Submerging your PC in mineral oil isn’t anything new; hardware enthusiasts have been doing this for years, and as odd as it may sound, it can in some cases benefit cooling.
It comes with a fair number of downsides however, though this hasn’t stopped research into oil as an effective cooling method.
What’s all this then?
The basic idea is to submerge PC components into a bath of non-conductive mineral oil that acts as a coolant. The mineral oil is then cooled in a similar fashion to how liquid in a water cooling loop is chilled, and circulated around the container drawing heat away from the CPU, GPU. and other heat sources.
As you can imagine there is great mess afterwards, and the warranty on any component submerged in the oil is void the second it enters the container. Replacing components can also be quite a mission, and it’s nearly impossible to get the components as clean as they were originally before the oil bath.
What has been a creative exercise for hardware enthusiasts is ramping up to the next level, with CPU manufacturer Intel deciding to take an interest in things.
Koolance mineral oil cooling demo
Intel tests oil, awards stamp of approval
Keen to see if oil cooling is the next big thing, Intel embarked on a year long trial with oil cooling equipment from Green Revolution cooling to see whether the technology was efficient and safe for servers. The results were impressive, and Intel awarded the technology a Noddy badge and two thumbs up.
“We continue to explore server designs, and we’re evaluating how (immersion cooling) can change the way data centers are designed and operated,” according to Mike Patterson, senior power and thermal architect at Intel. ”It’s obviously quite a change in mindset.”
Mineral oil submerged cooling
Can you expect oil-cooled gaming PCs in the near future?
The short answer is no, the technology is still in the testing phase, with Intel still researching ways to improve heat sinks that maximize the cooling ability of the oil.
Certain international companies are selling systems cooled by mineral oil, though the cost, shipping headaches, and limited adoption means this isn’t an option for most gamers. Other component manufacturers also need to jump on the oily bandwagon, so it will be a while yet before the average Joe can walk into a store and buy a new gaming PC, complete with components, mineral oil, and submersion tank.
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