back tommorow the water will be warm and compressor will be HOT
Theorie
12-16-05, 06:10 PM
no, i leave my computer on all the time. i used fold also...never any problems.
LabRat23
12-16-05, 07:10 PM
Looks like a great settup. Put together rather cleanly too. Looks like your mini fridge is a little bigger than most minis and proly has a good compressor in it too. I see that you haven't added anything besides the cpu to the loop so that definitely help a lot. One of those microwave size minis wouldnt cut it though so I guess it all boils down to where you draw the line on 'mini'. I guess this is just about the best example of what you can get out of a minifridge.
Also, is that the same rig as in your sig because I don't see the second video card.
Aphex_Tom_9
12-16-05, 07:24 PM
yeah, you have a pretty strong minifridge there.
we have a mini fridge that big..it's my sister's though :(
matttheniceguy
12-16-05, 07:33 PM
Also, is that the same rig as in your sig because I don't see the second video card.
It was on an older computer, running a athalon XP3200.
That mini fridge must have one heck of a good condensor on it (for a mini fridge).
GigaForce310
12-16-05, 09:02 PM
I have that exact same Mini Fridge. The condenser is build into the one side but it covers the whole thing. It gets warm under continuous use but not hot.
I don't use if for my computer though. It holds up to around 120 beers. :)
The input power is around 80 watts. I think it has a COP of 5 (cooling power divided by input power) but I'm not sure. Good cooling capacity for a single CPU chiller. It wouldn't be able to handle much of a system if the whole thing was placed in it. A CPU produces a quarter or less of the total system heat.
blackfury
12-18-05, 12:16 AM
I've got that same fridge as well, do you ever refrigerate anything else in it?
matttheniceguy
12-18-05, 12:33 AM
I've got that same fridge as well, do you ever refrigerate anything else in it?
He could, it might even make the thing work better. When you first put something in the fridge, preferably a large volume of something with a high heat capacity..and barley... the temerature in the fridge would rise. Over time the fridge would remove the heat and return to the same temperature it was at before. Once the temperature of whatever you put in the fridge reached the same temperature as whatever the fridge is set at, there is no longer any load on the fridge from that thing. Then, when you power up the computer, the large thermal mass would act as a thermal ballast, holdign the temperature lower for longer.
GigaForce310
12-18-05, 01:13 PM
I don't think it would help much unless it was in the form of a larger reservior. Convection doesn't work very well. The reason his setup works is that the evap is sticking right into the coolant. Yes, the minifridge would cool everything inside of it. The problem is that anything outside of the reservior won't be able to quickly take on heat from convection.
One of the reasons many minifridge reservior cooling system fails is that convection isn't good enough to cool the reservior. When there isn't a heat load on it then convection works over a longer period of time. Put a heat load on it and the temp isn't able to stay near the evap temp. Stick the evap in the reservior and it will work better. There is of course the issues with how much heat the minifridge can handle continuously. This particular one is able to handle a processor well.
Of course I use mine for it's intended purposes because that is why I bought it.
Time4aMassiveOC
12-19-05, 11:40 PM
yes, this is more a phase change cooling water than it is a minifridge, as he rate of convection goes up with the water coolant vs air on the evap i can see how the cooling capacity per 24/hours can raise fairly signifigantly
lclark2074
12-20-05, 04:59 PM
first he seas he folds with it that means its on 24 x 7
second is that the evap in the water i see?
third that must be a good compresasor.
LabRat23
12-20-05, 08:13 PM
second is that the evap in the water i see?
Heh, that would give a hugh boost to performance.
what fridge is it? I am quite interested in some simple phase-change, like this.
Theorie
01-01-06, 05:32 PM
oh yeah sorry, forgot to check back on this thread.
to answer the questions, yes the evaporator is in the coolant. i bent it slightly so 1/2 the evap sits in the water. kept the water cold, and the fridge cold enough to keep drinks in still :)
and no, that was not on my current hardware setup, it was on my old system
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