Testing DSkool Miniature Compressor

O.k. I came across this company while browsing one day and got curious about the following product:



http://www.dskool.com/edskool/cpu02.html

Now supposedly:
(Copying and pasting the following information from the site)

"Micro Refrigeration CPU Cooler (MRCC) using miniature compressor with coolant R134a to cool the chip directly. MRCC has build-in frequency conversion module to control the cooling capacity from 50W to 400W based on CPU Core temperature. DesunSystems minimized the MRCC size; it could be placed inside computer slot. MRCC be approved has amazing performance by a famous IT company."


The compressor system utilizes FJC 9150 - Extreme Cold R134A High Performance Refrigerant Additive (Got this info from the rep)

Specifications

Cooling Capacity: 50W to 400W
Voltage: 12V
Current: 5A
Noise: 45 dB(A)
Weight: 2.5kg
Dimension: 160x105x130 (mm)


Key Features

Excellent cooling and heat exchange performance
Small size, could be placed inside computer slot
Special Evaporator with better heat exchange performance
Reliable Cooling system technology
Full Control of cooling capacity to match CPU core temperature
Soft tube assembly, easily to install
Standard fixture, easily to replace the existing CPU cooler


I got curious and asked how much it was, the rep said $650.

I tried looking for reviews of the thing but couldn't find a single one.

My problem really is the installation of the thing, does it have a universal block for installation? Is it more effective than a Liquid Cooling Setup?

If it is then the price would be worth it.

I'm having them send the technical specifications to my email address and will place updates here.

Alright, I just got "some" info about it:



As you can see from the image I got from the brochure they sent it looks like a simple enough closed loop installation which utilizes both a radiator, a compressor and a refrigerant in the form of R134a in order to cool down the CPU...... but......how does this differ really from what I can get with a standard liquid cooling setup? $650 is pretty steep.

Need some reviews on this thing in order to examine the temperature differences that comes with utilizing a compressor and a refrigerant in the loop.

Condensation doesn't seem to be an issue since it only occurs if an object is significantly colder than the ambient temperatures within a room. Since my room is usually 24 to 30 degrees Celsius I doubt this system could keep the CPU at room temperature especially if I overclock it (if it does though......)

This needs some looking into

That looks to be some kind of miniaturized phase change system instead of water cooling. It's based off of phase change from a gas to a liquid like your air conditioner works instead of having water as a coolant. The compressor compresses the r134a and sends it up to the condenser, which removes the excess heat from compressing it. Then it probably goes to some kind of capillary tube or expansion valve that lowers the pressure and the temps drops off to below ambient with the expansion and then feeds the head on it. Si it isn't at all like a watercooling loop we use in our computers, but more like the old Prometia Mach I coolers.

muddocktor said:

That looks to be some kind of miniaturized phase change system instead of water cooling. It's based off of phase change from a gas to a liquid like your air conditioner works instead of having water as a coolant. The compressor compresses the r134a and sends it up to the condenser, which removes the excess heat from compressing it. Then it probably goes to some kind of capillary tube or expansion valve that lowers the pressure and the temps drops off to below ambient with the expansion and then feeds the head on it. Si it isn't at all like a watercooling loop we use in our computers, but more like the old Prometia Mach I coolers.

Click to expand...

So what are the drawbacks/advantages of this particular type of system compared to a watercooling loop?

Is it worth giving it a shot?

Sure if you got $650 to play with. Might work, might not. I'd worry about warrenty replacement, how long it would take to get one etc.

Conumdrum said:

Sure if you got $650 to play with. Might work, might not. I'd worry about warrenty replacement, how long it would take to get one etc.

Click to expand...

Well baed on the order form they sent me, apparently the company is based in China. I'm not biased whatsoever against products from China since..well...nearly everything is made from there anyway (figuratively speaking).

The product comes with 1 year warranty I believe, however they don't have local distributors...anywhere...for this type of device. On the other hand they are rather well known for producing climate controlled t-shirts (think of a t-shirt with tubes running inside it that connects to a backpack with a refrigeration unit). (I have to get one of those haha).

I really want to read some reviews on someone using this device first before investing in it.

Know of anyone that has tried it yet?

Not one. First I heard of it.

Nice. I was wondering when they were going to go for broke and actually put a compressor into a computer. The only thing I still would have concerns for would be the possibility of condensation build-up, I didn't see any mention of that on their website, but then again it might be set up to not get cold enough for condensation to form. Though I get the feeling that this is a product mainly designed around those fabled 'Supercomputers' we keep hearing about that only very rich governments own & maintain. But that won't stop the OC club from getting their hands on it

and then I saw the price tag

Got interested in this type of cooler since I'm getting the following case next month



Its a Cooler Master CSX V1 Spartan. Its a limited edition case and only 300 were ever made. The entire thing is hand painted and can be waxed like a car to really bring out the colors of the case

Was able to find a guy that barely used his and packed it away.

It'll go nicely with my Ares video card (Sparta+Ares = Epic Ancient Greece Themed Parts Win)

The case unfortunately does not have holes on the top for a radiator and doing any drilling there ruins the collector's value.

If its any good depends on how it can keep up with loaded processor heat output. Judging from its specs, I wouldn't expect it to fair very well - I would totally discount the quoted manufacturer rating.

You can get a single stage phase change unit for similar prices I think? Home made phase units are designed much beefier than this unit is.

I would not gamble $600 on it. In fact I wouldn't bother with anything that has potential to go subambient for a daily rig. A good watercooling setup will yield good temps and be reliable. I would worry about the temps this thing can yield, as well as reliability.

Yanos said:

Nice. I was wondering when they were going to go for broke and actually put a compressor into a computer. The only thing I still would have concerns for would be the possibility of condensation build-up, I didn't see any mention of that on their website, but then again it might be set up to not get cold enough for condensation to form. Though I get the feeling that this is a product mainly designed around those fabled 'Supercomputers' we keep hearing about that only very rich governments own & maintain. But that won't stop the OC club from getting their hands on it

and then I saw the price tag

Click to expand...

Yeah the price = however, most compressors can last years so buying this type of CPU cooler can be considered an investment. My main problem really is how do you attach the thing? When I asked the rep said that they had some sort of mounting mechanism and it came with instructions for installation.

I also mentioned earlier that I doubt this sort of cooler can create condensation, since the manufacturer's specifications indicates that it has a 50 to 400 Watt cooling capacity which decreases or increases based on the CPU temperature via the installed temperature gauge.

At best I bet it could keep a processor that's been overclocked at room temperature, however, that's a rather generous estimate.

I would figure that since you can find no reviews, then they aren't seeking them...that's likely for a reason....

Diggrr said:

I would figure that since you can find no reviews, then they aren't seeking them...that's likely for a reason....

Click to expand...

How about I send them an email? Telling them the importance of reviews for us as consumers. If you're willing to test it out and they want to get known they'll probably agree.

Sure, go ahead and check! If they would provide a sample we'd be happy to review it - we would provide some guidelines if you'd be interested in testing it out yourself and publishing the results, just to ensure the quality of testing is suitably good. I'm with diggr - usually when there are no reviews, it means the product isn't that spectacular. I've found companies are typically most eager to send their best products. Anything less than the best is often hard to get review samples for.

For the mounting, there is typically a backplate and bolt-thru mechanism to attach these kinds of coolers. How exactly its implemented can vary.

There ya go, initiate a review yourself. You might even get a review sample for little-to-nothing, or at least a discount.
No law saying you need a bazillion stars to write a review for the front page as long as it's professional and submitted for editing.

+1 regarding the lack of reviews note. I wonder how long this has been available, is this thing really new or has it been out 6+ months? And while I understand this is a chinese company I always tend to get a bit shifty in my chair when I read product descriptions in broken english.

quote directly from site: "MRCC be approved has amazing performance by a famous IT company."

confusing grammar aside, may I ask what famous IT company?

I digress, I really dont mean to poke fun at the concept, I am actually amazed something like this wasn't created sooner. Now if the price will come down comparable to a Corsair H100 then I'll really be interested.

Yanos said:

+1 regarding the lack of reviews note. I wonder how long this has been available, is this thing really new or has it been out 6+ months? And while I understand this is a chinese company I always tend to get a bit shifty in my chair when I read product descriptions in broken english.

quote directly from site: "MRCC be approved has amazing performance by a famous IT company."

confusing grammar aside, may I ask what famous IT company?

I digress, I really dont mean to poke fun at the concept, I am actually amazed something like this wasn't created sooner. Now if the price will come down comparable to a Corsair H100 then I'll really be interested.

Click to expand...

Actually something "somewhat" like this was created earlier:

muddocktor said:

it isn't at all like a watercooling loop we use in our computers, but more like the old Prometia Mach I coolers.

Click to expand...

I Googled the prometia mach 1 coolers, they were huge







Considering the sheer size of the units I'm not surprised the company that sold them went out of business, the size and the price (combined with a case made by Lian li the price could reach $1,500 easily)



could never reach main stream acceptability despite the performance.

Prometia Mach 2 cooler stats:
Refrigerant: R404a
Cooling Performance: -65°C at 0W/-30°C at 200W

Here's a little tidbit from an evaluation of the performance:

"We tested the Mach II GT on as many as thirteen different processors and five different platforms and we were never disappointed. The temperature reduction down to 0°C and lower most positively affects the overclockability of any CPU. The diagram below shows you the overclocking gain the Prometeia provides over the maximum frequency a processor can achieve with air-based cooling. In each case the extreme cooling helps to reach a frequency which is absolutely unattainable for the given CPU core with an air cooler or a water-cooling system."

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/prometeia-mach2gt_11.html

I didn't read the entire article so I don't know how they dealt with the issue of condensation but even if they were overclocking old technology they did get rather impressive scores.

Unfortunately the company that were making the units should have really taken into consideration main stream acceptability. Maybe by creating a smaller unit that had half the performance and was a hell of a lot more affordable, that would have been better.

Will ask the current company that makes this scaled down version if they're willing to have some people in the forum test it out for them. If the scores are good and condensation isn't an issue I'll definitely buy one.

LoL, now there's some interesting stuff, I do recall seeing something about these but paid them no mind because of their size and cost, may as well take the compressor from a mini-fridge & hook it up to a water-block (as if it were really that simple, I acknowledge there's much more to it). Another key difference between the two: different refrigerants. I bet that makes quite the difference, as well as mandates an entire spread of different components.

If the performance results are anything like the Prometias, then it would definitely jump up on the list of desirable coolers. If it does work out, it would be a target product for those who want all the performance from a watercooling loop without any of the hastle of setting it up, sounds just like the Corsair H series or Antec Kulers.

Would love to see this in action

Yanos said:

LoL, now there's some interesting stuff, I do recall seeing something about these but paid them no mind because of their size and cost, may as well take the compressor from a mini-fridge & hook it up to a water-block (as if it were really that simple, I acknowledge there's much more to it). Another key difference between the two: different refrigerants. I bet that makes quite the difference, as well as mandates an entire spread of different components.

If the performance results are anything like the Prometias, then it would definitely jump up on the list of desirable coolers. If it does work out, it would be a target product for those who want all the performance from a watercooling loop without any of the hastle of setting it up, sounds just like the Corsair H series or Antec Kulers.

Would love to see this in action

Click to expand...

Same here, I've always been a fan of hassle free closed loop water cooling systems. Wish me luck convincing the company that we need performance reviews.