A/C Chilling Revisited

A/C Chiller; Build 2: Back in Black

2 cooling loops: cpu cooled with chilled loop, gpu is water-cooled. A/C unit is a 5300 btu Kenmore. All computer components and the rad for for the water-cooled loop are mounted on the exterior of the A/C case. The pumps for both loops are mounted inside the A/C case. The chiller coolant is a mix of de-natured alcohol and distilled water. The northbridge and video card are cooled by a fan suspended from the ceiling. Basement ambient is around 50F. Coolant temp under load (Oblivion) is around -30C. Computer is a P4 670; 2Gb BH-5; x1950 pro 512 agp.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0206.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0133.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0134.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0136.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/CIMG0560.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/CIMG0522.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/CIMG0533.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/CIMG0540.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0152.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0203.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0202.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/CIMG0562.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/CIMG0588.jpg

more pics:
crunching WCG African climate model
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/CIMG0600.jpg
under load (WCG crunching):
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/CIMG0598.jpg

Man you've managed to improve on what was probably already the cleanest A/C convert.

Why not throw the GPU in the chill loop though?

Thanks. I didn't think I'd get a big o/c benefit from chilling the gpu, and I wanted to keep the chilled loop simple. maybe next build...

Would you please be so kind and post the small pics a little bit larger. I would love to see all the deatils on the pics without a reading glass. ;-)

Another question:
How loud is that thing?
I ask because Aircons are not really common (spread) here in Germany...at least I don't know nobody who owns one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fr3akyPete

Another question:
How loud is that thing?
I ask because Aircons are not really common (spread) here in Germany...at least I don't know nobody who owns one.

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Depends on which one you get, but they're not terribly loud. If you leave the metal casing on it like that, the condensor fan isn't too bad. On mine the evap fan is much nastier, and you remove it for these. I'd expect around the noise made by a normal household fan, just moving air... maybe a bit of a whir depending on the fan.

I don't have the original pics anymore, I re-sized them with a pic-hosting site and I can't enlarge them again.

The two delta fans on the water-cooled loop, when turned all the way up, are much louder than the a/c unit. The compressor hums like a refrigerator, and the condenser fan sounds like a medium size table fan, on low. The a/c unit by itself is relatively quiet, easier on the ears than an all air-cooled computer.

Hey Modzilla!
Are there new pics of your current setup?

What are those "stand-offs" for you mobo and how the radiator is fixed to the case?
What pumps are you using? (One is a Laing D5 or Swiftech MCP655, how you call it in the States)

And finally, how are the measurements of this beast?

What kind of insulation is that? It looks like a closed/solid cell foam tape. Where can you get that?

The motherboard stand-offs are rubber stand-offs or bumpers that are inside certain crt monitors, with a rubber wedge or foot on the bottom that I got at Lowes for more lift. The rad is zip-tied and armaflex-taped to the bottom front part of an old Gateway PIII case. I chopped the front of the case off, and mounted it to the side of the a/c case with L-brackets. For pumps, the chilled loop has a modified Danner-Supreme Mag-Drive pump, model 3, and the water-cooled loop has the Swiftech mcp655. The tubing insulation is 1/4 inch armaflex, glued on with armaflex adhesive, and wrapped in aramflex foam tape. I got all the insulation from www.under-the-ice.com. I have a new setup with a new chiller, but I need to pretty it up some (i.e., rebuild it) before I post pics.

Can armaflex (or something similar) be purchased at an automotive/ hardware store?

Thanks for all your help and great pictures :)

the best thing I could find at the local store was the rigid pre-cut lengths of pipe foam/wrap. it doesn't bend well. you can often find armaflex, or a generic equivalent, on ebay for a decent price.

heh, I don't suppose you have any extra left over insulation that I could purchase from you do you? That online store is good, but charge a bit too much for my wallet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Modzilla

I have a new setup with a new chiller, but I need to pretty it up some (i.e., rebuild it) before I post pics.

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Hurry up!
I wanna see pics. :up: