Water Cooling for Mexico...

[XtR-X]

Hey guys. My parents bought a house in Mexico and I get to make myself another computer there because I will be living there sometimes.

My question is:

In Mexico, particularly the city of Mazatlan, it's very humid... and not to mention it feels super hot. The room that I will have will be air conditioned... but only while I'm living there. I will not be there the whole time, maybe a few weeks every 3 months or so.

To minimize any extra heat that may be caused, I was thinking of going through a route of water cooling. But I have some concerns.

How do I go about when I leave my computer there? When I'm gone, the A/C will not be on, and the room WILL get very hot. If it's water cooled, won't this make me service my computer the next time I get back like flush the water and fill up again or something? Is there any major problems leaving a water cooled computer there still, and stationary in a hot humid environment for period of up to 6 months or more!?

Do you think it's inconvenient, or not worthwhile to choose water cooling?

Please give me some input.

Thanks guys.

 

[vassil3427]

I would say forget the watercooling. Just purchase high quality heatsinks/fans ect.. Watercooling wont really be worth it considering you probably arent overclocking, and you wont always be there to do a check up on the system. Water cooled systems require a bit of maintenance.... Thats my opinion

 

[XtR-X]

Originally posted by vassil3427
I would say forget the watercooling. Just purchase high quality heatsinks/fans ect.. Watercooling wont really be worth it considering you probably arent overclocking, and you wont always be there to do a check up on the system. Water cooled systems require a bit of maintenance.... Thats my opinion

This would be my first time into watercooling. I was thinking to purchase a Koolance system w/ case b/c it was convenient, and didn't look "ugly" like a homemade one. Maybe HSF might be an alternative. But heat kills! When I'm there, the PC will heat the room up really well! And yeah, forgot to mention, I'm into O/Cing. Was planning on doing it there.

 

[acidosmosis]

Just turn off the computer while your gone. No sense in leaving it on for such a long time while your away.

 

[XtR-X]

Originally posted by acidosmosis
Just turn off the computer while your gone. No sense in leaving it on for such a long time while your away.

No, no, no... I think you misunderstood.

First, the comp will be shut down before I leave.

Second, The room will heat up (due to climate) because no one will be there and the AC will be off while I'm gone.

My general topic question is:

How will this affect my water cooling system? Maintenance/Problems when I return in 3+ more months?

 

[erickdj]

man, just forget the water cooling. Good air cooling will be nearly as efficient as the average water cooler. Leaving your computer in a hot room won't do anything to it. I've been to mazatlan before, so I know what you're talking about with the heat/humidity. It's not that bad. I'd be surprised to see if you find more than a few water cooled systems in mazatlan or the whole state of Sinaloa.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

If you check the maximum recommended storing temperatures for hardware, you'll see that they're usually quite high.

My optical drive manual says this:

Environmental level
When not operating
Temperature: -30C to 60C
Humidity: 10% to 90% R.H.

 

[Didou]

Or you can experiment with some passive cooling. It's the only type of cooling that will not break down after a while so you wouldn't run the danger of having a fan dying & letting certain parts overheat or having the water pump die.

Might be worth a look.

 

[XtR-X]

Originally posted by erickdj
man, just forget the water cooling. Good air cooling will be nearly as efficient as the average water cooler. Leaving your computer in a hot room won't do anything to it. I've been to mazatlan before, so I know what you're talking about with the heat/humidity. It's not that bad. I'd be surprised to see if you find more than a few water cooled systems in mazatlan or the whole state of Sinaloa.

I'm not asking about what will happen to my computer in heat, I'm asking what will happen to my water cooling system with heat and not running for 3 or more months and service.

Also, the heat in Mazatlan... you think it's not bad... huh. I used to stay with my aunts and cousins in july and august and I lived with them and they had no AC. The worst part was getting sick in this kind of an environment (drinking the water... DOH!). You feel like killing yourself to end misery when you have a fever or the flu in a hot/humid environment.

 

[XtR-X]

Originally posted by Didou
Or you can experiment with some passive cooling. It's the only type of cooling that will not break down after a while so you wouldn't run the danger of having a fan dying & letting certain parts overheat or having the water pump die.

Might be worth a look.

What do you mean exactly? I'm not going to have my computer run 24/7 while I'm gone, and not even 24/7 while I'm there. Because while I'm there, if something breaks down I'll see to it. Or did I misunderstand you?

 

[acidosmosis]

Originally posted by XtR-X
No, no, no... I think you misunderstood.

First, the comp will be shut down before I leave.

Second, The room will heat up (due to climate) because no one will be there and the AC will be off while I'm gone.

My general topic question is:

How will this affect my water cooling system? Maintenance/Problems when I return in 3+ more months?

Ah! I see lol. In that case I dont know. No experience with water cooling yet.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Originally posted by XtR-X
I'm not asking about what will happen to my computer in heat, I'm asking what will happen to my water cooling system with heat and not running for 3 or more months and service.

The pump will probaly be dry next time you start it, and water pumps don't like being used dry. If you use regular water without anything else, algae will start to grow in the cooling system, and when the water evaporates due to the temperature, it'll turn into calcium-based things etc. that might even break the pump. So if you're going for watercooling setup, I'd dry it if it's going to be unused for months at a time.

 

[Godataloss]

buy a laptop and take it home with you.

OY- to have such problems!

 

[young&wild]

Originally posted by Mictlantecuhtli
The pump will probaly be dry next time you start it, and water pumps don't like being used dry. If you use regular water without anything else, algae will start to grow in the cooling system, and when the water evaporates due to the temperature, it'll turn into calcium-based things etc. that might even break the pump. So if you're going for watercooling setup, I'd dry it if it's going to be unused for months at a time.

Sounds tedious to me, might as well avoid all the hassle.

 

[lowman]

I would build a new PC, and use conventional cooling - take what you would have spent on water cooling and put it towards a better CPU, more RAM or a better vid card. Since it will only be on while you are there, and you will have the AC on while you are there, conventional cooling will be fine. Shut it down when you leave, and maybe invest in a dehumidifier for the room...

If you are hell bent on having water cooling, you might have to get in the routine of what boat owners in the US northeast and north central do when the winter comes (although I am no expert on water cooling - I just know a bot about putting aboat up for the winter). Draining the water system, drying it out completely and cleaning it well, and putting the CPU out of service until next time you come down to the new house (or when the summer time comes again for boat owners). Next time you come down, you have to prep the water system and get it filled again, and then you are back in business until you leave again...

I would rather spend that time gaming personally...

My 2 cents...