ALU CPU container

[El<(')>Maxi]

Decided I'd give a try at making my own container. Still searching for CU so started out on a 2 3/8 ALU chunk. This will have a stepped inner wall when complete with 8MM base thickness.

 

[Ross]

Oh yeah

 

[greenmaji]

I dont think Ive seen a Alu tube before.. would it need more mass to perform close to copper (like thicker walls)? should be cool to see once your try it out. good luck!

 

[Ross]

There are plenty of AL tubes out there. Copper conducts heat better and most people make a 2-piece tube by simply brazing an off-the-shelf copper tube to a base (ie. easy), which is why most are copper. Al needs to be MIG or TIG welded to join permanently. 1-piece copper tubes like Maxi's avatar are rarer and much more expensive because they have to be milled out of a solid piece of copper.

Al is cheaper and easy to work with (soft). Cu is about 3x denser than Al, which is maybe why he is going to step the inside to keep some extra mass in it...maybe transfer heat from the base to the sides better? Other than the metal properties itself, I would guess the thickness at base has more to do with CPU-cooling performance than anything. I am not really sure how thick some of the "good" containers are at the base, but most pelt cold plates are in the .25"-.5" thick range...I would imagine that wouldn't be much different.

Can't wait to see how it turns out

 

[crimedog]

aluminum tubes are better for ln2

 

[greenmaji]

aluminum tubes are better for ln2

Very cool! (no pun intended)

crimdog.. would you care to explain why its better for ln2? I would think you and fishy would know ALOT about the subject..

if not thats ok..

 

[El<(')>Maxi]

Hey Ross, what is the dimension of the 930's IHS from corner to corner? The container base as it is now has a 1.5" dia seat for the IHS, I might be able to make it bigger if needed. I also need a drawing of the mobo mounting holes, can you can measure it up and send one over?

I need to make another trip down to Boeing Surplus next Sat, I cannot find a boring bar anywhere nearby. Once I have it this will be finished and ready to test

 

[Ross]

Top of the IHS is 28.7mm square. From corner-to-corner diagonally is 40.6mm. Jeez, my geometry teach always said it would be useful "someday", but I never believed him, LOL.

The mounting holes on the mobo are 72mm square on-center.

Make sure to scope out a big block of Cu while you're there

 

[Gautam]

Hehe, it looks like you're gonna make Ross a very happy guy. Looks beautiful already. Technically I've got access to such resources...dunno if I like dry ice enough to invest in it. Maybe this will help me make a decision.

 

[Ross]

Hopefully! Gotta take care of some tooling issues before it can be completed. I missed out on a gimongous 3" Al mousepot today, so Maxi needs to come through <no pressure>

 

[El<(')>Maxi]

That 3" would have been nice but the price was kinda silly.

 

[Ross]

All the Mouse's are, but for not much more than Reg's, it would probably still be a performance/$$ gain That thing is gorgeous, LOL.

 

[Eldonko]

Cool stuff, any updates? I have a design drawn up myself, I just need to figure out how to draw in CAD so I can get it machined lol.

 

[Ross]

I think the phrase "grinding halt" is appropriate, literally LOL. Need to find a longer boring bar or it's going to have a 2" thick base.

Hey Maxi, can't you just weld a pipe over the boring bar that you have to extend it? Maybe rebar since it probably should be solid. It would be a whole lot cheaper to extend that one and replace it with a new one when done than to buy one with those specific dimensions

 

[Eldonko]

I think the phrase "grinding halt" is appropriate, literally LOL. Need to find a longer boring bar or it's going to have a 2" thick base.

Hey Maxi, can't you just weld a pipe over the boring bar that you have to extend it? Maybe rebar since it probably should be solid. It would be a whole lot cheaper to extend that one and replace it with a new one when done than to buy one with those specific dimensions

That sounds dangerous, but fun! By the way, I bet a 2 inch base will help with cold bugged chips, put the temps where they need to be.

 

[Ross]

Might add some excitement to an otherwise boring task (pun intended) of watching a hunk of metal spin around endlessly for hours at a time

I found out today that my local supermarket sells dice. They have a little freezer up front. $.99/bag. There were about 15 bags in there and every last one of them was empty. I guess it's not a fast-moving item and they've been sitting there a while, LOL.

 

[El<(')>Maxi]

First container and I can't even have a week to finish it

Thats an interesting idea Ross but I don't think I'll be trying it. I'd like to keep the lathe and myself in one piece. If I can find what I need tomorrow I'll have this finished up and ready to freeze something.

 

[Ross]

LOL, what, do you have one of those 5000RPM lathes or something? Maybe I just have more health insurance, hehe.

I've got my fingers crossed...

 

[speed bump]

Nice if you really want a piece of copper bar stock I know where to order it but with copper at $2.25 a pound(makes me happy as I am probably working a copper mine this summer) you dont want to know what it would cost(something like $200+)

 

[EvilT]

what is an cpu container?