Should I build a custom loop for a chilled OC fun?

[Alcsi69]

Hey guys!

I really have to tinker with something, because I'll go crazy if I can't, but I don't really have any better ideas, so what do you guys think about building a custom loop just for a little chilled OC on my 6700k?

The main concept would be putting the radiator in a bowl with ice, water and antifreeze. I really like to experiment with these types of things, but I don't really know how long will it last. So if this thingy would only occupy me for like 1-2 days, it wouldn't worth it. Yeah, I could do this with an AIO, like the Liquid Freezer 240, but then I don't really have anything to tinker with.

Also the second concern I have, is that I don't really have a high end PC (6700k + 1070ti), that's why I never really wanted to build a custom loop.

Sooo what do you guys think?

 

[EarthDog]

Up to you... but it sure is fun to tinker.... go for it.

 

[Lochekey]

Lots of ways to do this. It is actually pretty cheap to do if you do not want to invest a lot into it.

You can buy a cheap pond pump, a 5 gallon bucket some tubing and a cpu block and you are done.

You can then get some bottles of windshield washer fluid and freeze the whole unopened bottles and float them one at a time in the 5-gallon bucket of water and just circulate the water through the loop and it will keep the system relatively cool without the need to invest in a radiator. Just be aware of condensation issues.

 

[makaka]

go for it and watch for condensations.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Hey guys!

I really have to tinker with something, because I'll go crazy if I can't, but I don't really have any better ideas, so what do you guys think about building a custom loop just for a little chilled OC on my 6700k?

The main concept would be putting the radiator in a bowl with ice, water and antifreeze. I really like to experiment with these types of things, but I don't really know how long will it last. So if this thingy would only occupy me for like 1-2 days, it wouldn't worth it. Yeah, I could do this with an AIO, like the Liquid Freezer 240, but then I don't really have anything to tinker with.

Also the second concern I have, is that I don't really have a high end PC (6700k + 1070ti), that's why I never really wanted to build a custom loop.

Sooo what do you guys think?

In most cases tinkering or experimenting without some kind of goal besides easing boredom, yields nothing but wasted time, money, and shelved parts.

You say you don't have a high end PC, but condensation can destroy even what you do have, your idea concept will take you to about 10c coolant temperature as ice in water is not going to go any lower unless you add salt to mimic the ice cream freezing process.

And you loose some of the cold using the radiator as a cold transfer but at least you can keep the system clean of trash and debri, but you'll still be in condensation territory.

You have to have some goal like high overclocking of your 6700K for it to even be worth the risk and effort.

If you want to get serious about chilled water cooling click the link in my sig, otherwise get to tinkering.

 

[Alcsi69]

Could this concept work?

Hey guys!

So I started this watercooling radiator submerged in a bowl which has ice, water and antifreeze in it thingy. This will bring me under ambient temps in theory. But this isn't that extreme, and I really like to experiment with this kind of staff, so I got an idea on a discord channel.

So basically this concept would also use a custom loop as the base, but instead, there would be a big reservoir thingy which isn't acrylic and instead of water, it would be full of acetone which would be cooled with dry ice. So basically this would be a ca. -78C cool fluid, which would be circulated in the loop by the pump. Of course this wouldn't be 24/7, just for benchmarking purposes.

The idea is not bad in my opinion, but there are some questions, or criterias:
The whole loop should bear this extreme chilled fluid, so it shouldn't crack and stuff from the cold. This is why I stated, that acrylic shouldn't be used. Also the pump should be made of something, that will not crack from this. Also I don't know what type of tubing could be used? I don't really know materials that are really resistant to this extreme cold.
Also there could be a better fluid than acetone. Acetone is pretty flammable if I know it well. I tought about 100% alcohol, which has a freezing point of -114C... but that's also flammable.
Also like any sub-zero (and sub-ambient) cooling solution, there should be a really hardcore insulation, so condensation will not kill the whole motherboard and stuff.

Do you guys have any opinions about this concept?
Also any advice?

 

[EarthDog]

If you re going that far, just get a pot and do sub ambient right.

 

[Alcsi69]

Well I could do that, but as I said, I really like to expreiment. Also there would be no excitement that way: Will it work? If so, cool. If not, why? Stuff like this.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Forget it, you'll go through Dry Ice faster then you can utilize it...that's if you can keep the loop from freezing. I tried it with a wort chiller submerged in Acetone and DICE. You can put a Radiator in a cooler and surround it with DICE. You'll see around -15 to -20c water temps. Again you'll go trough a good amount of dice. Additionally, isn't this thread along the lines of your other thread?

I'm editing this post because I feel like I was being a bit negative. You're wanting to experiment so I shouldn't say forget it, sorry for that. Let me say what I've done a little clearer so you can just take it for what it's worth. As I stated above I put acetone in a 5 gallon bucket and then dropped Dice in it. I had windshield washer fluid running through my loop with a 750 gph pond pump. It was very very difficult to keep the loop from freezing. If I were able to keep it flowing it was just eating up the Dice.

My other method was to take my fans off the rad and just surround the rad with Dice in a cooler. This worked well, I usually saw -15 to -20 c water temps and could do a good amount of benching this way. Though, 50 lbs of Dice would last me about 4 hours this way. Just for reference I could usually get about 12 to 15 hours of benching on 50 lbs with a Cpu pot. "all depending on the cpu being benched".

Another method a few of us use that live in cold weather climates is, we hang our radiators out the window. My whole setup is a kitty litter bucket, 5 gallons of windshield wiper fluid, 750 dannar Pond pump, Thermochill pa 120.3 with 6 yl 2200 rpm fans and a Cpu block. I have the loop setup so I can use a quick adapter and hook my Gpu block to it in seconds. Here in Ny December to March I've seen some really cold nights and have had my fluid down to -22 c. More common I'll see around -5 to +5 which does still help. Just figured I'd give a little more help.

 

[Alcsi69]

The biggest negative for the pot is that it's not really practical. Like I'd need a gpu pot and I'd always have to put the dry ice in it and stuff. So from this perspective, my other dice idea isn't practical neither.
I think this could work: a container full of antifreeze + an ac units evaporator in it. So the ac unit would cool the antifreeze, and I'd circulate that antifreeze in a custom loop... It's like a diy chiller, like those haileas out there.

 

[Mandrake4565]

The biggest negative for the pot is that it's not really practical. Like I'd need a gpu pot and I'd always have to put the dry ice in it and stuff. So from this perspective, my other dice idea isn't practical neither.
I think this could work: a container full of antifreeze + an ac units evaporator in it. So the ac unit would cool the antifreeze, and I'd circulate that antifreeze in a custom loop... It's like a diy chiller, like those haileas out there.

Not practical? If we are going there, I wouldn't say coating a motherboard with liquid electrical tape, Vaseline, Armaflex etc..... and pushing excessive voltage into the pc, Is exactly practical.... Just saying

Anyhoo, the A/C has been done and does seem to work pretty well from what I recall seeing. I've personally have never tried it. If you do go in that direction, I'd be interested in seeing how you go about it.

 

[Alcsi69]

Yeah, I just dont know how will be the temps and how will it affect hwbot results.
Of course it wouldn't be as good as dice or ln2. Aaaand maybe not that economical, but I'm not sure about the power consumption of these ac units.

 

[EarthDog]

It isn't a 24/7 solution, right? So I doubt it matter much in that respect.

 

[Alcsi69]

Yeah thats a good point.
I'll try to make a chiller and experiment with it, I think it will be a fun project.

 

[EarthDog]

Keep us posted! Post a project log too!!

 

[Alcsi69]

Okey, I'll try.