PC Cooling, Oil and Water
Now that we've designed a couple cooling options, which is the right one for you?
Obviously this is a question up to the individual. The oil cooling option is intensive upfront in terms of cost and setup, but maintenance should be simple so long as you keep the oil clean. That basically means having some kind of dust cover over it to keep stuff from falling in. You probably don't want a real cover, like a tank hood, because it might end up being a place for condensation to gather and fall. Of course condensation means water and water means a short. In that way oil cooling can be a little tricky.
On the other hand water cooling requires a bit more regular maintenance. You'll want to check your blocks regularly to make sure there's no corrosion or buildup inside that will impede flow. Over time some coolants can also start to deteriorate in quality so you'll have to replace it. But, relatively speaking you won't need to spend all that much on upkeep. We're talking $20 or so a year. The issue is time.
When it comes to cost overruns, the biggest risk is with water cooling. As demonstrated in the water cooling build, it's really easy to inflate cost by simply changing a single part. Change motherboards, you probably can't reuse the water block. Change GPU, you definitely can't reuse the water block. Furthermore because the water cooling sector is more mature than oil cooling, there are a lot of unique styling options that cost more money. You can go for a nickel base instead of copper on the CPU block, and that will cost you more money. You can go for a different material tops for the CPU block or the pump, you can get one for more money. Heck, if you go the route of a separate reservoir and pump the pump alone will run you anywhere from $60 to a couple hundred. Even the $5 per fitting price I used is fairly low ball. You could easily spend $7 or more per fitting. That might not seem like a lot, but it can start adding up relatively quickly.
For oil cooling there aren't many varieties of options on the setup. Because it's so limited in the number of necessary components alone, those components further lack any large variety in options that might drive costs up. That being said, there are a couple spots where price can jump. As noted, the pump options can be costly, especially as you search out a pump that works well in this application. The tank too can be costly in two dimensions - style and size. If you go for something beyond just a rectangular tank (like bowed front or something) price starts going up. Furthermore if you need a bigger tank prices start rising rapidly there too. Being that some fish tanks can cost thousands of dollars, you're playing a dangerous game here if you let imagination outrun your pocket.
So, again, is it worth it? It is a very cool idea, and aesthetically it can be a little unique to have a fish tank you can point to and say, "Yup, that's my PC". On the other hand, not having fish in said tank would be odd. There is a YouTube vid of that, but it's a much different project that requires some added inventiveness and planning to pull off.
That wraps up this discussion. If you're adventurous and willing to take a bit of a gamble, you can probably save a little cash and get yourself a very good cooling option for your PC. But, it's not for everyone, particularly the styling of having your PC in a fish tank. Hopefully, though, this gives you something to consider.
Obviously this is a question up to the individual. The oil cooling option is intensive upfront in terms of cost and setup, but maintenance should be simple so long as you keep the oil clean. That basically means having some kind of dust cover over it to keep stuff from falling in. You probably don't want a real cover, like a tank hood, because it might end up being a place for condensation to gather and fall. Of course condensation means water and water means a short. In that way oil cooling can be a little tricky.
On the other hand water cooling requires a bit more regular maintenance. You'll want to check your blocks regularly to make sure there's no corrosion or buildup inside that will impede flow. Over time some coolants can also start to deteriorate in quality so you'll have to replace it. But, relatively speaking you won't need to spend all that much on upkeep. We're talking $20 or so a year. The issue is time.
When it comes to cost overruns, the biggest risk is with water cooling. As demonstrated in the water cooling build, it's really easy to inflate cost by simply changing a single part. Change motherboards, you probably can't reuse the water block. Change GPU, you definitely can't reuse the water block. Furthermore because the water cooling sector is more mature than oil cooling, there are a lot of unique styling options that cost more money. You can go for a nickel base instead of copper on the CPU block, and that will cost you more money. You can go for a different material tops for the CPU block or the pump, you can get one for more money. Heck, if you go the route of a separate reservoir and pump the pump alone will run you anywhere from $60 to a couple hundred. Even the $5 per fitting price I used is fairly low ball. You could easily spend $7 or more per fitting. That might not seem like a lot, but it can start adding up relatively quickly.
For oil cooling there aren't many varieties of options on the setup. Because it's so limited in the number of necessary components alone, those components further lack any large variety in options that might drive costs up. That being said, there are a couple spots where price can jump. As noted, the pump options can be costly, especially as you search out a pump that works well in this application. The tank too can be costly in two dimensions - style and size. If you go for something beyond just a rectangular tank (like bowed front or something) price starts going up. Furthermore if you need a bigger tank prices start rising rapidly there too. Being that some fish tanks can cost thousands of dollars, you're playing a dangerous game here if you let imagination outrun your pocket.
So, again, is it worth it? It is a very cool idea, and aesthetically it can be a little unique to have a fish tank you can point to and say, "Yup, that's my PC". On the other hand, not having fish in said tank would be odd. There is a YouTube vid of that, but it's a much different project that requires some added inventiveness and planning to pull off.
That wraps up this discussion. If you're adventurous and willing to take a bit of a gamble, you can probably save a little cash and get yourself a very good cooling option for your PC. But, it's not for everyone, particularly the styling of having your PC in a fish tank. Hopefully, though, this gives you something to consider.
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