Entirely theoretical system using a fridge and mineral oil.

[TheWanderingVegetarian]

From research I've done (looking around a few forums) most people say that it's impossible to build a fridge PC with some saying that it is but that it's not worth it as a functional PC, only a fun project. The concept interests me so I thought I'd design a theoretical PC for doing this. I'd never be able to afford doing this, so don't worry if you see me talking about putting high end parts in it, I'm not that crazy. :lol: Anyone is welcome to post their suggestions, this is something to think of when I'm bored.

 

[tiny voices]

Condensation is the problem. Even if the product in your refrigerator is not liquid based you notice how it often times has a very small amount of condensation on it?

This is the problem with putting a PC in a fridge. Plus CRAZY amount of electricity.

 

[TheWanderingVegetarian]

The idea is to take a mineral oil PC, and run two all in one closed loop coolers; one for the graphics card and one for the cpu. Then you take this:

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from:

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and make a custom mount to stick it inside. Then you drill holes in the side or back or something and mount the rads there, of course sealing and insulating the holes with cloth/foam and duct tape or something. If the mineral oil PC is sealed it should eliminate the problem with condensation. Could anti-freeze be run through the liquid cooling to stop it from freezing? If not as this is purely theoretical, is there some kind of alternative that could be used to go between the blocks and the rads?

 

[getochkn]

Two problems with a fridge cooled PC. Condensation is one. Two, a fridge is never meant to have a continuous source of heat inside of it. It will burn out. Leave a fridge door open for a few weeks and keep it turned on. It will die.

As for cooling mineral oil, one, it will get condensation in the oil, so it will have small pockets of water which could conduct electricity and fry things. Also, cold oil tends to coagulate and get hard.

 

[TheWanderingVegetarian]

Condensation is the problem. Even if the product in your refrigerator is not liquid based you notice how it often times has a very small amount of condensation on it?

This is the problem with putting a PC in a fridge. Plus CRAZY amount of electricity.

I left a post with how I would try and make it work, and I think I've solved the condensation problem but I'm not sure.. and as it's theoretical and you'd have to be rich, crazy or both to do this power consumption in't an issue. Beides, there's no reason you couldn't modify the power delivery in a fridge or a freezer if the rest of the system is so bonkers anyway.

 

[TheWanderingVegetarian]

Two problems with a fridge cooled PC. Condensation is one. Two, a fridge is never meant to have a continuous source of heat inside of it. It will burn out. Leave a fridge door open for a few weeks and keep it turned on. It will die.

As for cooling mineral oil, one, it will get condensation in the oil, so it will have small pockets of water which could conduct electricity and fry things. Also, cold oil tends to coagulate and get hard.

Which is why it why it would be important to seal it, and why the rads are on the outside. I realise this sounds crazy, and I realise it's pretty impossible, but it seems cool.

 

[tiny voices]

I was referring to the fact that the fridge will use alot of power due to the fact that it will be working 100% load all the time not on a cycle like normal use. Like posted above, it WILL burn the condenser out in weeks.

 

[tiny voices]

Two problems with a fridge cooled PC. Condensation is one. Two, a fridge is never meant to have a continuous source of heat inside of it. It will burn out. Leave a fridge door open for a few weeks and keep it turned on. It will die.

As for cooling mineral oil, one, it will get condensation in the oil, so it will have small pockets of water which could conduct electricity and fry things. Also, cold oil tends to coagulate and get hard.

Which is why it why it would be important to seal it, and why the rads are on the outside. I realise this sounds crazy, and I realise it's pretty impossible, but it seems cool.

You aren't getting it. Sealing it will keep MORE heat in making the condenser work HARDER and burn out FASTER.

 

[TheWanderingVegetarian]

Two problems with a fridge cooled PC. Condensation is one. Two, a fridge is never meant to have a continuous source of heat inside of it. It will burn out. Leave a fridge door open for a few weeks and keep it turned on. It will die.

As for cooling mineral oil, one, it will get condensation in the oil, so it will have small pockets of water which could conduct electricity and fry things. Also, cold oil tends to coagulate and get hard.

Which is why it why it would be important to seal it, and why the rads are on the outside. I realise this sounds crazy, and I realise it's pretty impossible, but it seems cool.

You aren't getting it. Sealing it will keep MORE heat in making the condenser work HARDER and burn out FASTER.

I didn't mean sealing the freezer, I meant sealing the PC inside. That way no condensation can get in the mineral oil. And the rads are there to remove heat to outside the freezer. The freezer wouldn't be there as a cooler but as a way of lowering ambient temps.

 

[manofchalk]

So if you have the radiators outside the fridge, what is the point of the fridge?
Chilled mineral oil isnt going to do much to cool hot spots of heat because it barely moves even when its warm, and at worst your radiators are going to become heat sources (radiators do not inherently cool water, only bring them closer to ambient temps, which is higher than inside your fridge).

To my knowledge the only viable chilled water-cooling solution is evaporative (or bong), Peltier (we actually have a resident expert at Toms on this) and phase change cooling.
Freezers and fridges in general dont work because your going to blow their condensers unless you start talking industrial units.

 

[TheWanderingVegetarian]

So if you have the radiators outside the fridge, what is the point of the fridge?
Chilled mineral oil isnt going to do much to cool hot spots of heat because it barely moves even when its warm, and at worst your radiators are going to become heat sources (radiators do not inherently cool water, only bring them closer to ambient temps, which is higher than inside your fridge).

To my knowledge the only viable chilled water-cooling solution is evaporative (or bong), Peltier (we actually have a resident expert at Toms on this) and phase change cooling.
Freezers and fridges in general dont work because your going to blow their condensers unless you start talking industrial units.

I'm not mad enough to actually do it, the reason I started a thread about it in the first place is that I was bored. The point of the fridge is that it seems like a cool idea; I could spend all day thinking about what I would put in an actual functional PC if I had any money, but I'd get bored of that quickly.My point is that using an industrial freezer in this system would be fine as it is completely fictional. It doesn't matter if by the time the design is done it'll cost £50,000 because it won't ever leave this thread. The first problem is how to get everything in the freezer without dying, and that's all I could come up with.

 

[fcabanski]

Why not put the computer in front of an air conditioner?