Console Overclocking

[Guden Oden]

Why would they use water??? Water doesn't have particulary good heat transfer capabilities when used in a closed phase-change system (rather high boiling point as far as fluids go).

I think the water comes from a misunderstanding of how heatpipes work. People read it was a fluid coolant system and simply assumed it was water, since water is what is used in standard PC fluid cooling systems.

 

[zsouthboy]

Why would they use water??? Water doesn't have particulary good heat transfer capabilities when used in a closed phase-change system (rather high boiling point as far as fluids go).

I think the water comes from a misunderstanding of how heatpipes work. People read it was a fluid coolant system and simply assumed it was water, since water is what is used in standard PC fluid cooling systems.

no, i actually remember a magazine dismantling one of the first dreamcasts and it did indeed have water in that little pipe... however, you're looking at it the wrong way... rather than transfer the heat using a solid bar of copper or whatever, they filled it with water instead... the heat transfer wasn't reliant on phase-change or anything.

 

[Squeak]

Why would they use water??? Water doesn't have particulary good heat transfer capabilities when used in a closed phase-change system (rather high boiling point as far as fluids go).

If the air pressure is lowered it gets much better.
Experimental fridges have used water in vaccum, with good results.
Water is cheap and safe, so why not use it if it works?

rather than transfer the heat using a solid bar of copper or whatever, they filled it with water instead... the heat transfer wasn't reliant on phase-change or anything.

You mean the system was completely filled with water? I don't see that working.

 

[Guden Oden]

no, i actually remember a magazine dismantling one of the first dreamcasts and it did indeed have water in that little pipe...

Hm, they DRAINED the miniscule pipe and tasted the fluid that came out? It wouldn't even fill half a teaspoon, the diameter was TINY...!

however, you're looking at it the wrong way... rather than transfer the heat using a solid bar of copper or whatever, they filled it with water instead... the heat transfer wasn't reliant on phase-change or anything.

Um, dude, heat pipes rely on phase change... If they're completely filled with fluid they perform much WORSE than a solid bar of metal.

 

[Squeak]

no, i actually remember a magazine dismantling one of the first dreamcasts and it did indeed have water in that little pipe...

Hm, they DRAINED the miniscule pipe and tasted the fluid that came out? It wouldn't even fill half a teaspoon, the diameter was TINY...!

If it had been one of the alternative fluids, even a drop of it would have tasted awfull or it would have evaporated immediately (demineralized water also tastes bad, but not in such small amounts).

You're right that the cooling system in DC is quite small, but if you are going to rely on capillary forces through the return pipe, they would have had to use at least 4 teaspoons of water.

however, you're looking at it the wrong way... rather than transfer the heat using a solid bar of copper or whatever, they filled it with water instead... the heat transfer wasn't reliant on phase-change or anything.

Um, dude, heat pipes rely on phase change... If they're completely filled with fluid they perform much WORSE than a solid bar of metal.

What about lava lamps? They transfer heat pretty well.

 

[Guden Oden]

There was no return pipe, or at least there wasn't in the pic of an opened DC I saw. ...Which confounded me greatly at the time I might add!

 

[zsouthboy]

I'm certain that I read in a magazine (~1999ish) that the cooler in the Dreamcast used water... I'm going to do a few searches, I'm trying to remember the name of the magazine even.

 

[Squeak]

There was no return pipe, or at least there wasn't in the pic of an opened DC I saw. ...Which confounded me greatly at the time I might add!

I specifically remembered two pipes, so I looked it up at the ultimate DC source:

http://www.segatech.com/technical/dcinside/dc10.jpg

You're right, no return pipe but a pipe for each main chip. So it's traditional heatpipes with wick and vapour in the same tube after all.

 

[jvd]

Yes there is no return pipe .

It works very well though .

I have the model with it and the model with just the heatsink fan .