Rack based water-cooling.?

[qbhatti]

Hi folks.

I've been out of the WC game for ages...my last WC machine was a q6600 in a thermaltake mozart case..I think I had 2*120.3 rads for that and a 8800gtx.

I have now got a small server rack in my garage which houses my router (forcepoint 1100) and small pc (4650g based ryzen server ).

I am wondering if it is a good idea to invest in a large radiator to put on the side of the rack, a big pump, reservoir, and a bunch of quick disconnects( I presume this technology has come on a bit since my days).

This will be to cool the ryzen and the router.

Has anyone done anything like this before or is it just a big fat waste of time and money..?


(Aim is for less noise )

 

[oldbanana]

As long as you are ok with routing all the cables to where you are going to use the pc it`s a fine option, you can run the fans/pumps at whatever speeds and get great temps without all the noise.

 

[cjgardens]

big fat waste of time and money

this

 

[lsg1r]

Wouldn't bother with what you have but a lot of big server farms use 'bulk water cooling' these days where they basically do the big pump and radiator approach etc. IIRC Linus Tech Tips had a tour of one such farm

Edit: Think this is the one I was thinking of

What $1,000,000 of water cooling looks like - Building Shadow's Power Upgrade

Thanks to Shadow for sponsoring today's video! Get 20% off the first month of your Shadow PC subscription, with or without the Power Upgrade with code LTT at...

www.youtube.com

 

[KiNgPiN83]

To answer OP if this kind of stuff intrests you, go for it. If its going to be a pain and expensive, don't bother. Off topic I remember trying to convince the management at my last place to go for in rack watercooling in our server racks: https://www.edpeurope.com/product-category/data-centre-infrastructure/water-liquid-cooled-racks/

They weren't feeling it and just threw some massive, cheaper earsplitting aircon units at it instead...

 

[jigger]

Nice router.

A stock AMD HSF is OTT for the 4650G. I’d personally only consider it if you plan to add more hardware to the rack at some point.

 

[Joe Jones]

Would it be more economical to improve the airflow throughout the rack to keep the components cool?

Perhaps less fun but build a box/cabinet around the rack with a bunch of quiet 180-200mm fans in the base and roof and push a huge column of air throughout.

 

[qbhatti]

So im about to do this now -
I am going to put my radiator on the floor of the rack to pull up cold air through the rad and into the rack.
The PC will be quite high up - do I need to put the pump the highest, or can the PC be the highest bit of the system?
I did order some QDs but I think the ebay seller isnt going to be sending them.

 

[Joe Jones]

In a closed loop it doesn't matter where the pump is.
You do need to be cautious of the pump head height though as too far between the top and bottom and your pump may not have the power to push the water high enough.

 

[qbhatti]

I think it's a d5 pump I have (although somehow I have ended up with 2 of these and a DDC).
I'm more worried about air bubbles.
If I have the rad flat at the bottom of the rack, fans pushing air into the rack. Then the pump and then highest will be the pc itself.
Will this cause issues in filling the loop and draining air

 

[Joe Jones]

You could get an air lock.

Easy fix is to have a run of pipe from the pump and have a T-junction that goes off to the waterblock. The top of the T will have a further length of pipe which can be used to fill the loop and collect bubbles (but capped off for normal use).
Depending on space you could have a reservoir at the top of the T-junction to make it look the part.

 

[hiroofheroes]

Going for quieter air cooling would be my first port of call.

Even if you have the worst case scenario with 1U devices with 40mm fans that have to spin fast to cool the server, if you have the space and don't mind it looking janky, you may consider removing the 40mm fans attaching larger fans via a duct. Getting a custom duct 3d printed would be cheaper than getting even a set of quick disconnects.

 

[qbhatti]

Going for quieter air cooling would be my first port of call.

Even if you have the worst case scenario with 1U devices with 40mm fans that have to spin fast to cool the server, if you have the space and don't mind it looking janky, you may consider removing the 40mm fans attaching larger fans via a duct. Getting a custom duct 3d printed would be cheaper than getting even a set of quick disconnects.

Yeah I thought about this.
I have wanted to get back into water for ages. I actually have all the bits now, some are coming this Friday..just gotta get the mayhem's stuff now then I'm all ready to rock and roll.

I will eventually water cool my forcepoint router..that's the ultimate goal.

I just moved to a 5900x and it's currently running no less then 65c idle. Hopefully this will be better

 

[SirConfused]

Given the height you're potentially working with, having the pump at or near the top of the loop is pretty important. D5's are great, but they don't have *that* much head pressure to push liquid up 1m+! Plus filling would be a nightmare if you ever have to turn off the pump and it all comes flooding back out again .

 

[qbhatti]

Given the height you're potentially working with, having the pump at or near the top of the loop is pretty important. D5's are great, but they don't have *that* much head pressure to push liquid up 1m+! Plus filling would be a nightmare if you ever have to turn off the pump and it all comes flooding back out again .

Thanks - im still in the process of planning it all as I have the bits. this little computer runs my plex + homeassistant so downtime is not preferred, but looks like ill need to re-configure the rack...


really silly question - is there any reason I cant use the plug on the top of the res to hold the res /pump up? ie. drill a hole into top of rack, and pop the res plug through it, into top of res - this bit doesnt need to be water-tight does it?

i ordered a lot of stuff, but a fillport wasnt on the list... i do seem to have ended up with multiple res's though.

 

[SirConfused]

Thanks - im still in the process of planning it all as I have the bits. this little computer runs my plex + homeassistant so downtime is not preferred, but looks like ill need to re-configure the rack...


really silly question - is there any reason I cant use the plug on the top of the res to hold the res /pump up? ie. drill a hole into top of rack, and pop the res plug through it, into top of res - this bit doesnt need to be water-tight does it?

i ordered a lot of stuff, but a fillport wasnt on the list... i do seem to have ended up with multiple res's though.

I don't think you've told us what res' you have, but I would say the answer is most likely yes... but you definitely shouldn't.

It might work, but I wouldn't want to be putting that kind of strain on something that wasn's designed for it. Especially if you think about what the potential consequences of failure might be!

 

[qbhatti]

Hi
I have a raijintek res, and have acquired a few ek res's as well. I have since ordered a proper fill-port.