The Best Documented PC Coolants

[For Science!]

It has been almost 2 years since my original discussion about coolants used in liquid cooling being poorly annotated. As you can imagine, not much has changed since . As we all should know, the identity of the fluid running through the PC has little-to-no impact on the performance since the transfer of the heat from a waterblock to the liquid or the liquid to the radiator is not the rate limiting step, it is the radiator --> air step that has the lowest thermal conductivity. This is why whether it is water, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, liquid metal, the thermal capacity and performance of the loop is unlikely to change.

 

Thus provided that the fluid is passing through the system without clogs, the only thing about a coolant is whether it protects the system from growth and corrosion. Like with any computer component, it is important to know the technical specs of anything you want in your system.

 

I have taken it upon myself to compile a summary of coolants and their document active ingredients, highlighting which products have scientifically justifiable components in them. Please note that I have not taken the dye identity into account since pretty much all companies do not list the identity of the dye and so therefore this tier list does not reflect how "cloggy" a coolant is. This tier list reflects how well documented a particular coolant is and how you use it is up to you, it is entirely possible and likely that the coolants contain more substances, but this is based on what is publicly available on their websites. As a minimum, hopefully you can use it to find coolants that are incompatible with PETG. 

 

Tier 1: Biocidal and Anti corrosive compounds specified

Tier 2: Some active ingredient specified, but missing anti-corrosives or biocide

Tier 3: MSDS provided, but lacking any active ingredient

Tier 4: No Information found

 

Clear Coolants

Tier 1

aquacomputer DP Ultra: 20-35% Ethylene Glycol, <1% Benzotriazole

EK-CRYOFUEL Concentrate: 2.5-5 % Sodium 2-ethylhexanoate, <0.02 % Methylisothiazolinone, 0.1-1% Methyl-1H-benzotriazole

Innovatek Protect IP: >25% Ethylene Glycol, 0.5-0.75% Sodium 2-ethylhexanoate, 0.075-0.1 % disodium tetraborate pentahydrate

Phobya ZuperZero Xtreme Concentrate: 30-35% Ethylene Glycol, 10-15% Potassium 2-EthylHexanoate

Phobya ZuperZero Clear: 25-30% Ethylene Glycol,  <1% Sodium 2-EthylHexanoate , <1% disodium tetraborate pentahydrate

 

Tier 2

Alphacool Eiswasser Crystal Clear UV: <0.1 % Glutaraldehyde 

Mayhems XT-1: <90% Ethylene Glycol

Nanoxia CoolForce: 90% Ethylene Glycol

XSPC ECX: 0.1-0.3 % "Antirust Additive", 50-80% Propylene Glycol, 0.01-0.1 % "Bactericide" - **Tier 2 for being unspecific

XSPC EC6: 10-100% Propylene Glycol

 

Tier 3

Coollaboratory Liquid Coolant Pro: 10 % Ethylene Glycol

Mayhems X1: 40 % Glycerol

PrimoChill TrueTM Infused: Nothing
Thermaltake T1000: N/A [<6% Propylene Glycol]

 

Tier 4

Corsair Hydro X XL5: N/A

DImasTech X-Fluid: N/A
 

Opaque Coolants

Tier 1

EK-CRYOFUEL OPAQUE CONCENTRATE: 1-2.5 % Sodium 2-ethylhexanoate, 0.01-0.1 % Methylisothiazolinone 

 

Tier 2

Alphacool Eiswasser Pastel: <0.1 % Glutaraldehyde, <0.1%Octan-1-ol ethyoxylated

Nanoxia CoolForce: 90% Ethylene Glycol

Thermaltake C1000: >90% Ethylene Glycol

XSPC EC6: 10-100% Propylene Glycol
 

Tier 3

PrimoChill TrueTM Infused: Nothing

Thermaltake P1000: N/A [<6% Propylene Glycol]

 

EOL and not recommended

Mayhems Pastel (Concentrate): 40 % Glycerol

Mayhems Pastel: 10 % Glycerol

 

SFX Coolants

Tier 3

Mayhems Aurora Booster: 99% Glycerol

Mayhems Aurora: 40 % Glycerol

Primochill Vue: 14% "Proprietary" 

 

 

[r2724r16]

Thank you sir!

[Tristerin]

I run Preston 50/50 Antifreeze with Cor-guard through my mixed metal loops   $12 bucks for like 5-8 fill ups or more

[For Science!]

6 hours ago, Tristerin said:

I run Preston 50/50 Antifreeze with Cor-guard through my mixed metal loops   $12 bucks for like 5-8 fill ups or more

Which is 45-55 % Ethylene glycol, <5 % diethylene glycol and <5 % Sodium 2-ethylhexanoate.

 

Honestly better documented than the majority. Solid Tier 1.

[Tristerin]

2 minutes ago, For Science! said:

Which is 45-55 % Ethylene glycol, <5 % diethylene glycol and <5 % Sodium 2-ethylhexanoate.

 

Honestly better documented than the majority. Solid Tier 1.

Super informative, I just did what the metallurgist's at my work suggested lol - appreciate that insight!

[Bitter]

2 hours ago, Tristerin said:

I run Preston 50/50 Antifreeze with Cor-guard through my mixed metal loops   $12 bucks for like 5-8 fill ups or more

 

2 hours ago, For Science! said:

Which is 45-55 % Ethylene glycol, <5 % diethylene glycol and <5 % Sodium 2-ethylhexanoate.

 

Honestly better documented than the majority. Solid Tier 1.

Agreed. I ran a Prestone Universal coolant at about a 20% coolant 80% water mix in my old loop and did zero service to it. Eventually after 5-6 years some white gunk formed and clung to surfaces and then it sat stored for about 8 years. Other than the white gunk nothing went bad, corroded, etc. Washed the loop out, it all works fine. For long term use car coolants seem to be solid choices, they're made to handle much worse conditions than PC's experience.

[Bitter]

I wonder, if you pushed coolant temp up above 150-170F for a bit would it kill anything living in the loop? Like pasteurizing foods?

[For Science!]

Just now, Bitter said:

I wonder, if you pushed coolant temp up above 150-170F for a bit would it kill anything living in the loop? Like pasteurizing foods?

This will change the pH as well as likely change the chemical constituents of the coolants. Furthermore practically speaking heating the coolant within a loop is obviously a bad idea since these temps are too hot even for the things like pumps. Chemical biocides mean that you do not have to work at these non-physiological temperatures.

[Bitter]

3 hours ago, For Science! said:

This will change the pH as well as likely change the chemical constituents of the coolants. Furthermore practically speaking heating the coolant within a loop is obviously a bad idea since these temps are too hot even for the things like pumps. Chemical biocides mean that you do not have to work at these non-physiological temperatures.

I was thinking with car coolant it would be less not OK? Cars run 240F regularly.

[For Science!]

3 hours ago, Bitter said:

I was thinking with car coolant it would be less not OK? Cars run 240F regularly.

But with automotive coolant (and most other coolants), there is no need to heat it since it is so toxic anyway

[sdmf74]

I just read this memo/warning from singularity computers (cause im gonna buy a SC reservoir/pump top) and compared with your chart to see if I could determine one or more ingrediants that could cause issues with his acrylic/acetyl but unfortunately there wasnt really enough information to make any determinations.

 

Ive also been considering making my own coolant, possibly with distilled water of course and Mayhems Biocide+ & inhibitor (the ones in 15ml bottles) and some Propylene Glycol (since I make my own eliquid & have alot of it) but Im not sure if the PG could cause an issue, possibly at higher percentages? It seems most companies use between 6%-15% of Propylene Glycol in their coolants however looking at your chart it looks like XSPC uses up to 50%-100%! (which seems like way too much). 

[For Science!]

10 minutes ago, sdmf74 said:

 

Note that some of these coolants are meant to be diluted with distilled water before use, and so the working concentration of PG will be lower.

 

I also cannot come up with a reason why for example Aquacomputer DP Ultra seems to be particularly bad for the SC products. But it may be more to do with anecdotal evidence than anything with scientific grounding.

 

I have a chemical compatibility chart for PMMA (Acrylic) that I can pull up and show which typical compounds are bad for PMMA, PETG, if you think its useful.

[BeatFX]

Hey everyone! I’m from Mexico and getting a premix or a concentrate from manufacturers is becoming A NIGHTMARE due to health regulations and customs laws...

 

I see there’s percentages, but they never get to 100% of the concentrate... which means the other not mentioned % is distilled water? I’m asking dumb questions because I’m genuinely terrified I might ruin my high-end PC with the customs loop I’m about to build .

 

thanks in advance!

[For Science!]

On 1/25/2021 at 9:19 PM, BeatFX said:

Hey everyone! I’m from Mexico and getting a premix or a concentrate from manufacturers is becoming A NIGHTMARE due to health regulations and customs laws...

 

I see there’s percentages, but they never get to 100% of the concentrate... which means the other not mentioned % is distilled water? I’m asking dumb questions because I’m genuinely terrified I might ruin my high-end PC with the customs loop I’m about to build .

 

thanks in advance!

Sorry for not getting back earlier, but usually what is not listed is usually water for most the coolants. That is not the case for other products but for coolants in PC watercooling it is most definitely water as ethylene glycol would (should) be listed as a hazardous chemical. As far as I know there are no coolants based on for example, mineral oil. But do note that companies usually only list what they have to (i.e. the nasty chemicals) and will often omit things that are either "too dilute" or "proprietary". 

[mayhems]

All the info above is incorrect esp for Mayhems, XSPC and many of the others. Mayhems premixed is different ratio to Mayhems concentrate and the same is for all the others you posted. If you need real readings get a refractometer and this will tell you the amount of antifreeze glycol solution in the coolant. Your info above is completely and totally wrong not based from SDS sheets but from what they contain. MSDS sheets are approximations and do not give all the info unless they are legally required to. E.g we have 3 different MSDS sheets, one for the public, one for customs and one with all the info on them (last two are not for the public).

 

 

 

[For Science!]

53 minutes ago, mayhems said:

 

I appreciate your opinion on this matter, but please understand that as the title of this thread indicates, this is a list of how well documented a coolant is. This isn't about how long it lasts, how vibrant the color is, or how effective the coolant is; this would require substantial independent testing under many conditions that is out of the scope of this thread.

 

Quote

Your info above is completely and totally wrong not based from SDS sheets but from what they contain

I think to say that my info above is completely and totally wrong is only a reflection of the amount of detail Mayhems is willing to reveal in their SDS sheets, as that is the only piece of information that the consumer is able to access and use to judge objectively whether one coolant has the chemical constituents to justify its claimed performance. I have attached the SDS sheets that are available through Mayhems website (https://mayhems.co.uk/) as of today, 07/02/2021, and this is the proof that what is in the above post is totally accurate based on the SDS sheets.

 

Quote

MSDS sheets are approximations and do not give all the info unless they are legally required to. E.g we have 3 different MSDS sheets, one for the public, one for customs and one with all the info on them (last two are not for the public).

 

Over 3 years ago, we discussed this in great length, and you ended the conversation to leave this with you, and you will look into this for the new site. Clearly there is a new site now up, but the SDS sheets have not been updated since 2014. So I think if you would be interested in updating the publicly available information to demonstrate that Mayhems coolants do indeed contain more than just glycerol, that would serve both mayhems and the consumer in a positive light. The fact that the Mayhems coolant series has remained poorly annotated is definitely not on me, and it has been pointed out, and was acknowledged by you. 

 

Pastel-UV-White-1-Ltr-SDS.pdf Pastel-Ice-White-250-ml-SDS.pdf XT1-Nuke.pdf X1-Clear-250-ml-SDS.pdf

[mayhems]

Here for you records is the new Coolant releasing Monday Mayhems XTR 4nm nano coolant. Yes i agree with you ref documentation just some may read it incorrect. We do omit legally a lot of information from our coolant naming / branding information as this is commercially sensitive data, how ever when required by law to do so we do. (it all depends were in the world we ship to and what is required from us).

 

P.s pastel is no longer produced by us and has not been for quite a while. The SDS data is still available as required by law for a few years.

 

Mayhems XTR Premixed.pdf

[For Science!]

1 minute ago, mayhems said:

Yes i agree with you ref documentation just some may read it incorrect. 

 

Could you elaborate on this? I don't see how anybody can read the uploaded SDS sheets incorrectly as they contain so little in their current state.

7 minutes ago, mayhems said:

We do omit legally a lot of information from our coolant naming / branding information as this is commercially sensitive data, how ever when required by law to do so we do. (it all depends were in the world we ship to and what is required from us).

The Mayhems XTR would still be classed as a Tier 3, as the biocidal and anti-corrosive components are all jammed into the "trade-secret", and so would class in a similar light to Primochill's "Proprietary 14%" .

 

Of course at the end of the day, this is up to you as the manufacturer to decide, but in an ever growing market of opaque fluids amongst others, it's going to be more and more difficult to differentiate between them. This is just another thread to differentiate the coolants by almost company policy, which company is willing to demonstrate that their coolant is more than just snakeoil. 

SDS_PC-V32-S.pdf

[mayhems]

On 2/7/2021 at 10:17 AM, For Science! said:

  The Mayhems XTR would still be classed as a Tier 3, as the biocidal and anti-corrosive components are all jammed into the "trade-secret", and so would class in a similar light to Primochill's "Proprietary 14%" .

There is no biocide or inhibitor in XTR, unlike any other coolants out there, XTR is nothing like what is on the market at the moment, The main ingredient Zn0 is a natural biocide and also part inhibitor. There are surfactant's that are not listed and various other Nanoparticles that are not listed due to commercial sensitivity. Once the patents are cleared then they will be published but not until then. 

 

Ref Snake oil, that's you opinion which you are allowed and we wont be going into this argument with you. But if you would like more facts on it head over to here and read up -> https://www.overclock.net/threads/official-mayhems-users-club.1286896/post-28734500 (please remove if were not allowed to link externally)

[For Science!]

2 hours ago, mayhems said:

There is no biocide or inhibitor in XTR, unlike any other coolants out there, XTR is nothing like what is on the market at the moment, The main ingredient Zn0 is a natural biocide and also part inhibitor. There are surfactant's that are not listed and various other Nanoparticles that are not listed due to commercial sensitivity. Once the patents are cleared then they will be published but not until then. 

 

Ref Snake oil, that's you opinion which you are allowed and we wont be going into this argument with you. But if you would like more facts on it head over to here and read up -> https://www.overclock.net/threads/official-mayhems-users-club.1286896/post-28734500 (please remove if were not allowed to link externally)

I think to say that there is no biocide or inhibitor in the XTR is a bit of a strange statement since you then say that the zinc oxide is in fact the biocide and part inhibitor. Your post mentions "living biocides" which I am going to assume you mean organic biocide (i.e. based on carbon compounds) and that you mean that since zinc oxide is your biocide, this is an inorganic biocide. As biocides naturally are designed to terminate the living, "living biocides" is a bit of an oxymoron. Now whether Zinc oxide which is an insoluble compound (I assume this is also the main component that gives the XTR an opaque look) I guess one will see how that plays out for the effectiveness as an active component of the coolant. Lastly, whether zinc oxide is a good corrosion inhibitor I also suppose we will see, but this sounds somewhat similar to the sacrificial zinc coating on thermaltake radiators that had a certain reputation.

 

As far as I can see, from what appears to me a cryo-TEM image with defocus applied on a lacey carbon grid, exactly whether it is 4 nm or not is hard to judge from the micrographs as in that particular image there is substantial aggregation visible. But I take your word for it that you have verified this using alternative methods such as light scattering. Edit: just scrolled down and saw the DLS readings.

[mayhems]

Your correct in your wording how ever we say we don't use living biocide as in liquid, i should rephrase that bit. But yup we own a two DLS systems which i've posted up on that thread. So were not all talk and trying to fill people with rubbish. The photos are the best we could get with the equipment we have on hand (its not cheap keeping up with nano technology)  but ever thing has also been verified with us via other external sources. Im glad you have read though and i hoping even though we get downgraded above on our SDS sheets, the information i have handed out to the public so far elevates some of the missing information not on the sds sheets. Personally i think out of all the companies Mayhems is more open than a lot (within reason).

[For Science!]

7 minutes ago, mayhems said:

Your correct in your wording how ever we say we don't use living biocide as in liquid, i should rephrase that bit. But yup we own a two DLS systems which i've posted up on that thread. So were not all talk and trying to fill people with rubbish. The photos are the best we could get with the equipment we have on hand (its not cheap keeping up with nano technology)  but ever thing has also been verified with us via other external sources. Im glad you have read though and i hoping even though we get downgraded above on our SDS sheets, the information i have handed out to the public so far elevates some of the missing information not on the sds sheets. Personally i think out of all the companies Mayhems is more open than a lot (within reason).

It is a step in the right direction, I hope you are able to do the same for your older coolants. While zinc oxide may harbor these abilities through its toxicity, the same cannot be said for glycerol.

[mayhems]

The glycols we use are non toxic and have a patent on them that we don't own, but licence and manufacture from that licence.. Hence the reason for missing information on some SDS sheets are because we legally cannot publish that data due to NDA's in place. So were not hiding the info for the sake of hiding that information we have to omit it due to the licence and NDA. I hope this helps you understand a little more.

[For Science!]

32 minutes ago, mayhems said:

The glycols we use are non toxic and have a patent on them that we don't own, but licence and manufacture from that licence.. Hence the reason for missing information on some SDS sheets are because we legally cannot publish that data due to NDA's in place. So were not hiding the info for the sake of hiding that information we have to omit it due to the licence and NDA. I hope this helps you understand a little more.

I did not refer to the "glycols" as we had in our previous discussion three years ago and established that you are omitting the propylene glycol component of the ethylene glycol mixture, I was referring to glycerol (not a glycol) found in for example the Pastel Extreme.

[mayhems]

Long story short - we no longer make pastel and its been removed from sale due to QC issues with our old supplier. (all pastel lines)