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cheap mineral oil
William Labbett
Member #4,486
March 2004
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Hi allegators.

Got the tank.

Got the AMDFX9370.

Got a AMDFX9370 compatible motherboard.

Got a little flash drive with a 64-bit operating system (lighthouse64) on it plus the primality testing software.

Got a PSU I'm going to remove the fan from. Might be a bit short of watts but we'll see.

Those who can surmise correctly might guess that I'm planning on running a 64-bit flashdrive booting OS with an AMDFX9370 processor in a tank full of white mineral oil which I've yet to get my hands on.

I've been looking around on the intehweb for some but I've not found an easy way to get it.

Is there anyone around who's bought this kind of oil for the same purpose from a site and got a good deal ?

I need about 25litres of it so I'm looking for best prices.

Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
avatar

Wal-Mart?

Whatever you do, make sure you don't cheap out too much or filter it yourself! Tiny pieces floating around in the oil isn't so bad for food, but it's certainly worse for a computer.

-----sig:
“Programs should be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.” - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
"Political Correctness is fascism disguised as manners" --George Carlin

m c
Member #5,337
December 2004
avatar

Tiny pieces floating around in the oil isn't so bad for food

Mineral oil isn't something that you'd cook with though?

25L is about 6.5 gallons?

soapgoods.com lists:
55 Gal ($1.86 per lb) $ 819.92
4 Gal ($2.55 per lb) $ 81.75
1 Gal ($3.00 per lb) $ 23.98
1/2 Gal ($4.02 per lb) $ 16.07
16 Oz ($4.32 per lb) $ 4.32

similar pricing from http://store.steoil.com/cpg-mineral-oil/?sort=featured

You are looking at $100-$200

(\ /)
(O.o)
(> <)

William Labbett
Member #4,486
March 2004
avatar

Thanks m c, thank really helpful.

Also, thanks to Chris.

Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
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Quote:

Mineral oil

Good point. I immediately was thinking of vegetable oil, which is typically what people have done in those DIY oil cooled computer setups.

-----sig:
“Programs should be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.” - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
"Political Correctness is fascism disguised as manners" --George Carlin

Derezo
Member #1,666
April 2001
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It would be a lot cheaper... at least, in the short term. ;)

"He who controls the stuffing controls the Universe"

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
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Ideally you want a 100% non conductive fluid, and hopefully one that doesn't take too much effort to pump or cool down.

Vegetable oil may not be 100% non conductive. I don't know for sure. (some tend to burn at fairly low temps fyi).

--
Thomas Fjellstrom - [website] - [email] - [Allegro Wiki] - [Allegro TODO]
"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
avatar

Well, the reason people use oils is they naturally consume and form non-conductive protective bubbles around contaminants.

Pure water is actually non-conductive. However, water has extremely polar molecules which will pick up any potential contaminant and form conductive paths. It also can easily form ionic paths and will steal atoms from an anode and deposit them on a cathode.

However, water has 100 times higher specific heat than air, and 3 times more than most oils. And it's extremely plentiful (cheap), so that's why they use it in most cooling (to ambient) systems with the addition of a coolant additive to 1) lower the freezing point so systems don't bind up in winter and 2) reduce the effects of conductive contaminants by reducing the acidity to prevent corrosion.

All that being said, the field of cooling is a pretty interesting one with no "one size fits all" rule.

-----sig:
“Programs should be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.” - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
"Political Correctness is fascism disguised as manners" --George Carlin

m c
Member #5,337
December 2004
avatar

Don't forget chemicals to kill mold and algae, water cooling can have stuff grow in it, especially with warmth and light (case window).

This reminded me of flouroinert, a CFC that you can submerge the computer in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cray-2

Bad for the environment though.

(\ /)
(O.o)
(> <)

William Labbett
Member #4,486
March 2004
avatar

Thanks Guys.

I'm hoping the tank will keep cool passively by convection. I've got a thermometer so I'll monitor the temperature when I get it going.

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
avatar

I would not bet on it. get a submersible pump at the very least to keep things moving.

CPUs put out A LOT of heat.

--
Thomas Fjellstrom - [website] - [email] - [Allegro Wiki] - [Allegro TODO]
"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

Derezo
Member #1,666
April 2001
avatar

Yeah, with a high end processor like that I would retract my previous sentiments on that idea...

"He who controls the stuffing controls the Universe"

William Labbett
Member #4,486
March 2004
avatar

submersible pump

You know more than me about this. Can you suggest one from a website ?

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
avatar

That is about the extend of my knowledge. I know they exist, and are mostly used for fish tanks. I do not know how many can pump mineral oil.

--
Thomas Fjellstrom - [website] - [email] - [Allegro Wiki] - [Allegro TODO]
"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

William Labbett
Member #4,486
March 2004
avatar

Well thanks for that.

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
avatar

I'm like 90% sure there exists one you can use.

--
Thomas Fjellstrom - [website] - [email] - [Allegro Wiki] - [Allegro TODO]
"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

William Labbett
Member #4,486
March 2004
avatar

Off to Pets at Home again ;)

Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
avatar

I missed that question.

I've been using this one for years.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPGID2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But like TF said, most of these are intended for water applications.

From what I can remember, you can pump any fluid with a water pump.* ** But not necessarily any fluid with an oil pump. Oil pumps are lubricated by the fluid itself, while water pumps have sealed, lubricated bearings.

*provided there are no gaskets that react with your fluid of choice. But that is more often an issue with all of your connectors and hoses. That's the big reason you can't run ATF in a car that requires Dexron III, and vice-versa. The seals will fail.

**flammable liquids are an exception.

Lot's of people use water pumps for oil:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWcPCSNMqU

Just remember to test your pump for awhile with the fluid before actually using it on your computer. And ideally, have some method of warning you if the pump fails or hoses leak, which could be as simple as a pressure switch on the output end that dings when pressure is low and the pump is powered.

-----sig:
“Programs should be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.” - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
"Political Correctness is fascism disguised as manners" --George Carlin

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