A couple years ago my team and I were working on a proposal for our final year engineering project. We were heavily considering a novel (we think/thought) method of sub ambient water cooling, similar to using a chiller. Instead of a water chiller or TEC (garbage efficiency), we were considering a free piston stirling cooler (FPSC from now on). Most engineers are familiar with the stirling cycle, usually input of heat (fuel being burnt for instance) and outputting mechanical work (torque @ RPM). However, if you invert the cycle and INPUT work, then this creates a temperature differential which will "pump" heat. This is what is known as a Stirling cooler. What is free piston? Instead of a rotating crank and flywheel, a solenoid is used to actuate the cycle. Working fluid is helium or similar gas IIRC (completely sealed). This has a benefit of making the FPSC compact, very low maintenance and quiet. Efficiency depends heavily on the hot side and cold side temperatures, but is much better than TECs. I've heard of FPSC's used to cool: IR cameras and quantum computers. Cold side temperature can be as low as -150C, although its efficiency decreases with temperature decrease (efficiency 0 at minimum cold side temp).
Where do you get a FPSC? This is the most difficult part. The most easily available was used in a small electric cooler sold on the commercial market, as well as for medical transport (search "Twinbird FPSC Portable Freezer"). When we were doing the research for this project we bought the 2004 coleman cooler for 400 CAD. Unfortunately I did not keep it and left it with my school.
Whats cool about this cooler is it could be implemented in a cooling loop, see below. It will need a water block like device to transfer the heat from its cold end to water. We didn't end up doing much with the cooler, due to us thinking it was underpowered for PC cooling (draws 12V 4A). But maybe someone here is willing to give it a go and find out if there is a way to get more performance out of it.
Note: PV is proportioning valve for bypassing FPSC, not necessarily required.