Water-cooled PSU

[El Greco]

I'm thinking seriously of getting this PSU (http://www.quietpcusa.com/Silentmaxx-500-Watt-Water-Cooled-Fanless-Quiet-Power-Supply-P146C20.aspx). I'd like input from anyone who might have experience with this or other water-cooled PSU.

[a_unique_person]

All I know is, when I used to work with mainframes, that were water-cooled, it was seen as a great attraction to be able to move to machines that didn't need it. It's a whole new can of worms. There's pumps, plumbing, condensation, power. You have to disconnect it to move it.

[El Greco]

I know that as I already use watercooling. Unfortunately it's the second best option for total silence (the first is to move the case in another room and use long cables for keyboard, mouse, monitor and external drives - not possible for me right now).

[Ripley Twenty-Nine]

I know that as I already use watercooling. Unfortunately it's the second best option for total silence (the first is to move the case in another room and use long cables for keyboard, mouse, monitor and external drives - not possible for me right now).
You're right in thinking that those are probably your only two options for 'total silence'. However, have you ever tried a PSU with a larger fan, like a 120mm instead of an 80mm? A larger fan often makes a big difference in the dB level, and it would probably save you about $200 over the cost of a water cooled PSU.

[El Greco]

I may not have a PSU with an 120mm fan but I have Zalman ZM400B which got good reviews (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article153-page3.html) regarding the noise level. Besides, I've been experimenting with case fans of various sizes and even the best ones were not satisfactory for me. Even when they are relatively silent in ideal conditions, you still have to clean them regularly, to ensure good airflow in the case to avoid turbulence etc.

[Little 10 Toes]

I have heard of people filling up their water-tight computer with mineral oil.

http://www.pugetsystems.com/submerged.php

[a_unique_person]

I have heard of people filling up their water-tight computer with mineral oil.

http://www.pugetsystems.com/submerged.php

I'm impressed. I think they just dropped it in a fish tank, though, which was filled with oil.

[Soapy Sam]

Stick it in the fridge.

[El Greco]

Stick it in the fridge.


One of the first things people have thought :D If you search around the net you'll find many implementations of "PC in the fridge" ideas. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.

[El Greco]

I ordered it, so we'll soon know.

And while searching for cooling solutions I found out that there's nothing people haven't tried. Eg, some crazy Greeks experiment with liquid nitrogen (http://www.thelab.gr/showthread.php?threadid=15522).

[Ripley Twenty-Nine]

I'll be interested in hearing how it works out for you! I'd love to have a completely silent case!

[El Greco]

I'll post my results with pictures and everything! Only problem is that unfortunately I can't have CPU & GPU temperatures as the stupid HP proprietary motherboard doesn't have any sensors! However, since my case is in a closet with no airflow and since I have a scorchingly hot Prescott , I expect that if it works for me then it will work for most setups.

[Solus]

I've seen boxes for sale that you put your computer in that are supposed to reduce most of the sound. I can't find any links though.

[El Greco]

There are lots of "quiet cases (http://www.quietpcusa.com/Quiet-Computer-Case-C5.aspx)" but nothing beats fanless setups.

[a_unique_person]

I'll post my results with pictures and everything! Only problem is that unfortunately I can't have CPU & GPU temperatures as the stupid HP proprietary motherboard doesn't have any sensors! However, since my case is in a closet with no airflow and since I have a scorchingly hot Prescott , I expect that if it works for me then it will work for most setups.

Might be time to upgrade to the Core 2. It uses 'up to 40% less power', which of cause inludes 0% :rolleyes: but it might help.

[El Greco]

I'll upgrade automatically next summer when I'll be given another HP system for free :D

[El Greco]

It arrived today. I'm a bit suspicious since the manual is a photocopy but I guess I'll install it tonight anyway. They sent it on Oct 2 so it arrived after 23 days. Those postal services are getting worse and worse. Even on a donkey it would had arrived faster.

[El Greco]

I've decided to swap components between work & home PCs. Everything Hewlett-Packard will go to work and the Core Duo + 8500GT will come home. So the full installation will delay a bit. But from a test temporary setup everything seems to work fine and cool.

[El Greco]

I installed it in a Core2Duo E4500 / Asus PK5 / nVidia 8500GT system.

With the case closed and SP2004 Orthos running for 2 hours, I have the following temperatures:
Motherboard: 51°C
CPU: 40°C
GPU: 54°C
Hard Disk: 37°C

Overall I'm very impressed and satisfied. I could also add waterblocks for the Northbridge and Southbridge but I don't think I need them.

I have photos of the installation if anyone needs the details.