Mineral oil meets passive cooling: as extreme as it can get [blue print]

[Stefan1024]

Mineral oil

+

passive cooling

=

???

 

 

 

 

The purpose of ths build is to show off what passive cooling is capable off when you have recources to to wild. Like my last two passive cooled build, this one is also thoughtfully desiged and is able to runn in an environnement up to 30°C including stress tests.

This time the setup allows a TDP of 1100 watts! This is achived by using six amssive heat sinks that form an enclosure. As only flat sides are mounted together it can be seald with welding or a screw and glue combination. So it can be filled up with mineral oil to cool the VRMs, chipset and RAM as well. All main heat sources are still directly coupled to the heat sinks and do not rely on the mineral oil. Thats why I should get away without additional fans circulating the oil. Also the build can be run without the mineral oil for test purpose as long it is not stressed for unreasonable time.

 

As the possible performance is extremly high, so is the price. Also this build was designed on my passive PC so I do not actually need a new one. There I created a blueprint for you, if you have robbed a bank and some money to spend.

 

The whole interior will be filled up with oil.

 

 

CPU cooling: 8x 8mm heat pipes

 

 

GPU cooling: Directly mounted to the heat sink with a copper block. This works fine with my GTX 980.

 

Top view:

 

 

 

I will explein now why I these choosed the parts here: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

Of course you can modify the list to your needs and save some money.

 

MoBo: Asus Z9PE-D8 WS

I went with a dual CPU workstation MoBo. Sadly the models aviable are limitteded, because the RAM slots must be in 90° ange the the PCIe slots. Otherwise they will block the CPU heat pipes. So I choosed the Asus one with the LGA2011 socket. Maybe there will be feasable LGA2001-V3 board soon, so you can pick up better CPUs.

 

CPU: 2x Xeon E5-2637 V2 3.5GHz

If you find a better LGA2011 CPU you can afford go for it, but there ones are a good point to start.

 

RAM: Kingston 32GB (4 x 8GB)

As much of ECC registered memory as you like.

 

GPU: 3x XFX Radeon R9 Nano

This was, as in most build, a difficult decision. The GPU must match these conditions:

- No dedicated SLI/CF bridge because the cards are to distant (R.I.P Nvidia)

- <600 watts for all GPUs

- Single slot IO, so you don't have to use a 40mm think (!) copper block to surpass the second slot.With one slot the copper block is already heavy.

- 3x200 watts are much better than 2x300 watts because of the power density

- Good scaling (obviously)

 

The AMD Fury Nano meets all this conditions. Also the coolng capacity of the heat sinks is conservative calculated, the actual performance should be better. The Fury allows to rise the power target and scales good with the power allowed since it's held back a bit by the standart TDP. Also the Fury lineup shows very good CF scaling in general.

The CAD models of the GPU are not the Nanos. I just cut my GTX980 in half to create the model and save time. I don't have acurate drawings jet, so it's silly to spend a lot of time on the model.

 

PSU: SeaSonic 1200W 80+ Platinum

Good quallity and efficient. Due to the oil cooling the fan should hardly spinn up at all. And even if it does the sound should be dampened by the oil because it is at the bottom of the case.

 

Main drive: Samsung 850 Pro NVMe

Should be aviable soon and seems better to me than the Intel 750.

 

Second dive: Samsung 850 Evo

Don't dare to use a HDD

 

 

If you are interested I can provide the blue print of the system to you (when you don't use it to generate profit with it). Also I know suppliers for the heat sinks used as well as for custom bent heat pipes.

 

 

So what do you think of my little dream project?

 

 

EDIT: For these interested here is the proove of the concept:

250 watts: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/342534-finished-full-passive-powerful-workstation-gaming-rig-who-said-it-cant-be-done/

500 watts: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/351134-finished-the-silent-cube-pushing-passive-cooling-to-the-limit-with-dual-gtx-980-update-17-pictures/

[TheRandomness]

This would be very, very interesting Please make it happen

 

Also slight spelling error near the end: EDIT: Fix'd.

[ZetZet]

Overkeeeeeeell.

[Stefan1024]

Overkeeeeeeell.

PcMasterRace have to be overkill

[givingtnt]

 

Mineral oil

+

passive cooling

=

???

 

that is very cool looking.   I want to see that happen !

 

@LinusTech@LinusTech@LinusTech@LinusTech

[The Cool n00B]

AMD cards Crossfire (SLI) through the mobo via the PCIe bus now.

 

EDIT: nvm didn't read the post correctly

[don_svetlio]

NANO HYPE!

[The Cool n00B]

that is very cool looking.   I want to see that happen !

Bro why u gonna quote the whole OP, cereal

[don_svetlio]

AMD cards Crossfire (SLI) through the mobo via the PCIe bus now.

? It's been like that for 2-3 years

[The Cool n00B]

? It's been like that for 2-3 years

Ik but I edited my post bc at first I thought the OP didn't know that so yeet I was just pointing it out but I correctly myself since I didn't read the OP correctly.

[0ld_Chicken]

yes please!!  That sounds amazing!  I love your ideas, always unique and outside the box.

[thekeemo]

Im thinking that the system will heat up to VERY VERY hot temps. But after the thermal capacity of the oil has been reached.

[TheRandomness]

? It's been like that for 2-3 years

It's actually been like that for 1 year, 11 months and 23 days (Basically 2)

[Stefan1024]

This would be very, very interesting Please make it happen

 

Also slight spelling error near the end: EDIT: Fix'd.

 

 

that is very cool looking.   I want to see that happen !

 

When you (or find somebody to) sponsor at least halve of the cost, I will do it

[givingtnt]

When you (or find somebody to) sponsor at least halve of the cost, I will do it

hehe. not soon

I allredy have my pc in a f86 golden hawk model to do

[Stefan1024]

Im thinking that the system will heat up to VERY VERY hot temps. But after the thermal capacity of the oil has been reached.

I do dissipate 500 watts with three of these heat sinks savely. In fact I could do evem more if the connection form the CPU to the heat sink would be better. This one have 6 of there heat sinks.

The oil is only to cool the components not directly contacting the enclousure.

[thekeemo]

I do dissipate 500 watts with three of these heat sinks savely. In fact I could do evem more if the connection form the CPU to the heat sink would be better. This one have 6 of there heat sinks.

The oil is only to cool the components not directly contacting the enclousure.

ah

needs 3 more.

[The Cool n00B]

I'd be careful with PSU positioning. Since it's gonna be your only source of fluid movement, it's important where you direct the oil.

[Stefan1024]

I'd be careful with PSU positioning. Since it's gonna be your only source of fluid movement, it's important where you direct the oil.

It is desinged not to spinn the fan as long as possible. The rise of the hot oil should be enougth circulation. Look at Linus video of his oil cooled rig. You can see the flicker when the hot oil rises form the CPU heat sink by it's own.

But I thougth about putting old CPU haeat sinks on the big passive heatsinks pointing inside to pick up the heat from the oil faster.

[TheRandomness]

It is desinged not to spinn the fan as long as possible. The rise of the hot oil should be enougth circulation. Look at Linus video of his oil cooled rig. You can see the flicker when the hot oil rises form the CPU heat sink by it's own.

But I thougth about putting old CPU haeat sinks on the big passive heatsinks pointing inside to pick up the heat from the oil faster.

You still need to have something moving the oil, if it's just stagnant it'll do jack shit with cooling decently (afaik) cause yeah you can setup a convection current... waaait, how fast do those move? I may have just contradicted myself.

[The Cool n00B]

You still need to have something moving the oil, if it's just stagnant it'll do jack shit with cooling decently (afaik) cause yeah you can setup a convection current... waaait, how fast do those move? I may have just contradicted myself.

Depends on the temp differentials.

[Stefan1024]

You still need to have something moving the oil, if it's just stagnant it'll do jack shit with cooling decently (afaik) cause yeah you can setup a convection current... waaait, how fast do those move? I may have just contradicted myself.

 

Only a complex fluid simulation would be able to answer the question in advance. But it should be better than air that also releis on natural convection.

But adding a fan if nessecary is possible.

[KJaboski]

Regardless if the system is going to be hot or not, the fact that all components wont be as easily visible as for example in a fish tank is a big con for me in mineral oil build.

[The Cool n00B]

Dis gon b gud though I'd get 2 Titan xs instead of the 3 nanos

The GPUs are too far apart, you can't really SLI those

[Stefan1024]

Dis gon b gud though I'd get 2 Titan xs instead of the 3 nanos

 

Because of the SLI bridge short they must be closetogether like in my current build. But the power desity get's terrible when doing so. Also DVI connector is to big and requires a workaround too. The card hardly fullfilly any of the specifications needed and two of them are also expensiver than tree Nanos.