Looking for Extreme Cooling compromise

Hey everyone, it has been a while.

Anyways I am looking to upgrade soon. I am probably going to upgrade to something like the AMD FX 9590. I am in a bit of a dilemma with how I want to cool it.

A few years back I built a SS Phase out of window AC and charged it with r-290. Worked great, too great for my cold bugged cpu so I never saw its full potential, had to tune it to do no less than about -10C or the proc would cold bug.

I used it 24/7 for about a year when I finally upgraded and put the SS aside, disgusted with cold bugs, what sounded like a small diesel engine running in my room, and the heat.

But I still long for it, and think it would make the 9590 a whole hell of a lot of fun but I am still weary about the noise. I think I could reduce the noise by replacing the rotary compressor with a hermetic or scroll type and putting it in a case. Danfoss makes a r-290 compressor which may be quieter as it is designed for r-290 characteristic. Or pick a different refrigerant. It seems the phase change boom and all of their useful websites has ended (or I can't find where they are all hiding at) and I have lots of questions about proper tuning, cooling capacity, etc, if I decided to rebuild my Redneck Refrigerations SS into something a bit more respectable.

I don't mind some noise but the rotary was god awful loud when charged with r-290.

Honestly, the difference you'll get in performance between a SS-cooled FX-9590 and a water cooled one (with a good loop, none of this all-in-one crap) isn't going to be worth the electricity you put into it, nor the noise you'll put up with - even with a quieter SS.

If it were me (and I was determined to go with an FX chip), I'd go with an FX-8350, water cool it and run it at 4.8GHz for 24/7 use. Then I would also get a LN2 pot (used and cheap) and use either dry ice or LN2 to beat the snot out of the chip when I felt like it. You'd get the fun you crave, but none of the hassle of a 24/7 sub-zero setup.

At least that's my $.02.

Thanks,
That's kind of what I was thinking. Was not sure what kind of gains I would get with colder temps. I suppose I could work the SS in to a standard water loop as an ambient chiller if I want to make some use of it. Then it would not need to be on all the time.

I built my own single stage. I use it only for benching. For 24/7 performance, you would be better off with water. Between the noise and electricity costs, I think there are better ways to get increased performance. If you need more performance, it would be easier and cheaper to get a higher end Intel setup and run water.

It is going to take a substantial single stage to run a high overclock AMD octo core.

Third to recommend water. Just about done with my rebuild and am very pleased with the results so far. I am happily typing away, while my FX-8350 powered rig sets next to me, happily and near silently humming away at 5.17GHz. Runs perfectly fine, coasting or full bore at this clock and it will positively do some work when I ask it to -- Even then with only moderate fan/pump noise.

Most quiet and most power I have yet to see in one rig.

At one point I was going to build the ultimate refrigerant cooled rig, but as I started adding up all it would take to do it right, it just didn't add up. When I finally went to a custom loop and as I learned what's important for good cooling and low noise, I changed things around hear and there and now I am quiet (not a typo) pleased with the outcome.

-Rodger

then again, if you forfait the crapola noisy cheap window units and start off with a real split-unit where the noisy part sits on the other side of the wall outside... and do a recirculation box inside.. you might achieve something
It wont be cheap, and certainly not portable, but a nice project to keep us entertained

Use a R410a compressor but run R433b or R290 in it. (A.K.A. the "Davuluri Treatment") It will run quieter and use less power, though you won't get quite as low temps. You'll still get well within the zone of diminishing returns, however.

Running a R22 compressor on R134a will do the same, but then you need to change the oil to POE, which takes some effort.