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What do you use to cool your computer?

ktr

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funny part is that you cant run a tornado at low speeds. the coils are so spaced out (giving it high speed and torque, you really cant stop the fan with you finger without get cut or burned) that the magnetic pull can spin the fan with low current. sometimes you have to jump start it (like the old planes...lol).
 
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Water only clear water :D
 

ktr

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i would like to see someone to put there comp in the fridge, or freezer...and see the low temsp.
 
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DD MAze 4 AM2 for me. Passivly cooled via chilled minifridge with a hydor L30 for pumping.

It works well.. :)
 

ex_reven

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i would like to see someone to put there comp in the fridge, or freezer...and see the low temsp.

We have a freezer at work, gets to about -28 degrees centigrade

i dont think theyd be too happy about my computer being in there though :p

further, i was interested in water cooling but i always thought it was expensive...i shall look into it

lastly, with the scythe fans, the high speed 120mm one goes at 1600rpm producing 28 decibels
is there any way i can fathom how much this is before i buy this fan?
(eg some sort of program that produces a 28 decibel noise via my speakers so i can see if that noise level is acceptable?)
 
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i use a zalman 7700 and a vf770 for gpu along with the cooling air of canadian weather...i use ducting attached to the side fan of my case and the other side out my window with a screen to keep anything from flying into it...last winter i had temps down to at least -5c
 

Inventus

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Freezer/fridge won't cut it

Your average fridge or even a deepfreezer simply won't cut it, I'm afraid.

The compressors used in such household appliances (even the larger ones) are built to tolerate a certain duty-cycle, and as such they will likely burn out VERY quickly, if run continously.

Even if you find a fridge or freezer with a compressor able to handle continous running, consider the fact that your fridge is quite efficiently insulated, and as such doesn't need to have very much heat-energy removed to maintain it's low temperature.

This means that the power-rating, and thus the heat-removal capacity, of even a very large freezer (say one used in a restaurant or grocery-store) won't be able to remove the large amount of heat generated by your typical performance PC. These days this will easy be as much as 300-500 Watt (thermal).

This is why some companies are able to sell refrigeration units for PCs at such high prices. These have been designed specifically for PC, and are able to handle the large heat-removal requirements as well as the need for continous operation.


Linkage:

http://www.asetek.com/

This Danish company produce high-performance units (product name: VapoChill) able to cool your CPU (but typically nothing else) down to below (or at least close to) freezing temperatures. This, however requires special care to avoid condensation on the chip and its surroundings.

http://www.alphacool.de/

This German company produce a series of VERY nice "water chillers" (product name: Titan). These work by using refrigeration techniques like the above VapoChill product, but instead of cooling the chip directly, they cool water instead, as well as providing the reservoir and circulation-pump. Such a unit will work as a VERY efficient external radiator/reservoir/pump, and even comes with electronic temperature, pump and fan control, able to maintain a given water temperature. Even though the larger models could probably keep all the (water-cooled) components in a PC at very low, if not exactly freezing temperatures (say 5-10 deg.C.) their real advantage, as compared to the above direct-refrigeration units, is that you can set the thermostat to maintain a water temperature just around the ambient air (say 18-22 deg.C.) and thus avoid any condensation trouble in your PC. Another advantage of this particular product is that they appear to have quite strong pumps, thus it may well be possible to place the cooling-unit in another room (or even outside, if sheltered from the weather), to avoid excessive noise and perhaps increase the cooling efficiency. A final, less obvious, advantage of the Titan series of "Water Chillers" is the possibility of mounting a conventional, small PC radiator with a low-noise 120mm fan INSIDE the PC case, and use the refrigerated water to cool the air in the case. This way you could simply circulate the same air in the PC case, completely preventing dust and smoke etc. from getting to your hardware AND you won't get any condensation problems, even if you set a very low water temperature (since the case air will be cooled as well), at least not inside the case (you might, in an extreme case, get condensation on the outside though, but assuming your case doesn't rust, wouldn't it just be cool to have a moist PC!!!)


Both of these products are VERY expensive though, and will use quite a lot of electricity. So I would still recommend a conventional water-cooling solution for most PC users, with a passive or active radiator depending on your noise-sensitivity and cooling-requirements.

Also keep in mind that the size of your radiator, especially if passive, is the main factor deciding the heat-removal capacity. Thus you might get quite a good result simply by finding an old (or new) household radiator of suitable size, mount it on the wall near your PC and use it like any other, dedicated PC-radiator, to cool the water for your PC. If you live in a cold climate, mounting the radiator outside will of course increase its efficiency (but don't forget to add anti-freeze to the coolingwater, unless you NEVER switch off your PC!!!)
 

ex_reven

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Your average fridge or even a deepfreezer simply won't cut it, I'm afraid... even a very large freezer (say one used in a restaurant or grocery-store) won't be able to remove the large amount of heat generated by your typical performance PC.

You gotta be shi77ing me :p

i dont understand this concept, take my work freezer for example. It remains under -5 degrees even after being open for long periods of time. Even if you put a computer in there I dont see how it would increase the ambient air temperature (fkn cold) enough to overwork the compressors... a mini fridge i can understand, but a walk in freezer with about the volume of half your average pool?

Maybe if we applied mathematics (volume of air blown out of case x temperature of air blown out x time) divide it by the total volume of air in the freezer x air temperature we'd get some sort of result to be able to work out if the computer overcomes the freezer unit over a time span (of hours or days???) or if the change in air temperature is negligible.

I hate...reallllllllly hate mathematics...but yeah, just expressing my doubts over the whole 'high volume fridge/freezer' thingy

I 'can' believe a mini fridge would get owned though ;)
 
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i use high end air.. but any fool can cool a PC.. doing it quietly is the hard bit.. and no my PC aint really quiet enough.. and it fills up with dust like mad.. filters just mean more noisy fan power to overcome the filter resistance..

zalman sell something akin to the house radiator idea.. i like it.. one day perhaps.. he he he

trog
 
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"I 'can' believe a mini fridge would get owned though"

try it one day.. stick a half kilowatt fan heater in your normal household fridge and see how cold it stays..

trog
 

ex_reven

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"I 'can' believe a mini fridge would get owned though"

try it one day.. stick a half kilowatt fan heater in your normal household fridge and see how cold it stays..

trog

I'll pass...unless someones selling a fridge factory for cheap :D!
*Stands with one hand to waist and the other as a visor as if staring some great distance*

...coincidentally :p have you tried this :p?
 

Inventus

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ex_raven:

Ok, I'll admit that a "walk-in-freezer" would be likely to keep a PC (or twenty for that matter) cooled indefinitly. But then again, I wouldn't call such a contraption a "freezer", at least not in the sense "a cabinet-like thingy you purchase as a unit", but rather something like "a refrigerated room with an external refrigeration unit" (the latter probably being rated for thousands of kilowatts AND for continous running = VERY large, VERY noisy and using a LOT of energy).

But anyway... Who would want to place their PC inside a giant walk-in-freezer, when you can get a VapoChill system for a "mere" (relativly speaking) 200-300 euros, which will keep your CPU at least as cool as it would be inside a freezer (rembember the CPU would likely be at least some 10-20 deg.C. hotter than the air inside the freezer!)


trog100:

Making your PC quiet and cool isn't all that hard. See my previous posts in this thread for some pointers. The main thing is to switch to watercooling, while refraining from using the most expensive components, as these will typically be way overkill, unless you want to overclock an already powerfull configuration.

While watercooling components tend to be a bit more expensive than even top-notch fans and heatsinks, they will last MUCH longer and is thus cheaper in the long run, while keeping the inside of your case and the hardware MUCH cooler and cleaner (due to th lower airflow needed to keep the remaining electronics sufficiently cool).

These days watercooling isn't even difficult to install. If you REALLY don't want to risk anything and/or don't want to do the "plumbing" part, simply go for one of the factory-sealed water-kits, which installs much like any fan/heatsink combo (although not being quite as good as the DIY stuff).

Feel free to e-mail me, if you want specific advice on how to put together a good, while reasonably priced, watercooling solution for your PC.


Oh, and that Zalman "something aking to a household-radiator" would be their latest attempt at a passive radiator (I forget the model name), which is rectangular instead of cylindrical like the earlier "Reserator" models.

I should think a "real" household radiator, being much larger (depending on the radiator model of course), would offer much better performance than anything Zalman currently offers. Also it should be cheaper, at least if you are able to purchase a used one (or perhaps even get it for free?). The only advantage of the new rectangular Zalman model, is that it's small enough to mount on the side of your PC case, thus allowing you to carry it around (a bit difficult if your water-hoses are attached to a wall-radiator or even just one of the older "table-top" Zalman Reserators). Heavy overclockers might like the fact that the household radiator holds a very large quantity of water, thus allowing you to remove extreme amounts of heat for long, if not indefinite, periods of time (ie. the time it takes for ALL the water to rise in temperature).
 
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Your average fridge or even a deepfreezer simply won't cut it, I'm afraid.

The compressors used in such household appliances (even the larger ones) are built to tolerate a certain duty-cycle, and as such they will likely burn out VERY quickly, if run continously.

Dude, been there, done that, fixed that issue ;) I can build my own cascade.. i know what I'm doing ;)
 

Inventus

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Dippyskoodlez:

Whee, good for you then - Others might not though!

... Know what they are doing that is (which just might be their reason for reading this forum!)

In fact, they might even have trouble understanding what YOU are doing, if this is all you have to say about it...

For starters, are you talking about a Peltier-cascade, an evaporation/compressor-cascade, or are you simply building a garden waterfall for your wife to look at?!? *LOL*

I can build my own rocket-ship and I can even build a house of cards, but what does that have to do with the topic of this thread?!?
 
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Dippyskoodlez:

Whee, good for you then - Others might not though!

... Know what they are doing that is (which just might be their reason for reading this forum!)

In fact, they might even have trouble understanding what YOU are doing, if this is all you have to say about it...

For starters, are you talking about a Peltier-cascade, an evaporation/compressor-cascade, or are you simply building a garden waterfall for your wife to look at?!? *LOL*

I can build my own rocket-ship and I can even build a house of cards, but what does that have to do with the topic of this thread?!?

What I'm talking about is what 90% of the community referrs to when talking about "cascades". No, far from the dishwasher soap, or a waterfall.. its a refridgeration cascade often using multiple compressors and gasses, sometimes an autocascade with just one.. ;)

I wouldn't suggest just sticking a pc in a minifridge either :p its a pain to get it to fit and the condensor isnt meant to handle 100+w loads.. :roll:

HOWEVER.... a CPU water cooled with a resevoir sitting in a minifridge (assuming its a remotely large res [1gal.+]) a fridge would have absolutely no problems keeping it cool unless oyu are running a 200+w peltier :p

I actually did the math with a friend calculating the heat production of my "65w" sempron- AMD rates their CPU's high.. which is also another factor, and even a 65w cpu could maintain a resevoir of 2.5 gallons at a stable temperature for ~10 hours.. so a minifridge would far from be stressed. :)
 

ex_reven

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a minifridge would far from be stressed. :)

phew...i thought i was doomed to contemplate forever :laugh:

I want to water cool my pc...but i have no idea what good units are and even then i have no experience as to what i should be paying for it. After learning that I will probably need to accept the fact that im not willing to spend several hundred dollars to enjoy silence.

sucks to be human
 

Inventus

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Dippyskoodlez:

The size of the reservoir has no influence on the ability to remove heat, at least not in the long term. All you gain by using a larger reservoir is the ability to "overload" the coolingsystem for a longer period of time. In the end (which may be several hours, or even days, depending on the amount of water) your system will start to rise in temperature.

The ONLY factor relevant in the long run (ie. "steady state") is how many watts (thermal) your radiator (or whatever) is able to remove from the water on a continous basis.

Keep in mind that I'm talking about keeping your PC cool, even if running at full load (CPU+GPU!) for extended periods. Thus I personally wouldn't be satisfied with a solution unable to handle the maximum heat-removal needs of the entire system indefinitly.

I don't doubt that some fridges may be able to handle the heat-removal for a single, standard-clocked, CPU, although I've seen numbers as high as 100+ watt (thermal) quoted by the manufacturers of some processors, which would probably exhaust a "minil fridge" (not that I know how such are rated?)

I'm assuming that most people would also like to water-cool at least their GPU (and maybe its RAM and voltage regulator too) and in some cases the chipset (northbridge) and the system RAM as well. Since GPUs these day produce MUCH more heat than most CPUs (as much as 150W, and more than double that, if using SLI and/or including the RAM and voltage regulator) this will bring your heat-removal needs beyond 200-300W, which then becomes difficult to handle by any fridge, especially a "mini fridge".

IMHO it would be stupid not to watercool as many (hot) parts of your PC as possible/reasonable, if you have already spent the money for a radiator and pump etc. On the other hand I fail to see why most people would need cooling their water beyond what can be achieved with a simple radiator. As such my passive Reserator (which isn't even a very efficient design) handles ALL my hot parts without any trouble.


ex_reven:

Apart from some of the ready-to-run watercooling kits available, I'm afraid that it most likely WILL cost you "several hundred dollars" (or more) to install a complete and efficient watercooling system in your PC, at least if you contemplate cooling more than just the CPU.

However, a few things to keep in mind when you consider this:

- Most parts in a watercooling system will last a LONG time (tens of years), without becomming obsolete. Thus, if you make sure to purchase non-model-specific waterblocks (possible for at least the CPU, chipset and RAM, perhaps even for the GPU), you won't have to spend additional money in a long while. I can't tell you how long a good (but not necessarily the most expensive) pump will last, but it is surely MUCH longer than any kind of fan (also you need only one).

- You won't have to go for the very most expensive parts, especially when it comes to waterblocks (unless, of course, you want to do extreme overclocking etc.)

- If you aren't the type who always have to have the very latest CPU etc. You can expect your hardware to last longer (ie. the chance of a CPU burnout etc. is MUCH smaller) with watercooling. Though I realise it is still unlikely to "wear out" any modern hardware, even if using (propper) aircooling.

- If you consider your time valuable, you will most likely spend LESS time keeping your PC running cool. As such watercooling, once installed, is very low-maintenance (change water once or twice a year) compared to aircooling (replace broken fans, remove dust and dirt from heatsinks and inside of case, even replace heatsinks sometimes when dirt buildup is unremovable etc.)

- If your cooling needs aren't very extreme, you might well be happy with one of the aforementioned "ready-to-run" solutions, which are not only cheap but also quite simple to install = Mount the radiator+fan+pump combo-unit in a fan-slot, then mount the waterblock(s) on the CPU (and GPU, if the kit includes two blocks), remove surplus fans, done!

A price guestimate (for a non-kit solution):

pump: $40-50
radiator: $100 (less if non-passive)
waterblocks: $10-30 each (depending on what chip they cool)

Total: $200-400 (depending on how many chips/parts you want to cool, and what kind of radiator you go for etc.)

A kit can be purcased for as little as $50-60, but will typically only cool the CPU, though some kits will cool one addition chip (GPU or chipset) and/or allow you to mount additional block as necessary.
 

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Inventus:

Thanks for the VERY informative + detailed set of reads on this note!

I like long/detailed postings, personally... hard to miss with them, if they're done right, & I felt yours are/were, thusfar.

Admittedly though? I am NO cooling expert.

See, currently, I use STRAIGHT air!

(Well, mostly, in addition to "pseudo phase-change" type heatpiped solutions on my CPU & vidcard in their heatsinks)

Nowadays, & always, but have always been VERY curious about water/hydro/fluid cooling solutions.

I actually COPIED what you wrote in your long posts here into a document... you've 'made the grade' as far as I am concerned on this note, & when I go to shop for my next set of cooling devices (which probably WILL be water based on a future/circa 2009 system (next one I build))?

You're going to be my reference material!

APK

P.S.=> EDIT PART, & QUESTION:

Have you ever seen an auxillary transmission OR oil cooler in auto parts stores like NAPA, etc.? Could I use one of those as the radiator?? They are GOOD size (smaller than full car radiator, lol, of course, but good size)...

These? They only cost like $35-$40... I know, I added them to my automobile! apk
 
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Have you ever seen an auxillary transmission OR oil cooler in auto parts stores like NAPA, etc.? Could I use one of those as the radiator?? They are GOOD size (smaller than full car radiator, lol, of course, but good size)...

These? They only cost like $35-$40... I know, I added them to my automobile! apk

Chevette or bonneville heatercore. Very very capable watercooling heatercores.. ~$20-$30. (they are piped to flow like a radiator already, just add barbs and you're good to go.. however, these are fairly hard to mount in a case due to their size)
 
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The size of the reservoir has no influence on the ability to remove heat, at least not in the long term. All you gain by using a larger reservoir is the ability to "overload" the coolingsystem for a longer period of time. In the end (which may be several hours, or even days, depending on the amount of water) your system will start to rise in temperature.

If you pump ~65w of heat, how long will it take to raise 2.5 gallons of h2o 1C?

Its simple physics. I'm not using a 12oz resevoir like some people. a 2.5 gallon resevoir WILL impact my ability to remove heat. Severely. @ 65w, thats almost 10 hours or more! do the MATH. I do believe my minifridge is capable of removing 1C in 10 hours ;)

I don't doubt that some fridges may be able to handle the heat-removal for a single, standard-clocked, CPU, although I've seen numbers as high as 100+ watt (thermal) quoted by the manufacturers of some processors, which would probably exhaust a "minil fridge" (not that I know how such are rated?)

Again, assuming you have a 120w CPU, that gives you ~5hours to remove the heat from a 2.5 gallon resevoir. Again, simple physics. This is far from stressful for a mini fridge.


I'm assuming that most people would also like to water-cool at least their GPU (and maybe its RAM and voltage regulator too) and in some cases the chipset (northbridge) and the system RAM as well. Since GPUs these day produce MUCH more heat than most CPUs (as much as 150W, and more than double that, if using SLI and/or including the RAM and voltage regulator) this will bring your heat-removal needs beyond 200-300W, which then becomes difficult to handle by any fridge, especially a "mini fridge".

If you are cooling more than the CPU via normal mini fridge and it dies you're an idiot for not researching and or learning how to build a water loop properly with a chiller integrated.

If you are cooling 200-300w with a water loop, you're going to need a serious radiator system setup. However, a properly re-constructed chiller will be more than capable of handling the heatload.


IMHO it would be stupid not to watercool as many (hot) parts of your PC as possible/reasonable, if you have already spent the money for a radiator and pump etc. On the other hand I fail to see why most people would need cooling their water beyond what can be achieved with a simple radiator. As such my passive Reserator (which isn't even a very efficient design) handles ALL my hot parts without any trouble.

Why would you buy a phase change cooler? We are overclockers.

I'm getting over +1ghz out of my 1600mhz CPU.

I got 2923mhz out of an Athlon XP air cooled.

I did 3ghz on air with a Venice 3200+.


I want a chiller because these CPU's have room to overclock further.

Also note, again, simple physics , copper conducts with less resistance at lower temperatures.
 
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Processor DualCore AMD Athlon 64x2 4800+ (o/c 2801mhz STABLE (Ketxxx, POGE, Tatty One, ME))
Motherboard ASUS A8N-SLI Premium (PCIe x16, x4, x1)
Cooling PhaseChange Coolermaster CM754/939 (fan/heatsink), Thermalright heatspreaders + fan built on (RAM)
Memory 512mb PC-3200 DDR400 (set DDR-33 for o/c) by Corsair (matched pair, 2x256mb) 200.1/200mhz
Video Card(s) BFG GeForce 7900 GTX OC 512mb GDDR3 ram (o/c manually to 686 core/865 memory) - PhaseChange cooled
Storage Dual "Raptor X" 16mb 10krpm/RAID 0 Promise EX8350 x4 PCIe 128mb & Intel IO chip/CENATEK RocketDrive
Display(s) SONY 19" Trinitron MultiScan 400ps 1600x1200 75hz refresh 32-bit color
Case Antec Super-LanBoy (aluminum baby-tower w/ lower front & upper rear cooling exhaust fans)
Audio Device(s) RealTek AC97 onboard mobo stereo sound (Altec Lansing ACS-45 speakers - 10 yrs. still running!)
Power Supply Antec 500w ATX 2.0 "SmartPower" powersupply
Software Windows Server 2003 SP #1 fully patched, & massively tuned/tweaked to-the-max (plus latest drivers)
If you pump ~65w of heat, how long will it take to raise 2.5 gallons of h2o 1C?

Its simple physics. I'm not using a 12oz resevoir like some people. a 2.5 gallon resevoir WILL impact my ability to remove heat. Severely. @ 65w, thats almost 10 hours or more! do the MATH.

I've got to admit: This IS convincing to myself as well... greater volume of fluid to heat up, takes longer to do so.

(Good debate guys, keep it up... Dippy, you're "making the grade" in my docs now too, lol, "huge honor", eh?)

:)

* This is WHY I like this site: You guys have "grown me" making me STRONGER... & I am ALL WITH THAT, lol!

(This site's massively strengthened my knowledge in hardwares, which I let slip over time the past 5-7 years or so, due to software/programming concentration)!

About to "DT Search" index it... all of it, per your discussions here in fact (makes for FAST term searches & all that).

APK

P.S.=> Thanks for tip on heatercore use, I am with saving coins/deadpresidents, by all means... apk
 

beachbum86

New Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2006
Messages
102 (0.02/day)
Location
Oh no, last time i listed this a dude showed up at
Processor P4 3.2ghz pressy
Motherboard Abit ic7 max-3
Cooling All PolarFlo TT series w/ some DD maze4 blocks too
Memory 2x 512mb G-skill pc4400 TCCD
Video Card(s) X850XT PE
Storage 2x 300gb sATA maxtor
Display(s) CTX 17" lcd
Case Custome modded Koolance pc2-650
Audio Device(s) standard sound blaster
Power Supply kingwin ABT-600cw
Software XP pro, Macromedia 8 suite, SwishMax, PS CS2....etc..etc
I use All polarFlow gear currently. With a couple DD maze 4 blocks for GPU

2x Polarflo TT cpu blocks
2x Ploarflo TT (D4) pumps
2x Danger Den Maze 4 blocks
1x Polarflo TT chipset block
1x Black Ice Extreme 2
1x Black Ice Pro 2
All 1/2" fittings

I lap all blocks to a 3000 grit mirror finish.

Next W/C project I'll probly get the Black Ice GT series.

phew...i thought i was doomed to contemplate forever :laugh:

I want to water cool my pc...but i have no idea what good units are and even then i have no experience as to what i should be paying for it. After learning that I will probably need to accept the fact that im not willing to spend several hundred dollars to enjoy silence.

sucks to be human

For a nice clean looking and performing loop, about $250.00 is a good price for for a non SLI loop. If you have an SLI / Crossfire loop then take that up to $350.00+. TEC will bump it up a lil more. Swiftech and Danger Den have GREAT packages to look at in the $250 Price range.
 
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pt

not a suicide-bomber
Joined
Mar 11, 2006
Messages
8,956 (1.36/day)
Location
Portugal
Processor AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile TL-60 (Trinidad)
Motherboard ASUS F3Ka (ATI RS690M)
Cooling stock
Memory Nanya 2x1GB ddr2 667@5-5-5-15-2T
Video Card(s) ATI Mobility Radeon HD2600 512MB DDR2@ 580mhz/486mhz
Storage 160GB on laptop+250GB external
Display(s) ASUS 15.4
Case Asus Laptop F3Ka chassis
Audio Device(s) on-board
Power Supply 1:30minutes battery
Software "genui xp", 'cause i hated vista
just saw near my house today a huge fridge with two engines, too bad i don't know how to make it to cool the cpu :(
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2005
Messages
5,197 (0.76/day)
Location
Kansas City, KS
System Name Dell XPS 15 9560
Processor I7-7700HQ
Memory 32GB DDR4
Video Card(s) GTX 1050/1080 Ti
Storage 1TB SSD
Display(s) 2x Dell P2715Q/4k Internal
Case Razer Core
Audio Device(s) Creative E5/Objective 2 Amp/Senn HD650
Mouse Logitech Proteus Core
Keyboard Logitech G910
just saw near my house today a huge fridge with two engines, too bad i don't know how to make it to cool the cpu :(

wow a 2 phase fridge? I bet that thing was massive :D
 

zekrahminator

McLovin
Joined
Jan 29, 2006
Messages
9,066 (1.37/day)
Location
My house.
Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane @ 2.8GHz (224x12.5, 1.425V)
Motherboard Gigabyte sumthin-or-another, it's got an nForce 430
Cooling Dual 120mm case fans front/rear, Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro, Zalman VF-900 on GPU
Memory 2GB G.Skill DDR2 800
Video Card(s) Sapphire X850XT @ 580/600
Storage WD 160 GB SATA hard drive.
Display(s) Hanns G 19" widescreen, 5ms response time, 1440x900
Case Thermaltake Soprano (black with side window).
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster Live! 24 bit (paired with X-530 speakers).
Power Supply ThermalTake 430W TR2
Software XP Home SP2, can't wait for Vista SP1.
I chill my computer with a TT Soprano case.
Pros-
It's suave, it's got two 120mm fans, it's well made, it's sturdy, and the LED power light is shiny.
Cons-
Filters and grills give the front 120mm fan the approximate stregnth of an 80mm fan, the locks are flimsy (and broken), the case is small, and the door gets in the way of CD's sometimes.

VGA cooling- Arctic Cooling ATISilencer5
Pros- Cold, powerful, cheap, quiet, does what it says it will do, and was easy to install.
Cons- Makes a clicking sound due to manufactering defect, stock thermal pads may be making my memory overheat a tad, and I can't overclock past 613/613 :)p).

CPU cooling- Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Pro
Pros- Quiet, cool, nice looking, lapped mirror finish.
Cons- No copper, not overclocker friendly, lack of grill on top allows for cables to get stuck in fan and stop it sometimes.

Edit- My grocery store has a 2-stage fridge, but I haven't seen a phase-change fridge lol.
 
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