GPU overclocker TrashBench set a world overclocking record on an Intel Arc B580 GPU with a relatively simple setup. Instead of employing exotic solutions like liquid nitrogen, used by other overclockers to hit world records, he instead slapped on a pond pump and filled the custom loop with a 50/50 glycol mix of vehicle antifreeze that had been pre-chilled in a freezer. To his surprise, the GPU hit an incredible -17 degrees Celsius (that’s 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit), allowing him to push the performance of Intel’s top-of-the-line consumer GPU. According to the YouTube video, the car-coolant-chilled graphics card achieved a 3DMark Time Spy score of 16,631 — some 12% higher than a stock GPU, breaking the world record for the B580.
The mods TrashBench made to the GPU were rather simple, with the most complicated part being 3D-printing a custom mount to secure the water block. Trashbench notes that antifreeze remains liquid until roughly -25C, and he chilled the liquid in his freezer, which took it down to -17C. From there, he ran a couple of flexible tubes into an open cooler containing the pre-chilled glycol mix and turned on the pump to circulate it, allowing the graphics card to reach sub-zero temperatures.
TrashBench broke a world record in 3DMark Time Spy when the coolant was still cold.
He also tested the Intel Arc B580 in its stock configuration, with the card hitting 2,850 MHz on air cooling alone. This delivered an average of 54, 158, and 107 FPS for Monster Hunter Wilds, Forza Horizon 5, and Cyberpunk 2077, respectively. But with the GPU running on sub-zero cooling, it achieved 3,316 MHz — some 446 MHz over stock performance or a 16.4% higher clock speed. Unfortunately, because the coolant eventually warmed up during testing, TrashBench wasn’t able to maximize its performance, but even so, the card still hit 69, 174, and 120 FPS in the three titles, giving it an average of 16% more FPS.
TrashBench's results show that with just air OC, the B580 achieved 3200 MHz, with the card hitting 60 FPS on Monster Hunter Wilds, 119 FPS on Cyberpunk 2077, and 172 FPS on Forza Horizon 5 at 1080p High settings. Although extreme cooling still seems to offer more FPS, it wasn't a huge gain over what you get without any of the hardware modifications.
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