Ideology – The Foundation:
Project: Deepfreeze
31 May, 2003 at 1:33am ET
Article published in
The Cray 2 supercomputer, affectionately named “Bubbles” debuted in 1985 as the ultimate supercomputer of the eighties. NetworkCS didn’t power down the last operating Cray-2 until 1999. Designed from the ground up with the largest amount of memory, the fastest memory, the most unique manufacturing technologies, as well as the fastest processors in the world, the Cray 2 was a technological marvel.
The Cray-2, modular up to 8 processors, Cray constructed 31 of these machines:
• Twenty-nine four-way machines
• One eight-way machine
• One single-chip machine
The processors employed were Cray’s own 244MHz super-chips. More than twelve times faster than Intel’s fastest experimental chip in 1986, the GaAs (Gallium Arsenide) processor featured the newest and most unique fabrication process in the world.
This incredible speed however, came at a significant cost. Producing more than enough heat to give instantaneous third-degree burns, this was the hottest processor on the planet. This heat output is an absolute constant, and was impossible to deal with in conventional means. Therein, the problem was resolved with a new and unique cooling system, officially dubbed a “Super cooler.”
The CDC 6600 fluorocarbon condensation unit continues to be the pinnacle of unique, enterprise-level super cooling units. A featuring twin CFC-133 (Freon) cooling chamber, the exorbitantly expensive fluorinert (Produced by 3m) is a bubbling and frothy fluorocarbon (Freon derivative). Electrically neutral by nature, with an ultra-low freeze point, this fluid was prime to be used in a close-loop system.
Entering into the insulated copper tubing and copper fluid blocks that rested within the system, the extremely hot processors brought the fluorinert to a boiling temperature, and eventually a gaseous state. Passing through the tubing into the freon chambers, the vapor would condense due to the chilling process, and enter back into the system as an ultra-cold liquid (approximately -121°F).
The Plan:
I had no such need (Or a wallet) for a device so elegant. In exchange for complexity and cost I employed an ultimately simple, relatively inexpensive, and short-term solution to get the absolute most out of my computer.
Riding upon the basic principle of dialectic fluid (That is fluid that is electrically neutral) that exhibits high heat-transfer and dissipation qualities, as well as employing solidified carbon dioxide (Dry ice), I submerged the core components of an overclockable system in an attempt to take it well below 0°F and overclock it.
The dry ice, although electrically conductive exhibits the property of “Sublimation.” This is the process of a solid evaporating directly into a gaseous state, skipping the state of liquid matter that could be harmful to the computer itself.
Observations:
I always found that my processor ran hotter than I would like it. At a mere 1.5v and 2.1GHz, the processor often ran at approximately 95°F. I’m a big fan of really cold processors. The colder the better.
Using the same fluid as the Cray-2 used, they submerged a computer into the Fluorinert and then added dry ice.
Hypothesis:
I hypothesized that the electrically neutral property of OptiCool, and the minor negative charge of frozen carbon dioxide would allow me to successfully submerge and operate my computer.
Experiment:
To test my hypothesis, I placed my computer into a polystyrene container, pour the liquid on top of it, and then place the dry ice into the container. When the liquid was decently cool, I booted the system and monitor temperatures. When the temperatures were quite low, I planned to overclock the system.
The OptiCool fluid being poured onto my computer.
Conclusion:
I brought the dry ice and cold-proof gloves in after my lunch period had ended. Our “Control” group was a small circuit that powered an LED. Pouring a small bit of liquid into the polystyrene box, I threw the LED circuit into the liquid, and it continued to blink showing that it was getting a proper electrical charge. I was extremely nervous.
I set the components that I had bravely culled from my crop and slowly laid them in the styrofoam container. The gallons of OptiCool fluid were poured all over the computer components. I had to sigh…More stressed than I have ever been. With heavy-duty gloves, I picked the dual 8 pounds blocks of dry ice out of their containers and placed it into the fluid. Immediately the 75°F fluid started boiling due to the extreme cold of the frozen carbon dioxide (Approximately -158°F).
The system was booted with 1.5v. Watching the temperature of the processor at 94°F steadily decrease, I was ready to proceed with lowering the clock speed and booting the system. At 1.33GHz with 1.5v, I knew I could’ve run the processor without a fan.
I booted into Windows 2000 and immediately launched a temperature probe. The temperature was steadily dropping as the OptiCool fluid took on the extremely cold temperature of the dry ice.
Successfully running a full round of 3dmark2003 (This was before the FutureMark fiasco, and I just ran it to test anyhow), the extreme cold of the system had reduced the electrical resistance in the system, producing the cleanest voltages I have ever had from that power supply. Keeping an eye upon the temperatures, they made their way slowly before the zero mark. Achieving an eventual temperature of negative thirteen degrees Fahrenheit the experiment proved a success.
An analog alcohol thermometer shows -30°C.
Sublimed CO2 gas being blown off the surface.
An ATI Radeon 9700 Pro covered in frost after extraction.
Aftermath:
In the aftermath, my computer was, and probably still is considerably oily in many places. I’m still surprised that it worked, even despite the theoretical promise of its success. In the process of doing this project, I learned much about dialectic properties of insulating oils, as well as the sublimation process of dry ice. It was an experiment in skill and courage, and I’m glad it resolved positively (Despite the clean-up afterwards.)
Materials involved:
MSI K7N2 Delta-L:
nVidia nForce2 Chipset:
– A2 Revision
– MCP Southbridge
– ICP Northbridge
Processor support:
– Socket A Athlon Classic
– Athlon Thunderbird
– Athlon Palomino
– Athlon Thoroughbred
– Athlon Barton
Memory support:
– PC1600
– PC2100
– PC2700
– PC3200
– Up to 6 banks
AMD Athlon XP 1700+:
“Thoroughbred B” core:
– JIUHB revision
– WPMW Product code
– Produced the tenth week of 2003
– DLT3C code, 1.5v native operation
Fabrication:
– Organic packaging
– Nine layers of copper interconnects
Speed and specifics:
– 1.47GHz default operation
– 256kb L2 Cache
– 10 stage pipeline
Corsair XMS3200c2:
Memory module:
– 6ns winbond chips
– Aluminum RAM sinks
– CAS/RAS/tRP of 2/2/2
ATI Radeon 9700 Pro:
Architecture/Bandwidth:
– 8x AGP
– 16 GB/s of memory bandwidth
– 128mb of DDR, 300MHz
Supported APIs:
– Up to DirectX 9
– Up to OpenGL 2.3
DSI Fluids – Opticool:
Opticool Technical Information
Basic dry ice information:
Dry Ice is frozen carbon dioxide, a normal part of our earth’s atmosphere. It is the gas that we exhale during breathing and the gas that plants use in photosynthesis. It is also the same gas commonly added to water to make soda water. Dry Ice is particularly useful for freezing, and keeping things frozen because of its very cold temperature: -109.3°F or -78.5°C. Dry Ice is widely used because it is simple to freeze and easy to handle using insulated gloves. Dry Ice changes directly from a solid to a gas -sublimation- in normal atmospheric conditions without going through a wet liquid stage. Therefore it gets the name “dry ice.”As a general rule, Dry Ice will sublimate at a rate of five to ten pounds every 24 hours in a typical ice chest. This sublimation continues from the time of purchase, therefore, pick up Dry Ice as close to the time needed as possible. Bring an ice chest or some other insulated container to hold the Dry Ice and slow the sublimation rate. Dry Ice sublimates faster than regular ice melts but will extend the life of regular ice.
It is best not to store Dry Ice in your freezer because your freezer’s thermostat will shut off the freezer due to the extreme cold of the Dry Ice! Of course if the freezer is broken, Dry Ice will save all your frozen goods.
Commercial shipping of perishables often use dry ice even for non frozen goods. Dry ice gives more than twice the cooling energy per pound of weight and three times the cooling energy per volume than regular water ice (H2O). It is often mixed with regular ice to save shipping weight and extend the cooling energy of water ice. Sometimes dry ice is made on the spot from liquid CO2. The resulting dry ice snow is packed in the top of a shipping container offering extended cooling without electrical refrigeration equipment and connections.
Final conclusion:
An experiment in insanity. Despite my fears, my inhibitions, and completely relearning the old adage about not placing electronics in a liquid, the project went off as a complete success. Courtesy of the Informational Technology Academy, this experiment was even possible in the first regard. Should you have any questions for the author, please email Robert “Thrax” Hallock. Should you have any questions about the ITA program, please email the instructor, Keith Kohring.
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