Ultra Cold Air Overclocking

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12-15-2008, 11:33 AM
Utroz

Ultra Cold Air Overclocking

I live in Maine and it's pretty cold in winter, I'm talking like it was like -10F just the other morning and it's not even really winter yet. Anyways I was thinking that this winter when it gets down to like -20F or-29C I am going to take my computer outside and do some OCing. Now I know that the hard drive needs to be insulated so that it doesn't get cold bugged and so it doesn't get condensation, but what else could happen?? Will my AS5 still do the trick when it is that cold?? I am going to do this with a AMD Mobile Barton 2500+, a Gigabyte GA-N700-L, a big Thermal Take heatsink with a copper core, 2 512mb crucial ddr 400 cl2.5, a msi NV6200 256ddr2, and a maxtor 160gb 7200rpm HD. The mobile barton is awsome it runs at 2550mhz all day long at 68F room temp with the case on. I have used up to the 18x mutiplier and I will probably used clockgen to crank the fsb up. I am hopefully that I can hit 2.7-2.8 ghz range because currently I think that the core temp is what is holding me back, I can give the chip up to like 1.9V with my mobo and it is rate for 1.45V. Anyone ever done this type of thing before??
12-15-2008, 11:37 AM
Penny

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utroz

I live in Maine and it's pretty cold in winter, I'm talking like it was like -10F just the other morning and it's not even really winter yet. Anyways I was thinking that this winter when it gets down to like -20F or-29C I am going to take my computer outside and do some OCing. Now I know that the hard drive needs to be insulated so that it doesn't get cold bugged and so it doesn't get condensation, but what else could happen?? Will my AS5 still do the trick when it is that cold?? I am going to do this with a AMD Mobile Barton 2500+, a Gigabyte GA-N700-L, a big Thermal Take heatsink with a copper core, 2 512mb crucial ddr 400 cl2.5, a msi NV6200 256ddr2, and a maxtor 160gb 7200rpm HD. The mobile barton is awsome it runs at 2550mhz all day long at 68F room temp with the case on. I have used up to the 18x mutiplier and I will probably used clockgen to crank the fsb up. I am hopefully that I can hit 2.7-2.8 ghz range because currently I think that the core temp is what is holding me back, I can give the chip up to like 1.9V with my mobo and it is rate for 1.45V. Anyone ever done this type of thing before??

You must be reallllyyyyyyy bored.
12-15-2008, 11:59 AM
Utroz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penny

You must be reallllyyyyyyy bored.

I am currently unemployed so Yeah I am bored as hell.... If I don't get a job soon I will have to start fixing people's computers again. The problem is that they think that if they mess their computer up the day after I fix it that I should fix it again for free, I've lost a couple customers because of it. It's not my fault they went back on the :banana::banana::banana::banana: site and frigged their computer up again. Anyways, I want to know if anyone else has done extreme cold air cooling before....
12-15-2008, 12:29 PM
Dr_Swizz

I have done some cold air/outdoors overclocking. The only advice I can give you is:
* Take good care of your harddrive: Insulate it as much as you can and keep it warm (indoors or in a an inner pocket in your jacket or whatever) when you don't use it.
* Avoid heatpipe coolers, they are useless when it is too cold.

Good luck and have fun.
Please post your results here too :-)
12-15-2008, 01:46 PM
roofsniper

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penny

You must be reallllyyyyyyy bored.

im thinking of doing the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utroz

I am currently unemployed so Yeah I am bored as hell.... If I don't get a job soon I will have to start fixing people's computers again. The problem is that they think that if they mess their computer up the day after I fix it that I should fix it again for free, I've lost a couple customers because of it. It's not my fault they went back on the :banana::banana::banana::banana: site and frigged their computer up again. Anyways, I want to know if anyone else has done extreme cold air cooling before....

sounds retarded but yes some people are like that. if you wreck your car and get it fixed should u get it fixed free next time you take it to that body shop? ummmmm no some people just don't understand.
12-15-2008, 03:02 PM
Rammsteiner

Quote:

Originally Posted by roofsniper

sounds retarded but yes some people are like that. if you wreck your car and get it fixed should u get it fixed free next time you take it to that body shop? ummmmm no some people just don't understand.

Reminds me about my uncle. Although I didnt experience it, he used to 'fix' the car radio of his (my mom's) grandma but just as he fixed it he broke by purpose something else. Everytime he fixed something he got money so yeah, that's quite retarded.
12-15-2008, 03:06 PM
Titan7171

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utroz

I am currently unemployed so Yeah I am bored as hell.... If I don't get a job soon I will have to start fixing people's computers again. The problem is that they think that if they mess their computer up the day after I fix it that I should fix it again for free, I've lost a couple customers because of it. It's not my fault they went back on the :banana::banana::banana::banana: site and frigged their computer up again. Anyways, I want to know if anyone else has done extreme cold air cooling before....

yea Ive been doing it since 2002.......I tried this year it was like -5 I believe but I couldnt get my system to boot up it was too cold and I had a worse time than ever.......heres a link to what happened... http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...203972&page=24
12-15-2008, 03:40 PM
Slagathor

2 winters ago, I had a window duct to the case of the kids PC., they were running an NF7 with a 2500 mobile CPU.

I foolishly left eh SI-97a on there, and one night it got to -20, the heat pipes froze and the PC overheated, so ya, stay away from heatpipes...heh

Otherwise it worked great.

I should try to find the pic I got of the case, with the door half frosted up....

I wrapped the HDD in an antistatic bag with a layer of cotton so it didnt get too cold.
12-15-2008, 03:56 PM
Oese

i know a guy at forumdeluxx germany he is from austria where it is also cold in winter. he does it frequently, he uses watercooling with some additive and gets the whole pc out on his balkony without any insulation on the harddrives (although i dont think thats good ;) ) he did a few very nice prime runs at say 5-10°C and some good cpu-z runs ;)
12-15-2008, 11:03 PM
Rammsteiner

Wasnt the whole VapoChill idea based on those out door OC's in the winter? Think it was Sampsa who did this, but Im sure others did it as well though (or maybe it wasnt even Sampsa:p:)
12-15-2008, 11:23 PM
Cluster

I've actually got a cold air duct setup at the moment that im using. 120mm fans in the duct with an adapter down to 3" round flex duct that covers the top of the fan on my heatsink(stock amd). The last couple of nights it got to -35c. Had sub zero core temps until i ramped the volts and speed up. With 1.75v and a little over 3.5ghz running through my 9850, it had high 20c temps for my pifast and superpi runs, bit different store on wprime, but not bad for stock amd sink :D
12-15-2008, 11:31 PM
iandh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cluster

I've actually got a cold air duct setup at the moment that im using. 120mm fans in the duct with an adapter down to 3" round flex duct that covers the top of the fan on my heatsink(stock amd). The last couple of nights it got to -35c. Had sub zero core temps until i ramped the volts and speed up. With 1.75v and a little over 3.5ghz running through my 9850, it had high 20c temps for my pifast and superpi runs, bit different store on wprime, but not bad for stock amd sink :D

Wow you live where?

That is about 100 degrees fahrenheit too cold for me.
12-15-2008, 11:34 PM
largon

Full copper coolers with no heatpipes like Thermalright SLK-948U with an ultra high speed fan would work best, I'd imagine. As stated already, heatpipes don't work when their contents get cold.

edit:
Awww...
I'm probably just crazy but I shouldn't have sold the SLK-948U I had before going watercooled back in spring 2005...
That heatsink was a truly impressive little contraption, unlike modern heatpipe monstrosities.
12-15-2008, 11:54 PM
Cluster

Quote:

Originally Posted by iandh

Wow you live where?

That is about 100 degrees fahrenheit too cold for me.

Canuckistan :yepp:

Quote:

Originally Posted by largon

Full copper coolers with no heatpipes like Thermalright SLK-948U with an ultra high speed fan would work best, I'd imagine. As stated already, heatpipes don't work when their contents get cold.

I think thats somewhat whats hurting me. The amd stock sink has heatpipes, but it also has some fins coming from the little copper block, and the fan pushes down. With my ducting, the fins get pretty frosty after about an hour. But when i start cranking the volts, its got no problem going from 20 to 80c faster than a porche in 0-60 :D
12-16-2008, 12:14 AM
Rammsteiner

Quote:

Originally Posted by largon

Full copper coolers with no heatpipes like Thermalright SLK-948U with an ultra high speed fan would work best, I'd imagine. As stated already, heatpipes don't work when their contents get cold.

edit:
Awww...
I'm probably just crazy but I shouldn't have sold the SLK-948U I had before going watercooled back in spring 2005...
That heatsink was a truly impressive little contraption, unlike modern heatpipe monstrosities.

What the, I still have that thing:eek:

I got it for my first real OC PC. After I dumped it just around my desk but I actually still have it lol.

Was indeed a nice block, I had a Vantec Tornado fan on it. At least it made enough noise:p:
12-16-2008, 05:15 AM
Titan7171

Ive had almost every Thermalright heatpipe cooler made for AMD and before that the sk-6. Ive never had a problem with a heatpipe cooler ever. But Ive usually used a duct with fans to get the air into my case Ive never left the pc outside for hours though.
12-16-2008, 02:43 PM
Utroz

Thanks for all the good advice, I am really curious how it will affect my load temps. With any luck I will try taking it outside on the porch within the next week. I would like to see more stuff about what people have done in the past cause I really don't want to fry my computer with condensation or some crap like that...
12-16-2008, 03:51 PM
knopflerbruce

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oese

i know a guy at forumdeluxx germany he is from austria where it is also cold in winter. he does it frequently, he uses watercooling with some additive and gets the whole pc out on his balkony without any insulation on the harddrives (although i dont think thats good ;) ) he did a few very nice prime runs at say 5-10°C and some good cpu-z runs ;)

Is it gianni you're thinking of? Or Techtrancer perhaps?:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penny

You must be reallllyyyyyyy bored.

This is XS...;)
12-16-2008, 04:01 PM
Dr_Swizz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utroz

Thanks for all the good advice, I am really curious how it will affect my load temps. With any luck I will try taking it outside on the porch within the next week. I would like to see more stuff about what people have done in the past cause I really don't want to fry my computer with condensation or some crap like that...

Condensation is not necesserily a problem since when it it is really cold the air is usually dry.