Hardcore Computer bringing oil submersion cooling to the masses

Dousing your gaming rig in oil is a technique we've seen from custom shops before, but not quite like the offerings from Minnesota-based start-up Hardcore Computer. Its Reactor line of submerged gaming rigs, shipping to real, live customers in about a month, use custom enclosures to dunk everything from the CPU to the SSDs in a blue-dyed, non-conductive concoction that we hope is mineral oil (it doesn't break down and go rancid like canola). A pump circulates the liquid through a side-mounted radiator for cooling while all the wet components slide out of the top for potentially mess-free maintenance. You can get your choice of Core 2 Extreme processors, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and even three GeForce GTX 280 GPUs stacked right on top of each other if you have the bank. Prices start at about $4,500, which isn't as bad for a crazy setup like this, with a well-spec'd, triple-SLI machine coming in just under $10k. We'd certainly call that hardcore -- despite the gushy center.

Update: It looks like Maximum PC spent some time soaking in this one and posted some early impressions and a bunch more pics. As it turns out the goo inside isn't blue after all; it's just lit-up that way.

[Thanks, Havok and Jamie]

[Stefan @ Oct 21st 2008 9:54AM]

Just add french fries !

[Guruboy @ Oct 21st 2008 11:36AM]

You eat that crap with french fries and you will have uncontrollable bowel movements for weeks.

[meh @ Oct 21st 2008 11:51AM]

... and Macs are STILL harder to upgrade! bahahahahaha

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 21st 2008 12:14PM]

So, its not much different than regular fast food?

[Testies, Testies, 1, 2... 3? @ Oct 21st 2008 12:54PM]

@Low Ranked: Love your avatar :-D

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 21st 2008 2:05PM]

I told you I was stealing yours yesterday:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/20/cafero-robot-waiter-serves-coffee-does-nothing-for-your-lonelin/

§=]

[htd @ Oct 21st 2008 10:03AM]

me wanty this so badly, but me having wife, no wanting divorcy in bad economy. :(

[LiqwidZero @ Oct 21st 2008 10:07AM]

Your horrible typing scares me.

[Levi @ Oct 21st 2008 10:13AM]

I don't know why, but sir, your comment wins- I can totally relate to that- my GF isn't going to enjoy all the time and money I'm spending on the fall games lineup XD

[OneLove @ Oct 21st 2008 11:11AM]

she must make more than you. (man up and grow a pair)

[Conceyted @ Oct 21st 2008 10:05AM]

What kind of temperatures can you expect out of a machine setup in this fashion?

Look at those prices =-o

[barry99705 @ Oct 21st 2008 10:08AM]

I think they said it shouldn't get any warmer than room temp. They're looking into using peltier coolers in later models. With everything submerged they won't have to worry about condensation.

[barry99705 @ Oct 21st 2008 10:06AM]

I doubt there's any dye in the oil. It's just blue lights in the case. MaximumPc has a good article on it. http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/hardcorepc_reactor

[Jesse S @ Oct 21st 2008 10:06AM]

And when fungus and bacteria start growing and then dust gets in and makes the oil conductive and then all your components fry.

Using oil is stupid.

[barry99705 @ Oct 21st 2008 10:12AM]

It's not cooking oil. Yea, it's so stupid electric companies use it in almost every one of those big gray transformers hanging on the electric poles. The only time the unit is open is for component replacement, any other time it's sealed. There's 20 screws holding the top on. I don't think much dust is going to get in.

[John @ Oct 21st 2008 10:09AM]

LOL the website cracks me up. There are so many clichés in the headlines.

"Rock-solid Performance"
"Get Comfortable on the Edge"
"Pushing the Limits of Technology"
"Domination Never Looked So Good"
"What You Need, When You Need It"
"No Compromises"

Hopefully the killing they make off of these will help them to hire a copy editor.

[JJV @ Oct 21st 2008 10:18AM]

jeez, it sounds like all the spam in my mailbox.... haha

[kal326 @ Oct 21st 2008 2:59PM]

What they really need on there site is some music licensing. I'm sure there is a little ditty by AC/DC that would go just perfectly with this product.

[z0phi3l @ Oct 21st 2008 10:10AM]

Not till I saw a long term review of this system's performance under, say, some daily hardcore gaming for say a month or so. Because for the price I wpuld want something that's going to last, no fizzle out in a few weeks of actual use.

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 21st 2008 12:17PM]

Benchmarking. Look into it.

[jrodliebs @ Oct 21st 2008 10:14AM]

Isn't there an issue with very tiny air bubbles getting trapped in the smaller nooks of the components that the oil can't fully cover and those small pockets of air heat up and trash the rig? I feel like I remember reading that awhile ago when people first started doing this.

[husher @ Oct 21st 2008 10:18AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtufuXLvOok

its mineral oil. not car.

this was at PAX 08 it was awesome ran the hole con and didnt get heat

[EMoShunz @ Oct 21st 2008 10:22AM]

that is a very valid concern. if they assemble it right though, the same way one would assemble a sealed high pressure hydraulic system, by pre-coating the components and seals, air compromising is likely not an issue.

[Newone @ Dec 4th 2008 2:05PM]

I doubt it's mineral oil, it plays havoc with many plastics and rubbers so the motherboard and cabling would have to be specially made. I've been tinkering with the idea of making one and my choise for the liquid would be perfluoropolyether. It's used in the ovenwelding process and it's pretty inert and nontoxic. They are probably using same stuff.

[MyHeadisFed @ Oct 21st 2008 10:39AM]

I'm pretty sure they used mineral oil in the Puget Systems one and theirs has been fine for a while now...

[fez @ Oct 21st 2008 11:55AM]

Again - probably not oil. My bet is a flourinert like Galden - hella expensive ($100/gal)

[mirakutea @ Oct 21st 2008 10:28AM]

surely phase change cooling is better than this for overclocking..

[barry99705 @ Oct 21st 2008 11:36AM]

Yea, but those compressors are loud.

[John @ Oct 21st 2008 1:31PM]

Don't call me Shirley.

[Brian @ Oct 22nd 2008 11:59PM]

My Vapochill systems just sounded like a soft humming. Any compressor noise was almost entirely drowned out by hard drives or cooling fans. This would be a decent replacement for water cooling or air cooling, but it cannot physically achieve the cooling ability of phase change or a powerful TEC.

[pball_inuyaha @ Oct 21st 2008 10:34AM]

I don't really like the like the idea of a computer immersed in a liquid . It might keep it pretty cool but there are too many draw backs. How much would that weigh, cause that would be a pain to even move room to room let alone out of the house. Once a computer part is submersed in it I doubt you could clean it well enough to use in something else or sell. Also how does this compare with a regular liquid cooled system?

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 21st 2008 12:19PM]

Hmm, you must have been living under a rock for the past decade. Also, if you need to move your computer around your house that frequently, I suggest investing in a laptop.

[pball_inuyaha @ Oct 21st 2008 12:41PM]

I may not move it around my house that often, but I move enough since I'm in college and do a semester of school then a semester of co-op. Thus I move every semester, which is often enough to worry about things like that.

Besides is it a sealed case? If not have fun moving it without spilling oil all over your car.

[wootman @ Oct 21st 2008 4:58PM]

Its something like 20 screws that hold the top on, i doubt leakage would be too big of an issue.
Personally I think this is only practical for someone with a budget and a desire for a ridiculously awesome compy, for you just a normal gaming rig would work, i would assume.

[benny32 @ Oct 21st 2008 10:41AM]

Here's my main problem with all of these crazy oil, phase change, and to lesser degree water cooling; getting parts out to replace or repair in time frame measured in minutes not hours. I'm a tinkerer so I like to replace parts or upgrade regularly as time and money allows these systems are for people who want to buy one machine and when they want to upgrade they need to buy another. That's not for me and probably a lot of others. That being said this is obviously targeted at a niche market that roughly the size of pin head so to those people enjoy. :)

[Mobius_1 @ Oct 21st 2008 10:41AM]

That would be very easy to upgrade when the GTX's are no longer the champs :P

Very cool though, interesting concept

[James @ Oct 21st 2008 10:50AM]

Sure would suck if my graphics card was sitting in this and shorted with a spark flying like it did this past week. Kaboom.

[Will @ Oct 21st 2008 10:53AM]

Fire requires oxygen, so I doubt it would do much.

[Necrotix @ Oct 21st 2008 11:02AM]

Just add Sea Monkeys FTW!

[Schizoid @ Oct 21st 2008 11:13AM]

$4500? Regardless of it being new in the market it's just too much for what I'm willing to pay. I like the system though.

[asdffdsa @ Oct 21st 2008 11:26AM]

If the cooling fins were big enough, would passive-cooling be enough for an oil-immersed rig?

[barry99705 @ Oct 21st 2008 11:34AM]

With big enough cooling fins, you could passive cool with air. :D

[Guruboy @ Oct 21st 2008 11:35AM]

This was my senior project in high school last year, though only cooling the CPU.

[Rick @ Oct 21st 2008 11:38AM]

Silicone and ester oils can be used. They are more expensive but are relatively nonflammable compared to mineral oils.

[Metal Geario 360 @ Oct 21st 2008 12:19PM]

Hmm i still wonder how much it weighs?



I mean its meant to be stationary but Im still curious...

[barry99705 @ Oct 21st 2008 1:39PM]

The Reactor dimensions are W - 24", H - 23", D - 10" and weighs 115 pounds.

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 21st 2008 12:22PM]

Something I've never thought about oil cooling. Your optical drives would need to be nearly sealed air-tight in order to prevent a gooey DVD from emerging upon ejection.

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 21st 2008 12:23PM]

Sorry. That sounded perverted.

[barry99705 @ Oct 21st 2008 1:30PM]

The optical drive is on the outside. I've never seen the need to cool an optical drive, I guess the little motor would get warm, but not as hot as a hard drive.

[lawschoolbound @ Oct 21st 2008 1:40PM]

Has anyone seen the overclocking specs for this thing? I know what specs they are using but they don't seem to say what speeds they can reach