Posts by ice_dragon

  • How strong is your PC

    Actually, yes I have. Built 5 over as many years. Started out v1 with a p-3 based celeron out of fear of heat concentration and the like. A lot of the people who build them don't take things like that into consideration either - one can run it with almost any CPU as long as they consider the following as precautionary:


    1 - if the builder chooses to run anything above a pentium 4 class or the AMD equivalent processor they need to find an oil resistant non conductive sealer to make a bead around the base of the socket and where the cpu seats once inserted.
    2 - Again with semi modern hardware, heat CAN cause degradation hardware even in oil. Best formula to use for cool down is - let it be shut down for as many minutes or hours as it has been on. i.e.... 8 hours on, 8 off.
    3 - DO NOT USE BABY OIL! Well I suppose one can in minimal proportion to the rest of the mix (1 bottle per setup for the pleasant scent) Reasoning behind not using it by itself, is that the fragrance still contains alcohol and that is obviously conductive and can ruin your build before you play with it.
    4 - Just like a vehicle or any other machine using oil, change it every so often. 6 months in is plenty long for such a build. Any longer and you'll find dust contaminants and the like forming even if you cannot see them. Don't use filters in any circulation setups one might design as they will contaminate the oil and cause serious problems quickly. I learned that the hard way.


    It's really a fun thing to do by the way. Gets a lot of looks. And the questions observers ask...


    Needless to say one of the builds I did with such a thing landed me a job at a local college's tech lab until it was closed. During the interview I mentioned it as being designed, tested, and built in two weeks time and I started my job the following monday :). Keep in mind, this was back when such alternative cooling ideas where nowhere near commonplace :)