I Can’t Believe They Threw This Away

Linus Tech Tips

20 Apr 202418:52

Summary

TLDRIn this intriguing tech video, the host repurposes a UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler from a local data center to create a water cooling system for their computer. The video showcases the challenges and creative solutions involved in adapting the large-scale air conditioning unit, originally designed to cool data center air, into a personal water cooling system. The host and their friend experiment with various modifications, including drilling, brazing, and repurposing components to fit their needs. They also address safety concerns, such as wearing eye protection and dealing with metal shavings. The result is a powerful and efficient cooling system capable of handling high-wattage components like a 96-core processor and an RTX 4090 graphics card. The video concludes with a successful demonstration of the system's cooling capacity, maintaining low temperatures even under heavy load, and a humorous cleanup with the help of their sponsor's robotic vacuum, the Roborock S8 Max V Ultra.

Takeaways

💡 The script describes a DIY project where a UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler, discarded by a local data center, is repurposed for water cooling a personal computer.
🔍 The initial challenge was adapting a G14 PC water cooling fitting to the server cooler, which required drilling and brazing to create a compatible connection.
🏠 The server cooler is actually a chilled water modular air conditioning unit designed to cool the air in a data center, rather than cooling servers directly.
💰 The unit, discontinued in 2016, was priced at around $6,500 and is equipped with drip trays and insulation to handle condensation from the ambient air.
🔧 The water supply pipe is designed to carry coolant as low as 7° C, indicating the system's capability to handle significant cooling loads.
🤝 The process involved a collaborative effort with friends to overcome technical hurdles, such as short cables and the need for eye protection during certain procedures.
🔋 The server cooler was tested with a high-performance computer setup, including a 96-core processor and an RTX 4090 graphics card, to validate its cooling capacity.
🛠️ The team had to learn how to use new tools and techniques, like brazing and soldering, to modify and connect the cooling components.
💧 Concerns about the system's water flow and potential leaks were addressed by careful assembly and testing of the water cooling loop.
📈 The cooling system was benchmarked using stress tests like Prime 95, and it was observed that the CPU temperatures remained impressively low even under heavy load.
🧹 The script humorously includes a promotion for a robotic vacuum cleaner, the Roborock S8 Max V, which is capable of cleaning various messes effectively.

Q & A

What was the initial plan when the UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler was found at a local data center?
-The initial plan was to repurpose the UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler for personal use, specifically for water cooling a computer system, after discovering that the local data center was discarding it.
What was the main challenge faced when trying to adapt the server cooler for PC water cooling?
-The main challenge was that a standard G14 PC water cooling fitting wouldn't thread directly into the server cooler, requiring them to drill into it and adapt it, which was more complicated than initially anticipated.
How is the UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler different from a regular water cooling system?
-The UNIF flare inro acrc 100 is a chilled water modular air conditioning unit designed to cool the air in a data center rather than cooling servers directly. It has features like drip trays and insulation to handle condensation, and it uses water as low as 7°C to cool the air blown out of the servers.
What was the purpose of the drip trays and insulation found on the server cooler?
-The drip trays and insulation were expected to collect a lot of condensation from the ambient air because the water supply pipe was meant to take coolant as low as 7°C, indicating that the system was designed to handle significant condensation.
What was the method used to get the water so cold in the server cooler system?
-The script does not specify the exact method used to chill the water, but it mentions that there are several solutions, including traditional refrigeration and evaporative cooling. However, it also humorously suggests plumping directly into the nearest glacier in Canada.
What was the issue with the cable length when setting up the server cooler?
-The cable provided with the server cooler was too short, causing inconvenience and requiring a solution to manage the slack without causing problems during operation.
What is the Roborock S8 Max VR Tru mentioned in the script?
-The Roborock S8 Max VR Tru is a robotic vacuum cleaner mentioned as a sponsor in the script. It is capable of vacuuming up debris in a single pass and even self-cleans, featuring a hyper force system with 10,000 pascals of suction power.
What was the final conclusion about the effectiveness of the UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler for cooling?
-The conclusion was that the server cooler was extremely effective for cooling. Even with a high-power CPU under load, the maximum coolant temperature reached was only 56°, and the CPU temperatures remained low at 40°, demonstrating the system's capability to handle significant heat loads.
What was the power consumption of the CPU when the system was under stress with PBO on?
-With PBO (Precision Boost Overclocking) enabled, the CPU reached a power consumption of approximately 800 to 1100 watts under stress, as measured during the Prime 95 test.
What was the final setup for the server cooler in terms of water flow and fan speed?
-The final setup involved a high-volume water flow of around 1200 L per second and a fan speed that could be manually controlled, with the system capable of reaching up to 1400 L per second.
What was the intended use for the server cooler in a typical data center environment?
-In a typical data center, the server cooler is used to cool the air by taking hot air blown out of the servers, passing it through a radiator with chilled water, and then blowing it back out at a cooler temperature to be recycled into the server racks.

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ Custom Water Cooling with a Server Cooler

The video begins with the narrator discussing the process of repurposing a UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler from a local data center for personal use. The narrator is excited about the potential of the cooler, which is revealed to be a chilled water modular air conditioning unit originally intended for cooling air in data centers. The video covers the challenges of adapting the unit for computer water cooling, including the need to drill and modify fittings to fit the G14 PC water cooling system. The narrator also humorously discusses the complexity of the task and the involvement of friends in overcoming obstacles. Additionally, a sponsored segment for a robotic vacuum, the Robot Rock sa Max VR Tru, is included, highlighting its self-cleaning capabilities.

05:01

🔧 Retrofitting and Testing the Server Cooler

The second paragraph details the process of retrofitting the server cooler for use with a computer system. The narrator and his friend Justin face challenges such as short cables and the need for brazing to create custom fittings. They also discuss the server cooler's original purpose and its features, like drip trays and insulation, indicating its design for condensation management. The video shows them successfully managing to power on the unit and adjust fan speeds, emphasizing the powerful cooling potential of the ISC 100. The narrator also touches on the importance of sealing the system properly and ensuring the water flow is smooth before connecting it to a computer.

10:02

💧 Water Cooling System Setup and Initial Tests

In this part, the narrator and Justin proceed with setting up the water cooling system. They discuss the need for regular maintenance of the cooling system and the challenges of dealing with rust and other issues from the system's previous use. The video demonstrates the process of circulating water through the system to check for leaks and functionality. They also explore the system's controls, including valves for the supply and bypass of the radiators. The narrator expresses excitement about the potential of the system to cool multiple computers and its effectiveness in handling a high volume of heat. The segment concludes with a successful test run of the system on a single computer, showing impressively low temperatures and the system's ability to handle high power loads.

15:03

📈 Benchmarking and Cleanup with Roborock

The final paragraph focuses on benchmarking the water cooling system's performance over an extended period. The narrator shares the results of stress tests using Prime 95 and Cinebench, noting the system's ability to maintain low temperatures even under heavy load. The video also discusses the power draw of the CPU and the impact of enabling PBO (Precision Boost Overclocking) on the system's performance. The narrator concludes by emphasizing the effectiveness of the cooling system, especially for large-scale deployments. The video ends with a sponsored segment for the Roborock S8 Max V, highlighting its cleaning capabilities and an upcoming release date.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Water Cooling

Water cooling is a method of cooling where water is circulated through a system to absorb and dissipate heat. In the video, the host discusses repurposing a UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler, which uses chilled water, for personal computer use. This method is highly effective for managing the heat generated by high-performance computer components.

💡Data Center

A data center is a facility that houses a large number of servers and associated components, typically used for housing and running data processing equipment. In the script, the host mentions acquiring a server cooler from a local data center that was discarding it.

💡UNIF flare inro acrc 100

The UNIF flare inro acrc 100 is a specific model of server cooler designed for data center use. It is a large, modular air conditioning unit intended to cool the air in a data center rather than cooling servers directly. The host of the video repurposes this unit for a custom water cooling solution for a personal computer.

💡Radiator

A radiator is a device used to transfer heat from one medium to another, often used in heating or cooling systems. In the context of the video, radiators are part of the water cooling system that helps to cool the water running through it, thereby reducing the temperature of the air or the computer components it's cooling.

💡Threadripper

Threadripper is a brand of high-end desktop central processing units (CPUs) by AMD. These CPUs are known for their high core counts and are often used in high-performance computing tasks. In the video, the host mentions using a Threadripper CPU, which generates a significant amount of heat, as a test for the water cooling system's effectiveness.

💡G14 PC Water Cooling Fitting

G14 is a standard size for water cooling fittings, typically used to connect tubing in a custom water cooling loop. The host discusses the incompatibility of the G14 fitting with the server cooler, necessitating a modification that involves drilling and brazing to adapt it for use.

💡Brazing

Brazing is a metal-joining process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, without melting the base metals. In the video, the host uses brazing to create a custom connection for the water cooling loop, attaching a G14 threaded endcap to copper pipes.

💡Refrigeration

Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an area or system to achieve a desired lower temperature. The video discusses using refrigeration as one of the methods to cool the water supply for the air conditioning unit that is repurposed for water cooling the computer.

💡Evaporative Cooling

Evaporative cooling is a process that involves the cooling of air through the evaporation of water. It is mentioned in the video as a potential solution for cooling the water used in the air conditioning unit. However, the host opts for a different approach more suited to their specific application.

💡Prime95

Prime95 is a software program that performs stress tests on computer systems, particularly the CPU, by utilizing high computational loads. In the video, Prime95 is used to test the CPU's performance and heat generation under load while the new water cooling system is in operation.

💡Roborock S8 Max V

Roborock S8 Max V is a robotic vacuum cleaner mentioned as a sponsor of the video. It is highlighted for its cleaning capabilities, including handling pet hair, crumbs, and other debris efficiently. The mention of Roborock serves as a segue from the technical content to a product promotion.

Highlights

The discovery of a UNIF flare inro acrc 100 server cooler being discarded by a local data center provided an opportunity to repurpose it for personal use.

The server cooler was initially tested with a power draw of 500 WS, which unexpectedly resulted in a reading of zero Watts, indicating a potential malfunction or error.

A G14 PC water cooling fitting was found to be incompatible with the server cooler, necessitating a DIY approach to modify the fittings.

The use of a high-powered vacuum cleaner, the Robot Rock sa Max VR Tru, was highlighted for its self-cleaning capabilities and effectiveness in handling various cleaning tasks.

The server cooler was revealed to be a chilled water modular air conditioning unit, not designed for direct server cooling but for cooling the air in the data center.

The system is capable of handling a significant amount of radiator space, indicating its potential for large-scale cooling applications.

The server cooler's water supply pipe is designed to use coolant as low as 7° C, showcasing its efficiency in heat transfer.

The process of repurposing the server cooler involved overcoming challenges such as short cables and the need for custom fabrication of parts.

A successful reset of the server cooler's password was achieved, allowing for full access and control over the system.

The server cooler's fans were tested and found to be extremely powerful, with the ability to reach speeds of 1200 L per second.

The importance of sealing and proper plumbing was emphasized to ensure the efficiency of the cooling system.

The use of brazing for attaching fittings to copper pipes was demonstrated, highlighting a new skill learned during the process.

A powerful pump was necessary to move the volume of water required for the cooling system, emphasizing the system's scale.

The cooling system was tested with a 96-core processor and an RTX 4090 graphics card, showing its potential for high-performance computing.

The system was able to maintain a CPU temperature of 40° even under heavy load, demonstrating its exceptional cooling capabilities.

The server cooler was also tested with Prime 95, a stress testing software, where it handled a power draw of up to 1100 watts without significant temperature increase.

The final conclusion was that the large fans used in the system were very effective for cooling, even with high thermal loads.

The sponsor's product, Rob Rock S8 Max V, was mentioned for its cleaning capabilities, highlighting its utility in maintaining a clean environment for tech projects.