
Initial tests of the
Athlon FX-55 system were conducted in a plastic tray. In the picture you can also see a Zalman cooler; it was no longer used this way in the final system. After the failures with distilled water, we quickly switched to oil.
After the failed trial runs with de-ionized water, we quickly switched to oil. In contrast to water, this liquid has the crucial advantage that far fewer free ions (dangerous leak currents) are present. In the trials with water it had been determined that in the case of local shorts the components did not suffer any permanent damage. In the final analysis, the danger of losing $2,000 worth of hardware within a few minutes was thus averted.

Temperature readings at major points of the platform in the oil bath.
A compelling prerequisite for stable operation is the use of a heat sink - required equally for the processor, graphics chip and the chipset. A heat sink was used for the AMD Athlon FX-55 that only had its cooling fan removed and thus worked passively. The Zalman cooler shown in the pictures was no longer used later in the final Plexiglas case. As for the GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card, only the metallic heat sink remained. The chipset ventilator from Gigabyte K8NXP-SLI did not exactly promise great results and thus was disconnected; after all, the fan's blades are not designed for low RPMs that result from high friction resistance in the liquid.
The temperature readings at the important points proved that the oil liquid was sufficient to cool the chips passively in continuous operation. And so we were able to find a suitable case.

Reading of the temperature on the Zalman cooler by means of metal feelers.
- Dousing Your Athlon FX-55 With Eight Gallons Of Cooking Oil?
- VIDEO 18 TO DOWNLOAD: Fascination Surrounds The Oil PC
- Ready For The Plunge
- Pre-Conditioning In The Oil Bath
- DIY Step By Step: Tools And Aids
- Sealing The Plexiglas Case
- Sealing The Plexiglas Case, Continued
- The Important Step Of Sealing The CPU Base
- Assembly And Placing Of Components
- Pouring In The Oil During Operation
- Bottom Line: DIY Fun With Oil PC Based On The Athlon FX55
This is the first article I've seen mentioning the sealling of he base of the CPU. Other's some in the forums are concerned that there is not enough cooling flow under sockets.. since liquid is thicker than air it tends to want to create hotspots here. Air will swell and vent heat more. This article notes that they "had" to seal the base for stability. I understand the dielectic effect. But anyways for a socket 775 anyone know for sure what we should do?
Anyway, I'm curious about the long term effects. This project was started a couple years ago. Is the computer still running, or did they decided to can it. Seems like everyone that does this ends up draining it before it get's a chance to fail from oil-related reasons. Pity - It would be nice to have some data to see whether it really could be a viable solution for a silent PC that would last literally for as long as the cpu transistors normally last.
Before considering that I purchased a tiny (15 litre) fishtank for a low end setup that was built/sealed with silicone, so I guess I'll soon know xD (hopefully not by it falling apart and spilling oil all over my carpets lol).
I have an existing 3 foot tank which I intended using for my 'production' system which will be more than double the power in every sense
I'll do my best to pop back and post on this new consideration to let you know how the silicone behaves under extreme usage.
Oh and another thing, on the mineral oil... in all experiments the folks mentioned difficulty in getting hold of mineral oil. I initially thought the majour problem would be in the fact that it's classed as a known laxative and any distributor would be hesitant handing over that much of it for legal or safety reasons. Turns out most people don't even know what it is xD!! That got me onto some research into it's common consumers, and in so doing found a bunch of alternative names for it, which I DID see at some stores.
I'll list them here for acedemic interest but please keep in mind that common or trading names may differ from region to region so ask the right questions (Low viscosity, high flash point, no electrical conductance) AND test it in a controlled outdoor enviroment on smaller (cheaper) components before going the whole way
White oil
Nujol
Paraffin oil (Not normal paraffin, like for lanterns, far as I know)
Baby oil xD (Yep, though I'm suspecting the fragrance additives may have some unwanted properties, probably mildly corrosive)
Anyways, happy modding for now
l8r,
OnyxxOr
Don't use a food-based oil if you do this.