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Fanless Watercooling

J

JPGR87

Gawd
Joined
Aug 24, 2002
Messages
640
I was just wondering if I could get away with using a radiator without any fans for it. I run an AXP2500+ moderately overclocked, and so far I have the Maze4 CPU block and an industrial pump rated for about 108gpm. Now for the interesting part...the radiator is question is actually a huge condenser from an automotive air conditioner. I was thinking about mounting it off of the right side of the case about an inch with some threaded rods or something. Do you think this can passively take care of all the heat?
DCP_0742.jpg
 
As long as you put in a position where there is at least some airflow over/through it, it'll probably work. Having a big reservoir helps to lower temperatures as well.
 
as above poster stated, try to have a little airflow through it, and you need to make sure your pump can push water through that thing comfortably... That thing is pretty damn beefy.
 
OK, I find this interesting. I have one question tho...does it matter that the water block is made from copper and that thing is made from aluminum?
 
It does if you're not using additives. Watch out for the redox reaction between the copper and aluminum, or you're going to get some serious corrosion. If you use some sort of additive that prevents corrosion, you should be fine.
 
what about 50/50 antifreeze? or do I have to use something like Water Wetter
 
50/50 antifreeze would probably reduce heat capacity of solution too much. You'll have to experiment between different combinations (more on the water than antifreeze) to get the optimal blend that'll prevent corrosion and still perform well. Water wetter is a nice additive that breaks surface tension, good for cooling.
 
My wild guess, as mentioned by some people above, will be that you should try to at least not have dead air..

What I've seen in existing passive watercooling setups is that you need a pretty hefty amount of radiator surface area to be able to sustain mild overclocks and the like.. The one guy ran like many many many feet of copper tubing.

In this case, maybe run a couple 120mm fans on it at like... 5V ? :) it should be incredibly quiet .. try vantec stealths at that voltage, for example. Just for a mild breeze.

And heck, after you have it stable with those two fans, go ahead and try it without them and see how it performs.. Maybe you'll luck out. I'd be interested in seeing if that rad is enough. (pretty big!)
 
erm...correct me if i am wrong...but no it will not work...it may keep ur PC cool but it will not be anywhere near as efficient as if u have some air flow. The links to those rads that can cool via convection alone show rads that have been specially designed for that purpose...if you notice the funky folds of metal on the outside of the rads in the links then u will see why...those folds/blades of metal promote air to travel in confined channels...also those channels will be attached at specific place so that they collect heat from the rad very effectively...

So i guess yes it is possible with the right equipment, unfortunately i dont think that radiator that you have will work very well without a fan, it is designed to have something force air thru the channels...
 
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