Now We’re Cooking — PC Cooling with Vegetable Oil

By Michael Santo
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

Before going on, let me say this isn’t a new idea. I’ve seen oil-cooled PCs before that were done by individuals, but never anything done by a site like Tom’s Hardware Guide … and also, never anything with the level of step-by-step detail of this attempt at oil cooling. The conclusion: it works, it’s quiet, but it takes a lot of time (and 8 gallons of oil). There are also risks involved (naturally).

During the entire testing, the PC - filled to the brim with oil - in the transparent case was an absolute eye-catcher. Silently it performed its work - very slowly the oil got warmer, eventually reaching just under 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40c). Above all, it was not noticeable that the system was running under maximum load.

Experienced users should be clear on one thing: the large quantity of liquid in the case also involves risks. Much damage could occur, for example, in case of an oil leak - water would be a much lesser evil in this scenario, but due to the free ions it cannot be used. Even the smallest of impurities lead therefore to ionizing, followed by leak currents. When exchanging components, all of the oil might have to be drained and the hardware cleaned. That is why we mounted a rubber stopper on the floor of our case to aide in emptying.

The aggressiveness of individual types of oil (above all those with a high fatty acid content) when it comes to plastics should not be taken lightly. For simplicity’s sake, we decided on vegetable oil - but we recommend motor oil. Source: Tom’s Hardware Guide

We Say: PCs and game consoles are so hot nowadays … the Xbox 360 is getting water cooling, and I feel like my PC helps to heat my house. I’m not ready to go this far, however. For one, I’m too likely to tinker with my PC and thus have to empty it, clean the components, and then refill it. I’m also not too keen on the risk of an oil leak. On the other hand, the ability to fry up a snack without leaving my office is tempting!