General OpenPOWER Hardware > General CPU Discussion
POWER9 water cooling kit
vikings.thum:
--- Quote from: pocock on September 07, 2020, 08:11:41 am ---Looks really interesting.
Will the connections rotate? It could be helpful for getting the best pipe routing.
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Generally that's a feature of the fitting installed, not so much the cooler. Since standard dimensions are used, the cooler would be interoperable with other standard cooling systems. The top fittings in the draft are an example of rotating fittings.
We're also checking if this would work for 1U machines - would be a huge advantage for anyone looking for hosting these machines in a data center where rack space is expensive.
--- Quote from: pocock on September 07, 2020, 08:11:41 am ---I had been looking for companies that do this, I found this company, Optimus Water Cooling are close to Raptor in Chicago.
Then there is Ice Giant in Texas, maybe not far from the location where the motherboards are manufactured.
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While it is generally interesting to check all options available, we're based in Germany so it makes more sense to look for a partner on this side of the pond, also keeping indirect costs in check and potential legal issues manageable.
pocock:
I use a lot of German products without any hesitation and given my location, I'd probably try your product first.
Some of the US users may prefer a supplier local to them, it could also be good publicity for the platform if some of these other vendors list Raptor and POWER9 on their web sites.
Personally, I've found that the dual POWER9 system is so fast that my projects are finished compiling in less than 30 seconds. In that time period, the CPU doesn't get hot enough for the fans to make a crazy noise.
That said, as I put more jobs on the workstation, I suspect I'll need the watercooling.
I went looking for more adventurous solutions too, for example, external chillers and heat exchangers. This could be interesting for people who can dump the heat into a thermal store. For example, you can basically rack a couple of Talos II servers in your basement and 90% of the electricity will heat water for your shower.
https://koolance.com/cooling-systems-liquid-to-liquid
https://www.performance-pcs.com/water-cooling/water-chillers/koolance-exc-450-ultra-compact-450w-recirculating-liquid-chiller-exc-450.html
vikings.thum:
--- Quote from: pocock on September 07, 2020, 10:55:45 am ---Some of the US users may prefer a supplier local to them, it could also be good publicity for the platform if some of these other vendors list Raptor and POWER9 on their web sites.
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We can wholesale this system to an U.S. location on request. Not sure if RaptorCS would be interested.
We really chose the low-cost route here to check out demand. We're using an existing high-quality cooler (with different connectors where needed) with a custom-made high-pressure mount. If there is a market big enough, we'll invest in making a completely new cooler for 1U solutions (this only would fit 2U).
--- Quote from: pocock on September 07, 2020, 10:55:45 am ---Personally, I've found that the dual POWER9 system is so fast that my projects are finished compiling in less than 30 seconds. In that time period, the CPU doesn't get hot enough for the fans to make a crazy noise.
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There are use-cases that require a more quiet setup, of course if you don't need it like with your use-case there's no need to spend extra $ for a water cooler.
I found the IBM HSFs quiet enough when idle as well, for everything else, like office or living room situations, those HSFs are unusable IMO.
The reason for using water cooling for POWER in a data center, at least for us, is space and using a water/glycol heat exchanger for heating nearby offices, especially with energy being very expensive in our area.
--- Quote from: pocock on September 07, 2020, 10:55:45 am ---I went looking for more adventurous solutions too, for example, external chillers and heat exchangers. This could be interesting for people who can dump the heat into a thermal store. For example, you can basically rack a couple of Talos II servers in your basement and 90% of the electricity will heat water for your shower.
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This could be a fun side project indeed! In order for this to be economically feasible I'd think you'd have to have more than one computer though :)
pocock:
--- Quote from: vikings.thum on October 07, 2020, 04:17:03 am ---I found the IBM HSFs quiet enough when idle as well, for everything else, like office or living room situations, those HSFs are unusable IMO.
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I agree a lot of people will have trouble with the HSFs
Another thing that comes to my mind is the performance of the case fans: if somebody has some very large and quiet case fans, e.g. 140mm and they move a lot of air across the HSF will the motherboard fan logic be able to reduce the HSF speeds?
Looking at the Noctua fans, for example, they are offering fans with different maximum speeds, for example, 800, 1200, 1500, I even saw one with 3000. They will be noisy as well but will the overall noise be lower?
helen:
--- Quote from: vikings.thum on October 07, 2020, 04:17:03 am ---...
We're using an existing high-quality cooler (with different connectors where needed) with a custom-made high-pressure mount.
...
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Hi, can I by one of these blocks with a custom mount now?
Do you ship to Norway?
I am more or less going "all out" with this build. And custom water cooling loops is on the list of what I want to do :-)
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