Just wanted to mention an alternative to oil that might be a bit better. You can buy non-conductive coolants on newegg. They have a better heat transfer than oil and are still leak safe. Some of those fluids may actually be oils so read up on exactly which one your getting but get one with the highest rated heat transfer.
As this project nears fruition, I ask for a few suggestions from people for decent radiators that don't cost a ton, and also some liquid cooling temperatures that people have gotten with an Athlon II X3 or X4 CPU. I received a lovely package with a warning label on the side, "may contain awesome," today. Inside were some shiny new SATA III cables, and an evercool CPU cooler for the AM2/3 socket. It was a bit shorter than I expected, which I am pleased at, and feels like a nice block of aluminum. I have tubing and a pump laying around, so those costs have been eliminated, and all I need now is a reservoir and a radiator, if I am thinking correctly.
Here are a few pictures so far. I have removed the fan and milled a plate out of UHMW plastic that will cover the whole bit. All that is left now is to seal the ends, drill (and tap?) the holes for the intake/exhaust of liquid, and then hook up a pump in a tub of water for leak testing.
Last edited by LiquidSnak; 24 Aug 2011 at 02:35.
I'm going to watch this with some interest..my gut feeling is it won't work very well but I am only to happy to be proved wrong...I don't know why you didn't just buy a waterblock for it...properly designed and manufactured and proven to work like
Koolance CPU-370 CPU Waterblock [KL-CPU-370] - $89.00 : PC Case Gear
or
Swiftech Apogee XT Rev2 CPU Water Block [ST-ApogeeXT2] - $85.00 : PC Case Gear
for example.
if you look at them you get an idea of how the inside is designed. Got nfi how you plan to replicate that unless you are a metal worker and can access the equipment to do something similar.
The main reason I'm doing this is boredom XD. The second reason, I've spent less than the cost of a waterblock, and all I need now is a reservoir and a radiator, and coolant, which I'm thinking, after research, using a de-ionized, distilled water to cool. I'm up to a whopping $34 for the system, and if not distilled water, I'll fork over the extra cash for a non-conductive coolant. My total budget for this project is around 70 bucks.
Budget or not, go with a non-conductive coolant.
I am just curious as to how well that waterblock you made will actually work. I highly recommend doing some testing before you install it in your good system.
~Lordbob
Definitely. I have a second mainboard as well, and I am going to thoroughly test before use on either. I am sealing the ends with a fiberglass and epoxy shell, which will be backed up with silicone gasket. The UHMW plastic plate is being sealed with the same type of silicone gasket. I finished the epoxy work on one side, and will be starting when that dries on side two.
I am thinking that is what I will do, since it is not expensive, and I think UV orange will look wicked ^_^seekermeister said:
I'm not sure how you're using the epoxy and silicone but have you tested their adhesion properties to the UHMW-PE? It's not particularly easy to get anything to stick to it with any bonding strength. I use it often around the shop. Epoxy ain't gonna stick to it. PE expands and contracts with temperature changes. Epoxy will just pop right off of it. Silicone will stick some. An acrylic adhesive like that used for automotive windshields might be better.
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