Choosing the right cooling system is essential for getting the most out of your PC and avoiding an endless chain of problems caused by excessive heat. That’s why many high-end PC users go for liquid cooling, whether with AIO products or custom configurations. However, professional overclocker der8auer recently explored a more direct and simpler alternative: using tap water.
Liquid Cooling: From AIO to Custom Loops
The simplest way into liquid cooling is an AIO (all-in-one) system. All necessary parts come included, and you just install it in the right spot — yes, an AIO can end up badly installed.
More demanding enthusiasts buy fans, radiators, pumps, and reservoirs, and then adopt flexible connections (friendlier in some cases) or rigid ones, which require a huge amount of work but look great.
A Different Water Cooling Idea
There are no sacred rules for watercooling, only recommendations based on past experience. With that in mind, we return to der8auer, whom you may remember for the laptop submerged in Novec. During a conversation with a friend who works with carbon dioxide laser systems, he discovered a very interesting detail: in low-power laser beams, air cooling is more than enough, but in more demanding setups, they cool with tap water. So guess what der8auer did?
Yes! While preparing a computer for Corsair’s German division, der8auer connected a Ryzen 5 3600 processor and a Radeon RX 5700 graphics card (standard, not XT) to his bathtub tap. The process demanded several tubes to cover the distance and some adapters, but there were no leaks anywhere. In fact, the process is much more direct than we initially imagined. When using tap water, factors like the radiator, pump, reservoir, and fans become irrelevant.
https://old.neoteo.com/por-que-algunos-entusiastas-estan-lijando-a-sus-procesadores/The best part is that der8auer didn’t do it just for fun; the video also includes energy and local water price values, in an attempt to determine how viable and efficient this technique is. The absolute minimum flow the computer needs to keep its temperature in check is just 8.2 liters per hour. After calculating the energy required to manufacture and power the components of a traditional loop, its equivalent in safe water is about 17,300 liters. If we divide those liters by the flow and project it to six hours of daily use, the result is 351 days of cooling.
https://old.neoteo.com/refrigero-su-cuarto-con-un-inodoro-y-arduino/Of course, the big question is: what do we do with the hot water that comes out of the loop? Waste is acceptable in short sessions with a high-power laser, but the trick for a computer (and any other system) is to recover all that liquid in some way. Technically, it’s still safe water, enabling options like hygiene and general cleaning.
