TEC (Thermo Electric Cooling) your cpu @ -30C

[eatont9999]

Off topic butstill cool; the DTR notebook chips are looking like a deal to me. you can get a clawhammer core and spend $180, the only thing you mave to do is overclock, and get a thermal solution that makes contact W/ the core!! If you want to be super geeky, you could get a TEC (thermo electric cooler) and bring that core temperature down to -30C! Yeah thats right, -30C, make damn sure you insulate everything around the CPU, including the reverse side of the MOBO. This is so the H2O in the air does not condense a form ice, causing a shot circuit. This TEC gets cold on one side and hot on the other, keep in mind you will need to dissipate that heat efficiantly.

DTR: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-443&depa=1

TEC: http://store.pcpowerzone.com/peltiercooling.html

TEC= Peltier.
Do not even attempt this until you have done sufficiant research on the subject of the TEC and the DTR, otherwise physical hardware damage may occur. Most imprtantly be careful with the TEC, if you don't know what you are doing then Ice will form and possibly destroy your hardware.
A good rule of thumb is to get a "potted" TEC, that means the TEC unit its self is already insulated. Also a nice thing to do is have the TEC on its own power supply, that way it is not dogging your main P/S. I believe that one of those old AT case power supplies would work OK, if you have the room. I know I have about 5 of them laying around. If you have any questions I will answer them to the best of my knowledge. :thumbs:

[Killer Munkey]

I think this thread is more fitting for the cooling section of the forum.



back to the topic of this thread.

You'll only achieve -30C on a processor if you have the computer turned off, at best you'll have the proc sitting below your ambient temp by a couple degrees.
You need at least water cooling to pull the heat off the hot side of the TEC or you'll get a run away thermal condition and fry your stuff. Also to get a bigger delta T your better off stacking one or more TECs to get a higher temp difference between the hot and cold side.

[RotorHead]

Just Thought I would bring this down to the cooling section.

Carry On Please :D

[ALX_eater]

Stacking....it takes a brave man to do that. I've never messed around with TEC yet but from what I've read you have to have everything right in order to do it. Running them side by side is a better alternative.

[Hawk]

I started out with TEC's and they were great, but they have alot of pro & cons. Today, it's just easier to use the vapo's or Mach's for phase cooling.

[eatont9999]

So, what do y'all think about the DTR? Is it a deal or what?

[eatont9999]

Hey Hawk, I thought ICH5-R could only be used with an 875P chipset.
(referring to your specs.)

[eatont9999]

Or is the P4C800-E based on that chipset?
well, never mind.

[Hawk]

P4C800-E is a 875p chipset ;)



Also, the DTR looks great, but I have yet to see a review on one. . .

[eatont9999]

That link to NewEgg has a few reviews from people who have bought a DTR, but I have yet to see something official.

[eatont9999]

If anyone else has any other knowledge of TECs, please share it with us!

[Blueball]

If anyone else has any other knowledge of TECs, please share it with us!

DO NOT ATTEMPT A TEC MOD WITHOUT A TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER (Whether manual or automatic)
CAUTION ... A TEC is polarized. You need to make sure you have the positive connected to the right lead. Otherwise .... well ... lets just say things will get alot warmer instead of colder.

I've killed a 5900XT and a 5950U


BTW ... here's an experiment for you .... Take your TEC's and find a heat source (like your muffler or catalytic converter) strap it on and measure the voltage at the open wire ends. You will see that a TEC can transform the heat into voltage as well as the other way around.
l

[Blueball]

So why do we need an alternator ... if your exhaust was a big TEC ... you could power your auxilliaries AND have A/C ...

Without a compressor AND alternator, your engine will have alot more power and get better gas mileage

LOL

Crazy ideas

[Killer Munkey]

but what would start your car and keep it going till the exhaust was raging hot :)

[Blueball]

but what would start your car and keep it going till the exhaust was raging hot :)

Your battery would still power your starter. The TECs would charge the battery once you're hot.

[Android Vageta]

What kinda temp changes can be had between using just water cooling vs. using TEC with watercooling? Ive seen that Thermaltake had a TEC system, but it only lowered temps like 5C...nothing that major. How would a 200+watt TEC perform?

[Blueball]

What kinda temp changes can be had between using just water cooling vs. using TEC with watercooling? Ive seen that Thermaltake had a TEC system, but it only lowered temps like 5C...nothing that major. How would a 200+watt TEC perform?

a 200W TEC can remove 200W of heat in a perfect world. So ideally, you can expect to remove 150W. Due to changing ambient and your watercooling performance.

5C is alot when you are trying to push an intel over 4Ghz. (5.2Ghz is the highest I've seen ... no TEC ... Vapochill or was it cascading phase change?!?)

The key to a TEC is it's temperature controller. If you are running at idle speeds ... you don't need 150W of heat removed or you will be creating sub ambient temps and therefor condensation... or even a frosty buildup on the backside of your socket.

I can say for sure that there is benifits ... eg ... I achieved the following:

Stock FX 5900XT (390/700)
128MB DDR @ 700Mhz
GPU stock @ 390Mhz

Max stock overclock 424/821

MOD #1
Reflashed to FX 5950Ultra using modded bios

MOD #2
Replaced stock HSF with a Hybrid air/waterblock and added ramsinks

Previous Maximum Stable 450/900 (pre-peltier)

MOD #3 TEC
Replaced Hybrid WB with Swiftech WB
Using modded bios
470 GPU / 950 MEM

[eatont9999]

Very nice stuff Blueball, this stuff is interesting. I need to get my hands on a TEC and play around with it and get to know it first hand.

[Android Vageta]

You and me both!

[Blueball]

select your TEC carefully. eBay has a one w/controller for like $14. Ideally you would like it to be slightly larger than the CPU/GPU but not hanging over the sides ... that is where condensation will build. Use plenty of dielectric grease on the backside of chip where condensation would form.

I bought two (75W) 30mm x 30mm for $3.50 each at ebay auction. No controller.

[eatont9999]

Yeah, don't skimp on the dielectric grease. They have it in spray can form, tube form, and if you are really good you could cut up some neoprene. I would feel safer with the first two.
So uh, just how did you custom make an 815W power supply? Is it being used on a TEC at the moment?

[Blueball]

Yeah, don't skimp on the dielectric grease. They have it in spray can form, tube form, and if you are really good you could cut up some neoprene. I would feel safer with the first two.
So uh, just how did you custom make an 815W power supply? Is it being used on a TEC at the moment?

I think my first front page review will be how to make one. It is basically easy. Use a relay, powered by PSU #1 to trick PSU #2 into thinking it is being turned on by the motherboard. This is done via the green wire in millivolts.

PSU #1 = Enermax 465
PSU #2 = AOpen 350
Total 815Watts

I used the enermax for CPU/MOBO/GPU and the other for the peripherials and lighting.

[eatont9999]

That is exactly how I would have done it. Are they combined into one box, or is there enough room in your case for two PSUs?

[Blueball]

I don't really have a case .... :smash:
I adjusted my sig to show worklog and images

enjoy

[eatont9999]

Cool.....so you just welded two PSU boxes together. That works.
That is some crazy @$$ modding!!!!