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Peltiers

Vegitto

Diamond Member
Yo! I'm gonna build a new system when I get my paycheck September 22nd, and I heard about an interesting thing called a 'peltier'. I knew about the existance of these things (through school), but I never thought of using it for CPU cooling.

Could you guys give me some advice? Like how many Watts it should be, and what kind of cooling I should use for the warm side? It'll be bundeled with a DFI LanParty Ultra-D and an AMD Athlon64 X2 3800+.

Thanks in advance.
 
I was toying with the idea of using peltiers too, since my dad has a bunch of them in his garage that he doesn't need. I spent a while researching it and discovered this: Peltiers are much more effective in water cooling than in air. The reason is they are so effective in getting heat out you need a very effective way to transfer heat out of your system, ie watercooling. Each peltier uses about 20W, and they come in quads of 4 most of the time. If you do plan on using a peltier be ready to do the following: Purchase a cheap $10 100W PSU. Make a duct to get air out.
 
Originally posted by: monster64
I was toying with the idea of using peltiers too, since my dad has a bunch of them in his garage that he doesn't need. I spent a while researching it and discovered this: Peltiers are much more effective in water cooling than in air. The reason is they are so effective in getting heat out you need a very effective way to transfer heat out of your system, ie watercooling. Each peltier uses about 20W, and they come in quads of 4 most of the time. If you do plan on using a peltier be ready to do the following: Purchase a cheap $10 100W PSU. Make a duct to get air out.

I planned on getting another cheap PSU, already 🙂. Unfortunately, I can't make a hole in my case, that would interfere with my other hobby.
 
Peltiers are hardcore stuff. You have to seal the processor to deal with condensation. Plus you have to figure out how to attach it as it will add some thickness and you won't be about to use your orginal hsf mounting equipment.

like monster said its better to couple a peltier with a watercooling system for better results. peltiers build up massive heat and has to be dealt with. I personally tried a peltier but still not to knowledgeable enough to help you too much.
For better advice i would head over to forums like xtremesystems or procooling, where they have cooling forums dedicated to peltier/TEC cooling
 
I'm thinking about trying a TEC, but I've decided to wait until Nanocooler comes out with their version of it. In general, though, pelts seem to be effective, just not enough to justify the danger, damage, expense and power requirements needed to make it work.
 
Well, I know someone that'll help me with it, and that has much experience, so that's not a problem. The only problem now is: Should I get a HSF for the peltier with fins only (such as the SLK-900) or a heatpipe-fin designs (such as the Zalman CNPS series or the Thermalright XP series)?

Also, now that I've got more heat to dissipate, does the 120 CFM maximum, for example for an XP-120, still count?
 
for the massive amounts of power they use peltiers simply suck. phase change or water cooling is where its at. go to dansdata.com and search his page for peltier if u want some rants against the whole idea. its sucky to say the least.
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
for the massive amounts of power they use peltiers simply suck. phase change or water cooling is where its at.

Yup, until liguid metal makes it to the enthusiast crowd. 😉

 
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
you could always go with a phase inversion system!

Well, money is an immense issue here. I suppose you mean phase-change? I think I know enough of that stuff to never touch a DYI unit. I'd trust a bought unit like a Vapochill 100%, though. But they're waay to expensive.

I can get a peltier for like ?20 here, and I was already planning on getting a big heatsink and a big 120mm fan, so I can spare the extra ?20 for 10 degrees or more of cooling. That's not a problem. But, like ?400~?800 for a phase-change unit: NO FUC[/i]KING WAY IN HELL!
 
Again, more CFM won't help you, as you are looking to remove the heat out of your system, not move it in faster. If you are considering peltiers either make a duct or watercooling setup. If you don't, not only will you notice an increase in heat of all your other pc components, but your cpu wont get any cooler what so ever.
 
and u'll need another psu for todays pelts😉 and your electric bill over a while woulda paid for that expensive vapochill phasechange cooler or whatever hehehe
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
and u'll need another psu for todays pelts😉 and your electric bill over a while woulda paid for that expensive vapochill phasechange cooler or whatever hehehe

PSU's been taken care of. And I cannot (read that?) pay for an expensive Vapochill unit.
 
if this is for ur profile rig, then u dont need pelts or vapo, unless ur shooting for experience. in that case go buy a 3000+ or 3500+, 2.8ghz northwood, or a 3.2 ghz (640?)
 
Originally posted by: Chode Messiah
if this is for ur profile rig, then u dont need pelts or vapo, unless ur shooting for experience. in that case go buy a 3000+ or 3500+, 2.8ghz northwood, or a 3.2 ghz (640?)

I don't get what you mean. I'll get an X2 3800+, and I want EVERY. LAST. BIT. Of performance. Little cost, I don't care (up ~?100), but if I'd buy a Vapochill, I'd rather buy a 4800+ or something.
 
Originally posted by: Vegitto
Originally posted by: Chode Messiah
if this is for ur profile rig, then u dont need pelts or vapo, unless ur shooting for experience. in that case go buy a 3000+ or 3500+, 2.8ghz northwood, or a 3.2 ghz (640?)

I don't get what you mean. I'll get an X2 3800+, and I want EVERY. LAST. BIT. Of performance. Little cost, I don't care (up ~?100), but if I'd buy a Vapochill, I'd rather buy a 4800+ or something.

If you want some advice from a former Pelt user, my advice would echo everyone else here, stay away from them. I ran a Peltier setup back in the days when the P3s were the performance champ. I was one of the first on Anandtech to break the 1Ghz barrier with my o/ced P3 733 @ 1Ghz. Peltiers require much more work and risk then they are worth IMHO. You have to line the back of the MB with closed cell foam to prevent condensation from forming on the back of the socket. I also would highly recommend sealing the CPU to the socket with silicone as well, to prevent any leakage. The only good thing about possible condensation forming is that will only produce deionized water, which has an extremely low chance of shorting your hardware. I would also def. recommend a dedicated PS for the peltier unit, as they can seriously drain your main PS, especially if you plan on having a high end video card. If you still plan on using a peltier setup, please do your homework, so you don't have to report back here on the ruining of your hard earned system.

-Josh
 
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