I'm thinking about getting a peltier. Anybody got any suggestions? How are you dealing with condensation? Are you running a seperate power supply?

Not in PC's but when I was in the Navy we had severl pieces of gear that were TE-cooled. I assume you are talking about Peltiere devices?

[ 05-24-2002, 01:56 PM: Message edited by: MagiK ]

i have absolutley no idea what a peltier is...

Yes. It is becoming more common to use a peltier between your cpu and hsf. It is kind of risky, because you need to get an adequately powerful peltier, or you'll burn your chip. Many times you need to use some form of sealant between the cpu and peltier because condensation may form, damaging your motherboard and ultimately frying everything. If these considerations are addressed though, it is a very effective way of cooling your processor far below room temperatures.

Well all I can say is that they work...but they are power hungry and they are expensive...or were. You really need an alarm or something if you use the internal power supply for this cause your CPU will overheat in a second if the power dies to the device.

Might I suggest water or liquid cooling? I think it is more reliable and safer than the Peltier's only because they don't have quite as much potential to flash fry your CPU if the power dies.

Here's a practical use for it!
Cool your Coke

I've had water cooling in the past and it's good, but the peltier would get much cooler. We're talking 5C versus 30C. Who knows. I'll probably just stick with my annoyingly loud delta fan on my current hsf.

Well if you REALLY want cool..you could get one of those small deep freezers that get down to like -40f and put your Case in there and drill a hole for the cords [img]smile.gif[/img]

That was great rudedawg! Some people just have too much time on their hands.

Oil-cooling seem to be the most effective short of a peltier - and i woudnt touch a peltier by itself:

a)Your only shifting the heat a few centimeters, your still relying on air cooling after that

b)The cold side of the peltier can cause condensation

c)The peltier has very low thermal capacity by itself - so if it dies you dont even have the time provided by the heat sink to save you CPU

d)If the peltier dies you dont know about it unless you install an alarm

e) I had an e), but I forgot it.

Anyway, the only place I would put a peltier in a PC is on the heat exchanger of a liquid-cooler. Yes, you can get a lower core temp with a direct peltier, but id like my CPU to survive the process. And it is easier to install a peltier than a liquid cooler, but if your going to rig up an expensive cooler you should be prepared to put in the effort.

@/)eathkiller - a peltier is a neat device that actualy pumps heat.

@rudedawg - LOL

Nah, go with liquid nitrogen (-78C), or liquid helium (-270C ish) :D might be quite expensive though. Oh and there is probably a risk of explosion.

[quote]Originally posted by Staralfur:

Quote:

Nah, go with liquid nitrogen (-78C), or liquid helium (-270C ish) :D might be quite expensive though. Oh and there is probably a risk of explosion.

Not a bad idea [img]smile.gif[/img] whats an occasional explosion between a boy and his CPU? :D

I toyed with this idea myself. Peltiers are effective, but risky. I would only use one if you are a serious overclocker and like to experiment and spend money. A thermal circuit using a relay which would trip off the power supply would be recommended along with a separate thermal triggered alarm. I don't think either would be too hard for someone who's familiar with a soldering iron and willing to look up some circuit schematics. Of course, PC component swapping has removed the need for basic electronic skills from techs. these days. Unless you have a personal interest, you wouldn't know anything beyond testing the output of the power supply. The only reason I know anything is due to HAM radio and that hobby has lost it's lustre to me these days.

You think theres a condensation problem with a peltier? Try liquid N2 and youll see a condensation problem. Oh and the equipment to keep it that cool puts out a couple decibels too many for my liking.

Besides how fast do you want it to go? 200% overclocked?