Water cooling explained.

[Spawn-Inc]

Note:i am slowly revising this now that i have 2 loops under my belt and understand it alot better.

Water cooling is a great and common way to help keep things cool and quiet. i will start by explaining how it all works.



Component's

Necessary
- Water Block
- Radiator
- Pump
- T-Line or Reservoir
- Fans
- Water Additives
- Tubing
- Barbs and Clamps

How Water Cooling Works

Water Block

http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/images/products/apogee%20gtx/apogee-gtx-exploded.png

the water flows from the pump into one of the barbs and across all those little metal pins and the water absorbs some of the heat and carrys it through to the other barb. from there it travels to the radiator.
Water cooling works by conduction and convection mainly. when the CPU produces heat it needs to be removed for safe and faster operation. copper and aluminum are the two main heat sink types when it comes to air cooling. however copper wins for water blocks. the heat transfer to the copper where cool water flows across it at a fast rate. as the water flows across the copper it picks up the heat produced by the cpu. different companys produce different patterns when they machine the copper blocks. the more surface area a water block has the faster and more efficient heat can transfer from the copper to the water.
Example: here is a good surface vs. a less efficient surface.

http://www.swiftech.com/assets/images/products/apogee/apogee-gt-bp.jpg

http://www.overclockers.com/articles231/dden1.jpg

radiator

http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/images/products/MCR220-QP-K.GIF

the heated water then flows to the radiator and does the opposite from above. fans blow cool air over the fins and as the water flows through the radiator its transfers the heat from the water to the brass tubes (painted black and vertical). which then pass the heat to the tiny little fins (painted black and Horizontal) that discharges the heat into the air.

Once the water has picked up the heat it travels onto the radiator where it can be expelled. much like the water block working better with more surface area, a radiator will work much the same way. there are two types the radiators most commonly used. a single pass and double pass setup.
here is a single pass.
http://www.xspc.biz/r120sxbig.jpg
notice it has an in and out on opposite sides. water flows into one header and then flows to the other side and restarts the trip all over again.
http://www.xspc.biz/r120sbig.jpg
this is a dual pass radiator. water flows into the left or right side and only goes down half of the radiator then back up on the otherside. this is a much more efficient way to use the same sized radiator space. there is also another factor when it comes to choosing radiators. you can select round or flat tubes.

Flat tubes
Refer to the image above.

Round tubes
http://www.rbmods.com/Bilder/Articles/Thermaltake/Aquabay_m2/pic4.jpg

they both offer pros and cons.
Round tubes
Pros
- less restriction
- more pass's (from what i can tell there is about 10 passes in the picture above).
Cons
- Less heat transfer due to a dead zone wherr water cannot transfer the heat.

Flat tubes
Pros
- offer better heat transfer since the water is closer to the tubes.
- more common/availably
Cons
- More Restriction

here is a picture i made of what i think the heat transfer would be like with various tube styles.
Red = Warmer water, Blue = cooler water.
http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/95/2870733900100511463S600x600Q85.jpg



Pump

http://www.bigfootcomputers.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/swiftech/water/6205_big.jpg

The water is moved around by a pump which acts like your heart does. there is a impeller similar to a fan but deigned for water that pushs the water around to the various component's. this is what a Swiftech pump looks like when taken apart.

http://jab-tech.com/product_images/swiftech/355/exploded-view.gif

and here is a better view of the impeller essentially looks like.

http://www.rsg-technologies.com/images/impeller1.jpg

The way it works is by centrifugal force. The water is thrown from the middle out at high speed.

Tubing Sizes

there are three common tubing sizes which are all measured by I.D. (Inside Diameter). the three sizes are 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4". as with most things they have there pros and cons. the bigger the I.D. the less restriction there is on the system and more water contained in the system. EDIT: i will add more stuff in a couple of days
Fill Port

The fill port is exactly that, a port to fill your water cooling system. they are best placed at the very top of the water cooling loop.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/images/products/Brass_Fillport_02.jpg

Fans

The fan(s) blow the cooler air across the radiator to help expel the heat from it.


The Reservoir

A reservoir can be added so no bleeding of the system is required. it also allows more water to be in the loop and therefore better cooling.


Water Additives

there are 3 variants of coolant that should be used for different reasons.

1. performance
- Use distilled water and a 2 drops of PT nuke PHN. the less stuff in there the better.

2. looks
- Use distilled water , dye (i like Feser View UV dye) and PT nuke, not the PHN kind.

3. anti corrosion
- when using mixed metals, which is a bad idea to begin with.
use Distilled water, Anti Freeze, and PT nuke, not the PHN kind.

[Spawn-Inc]

Types of Water blocks

there are many types of water cooled blocks. some are useful and some are not. i will list all the water block types that i know of.

CPU / Processor
This is what a CPU water block looks like
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/images/products/STORM_01.jpg

this is what it cools.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e265/philly_boy/G80%20Waterblock%20Review/G80-Work-Log-001-1.jpg

and here is it installed.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e265/philly_boy/G80%20Waterblock%20Review/G80-Work-Log-004-1.jpg


GPU / Video Card
There are two types of blocks for GPU, a full card block or just the processor. full water blocks have better cooling since everything on the card that produces heat is cooled by water. the draw back they have is they are pricey and can only be used for that video card. water blocks that only cool the processor do a good job but you have to add ram sinks to keep the on board ram cool.

Full Block

This block is for a 8800GTX.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/images/products/FC8800_GTX_01.jpg

this is what it cools.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e265/philly_boy/G80%20Waterblock%20Review/ek8800gtx2dq6.jpg

This is the water block installed.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e265/philly_boy/G80%20Waterblock%20Review/ek8800gtx1qa7.jpg

Processor only

This block is for a 8800GTX.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/images/products/MCW60_01.jpg

this is what it cools.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e265/philly_boy/G80%20Waterblock%20Review/G80-Work-Log-013-1.jpg

This is the water block installed with ramsinks.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e265/philly_boy/G80%20Waterblock%20Review/G80-Work-Log-018.jpg

Chipset

this is for the Chipset on motherboards.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/chc-36-d06_p0.jpg

which cool these, you can get north bridge and south bridge coolers.

http://www.pcper.com/amdmblegacy/images/nv400/chipset.jpg

This is the water block installed.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/chc-36-d06_p2.jpg


RAM / Memory

this particular water cooler uses a bag to cool the ram.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/ram-30-v06_p0.jpg

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/ram-30-v06_p3.jpg

This is what it cools.

http://www.gepbolt.hu/ii/elixir-ddr2_big.jpg

This is the water block installed.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/ram-30-v06_p1.jpg


Voltage Regualtor

This water block cools the voltage regulators which can heat up a lot when overclocking.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/vr-as40-v10_p0.jpg

which cool little chips that look like this.

http://images.tomshardware.com/2005/09/23/paying_the_price_for_high/fan_voltageregulators.jpg

This is the water block installed.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/vr-as40_p1.jpg


Hard Drive

This particular hard drive cooler again uses a bag stlye cooler.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/hd-50-l06_p0.jpg

This is what it cools.

http://regmedia.co.uk/2006/03/21/raptor_x_2.jpg

This is the water block installed.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/hd-50-l06_p2.jpg


Power Supply

water cooled power supplies are rare to say the least. this one can be added to a cool loop.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/images/products/12503_01.jpg

and this one has its own self contained water cooling loop.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/psu-1200atx-12s_p0.jpg


Motherboard

this is very rare and i have never seen one used. it uses the bag style of cooling and is placed behind the motherbaord to help cool and prolong the life of the motherboard.

http://www.koolance.com/shop/images/more/mb-49-l06_p0.jpg

this concludes my basic water cooling tutorial, thanks for reading and any comments/suggestions are welcome and appreciated. please feel free to pm me if you want anything added.

[Bajawoojie]

Very nice work ^_^, maybe next work on a tutorial on how to hook it all up?

[Spawn-Inc]

carefully?! haha i will add that to this some time this week its a good idea so +rep. though i'm not sure how good it will be since i've never done water cooling. i will look into it.

[jdbnsn]

Maybe some info about rad/fan mounts (spacer or whatever it is). A run-through of the physics of how and why WC works, reason for distilled water and consequences of using tap water, why it's best to mount the res above all the other parts, why you don't want to mix metal types in the loop, pci power controller cards, use of peltier with WC rigs and danger of condensation, single vs dual pass rads, different tubing material (advantages and disadvantages of each), typical tube inner and outer diameters, dual vs single pump systems (why they need be serial vs parallel, etc...

[Spawn-Inc]

Maybe some info about rad/fan mounts (spacer or whatever it is). A run-through of the physics of how and why WC works, reason for distilled water and consequences of using tap water, why it's best to mount the res above all the other parts, why you don't want to mix metal types in the loop, pci power controller cards, use of peltier with WC rigs and danger of condensation, single vs dual pass rads, different tubing material (advantages and disadvantages of each), typical tube inner and outer diameters, dual vs single pump systems (why they need be serial vs parallel, etc...

ok so i knocked off a couple of those suggestions. but not all, some are out of my league so i will have to do some more research until i can safely add it without misleading people.

[Fuganater]

Could you maybe post what you use/recommend?

[Spawn-Inc]

i've never done water cooling before just a bunch of reading on it and felt i knew enough to advise others on the basics. once i get my gaming rig built 2000 left to go i might get water cooling and if i do this is what i will be getting.

5 x $16.95 = $84.75 Panaflo H1 High Performance 120mm Fan Sleeved
10' x $1.49 = $13.90 ClearFlex 60 Tubing 1/2" ID 3/4" OD
1 x $1.99 = $1.99 Swiftech HydrX Coolant
1 x $79.95 = $79.95 Swiftech MCP655™ 12 VDC Pump
1 x $42.95 = $42.95 Swiftech Radiator - MCR220 Quiet Power Series Dual 120 mm - Black
1 x $28.95 = $28.95 Swiftech Radiator - MCR120 Quiet Power Series 120mm Heat Exchanger - Black
1 x $109.99 = $109.99 Swiftech STEALTH GeForce® 8800 series VGA Water-block
1 x $69.95 = $69.95 Swiftech APOGEE GTX Extreme Performance Universal Water-block
1 x $19.99 = $19.99 Swiftech MCRES-MICRO™ Reservoir

sub total = $452.42

as you can tell i really like swiftech :)

[Fuganater]

Geez.... thats alot of cash to just put into water cooling. Id like to find a kit for around like $200... because $452 is just too much :/

[Spawn-Inc]

if you just want to water cool the cpu for a first time here is a 200 kit. its hard to get low prices with cooling all that you want to, i picked pretty high end parts though.

here (http://www.xoxide.com/swiftech-h2o-120-premium.html) is a kit to cool just the cpu for 179.

here (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=202&products_id=4146) is a kit that will cool cpu, gpu, and 1 chipset for 350.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Mate fantastic guide to water cooling, has pretty much anything a beginner or a pro would ever need to know. +rep for your efforts

[noopypoop]

do you reccomend if im making a first build not to water cool and oc it? becaus a lot of people from this site tell me not to do it.

[Spawn-Inc]

it's really up to you, i will be water cooling the first computer i've every built (first built, but i've used computers before :))

just don't to the first timer thing and get a crappy kit, which is most accept foor most of the swiftech kits, really combo's not kits, as well as dangerden.

[jdbnsn]

Dangerden is the way to go, there is no substitute. Dan pioneered the waterblock evolution and the quality and service are unbeatable. I ordered several parts from them months ago and a tiny seal was torn in the corner rendering it useless. I emailed them and they express shipped a whole pack of replacements.

[Spawn-Inc]

if your going with a quad you will want either a swiftech apogee GTX (http://www.jab-tech.com/Apogee-GTX-Extreme-Performance-CPU-Waterblock-pr-3730.html) or Dtek fuzion (http://www.jab-tech.com/D-tek-FuZion-CPU-Water-Block-pr-3667.html). the GTX has a slight chance of corroding if the nickel layer on the top of the block gets scratched or degrades over time and exposes the aluminum. there has to be a certain liquid in the system, i think anitfreeze, for it to happen. it's called the galvanic reaction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion). Swiftech offers a solid copper top (http://www.jab-tech.com/Apogee-GTX-Copper-Housing-pr-3891.html) for $40, so if you like the look of the gtx you can buy it and not have to worry at all, though most don't.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yeah I agree with Spawn, The Swiftech Apogee GTX is a great block, beats the Danger Den. I am using one now, the top also has aluminium ridge like fins to increase heat transfer to the air.

Also, Danger Den blocks tend to be quite expensive. The Danger Den 8800GTX full coverage water block is $100AUD more than the Swiftech MCW-60 with the 8800GTX adapter plate and RAM and Mosphet heatsinks. It also cools about 2 degrees better.

[Crazy Buddhist]

Geez.... thats alot of cash to just put into water cooling. Id like to find a kit for around like $200... because $452 is just too much :/

There is a lot of material out there suggesting $200 is better spent on good air cooling than cheap water cooling. The best air solutions outperform the cheap water cooling solutions.

:)

Matthew

[The boy 4rm oz]

Crazy Buddhist is 100% correct. Get a good Zalman air cooler and it will out perform a cheap water cooling kit.

[Scotty]

if your going with a quad you will want either a swiftech apogee GTX (http://www.jab-tech.com/Apogee-GTX-Extreme-Performance-CPU-Waterblock-pr-3730.html) or Dtek fuzion (http://www.jab-tech.com/D-tek-FuZion-CPU-Water-Block-pr-3667.html). the GTX has a slight chance of corroding if the nickel layer on the top of the block gets scratched or degrades over time and exposes the aluminum. there has to be a certain liquid in the system, i think anitfreeze, for it to happen. it's called the galvanic reaction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion). Swiftech offers a solid copper top (http://www.jab-tech.com/Apogee-GTX-Copper-Housing-pr-3891.html) for $40, so if you like the look of the gtx you can buy it and not have to worry at all, though most don't.


D-Tek FuZion > Apogeee GTX for Quads.

That's why i have one. And for the price it's cheaper too.
My W/C set-up is pretty cheap (most expensive bit being the 8800GTX EK block.

But it does a fine job of keeping my Q6600, NB and GTX cool.

Spawn in you original post you said that you need a Fillport (T-line). I don't have a fill port, i just unscrew the top of my Res, not the easiest way but it works.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Considering how cheap a fill port is it is worth having one. I use mine to fill the system but will use a smaller piece of tube to siphon the coolant out of the res to empty.

[Crazy Buddhist]

Does anyone know if anyone has ever tried building a cooling circuit using a domestic freezer pump and coolant etc? I'm just wondering what possibilities that might offer for a mad mod and some extra Mhz.

:)

[The boy 4rm oz]

Personally I wouldn't waste your money mate, if you want good cooling without forking out for a W/C kit I would go for a top notch Zalman or Thermalright cooler.

[Crazy Buddhist]

Personally I wouldn't waste your money mate, if you want good cooling without forking out for a W/C kit I would go for a top notch Zalman or Thermalright cooler.

I'm not sure if you meant that for me. Perhaps you missed my earlier post?


There is a lot of material out there suggesting $200 is better spent on good air cooling than cheap water cooling. The best air solutions outperform the cheap water cooling solutions.

I was asking more from the mad scientist perspective than a guy looking for an efficient cooling system. I'm interested in whether it could work and how well. Aside from the obvious beer cooling optional extra.

Personally I use a Noctua air-cooler that is a beast and does a lovely job. Even though I literally plastered the arctic silver on like icing on a cake and know it is doing next to no good (or worse) I can still oc my X2 4200+ to just under 2.7 Ghz stable (2.2 stock). When I clean that crap off and put a proper amount on and get my northbridge properly cooled I will be surprised if it doesn't get to 2.8 or 2.9.

:)

Here's the cooler in question:

http://overclockers.co.uk/pimg/HS-004-NC_400.jpg (http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-004-NC)

In situ next to a full height Graphics card:

http://www.freedomforall.net/MyRig.jpg

[Spawn-Inc]

D-Tek FuZion >

Spawn in you original post you said that you need a Fillport (T-line). I don't have a fill port, i just unscrew the top of my Res, not the easiest way but it works.

i mean you need a res OR t line, some way of filling the system. i suppose you could in theory fill it completely in a sink with everything, but the pump, submerged with 1 spot open and then close it. but i would not do that. i changed it to T-line or Reservoir to make it more clear, thanks for that +rep

when i get my setup i will be getting 10 feet of hose, just for any additions or what ever. i might use one of the plastic barbs and screw it to the top of the micro res and run a line to the top of the case.


right now the best air cooling is the thermalright ultra 120 extreme.




Does anyone know if anyone has ever tried building a cooling circuit using a domestic freezer pump and coolant etc? I'm just wondering what possibilities that might offer for a mad mod and some extra Mhz.

:)
what do you mean? a condensate pump (http://condensate-pumps.co.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/keycomponents.jpg.w560h420.jpg)? and run a line or rad thats in a freezer? it wouldn't keep up with the load, unless thats all that was in the freezer. you would also get better temps with a proper phase change setup.

[Crazy Buddhist]

what do you mean? a condensate pump (http://condensate-pumps.co.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/keycomponents.jpg.w560h420.jpg)? and run a line or rad thats in a freezer? it wouldn't keep up with the load, unless thats all that was in the freezer. you would also get better temps with a proper phase change setup.


I mean rip the cooling system out of a freezer, take the cold pipe from the radiator and put it into a CPU cooler block, then the rest of the circuit, then back to the pump -> rad. Then go see your local friendly refrigeration engineer and get the system filled. Turn on "freezer", half hour later turn on PC.

Would that work? Might that work? If it might it might be my next major mod: cool name "freezer" ;)

[Spawn-Inc]

it would work, but not very well, you should get a proper cpu phase change block. here (http://images.godmod.net/kokue/evap/IMG_0641.jpg) is what one looks like, or this one (http://www.thg.ru/cpu/20001103/images/evapor2.gif).

you can also buy a fully built one, like a VapoChill LS (http://kit-tronics.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=3079&cat=153&page=1) and all you do is install it and you won't need any of the below.

in Canada you will also need these minus the gas fitter licence. you will also need to get your refrigeration licence (3-5 years apprenticeship) i've done 1 years worth of 5. i also did the 1 of 3 schooling's you need. i build a fridge!!! it was loads fun.

the top left is the ODP for buying refrigerant. top right is my gas fitter 3 certificate which lets me clean furnaces and help g2's or g1's fix furnaces. and the bottom one is just saying i'm a registered apprentice.
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/761/11280002yq4.th.jpg (http://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11280002yq4.jpg)

[The boy 4rm oz]

If you are looking for a phase change like system. You can make them, or have a look at the post I did in The Ice Box about the OCZ Cryo-Z
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11470

@Crazy Buddhist, sorry I miss read your post

[Spawn-Inc]

If you are looking for a phase change like system. You can make them, or have a look at the post I did in The Ice Box about the OCZ Cryo-Z
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11470

@Crazy Buddhist, sorry I miss read your post

that will be fine for a C2D but it won't handle a quad, not very well anyway.

the vapochill i linked to won't handle the quad either, again not very well.

[The boy 4rm oz]

In that post I said that it wouldn't be ideal for a quad. Vapochill are overpriced for what the are.
Personally I would just get water cooling, you should be able to use the freezer pump to make a cooling system which is similar to a phase change kit. You could always make your PC is a freezer, that would be cool, a few CCFL's and a plexi door,hmmm gives me an idea ;).

[jdbnsn]

From a mad scientist point of view I have seen a few examples of experimental extreme cooling. One was the use of liquid nitrogen (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/06/cpu-cooled-with-liquid-nitrogen.jpg&imgrefurl=http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/ultimate-rig/liquid-nitrogen-keeps-overclocked-5ghz-cpu-from-cooking-268823.php&h=352&w=470&sz=92&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=P0jilUj-qrY-lM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=129&prev=) infusions which allowed for insanely high overclocks and a couple of different refridgerator set ups. One was designed with the whole pc simply stuffed in a mini fridge and the other was a mini fridge with hoses running through the sides, heavily sealed and coiled within. They all achieve wacko performance boosts but in every case it ends up being completely impractical beyond the "lets see what happens" stage. The liquid nitrogen was safe for the components because it was held in a discrete container not contaminating the electronics but is of course expensive and evaporates immediately which means you have to keep pouring it in (warming it in a closed system would be way too dangerous). The computer in the fridge worked nice for a while, but the fridge did not have a strong enough vacuum to keep moisture out and the components rusted. The loops through the fridge failed because the cold water running through the lines collected condensation from the heat exchange between the pipes and the ambient room temp so the comp was a dripping mess. Theoretically it seems that superfreezing the CPU's does provide whopping performance but I don't know if anyone has built a CPU safe trial and run one long enough to see if it dramaticaly shortens the hardware's lifespan. It would be interesting to see but I haven't looked into these setups in a long time to see if they have improved.

EDIT: I can't seem to find the fridge comps but I did run across this (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1870000/images/_1872410_cool300.jpg&imgrefurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/sci/tech/1872410.stm&h=180&w=300&sz=14&hl=en&start=39&um=1&tbnid=S8olktvQN2qD4M:&tbnh=70&tbnw=116&prev=) which shows a company claiming built in refridgerant units working very well. But then again, if it's using the same types of chemicals that airconditioners and refridgerators use I would question the saftey.

[Spawn-Inc]

EDIT: I can't seem to find the fridge comps but I did run across this (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1870000/images/_1872410_cool300.jpg&imgrefurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/sci/tech/1872410.stm&h=180&w=300&sz=14&hl=en&start=39&um=1&tbnid=S8olktvQN2qD4M:&tbnh=70&tbnw=116&prev=) which shows a company claiming built in refridgerant units working very well. But then again, if it's using the same types of chemicals that airconditioners and refridgerators use I would question the saftey.

if by chemicals you mean refrigerants and the POE/mineral oils then yes it does. its what i linked to before and what TB4O was linking to with the ocz unit.

[isunktheship]

I'm getting rid of some of my W/C stuff, dual core block, 120 rad, and intel north-bridge heatsink. Gonna upgrade to the quad block and 240 rad.

Not sure about upgrading the waterblock though, DD released a quad one... but its only about a 5-10c difference in heat...

[Spawn-Inc]

like always with quads, dteck fuzion or apogee GTX :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

Apogee GTX all the way.

[Dane Bramage]

Excellent guide, spawn. Exactly the kind of info I have been looking for. Thanks for helping us newbs out.

+rep

[megamodman]

great guide !

thanks

[Crazy Buddhist]

BOO SHAKKKA

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/xoxide_2073_68519544
(http://www.xoxide.com/thermaltake-xpressar-microfridge-case.html)

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/xoxide_2073_68593731
(http://www.xoxide.com/thermaltake-xpressar-microfridge-case.html)

Prepare to drool, Water Cooling Enthusiasts. Allow us to introduce you to the World's First DC Inverter Type Micro Refrigeration Cooling System, the cold, bold and beautiful Thermaltake XPRESSAR RCS100 Case. Thanks to it's revolutionary patented technology, the Thermaltake Xpressar utilizes a complex micro compressor and refrigerant to cool the PC, allowing the user to maximize their over-clocking limitation and performance.

Built to deliver a consistently cold temperature, the Xpressar Micro Refrigeration Case is 20ºC cooler than your average liquid cooling system. The case itself is a micro vapor-compression refrigeration system, which is one of the most widely used methods for air-conditioning of large public buildings, hotels, hospitals, cars, and many other establishments. This elaborate system uses a circulating liquid refrigerant, which absorbs and removes heat from the space to be cooled, causing the heat to be rejected elsewhere.

In addition, the case is also equipped with intelligent IC controller to prevent condensation, and offers thermal resistance that can be <0.02 ºC/W under 100% loading. Even though it's capable of delivering such a high range of performance, the Thermaltake Xpressar still manages to deliver a minimal amount of noise.http://www.xoxide.com/thermaltake-xpressar-microfridge-case.html

CB

EDIT a mere $699.00

[Zephik]

Just need to know one thing: How well does it perform compared to liquid cooling? I never trust what the manufacturers say, but if its significantly better than high-end liquid cooling... :drool:

[Crazy Buddhist]

Just need to know one thing: How well does it perform compared to liquid cooling? I never trust what the manufacturers say, but if its significantly better than high-end liquid cooling... :drool:

It is liquid cooling I tink .. only refrigerant, hence 20 degrees lower temps than watercooling. And the manufacturer is Thermaltake who are probably not going to lie about a seven hundred dollar piece of kit ....

:)

[The boy 4rm oz]

I have heard very bad things about that unit, I would touch it, even if it wasn't Thermaltake.

[Spawn-Inc]

condensor is to small, i don't see it cooling much more then a dual core.

[Crazy Buddhist]

condensor is to small, i don't see it cooling much more then a dual core.

Your sight is mistaken .. need new glasses perhaps ....

It's for socket 775 and socket 1366 ... are there any 1366 dual cores?

And here is is cooling a i7 965 Extreme O/C @ 4.15 Ghz .... CPU Temp 34 degrees after running Orthos for more than 5 hours stable.

So ... it can cool a **** load more than a dual core. It's funny the way people invested in a particular technology will dis anything that competes with it whilst not doing the research. Also blocks are due out for ATI cards and Nvidia will follow. Presently it does the CPU alone.

aeoDNcYNhsU

Tom's Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/AMD-ATI-GPU-HD4000,6747.html) had this to say:


Xpressar RCS100 is capable of lowering CPU temperatures by roughly 20 degrees more than liquid cooling solutions. A difference of 20 degrees not only prolongs the life of your processor, which is not a very big concern it seems with the rate at which new products fly to the shelves these days. However, this difference means higher and/or more stable over-clocking in a near ready to run package. Thermaltake spent a great deal of time researching and testing the RCS100 (four years to be exact) before releasing it to ensure rock solid stability and reliability. Something that Thermaltake is well known for.


Full review (also with an i7 965 Extreme) here (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article/2009/04/13/xpressar_refrigeration_system_xaser_chassis/1)


Conclusion

The Xpressar Mico-Refrigeration unit simply blows all other cooling solutions out of the water.

There are some downsides. GPU installation can be tricky .. and if you run it at 100% load 24/7 it's noisy-ish and may die after a year. Thermaltake say the product is aimed at light overclockers who want a super-quiet system. That it does very well .. dual core or quad.

CrazyB

[The boy 4rm oz]

Personally I wouldn't spend the money because it looks like crap lol. I would rather spend the cash on the OCZ phase unit, that was only around $500AUD.

But honestly if it wasn't Thermaltake I might consider it. If a unit like that was incorporated into a Silverstone or a Lian Li case it would be much more appealing. Then again something like this is only for the extreme overclockers, my $350AUD water loop does a fantastic job at cooling my Q6600 and 8800GTX plus it is much easier to modify for future tech.

[Crazy Buddhist]

Main point is ... it doesn't turn out to be a "mad scientist" idea at all - but one that is already retail ready and available following four years of research and design - and it "blows all other cooling solutions out of the water".

They are developing a drive bay version.

I agree with you on the case. If I were a rich man ... (lol) ... I'd buy the compresssor and put it in something nicer looking.

CrazyB

[Zephik]

I don't trust Thermaltake either. I also agree that that case is horrifically ugly. But, it seems to work and I think TT has probably raised the bar for this unit so there normal sub-standard quality shouldn't be a problem.

How does the Phase units compare to this thing? I'd be interesting to see which performs better.

[mDust]

I've seen phase change units that boot the PC at minus 20-30C and operate well under 0C...but you get what you pay for. The units I looked at were probably twice the price of this TT RCS100 but they were largely custom. $1500US is a lot to pay just for cooling your PC, but if you can't figure out what to spend all your money on, then why not?

If you want to have a cooling system that won't completely break your bank, is nearly silent, and dumps 90% of the computers' heat outside the case then water cooling is the way to go. I have about $400 invested in my WC loop and it keeps my Q6600 and old HD2900 XT in the mid 40s (Celsius, both are OC'd). The rad fans are just about silent, the only noise my PC makes are 2 quiet 120mm case fans and some old HDD clicks.
[While I was typing this, UPS just dropped off my new Caviar Black. HDD clicks can be scratched off the list.]

The only way air cooling is better than water cooling is price and damage risk. Air will never leak onto your $400-500 graphics card and make neat test patterns your new permanent desktop background.:mad: But, if you assemble the loop how it was intended and don't take stupid shortcuts, water cooling risks are quite minimal and the performance is excellent.

Nice guide, especially if you continue to add to it over time.

[The boy 4rm oz]

A decent Phase unit tops off at -80c/-100c ;).

[Spawn-Inc]

A decent Phase unit tops off at -80c/-100c ;).

or get some triple cascade action going for -180C ish i think**

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yeah triple cascades can hit -200c.

[mDust]

LOL @ -200C! WTF is the point of going that low?:D

[Crazy Buddhist]

LOL @ -200C! WTF is the point of going that low?:D

Doubling the clock speed of your CPU?

But it will cost thousands and be three times the size of the PC itself.

CB

[Spawn-Inc]

Doubling the clock speed of your CPU?

But it will cost thousands and be three times the size of the PC itself.

CB

yes, benching only please, i would hate to see the bill on that.