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Aquarium Full of Oil For PC Cooling

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the because-you-can dept.

JaredOfEuropa writes "Forget fancy watercooled CPUs or complicated heat pipes. Annoyed with the noise of the forced-air cooling in his computer, this guy simply dumped his entire motherboard in an aquarium filled with mineral oil. (coral cache). No modifications were necessary; he even left the fans running to keep the oil moving about. The only thing not submersed in oil is the hard disk."

36 of 597 comments (clear)

  1. Nothing to see here, move along. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    So if this thing overheats, does it deep fry itself?

    1. Re:Nothing to see here, move along. by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 4, Funny

      So if this thing overheats, does it deep fry itself?

      Do you want fries with your websurfing?

      Can we supersize it?

      --
      -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    2. Re:Nothing to see here, move along. by UnknowingFool · · Score: 5, Funny

      If he used it as the webserver for these pictures, I would say the fire department is probably on it's way already.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    3. Re:Nothing to see here, move along. by acrimony · · Score: 1, Funny

      Is that a huka in the background?! Now I understand where he got the idea: "I'm fried.. I'm on a computer.. How can I get the computer fried?" Another look might reveal it's acutally soaking in hash oil.

    4. Re:Nothing to see here, move along. by zymurgyboy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Arrrrr. I don't know about that, matey. But if he be puttin' a pirated copy of Windows on there, he'll be all set for the boil he's deservin'.

      --
      If you never make mistakes, it's probably because you're not doing anything.
    5. Re:Nothing to see here, move along. by robertjw · · Score: 2, Funny

      If he used it as the webserver for these pictures, I would say the fire department is probably on it's way already.

      Or at least the guy making the fries at the local McDonalds.

      --
      Find coupons in Greeley
  2. Not submerged... by Chicane-UK · · Score: 5, Funny

    he only thing not submersed in oil is the hard disk.

    And what about the CDROM drive eh, eh?! :)

    --
    "Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
    1. Re:Not submerged... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      You could put little snorkels over the holes on the disk drive to allow air into them.

  3. Apologies to AC/DC, but by martensitic · · Score: 1, Funny

    Baby, what you want, it's the way she move [Baby, feel what you want] Feel what you need, come on let's go [Baby, feel what you need] Cover you in oil I wanna cover you in oil [Let me cover you in oil] Let me cover you in oil [I wanna cover you in oil] Cover you in oil [Let me cover you in oil] [Yeah]

    --
    Ut Tensio, Sic Vis
  4. Damn! by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Mineral oil?!? I'll bet all his fish are dead!

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  5. His Server.... by nathanmace · · Score: 1, Funny

    From the looks of things, maybe his server could use some cooling. :-) Looks like I might have the first post, and the link posted above is already gone.

    --
    I'm very responsible, when ever something goes wrong they always say I'm responsible.
  6. New Headline by Boolio · · Score: 5, Funny

    New Headline: Slashdot effect causes need to change the oil........

    1. Re:New Headline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Something tells me this somehow started when someone from accounting was asked to make a purchase order for a router from a company named Crisco Systems.

  7. Slick! by MisanthropicProgram · · Score: 3, Funny

    'Nuff Said

  8. These PC cooling tall tales are getting absurd by wsanders · · Score: 2, Funny

    What's next -

    - PC kept lifted to tropopause to take advantage of constant -55C temperatures

    - Armies of hamsters enslaved to turn multi-stage centrifugal fans

    - PC strapped onto hood of 67 Camaro driven down freeway to maximize airflow

    --
    Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
  9. Re:Is he trying out for a new Jackass movie? by jebell · · Score: 5, Funny
    Mineral Oil is not nice stuff

    It makes a good laxative.

    --
    This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
  10. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  11. Re:In case of slashdotting by kv9 · · Score: 5, Funny
    There is still the problem of removing the heat. If there is enough surface area to allow the heat to be removed then you are ok, otherwise the oil (and everything else) will get too hot.

    then you could always make some killer fries by overclocking. i see no prob w/ that.

    --
    Stop Computers/Cars Analogies on S
  12. Re:Is he trying out for a new Jackass movie? by stevesliva · · Score: 5, Funny
    " Material is a cathartic and can cause serious diarrhea. Nausea and vomiting may also occur and possibly abdominal cramping. "
    Sounds like Taco Bell.
    --
    Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts
  13. Re:Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny


    Can we do the same thing with water instead?

    So *YOUR* the reason my Hairdryer has that warning label saying "Do not use while taking a shower". Wow, i thought you people were a Myth. =)

  14. Slashdotted - Catch Fire by billstewart · · Score: 3, Funny

    Flammable liquid coolants - just what a gamer needs. You thought using the flamethrower inside was only a way to die in Doom?

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  15. I can hear the upsell now.... by Sloosh13 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Would you like to supersize that order at Fry's?

  16. Re:Whatever floats your.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Golly, I hope you didn't have to service that. Transformer oil from 1917? Must have been full of PCB's. I hope your future children will all have the normal number of heads.

  17. Enough by timmy_otoole · · Score: 2, Funny

    with the freakin' CPU cooling stories already! Every other day it's "some guy has invented a novel way of cooling his CPU using a recycled urinal flusher, some windex and half the periodic table. Download the 60GB MPEG to watch it in action!"

  18. More One Liners by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nothing says "nerd" like a PC dipped in a vat o' lard.

    So what happens when the motherboard gets fried?

    Installing Mandrake results in a default hostname of PekingDuck.

    Two words: Debian Potato.

    Installing Snort causes the room to smell like pork rinds.

    Cool off your PDA -- grease a palm!!!

    No, the oil doesn't make your 56k modem go faster.

    Friendly reminder to change your oil every 3 months or every 3000 Megs.

  19. Re:Reported previously by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Funny
    This has been done before, as reported by slashdot almost six years ago [slashdot.org].

    well, given the regularity of dupes around here, I'll go out on a limb and say as dupes go, this one is at least new to most of us.
    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  20. Re:A few notes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    The only component I found that could not be submerged was a hard drive
    It sounds like there's a story behind that statement...

  21. Re:A few notes... by myowntrueself · · Score: 2, Funny

    "The guy uses vegetable oil not mineral oil according to his site."

    Should have used extra virgin olive oil. Added lots of anchovies, some garlic and half a pound of butter.

    mmmmmmm bana cauda....

    Mr. Garibaldi would be proud.

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
  22. Re:Dielectric constant & high speed circuits by Afrosheen · · Score: 4, Funny

    Read: don't try this with PC Chips or ECS motherboards.

  23. Re:A few notes... by tsotha · · Score: 2, Funny
    If a drop of some other liquid (that is lighter than the oil) accidently falls into the resevoir it will quickly be coated by the mineral oil and slowly fall to the bottom and can be sucked out (phew!)

    I'm tryin' to figure out why a drop of anything ligher than mineral oil would sink to the bottom instead of floating on the top.

  24. Canned air not recommended for cleaning... by DaveM753 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Stickiest dust bunnies EVER.

  25. Re:Reported previously by Easy2RememberNick · · Score: 3, Funny

    Give the guy a break he just got back from the Time Travellers Convention! It was him six years ago ;)

  26. Re:In case of slashdotting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Look more closely. They're selling it by the MegaLitre (ML).

  27. Re:In case of slashdotting by shobadobs · · Score: 2, Funny

    Why not do it at -40 next time; that way you don't have to keep all those F's.

  28. Re:Wow by Alsee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just imagine how efficently you could carry heat away if you submerge the motherboard in mercury!

    Oh wait...

    -

    --
    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  29. Re:A few notes... by ignorant_coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Should have used extra virgin olive oil.

    Considering the likely type of person who enjoys overclocking systems in tubs of oil, using "extra virgin" oil would just be redundant.