BleepingComputer.com: Building A Mineral Oil Submersed Computer

Gigon, on 06 March 2012 - 04:35 PM, said:

No Gigon, I haven't started building one yet. I actually received a computer as payment for some handyman work I did for a friend. Turned out to be a huge upgrade from what I had previously, so I've been futzing with that for a while. Don't have enough information to begin my own build just yet. I want to be absolutely certain I know what I'm doing before I start. Once you start a project like this, there's no turning back.

I'm sure you can find lots of posts online from people who have actually done this. Follow the video links I posted at the beginning of this thread and ask the guys at Puget. They are happy to answer questions about the process. If they give you some really good information, be sure to post it here. Good luck.

- Dean -

Why not just stick the thing in a freezer? Or get a cpu cooler that has a container of liquid nitrogen in it (how long does that stuff stay cool anyway?)

problem with a freezer, is ice is water based, it will fry the computer, and your average in home user cannot purchase liquid nitrogen and its extremly expensive.

printerandink, on 13 March 2012 - 09:32 PM, said:

Liquid nitrogen would certainly make it colder, but submerging your computer in oil makes it look kooler!

Why not get a freezer that has something to remove the moisture?

I'm thinking of doing this mineral oil thing with my current computer. But I don't have the space to do this, I would love to use a Fish tank, they are very cheap and they are suppose to last, you can buy some led lights and make it look nice, drop a picture... rocks... gold fish stuff etc.

printerandink, on 14 March 2012 - 10:11 PM, said:

printerandink,

Moisture and computer components don't play well together. Even if you could incorporate a dehumidifiers of some sort, it would be counter-productive. Why add a component that creates moisture in the system, then add another one that removes it? Not to mention, refrigeration and dehumidifying running at the same time would probably be quite noisy. One of the great side affects of an oil rig is it's totally quiet ~ unless you were to add bubblers ~ which I think would be quite soothing.

This post has been edited by rokittman: 15 March 2012 - 04:18 AM

outmeal, on 15 March 2012 - 12:13 AM, said:

I'm sure you could buy a small enough fish tank to hold all your computer parts and still be large enough to provide ample cooling. Just make sure it's one of those acrylic one-piece tanks with NO seams. I've read several forums where people used standard aquariums and the silicone caulking that holds the sides together failed because of the heat. Can you imagine the mess? You might also consider adding a drain port of some kind at the bottom that can be attached to a hose. That would make upgrading and servicing your system much easier.

And yes lights look extremely kool in one of these. It reflects through the oil much nicer than in an air filled case. I would have to add some plastic plants and those animated decorations run by bubbles ~ clam shell... treasure chest...skull! I think a system like this allows for infinite decorating possibilities. Make sure you post lots of pics and details during the build process. Good luck!

This post has been edited by rokittman: 15 March 2012 - 04:30 AM

printerandink, on 14 March 2012 - 10:11 PM, said:

Even with a dehumidifier in there, theres no garentee that it will remove all the moisture, and also uses a lot more power then a mineral oil system. Freezers are not practical tools for computer cases. . .thats just asking for a disaster.

rokittman-for the plants, make sure the plants you get either dont have the metal wires inside of them to hold the leaves in place, or at least make sure they have no contact with your components it could be problematic, but not a huge deal. As far as the drain plug is concerned, I would not add a drain plug-because to do so you would have to drill a hole, which isnt a big deal, but when you attach the hose, you have to seal it with something-the easiest method being silicone, but it would have the same problem a standard fish tank would in that the heat may cause the silicone to fail(though not likely) causing a mess. You can use rubber seals instead, or just drain it like you would a fish tank-with a siphon. That would be my choice.