Best Method for Noob to Intro to Sub Ambient Cooling

B

Budwise

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
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I have been watercooling now for about 6 months and love it. However, now that i have had a taste of what good cooling can bring to the OCer's table im interested in going sub ambient. I am a college student living in an apartment, but i am graduating in May and should get some money in soon. Im not looking to shell out $500 though. The bad thing is i am in Texas and the humidity here absolutely blows. Is there a method to get maybe 10C below ambient with a TEC or something? I have a feeling condensation could be an issue here in the "quasi hell summer" state. What would be the best intro for me into sub ambient cooling?

Here is the current setup:

Storm
MCR220
MCW55

Rebuild-Finished.jpg


Edit: Im looking to only cool the CPU to sub ambient as watercooling the GPU is plenty... I have no eliminated the idea of sub zero temps, but coating my entire mobo in grease and gunk kinda scares me...
 
honestly, i would really suggest sticking with what you have in terms of cooling and looking at what you might be able to pull off with hard mods.

you have some really nice watercooling going on there, which you would have to sell or otherwise take a loss on if you go for sub-ambient cooling.

that being said, the new OCZ phase change unit looks really promising, and a fully fitted out pelt rig is not going to cost less.

even if you don't get sub-dewpoint temps on your CPU itself, parts of your cooling solution will get down around zero, and tend to form condensation. applying conformal coating to your PCBs and setting up your system to be condensation proof is just good practice.
 
Swiftech makes a nice Pelt kit - for about $350 you can get all you need. I have one on order now :) .

It's not as glamorous as Phase but it's available now - there's still no dates for the OCZ unit.
 
Avman said:
Swiftech makes a nice Pelt kit - for about $350 you can get all you need. I have one on order now :) .

It's not as glamorous as Phase but it's available now - there's still no dates for the OCZ unit.
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you need an extra rad for it, if you want to keep good coolant temps and reasonable noise levels.
 
DFI Daishi said:
you need an extra rad for it, if you want to keep good coolant temps and reasonable noise levels.
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And extra cooling for room :p
 
heres my progress on a chiller unit..

I plan to run lines over to the cooler and submerge my radiator in the chilled water. This will keep the integrity of my watercooling and not mix aluminum evap fins and my copper blocks. I will use a thermostat to keep the water temps at about 60F / 15C. This will keep it above dewpoint while still having some sweet temps. Im gonna get a light dimmer to use for the fan motor to slow it down to tolerable noise levels too.

Chiller%20Unit%20Test.jpg


Chiller%20Unit%20Test%20Dirt.jpg


Chiller%20Unit%20Test%20Ice.jpg
 
Budwise said:
heres my progress on a chiller unit...
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That looks like a rotary u got there! I think you will have more to worry bout noise wise then that fan :( but will give good temps if u can get that water/alcohole moving in the esky abit. maybe a submergable pump to stir it up a bit?
 
DFI Daishi said:
honestly, i would really suggest sticking with what you have in terms of cooling and looking at what you might be able to pull off with hard mods.

you have some really nice watercooling going on there, which you would have to sell or otherwise take a loss on if you go for sub-ambient cooling.

that being said, the new OCZ phase change unit looks really promising, and a fully fitted out pelt rig is not going to cost less.

even if you don't get sub-dewpoint temps on your CPU itself, parts of your cooling solution will get down around zero, and tend to form condensation. applying conformal coating to your PCBs and setting up your system to be condensation proof is just good practice.
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I completely agree, you do have a fairly nice h2O setup already man, and with the humidity, it's going to make a Pelt setup more expensive/risky then it might be worth to you.

Honeslty, I'd hold out with what you've got until you CAN shell out the cash on a nicer single stage phase change system. Don't worry, you're still miles ahead of a lot of other [H]'ers with what you've got...and shouldn't be worried about not having something sub ambient.
 
I built my 437watt Wintsch Labs peltier cooling system for about 200$ or so... but I did a lot of shopping around and looking for good deals before just going out and buying... and I wanted something actually worth buying as well, which is why I waited until I could find the Wintsch Labs block - but I now have below 0* C cooling and for no more than 200$

The reality is though... peltier cooling is inefficient and uses loads of electricity to run... and can be noisy... it took a lot of work and time to get my system nice and quiet while keeping the good temps.

I built mine more for the project aspect... it was something I wanted to build, test, and play with - but will more than likely sell the system to someone who will actually put it to good use and use it for getting good overclocks.

next up... a phase change system LMAO

~NortH~
 
NortHWizarD said:
I built my 437watt Wintsch Labs peltier cooling system for about 200$ or so... but I did a lot of shopping around and looking for good deals before just going out and buying... and I wanted something actually worth buying as well, which is why I waited until I could find the Wintsch Labs block - but I now have below 0* C cooling and for no more than 200$

The reality is though... peltier cooling is inefficient and uses loads of electricity to run... and can be noisy... it took a lot of work and time to get my system nice and quiet while keeping the good temps.

I built mine more for the project aspect... it was something I wanted to build, test, and play with - but will more than likely sell the system to someone who will actually put it to good use and use it for getting good overclocks.

next up... a phase change system LMAO

~NortH~
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Yeah man, i agree that Pelt systems are kinda inneficient...but if they're done properly and you have the money they're fricken cool and very interesting. I love your setup man...good luck with phase man, my single stage should be running by the end of the month. :)
 
cornelious0_0 said:
Yeah man, i agree that Pelt systems are kinda inneficient...but if they're done properly and you have the money they're fricken cool and very interesting. I love your setup man...good luck with phase man, my single stage should be running by the end of the month. :)
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I can't complain about this system... it runs in the negatives, is extremely quiet - both of the things I was shooting for.

I mean... an OpterOwn 144 CAB2E/0546 cpu under the biggest peltier block ever made... and it all running super quiet, at temps that are easily below 0* Celsius what more could person want... well... maybe -50* or so... but that's next on the agenda...only thing is... I have yet to hear of an almost silent Phase Change setup - I am wondering if it is worth going to phase, when I have about -15* or so right now and my system is silent enough that I can hear the hard drive tocking every now and again.

the 2 - 140mm fans only spin at 1000 rpm and are about 19dBA and teh 2 - 120's are in the mid 20's .... aside from that, there is no noise at all - I have swapped out the horriblyu noisy meanwell fan with one that is dead silent - now this machine is as quiet as my air cooled 3700 that has a Zalman 7000al/cu on it... I can barely hear that system either.

I still think I am going to put the whole thing up for sale though.... I have something else, aside from the phase change, I am working on and really think someone who is in to overclocking could put this to better use... with me, it will probably end up just sitting around gathering dust.

~NortH~
 
NortHWizarD said:
I can't complain about this system... it runs in the negatives, is extremely quiet - both of the things I was shooting for.

I mean... an OpterOwn 144 CAB2E/0546 cpu under the biggest peltier block ever made... and it all running super quiet, at temps that are easily below 0* Celsius what more could person want... well... maybe -50* or so... but that's next on the agenda...only thing is... I have yet to hear of an almost silent Phase Change setup - I am wondering if it is worth going to phase, when I have about -15* or so right now and my system is silent enough that I can hear the hard drive tocking every now and again.

the 2 - 140mm fans only spin at 1000 rpm and are about 19dBA and teh 2 - 120's are in the mid 20's .... aside from that, there is no noise at all - I have swapped out the horriblyu noisy meanwell fan with one that is dead silent - now this machine is as quiet as my air cooled 3700 that has a Zalman 7000al/cu on it... I can barely hear that system either.

I still think I am going to put the whole thing up for sale though.... I have something else, aside from the phase change, I am working on and really think someone who is in to overclocking could put this to better use... with me, it will probably end up just sitting around gathering dust.

~NortH~
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Thanks for the reply man, nice to hear thigns are working out well for you...and you have a PM comin' your way.
 
NortHWizarD - What did you swap out for the Meanwell fan. Mine is incredibly noisy and I'd really like to change it out?

I installed my new Swiftech 5002-62 Pelt/Block last weekend. Temps are 3-5c idle, 18-20c gaming and 23-26c Dual Priming. Overall I'm very happy with the system.
 
Avman said:
NortHWizarD - What did you swap out for the Meanwell fan. Mine is incredibly noisy and I'd really like to change it out?

I installed my new Swiftech 5002-62 Pelt/Block last weekend. Temps are 3-5c idle, 18-20c gaming and 23-26c Dual Priming. Overall I'm very happy with the system.
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i don't know about him, but i cut out an opening for an 80 mm fan, and mounted one of the ADDA units that came stock with my case on the outside of the housing, drawing through the hole.
 
Budwise said:
heres my progress on a chiller unit..

I plan to run lines over to the cooler and submerge my radiator in the chilled water. This will keep the integrity of my watercooling and not mix aluminum evap fins and my copper blocks. I will use a thermostat to keep the water temps at about 60F / 15C. This will keep it above dewpoint while still having some sweet temps. Im gonna get a light dimmer to use for the fan motor to slow it down to tolerable noise levels too.
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Won't you still have problems with corrosion? You're mixing aluminum and copper in the water right now :p
 
Talonz said:
Won't you still have problems with corrosion? You're mixing aluminum and copper in the water right now :p
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That's also what a lot of people are brining up/complaining about with many AC waterblocks...I'm not sure if it could be avoided...but for what I hear/know it's generally not a good idea to mix copper/aluminum in a water loop.
 
I am kinda ignorant on this subject, but wouldnt it pay off to use automotive antifreeze? it keeps things from freezing, and its designed to prevent corrosion.
 
nhusby said:
I am kinda ignorant on this subject, but wouldnt it pay off to use automotive antifreeze? it keeps things from freezing, and its designed to prevent corrosion.
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I'm not an expect on the science of it...but aside from what people use in their water for additives, I have seen some pretty nasty corrosion inside some AC blocks because of the mixed copper/alu. As far as I'm aware, the best thing you can do is use a block that is all copper along with very clean water such as distilled or RO water in your loop.
 
nhusby said:
I am kinda ignorant on this subject, but wouldnt it pay off to use automotive antifreeze? it keeps things from freezing, and its designed to prevent corrosion.
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Depending on the type, it does help. Like in sub-ambient cooling, Glycol is a great idea. But, if you're still cooling above 0 degrees, but below ambient, even plain distilled water (with the appropriate additives) will perform.
 
thats right. I work at an auto shop (its the family biz) but I am in school for computer science, thats my field. but I have done (some) research on engine coolant. the manufacturors go through alot of trouble to develop rust inhibitors and corrosion protection. there are 2 kinds; pink and green. i forgot how each works, but I bilieve the pink (dex cool) is designed for use in engines with an iron block, aluminum heads, and brass freeze plugs. I've seen people put in straight tap water, and you bet there are problems within a year.

anyhow, just adding my $0.02 and wondering what you guys thought.
 
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