Possible to cool multiple computers in one loop and run it outside?

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StoneTZ

Under the Man's Thumb...waaaaaa!
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It possible to make a really long loop?
I'm talking about having multiple computers and maybe running it outside to large radiators.

If you wanted to do something like cool 10 computers cpu / GPU setup like an internet cafe and then run it to an external radiator outside (sub zero temps) would that be possible?

Would the temp balance out in the entire loop for the most part or would the water temp be hot as shit on one end and cold on the other? I've head both arguments.

I'm seeing huge cost savings by cooling all of it together if possible but huge disadvantages too. Even if it works fine you have a single point of failure for the entire setup.
 
Of course it is possible this is how a lot of datacenters cool their racks..

Would the temp balance out in the entire loop for the most part or would the water temp be hot as shit on one end and cold on the other?
Click to expand...

It would balance out if your pumps were working..
 
StoneTZ said:
It possible to make a really long loop?
I'm talking about having multiple computers and maybe running it outside to large radiators.

If you wanted to do something like cool 10 computers cpu / GPU setup like an internet cafe and then run it to an external radiator outside (sub zero temps) would that be possible?

Would the temp balance out in the entire loop for the most part or would the water temp be hot as shit on one end and cold on the other? I've head both arguments.

I'm seeing huge cost savings by cooling all of it together if possible but huge disadvantages too. Even if it works fine you have a single point of failure for the entire setup.
Click to expand...

I don't see why not, but it would probably be a little over complex without much benefit. I would imagine that you'd need some inline pumps between machines to keep the coolent flowing and that's assuming that the temps stay low enough from the first machine to the last machine. The fluid temps on the 10th computer will likely be much warmer than they would on the 1st machine.

A better design would probably be creating a single reservoir to feed each loop. The only real problem with either design, IMO, would be maintaning it. If for some reason you sprung a leak or needed to do a repair, all 10 machines would likely have to be shut down.
 
It greatly depends on your flow-rates. Depending on how restrictive your radiators are, you might want one really powerful 120v pump to pump into the radiators, and then the loop splits to each individual computer. Within each individual computer, you might want an independent pump (like a MCP655 or 355). A higher flow-rate will help reduce variations in water temperature. The individual pumps ensure that there is some flow even if the outside pump fails, and the outside pumps ensure there is still some water moving through the system if an individual pump fails. I would recommend the MCP355 and plugging it into your motherboard on the CPU fan slot. On the motherboard, set a CPU fan failure warning, so that if the pump fails, you would know it immediately. If you do it properly, there should be minimal risk.

Water temperatures will not vary greatly. The only thing that might happen is the water leaving the radiators pick up heat as they move through the room, so they're slightly warmer upon reaching the room. However, this is probably very minimal. Unless your flow rates are less than like 1 gallon per minute through each individual computer, the water leaving the waterblocks won't be much warmer than it was going in. So basically, just ensure you have a good flow rate, and you should be golden.

Edit: I would do a split loop if you're cooling 10 or more computers as you're saying. Just split the loop into 1 line per computer, and place valves or Koolance quick-disconnects on the in and out of each loop. That way, you can isolate an individual computer loop from each of the other loops, and perform any maintenance as necessary. That way, your entire system does not need to be down just to repair one computer. Also, temps would be much more constant across computers. Of course, if you have a failure on the main radiator pump, or spring a leak on the radiator loop area, then everything else would have to be shut down.
 
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Thanks for the good advice to everyone above.

I think it would obviously cost a lot more but if you put valves and bypasses going in to every computer so you could isolate a computer in 10 seconds then swapping parts / bleeding / risk of failure would be a lot better. Probably do the same with pumps / rez / rads whatever so you had redundancy on everything.

As far as radiators goes doing something like having all the computers feed in to a rez that outputs a larger diameter to a series of car radiators then back in to a rez on the output side.

I think I'm going to use my awesome paint skills and have fun with this.
 
naja002 did some stuff similar to what your talking about, i believe his posts are over in the extreme cooling section
 
if your radiator is sub-zero (or below the dew point at all) you need to worry about condensation.

other then that- yes its perfectly do-able to run several PCs either in series or parallel. there are dozens of different ways you can do it, and each has their own requirements. if you give more specific info we can suggest a best method or you can figure it out on your own.

water temps would not be significantly different in any two points of the loop with an adequate flow rate.
 
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