TRAPPED UNDER ICE --- Charlie hammers on FX-55

[charlie]

So yeah, I've been planning this little project and managed to pull it off today
I've played with Dry Ice and LN2 for a couple years now, and have identified some problems and solutions which I implemented in today's project.
So... hold on guys.

[charlie]

You see, the main problem to DI/LN2 benching is condensation, it's a b*tch and will mess up your hardware. About a year ago I discovered DSI fluids and a product called OPTI-COOL. It's a di-electric oil that is pourable to about -90C.
SO I thought, hey, why not submerse a mobo a couple inches under OIL? No foam, no saran wrap, nothing! So I picked up this great little resealable plastic tub. I placed the mobo on spacers in the tub, elevating it about 1cm. from the bottom jus tincase any water made it into the oil. I mounted the LN2 container, a massive 1000gram block of Copper and all miscellaneous cables and such. Then I poured in 2 gallons of OPTI-COOL rfom the nice folks at DSI FLUIDS in Texas.
It also had the nice effect of pushing fluid thru the Silencer4 also....
I

[charlie]

So I rigged up a FLUKE 50D dual probe thermometer, one lead to the side of the CPU, and one into the tub measuring fluid temp.

Let me back up, the equipment is:

FX-55 week 46
K8N Neo2 good 0441 chipset
G.Skill 2 x 256mB "LA"
OCZ Powerstream 520W PSU

Mobo is running BIOS 1.4 with a Vcore mod. Remainder is stock.

So there we are, the rig is taking a bath, and is running fine 2" under fluid, lol!! WHAT A SIGHT!

[charlie]

So I start taking the temp DOWN, seems to be taking QUITE a bit longer than usual with all the fluid. It seems the OIL was acting like an INSULATOR and was taking a bit of energy to cool. But slowly temps dropped. The rig was OFF at this point, just watching temps.

[charlie]

So it get's a bit colder and I fire her up. I was at about -60C or so... good single phase change territory. Went in and pulled off a 3450, e-z as pie.

[charlie]

About this time I hook up the fluid temperature probe and see our fluid temp is below zero, about -5C. I keep pulling the temp down, into cascade territory
So I decide, OK let's go for screenies at the "hundreds" up to it's MAX. Here's 3500mHz

[charlie]

Starting to see seriously cold temps... way past the Cascade boys
Blasted by 3600Mhz!!
And this is IHS temperature, NOT the base temp!!

[charlie]

So there I am, with 3600Mhz under my belt. The plan is to find a ceiling and come back and run benchies at the "sweet spot". Board is starting to have some difficulties about -120C.... Very bad cold-booting problems, could be the OCZ PSU, too.... they have a rep for that kind of thing. But I managed to pull it down another 20C or so.... and pull off 3700mHz+
By this time, the fluid temp is about -10C, just perfect for most motherboard components

[charlie]

So after 3708mHz, I pull her down to about -135C and openher up at about 1.92Vcore, get into Clockgen and slowly pull her up and up.... 3730, 3760 and at 3796mHz I went BSOD. So immediately I knew it was all about Vcore. I shut her off and upped Vcore to about 2.0v. I knew from experience that this would net me about 3830 or so and THUS!!!!!
THE WORLD RECORD at any spot north of Memesama's 3828mHz.... I was sitting at about -140C and hit the switch, nothing......
and then nothing....
and then nothing.

She never booted up again. I thawed all out and checked the components.... the board would boot and spin the fans and Vid Card, but no video. The HS/F got warm....
I returned home and tested the Vid Card - OK, the DDR - OK so , it's between the FX-55 (doubtful, as it warmed the hs/f) probably the K8N Neo2.... or the OCZ PSU.........
So that's it.... it's all I've got for you!!!! Didn't quite accomplish what I wanted to, but had a lot of FUN!!!!!!
Lesson #1 from benching LN2 >>>>> Go for your highest best bench FIRST!! Just incase you kill something!!! Only has a chance to run 1 Superpi benchie @ 3400+mHz and 24s....
Even had about 5 liters EXTRA LN2!!! After feezing just about everything at work, I even had to throw some away


THE END

[VetteTheHeretic]

wow.........computers submerged in liquid....technology of the future

[Jokester_wild]

wow and i have easy access to LN2, its a shame i cant just got allmost kill my parts like that

[OPPAINTER]

Hey hey Charlie, nice adventure. I always wanted to try submerging the mobo but never got around to it. I bet it looked cool.
My question is why did you keep shutting it off? Couldn't you just keep resetting?

Nice

OPP

[OPPAINTER]

i would say you had better try again real soon if you want the top amd GHZ WR.

So they say

EDIT: For those of you wondering what PCIce is talking about, there is rumor that some big manufactorer is supose to break the 4 gig mark on a AMD overclock before the month is up

OPP

[charlie]

Hey hey Charlie, nice adventure. I always wanted to try submerging the mobo but never got around to it. I bet it looked cool.
My question is why did you keep shutting it off? Couldn't you just keep resetting?

Nice

OPP

thx, OPP....
well I was thinking, the LN2 is $4/liter and I'm in a hurry. I want to run some 3D at like 3600mHz, lol and some 22s SuperPi....and it was taking too long to drop temp on the desktop... plus I didn't know WHERE the CPU or board would freak out, so I kept trying it at colder and colder temps.... don't know why, but even using VID trick (holding Vcore at 1.6v with Clockgen in desktop) it would just EAT LN2, dropping maybe 2C every minute.... I was impatient

C

[OPPAINTER]

Yea I don't even like shuting down my rig at -90C and starting it back up, If at all possable. Somtimes if I have to do that I have problems firing it back up. In fact I start my rig at about 10C these days and let the cooler get cold while the CPU is running.

OPP

[charlie]

Yea I don't even like shuting down my rig at -90C and starting it back up, If at all possable. Somtimes if I have to do that I have problems firing it back up. In fact I start my rig at about 10C these days and let the cooler get cold while the CPU is running.

OPP

That's the numero UNO advantage to cascades, just set it and grab a frozen burrito or something... no hurry, no rush, just watch the temps.....
And to add to my bad evening, my dewar ended up in the trash.... it developed a pinhole in the vacuum shell, and started hissing at me and once they lose their vacuum, they're done!
I'll take that as a hint, I just need a cascade! Hmmmm.... Wonder how Chilly's doin' on my GPU cascade??

[OPPAINTER]

It's just that I'm paranoid I think when somthing sits there at -90c with no heat, that if I fire it up, the sudden voltage spike will end up cracking somthing
Yep, probably just paranoid.

OPP

[charlie]

I don't know what went south today.... like I said, either the CPU/Mobo or PSU. I'm thinking mobo. But yeah, good point. I remember reading about keeping the rig ON during LN2 benching, just like for DI benching, but I wanted the BIG -numbers and rushed it....
OTOH, I was only 1 re-boot away from a WR.....
C

[Dissolved]

I don't know what went south today.... like I said, either the CPU/Mobo or PSU. I'm thinking mobo. But yeah, good point. I remember reading about keeping the rig ON during LN2 benching, just like for DI benching, but I wanted the BIG -numbers and rushed it....
OTOH, I was only 1 re-boot away from a WR.....
C

Its aight man, You will get it next time.

Hopefully you'll have a nice NF4 mobo to play with and memory a better Cpu.

Remember, Failure Can Be Your First Succcess. If you Don't Try You Can't Succeed. If You Fail You Always Learn Something Toward your Next Try.
-Something like that.. Anyways, just Try again ;D

So they say

EDIT: For those of you wondering what PCIce is talking about, there is rumor that some big manufactorer is supose to break the 4 gig mark on a AMD overclock before the month is up

OPP

I wonder What Mobo There Going to use? :????????????????: xD

[charlie]

which reminds me... I got an e-mail from Zipzoomfly that the DFi DR-SLI was in-stock, out of stock 3 hours later, though.

C

[reject]

i would imagine if you benched like that your videocard would have trouble because the oil would create a lot of friction for the fan on the silencer

[Charles Wirth]

Cool stuff

[Dissolved]

i would imagine if you benched like that your videocard would have trouble because the oil would create a lot of friction for the fan on the silencer

well when the oil is subzero temps, the fan running wouldnt matter much..

which reminds me... I got an e-mail from Zipzoomfly that the DFi DR-SLI was in-stock, out of stock 3 hours later, though.

C

The Sli Went out of stock in about 15mins. The Ultra-D was avil i think over an hour.

Watch out on NE, They should have it anyday by now.

[eva2000]

very nice.. so you found out it it's teh cpu or board that's dead ?

[IvanAndreevich]

I am betting the board. Nice results & idea charlie