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Hardcore Computer launches immersion cooled PCs
Author: Harry ButlerPublished: 23rd October 2008
The new Reactor system from Hardcore Computer totally immerses the components in non-conductive liquid coolant.
How wrong we were then, as US based system builder Hardcore Computer has just launched its Reactor line of premium systems, featuring a patented total coolant immersion system which allows even triple SLI GeForce GTX 280 setups to operate without any fans at all – all the heat is carried away from the components using custom heatsinks which disperse the heat into the coolant, which is then cooled using a radiator.
Because the coolant is entirely non-conductive, the hardware has no problem operating in its submerged environment, and the additional cooling capability allow for a great deal of overclocking headroom for all the components inside.
What’s even more impressive is that Hardware Computer have managed to produce the Reactor at a cost that, while some will no doubt balk at, is pretty reasonable considering the cooling setup on offer – prices start at around $5000 for a quad core system with a single GeForce GTX 280 – steep yes, but not entirely unaffordable, and considering the exclusivity of owning such a unique system we’re sure there’ll be plenty of demand.
Our friends over at Custom PC had a chance to interview Chad Attlesey, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Hardcore Computer about its Reactor series of PCs, including the ins and outs of how the revolutionary cooling system works.
It’s certainly a big step forward in home hardware cooling, and while only just making it into the market place, we’d love to see more of this kind of kit, although swapping out hardware might become something of a damp experience. Tempted to import yourself a Reactor system? Or do you not see the point in total immersion cooling? Let us know in the forums!
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Also - the radiator is cooled by fans, although it is very quiet.
have a look here http://www.hardcorecomputer.com/ProductCategoryDetail.aspx (under the quality tab)
I see what you mean, I think this is probally needed to move the fluid over the CPU, as shifting all that fluid at a rate to move heat away I would imagine would need a hefty pump, this way they can keep a sustained flow over the hotter parts
Kimbie
Sure but with all the engineering that has gone into making this.. you would think they could come up with a cooler (pardon the pun) solution. Maybe use the pumps to just shift the coolant around the case?
really i just want to see how its done and what kind of precautions and such need to be taken when doing something like that ^.^
Seen as they even custom make the motherboard, it would be interesting to see how it compairs against similar spec systems.
I bet the shipping to the UK is a killer though, seen as they weigh over 50KG.
Not to mention the hefty import tax bill you'll get raped for by Mr Darling.
Not really, the PSU i imagine will either be in the fluid or sit out of it, either way if the fluid is non conductive, there will be no problems. If you saw the danger men program on C5 last week, you would have seen them washing 500,000 volt powerlines in a helo with pure water with no issues, so i dont see how a small 240v psu will casue problems
It definately looks cool, and sounds nice to have, but it's priced way, way out of what I could afford. For $5000 I would rather pay closing costs on a house or make a downpayment on a car. I don't think things like this really help the PC market when so many manufacturers price optimized gaming hardware/setups out of the mainstream reach. Sorry, just had to say that. Again, that whole setup is definately cool, but way too expensive.
lotsa very pretty pictures...
for the record you can put every solid state piece of equipment under the coolant including the power supply. In fact many transformers for power lines are oil submerged.
The problem with say submersion cooling over directed cooling is that you're adding a lot of waste heat to the system. For example you can buy a perfectly reasonable air cooled powersupply that is silent and has no need for further cooling. By submersion cooling this part all you are doing is adding more heat that needs to be extracted. Same goes for south bridges, and other smaller controller chips that don't need additional cooling.
That being said it is a nice looking case. I've always wanted to build a partial submersion rig using transformer oil
But can it...
Bitstream HD audio?
:|
Seriously, in my professional opinion... This is pretty fricking cool. (no pun intended)
I don't mean submersion. It's been done. I've got some drafts around here I did for one a couple years ago, though I never got around to building it. It's just very difficult to do and be practical.
But this. This, I am impressed with. It is sleek, well designed, fully thought out (the handles for removing the mobo are genius). I have not even considered buying a prebuilt in five years, I wouldn't even get one of the fancy ones if I won a million dollars... until this one. Starting at five grand? So, they are selling this at cost? My guess is, these guys just wanted one for themselves and throw out the R&D time and cost as just fun time (wouldn't you enjoy such work?). The case is gorgeous and the exclusivity would be an egotrip. I love the whole design, from the board to the way the vid cards mount, to the cord management. This is some fine looking case.
I would though really love to see some benchmarks comparisons, especially if this is really a custom mobo.
the coolant isnt a problem, and ya can add up to 3 GPUs in SLI. Slick system build if you ask me. The premium price seems to come from somewhere this time...
And why hasn't anyone talked about an accidental leak yet?
Although I would fill it with Fluorinert. :D
Could you fit it? Would it make any difference to cooling performance? Would it be awesome if you got rid of the physical HDDs and ran a completely silent PC? :D
It doesn't need the external drives. There's space inside for ssd's. I think they said they're working on a peltier cooled design for down the road.