AC for the PC

[stevel114]

I want to make a PC airconditioner. The reason I want this is that even though I have some very good air cooling in my PC, when the room temp goes up so does the temp in side my PC. All I'm shooting for is cool stable environment. My idea so far is this, I have a dual 120M fan with radiator that I bought if I decided to try the water cooling. I Also have a small electric frig. The kind you can take in the car or use in the office to keep a sixpack cold. Here's a link to a similar one http://www.go2marine.com/frameset.jsp?servletPath=/g2m/action/GoBPage/id/68447F/hiLiteSku/68447/categoryId/11444/ . What I want to do is fill the frig with water (laying it on its back) then put a pump in it. Have the hoses for the radiator run thru the side of the frig and to the radiator. When the frig cools the water it will run thru the hoses to the radiator and the fans will blow cool air into the case from the front. My only concern of course is the rate of heat exchange on the return water. It might be too much for the little frig. The frig only cost $70 and the radiator with the fans was about $35, that includes the pump also. So if my have in opinions as to the success of this let me know. I haven't started cutting anything yet since someone might know a better way or tell me why it won't work. Thanks

 

[mechBgon]

Doesn't your home have AC itself? What about just using that to regulate your room temperature? Just trying to think outside the box here...

 

[techfuzz]

I see a couple of problems from the get-go. First off, it will not be a stable environment at all. The room temperature air that your fans are currently sucking in to the case is going to counteract any cold air that you might be able to push into the case. Secondly, a radiators work better by giving off heat. Third, the cold "air" you'd be trying to blow into your case would most likely be saturated with condensation which of course would increase your chances of shorting your motherboard out. Fourth, your fridge idea of laying it on its back, filling it with water, etc. That ain't gonna work either. A fridge's motor is usually in the back at the bottom and it the hardest working appliance in your kitchen. It also puts out a LOT of heat. If you turn a fridge on its back, it doesn't ventilate the motor very well if at all and could start a fire and burn down your humble abode. Also, most fridges are not water tight even if it was laying on its back with the door facing up.

I suggest you build yourself a temperature controlled "room" for your PC. Except of course it would be on a much smaller scale, something say 3x3x3 ft. Search the WWW for info on temperature controlled computer rooms to get some ideas.

 

[stevel114]

Thanks for the input, but no my house doesn't have AC. And my other problem is my windows slide sideways to open so I can't use a window AC.

 

[stevel114]

My hope is have the radiator placed right in front of the 2 input fans my case is using. You would end up with 2 fans blowing over the radiator and then 2 fans pulling the air into the case. The frig is a small one that I'm assuming is using some sort of peltier type device cool or heat it. Not a normal frig with a compressor and pump. Check the link I posted earlier to see what kind. I'm using a Antec 1040 server case if that helps draw a better picture.

 

[mechBgon]

For what it's worth, I live over in Spokane and my system doesn't seem to suffer detrimental effects with room temperatures of up to 85C in the summer, even though it's overclocked.

 

[stevel114]

I don't really have a problem with the temps in the Seattle area but I am moving to Hawaii next year and don't want to have to keep my room AC'd all the time. All I'm after is maybe a 15 degree difference inside my PC.

 

[techfuzz]

Actually you're going to be hard pressed to find AC in Hawaii in housing. It just doesn't really exist there. As long as you have good ventilation I don't think you're going to have a problem. Yeah it's warm in Hawaii but not nearly as hot as it is in Georgia during the summer months and even when my AC goes out, I don't have any problem with my PC overheating. I think you'll be fine, save yourself the money until you get there anyways, you're going to be paying more for everything there than in Seattle anyways.

 

[dmcowen674]

Hi Chris (Techfuzz)

I'm in Georgia too, 80 miles NE of Atlanta. Run a small herd of PC's in the attic, you know it gets to be 150 F during the summer up there, all PC's fine, mixture of Intel's and AMD's all over 1 gig. Cannot understand all the fuss about heat. An AC unit, now it's getting extremely radical. This has been witnessed by other members on AT here so it is not BS.

 

[Jeff7]

There was a company I read about awhile back - don't know if they still exist - that specialized in making overclocked systems with an air-conditioning unit built right into the bottom of the case. It might just work out better to buy something like that.
With all the effort needed for the air-conditioner, it will still be using air to cool the processor. It might be more economical to use a water-cooling setup, with the water flowing right through a copper block on the processor. If you want to keep the processor frigid in this case, you could put the radiator inside the refrigerator to cool the warmed water. Just know that either way, if the refrigerator is used, you will need to take precautions against condensation.

 

[techfuzz]

Jeff7, I remember seeing something about that case too, but I think it was just a radiator installed in the base and used a system similar to today's water-cooling. The idea was pretty good and the case design was excellent as I remember. Unfortunately I don't remember the name either.

There was a company I read about awhile back - don't know if they still exist - that specialized in making overclocked systems with an air-conditioning unit built right into the bottom of the case.

 

[FlowerMan]

I know people have integrated compressors/dehumidifiers etc... into their WC system to get lower than ambient cooling, and it has been cheaper than $70 I believe this is called phase change cooling and is much better than using a piddling 6-pack cooler. The problem with the 6-pack cooler is that it is designed to cool a volume of liquid that does not generate any additional heat. Your WC system surely generates quite a bit of heat which simply would not be able to be cooled by the cooler.

You're probably looking for a Vapochill or Prometia phase-change system