New Way to cool a computer

[pat8996]

The new way to cool a computer (perferably Laptop)!

Step 1 play intill your computer shut's down on you

Step 2 If you have a Fridge or Freezer near by, unplug computer (if you play on the computer with it pluged in).

Step 3 Pick up computer take over to fridge/freezer, open the fridge/freezer, stick computer in where there's room for it then close the fridge/freezer.

Step 4 wait 00:00:30 - 00:01:00

Step 5 reopen the fridge/freezer pull computer out plugin press power button and play some more!

(i discovered this TODAY!)

[DonLorenzo]

I have a feeling that unless you live in a very dry climate you're going to run into problems with condensation quickly. Also rapid temperature cycling isn't the greatest for your battery (the matrix shrinks/expands and over time this causes damage which leads to loss of performance). Use with caution!

Otherwise, congrats on discovering that fridges cool things, I suppose

[Nuke]

my computer is a freezer.

many times ive owned laptops. and many times i realized that i never took advantage of the fact that it is portable. so these days i just stick to desktops, which have some room for some cooling hardware that doesnt suck.

id also be somewhat concerned with condensation.

Edited February 14, 2014 by Nuke

[vetrox]

Just use a cooling pad?

Laptops shouldnt shutdown on you. If they are you either overclocked it with a bad chasis (clevo) or it needs a clean

[MartGonzo]

Rapid cooling of hot metal components will kill your computer in very short time, save yourself a lot of money by buying a decent cooler, or it's going to be a case of replacing pretty much all of it.

EDIT, you did remind me of a good tip though.

If your hard drive dies putting it in the freezer for a few minutes (in a plastic bag) can get it working long enough to get your data off.

[Kilmeister]

This is a very bad idea. If you have a traditional hard drive you will experience a failure very soon. Unless you have a special ruggedized hard drive (Pretty sure you don't) The most likely the specified minimum operating temperature is 0C. And as others have stated. Condensation will be very bad unless you live in a really dry climate and you will have more shutdowns due to condensation than you would've had with heat issues to begin with.

[Captain Sierra]

Okay, here's a clever cooling system. My stepdad and I rigged the downstairs gaming computer with a liquid cooling system, then routed teh output of that do a dorm fridge which we relocated the heat sink for to the other side of the exterior wall. That thing never breaks 80*F running NVidia GeForce GT 680 and a quad core i7 factory overclocked at 3.6GHz.

[Karriz]

I don't think it's normal for computers to shut down while playing. If I had such a problem I'd try cleaning the interior and checking out if the fans are actually spinning.

[Kilmeister]

Exhibit A: Good Idea

Okay, here's a clever cooling system. My stepdad and I rigged the downstairs gaming computer with a liquid cooling system, then routed teh output of that do a dorm fridge which we relocated the heat sink for to the other side of the exterior wall. That thing never breaks 80*F running NVidia GeForce GT 680 and a quad core i7 factory overclocked at 3.6GHz.

Exhibit B: Bad Idea

The new way to cool a computer (perferably Laptop)!

Step 3 Pick up computer take over to fridge/freezer, open the fridge/freezer, stick computer in where there's room for it then close the fridge/freezer.

[The Destroyer]

...this isn't going to fit. Besides, it's cool.

[Scotius]

I've seen modded rig submerged in cola It's doable, but requires a lot of welder-fu apparently. It was hilarious, terrifying and fascinating at the same time.

[Raven.]

The new way to cool a computer (perferably Laptop)!

Step 1 play intill your computer shut's down on you

Step 2 If you have a Fridge or Freezer near by, unplug computer (if you play on the computer with it pluged in).

Step 3 Pick up computer take over to fridge/freezer, open the fridge/freezer, stick computer in where there's room for it then close the fridge/freezer.

Step 4 wait 00:00:30 - 00:01:00

Step 5 reopen the fridge/freezer pull computer out plugin press power button and play some more!

(i discovered this TODAY!)

Congratulations on discovering Thermodynamics. Also, has people have mentioned, this is extremely bad for your system. This will cause condensation, which short circuit and corrode your computer. This could also cause various hot metal components to expand and contract quicker than they should (read, causing cracks), not to mention the damage done to both your screen and your battery.

Just use a cooling pad?

Laptops shouldnt shutdown on you. If they are you either overclocked it with a bad chasis (clevo) or it needs a clean

Exactly. Computers will shut themselves down to protect themselves from overheating. The OP correctly identified the problem of the system overheating. But the solution doesn't work. The OP really needs to either:

1) Clean the dust out of the system.

2) Replace the system fan if it's no longer spinning.

3) Reseat and re-grease the heat sink.

Okay, here's a clever cooling system. My stepdad and I rigged the downstairs gaming computer with a liquid cooling system, then routed teh output of that do a dorm fridge which we relocated the heat sink for to the other side of the exterior wall. That thing never breaks 80*F running NVidia GeForce GT 680 and a quad core i7 factory overclocked at 3.6GHz.

I hate to burst your bubble, but it's really not that clever. Dell computers did this a few years ago by having Delphi inc. (the Mopar of General Motors) design a full radiator unit for the Dell XPS 720 H2C edition, combined with a low wattage thermal electric cooling unit and a liquid coolant, the details of which Dell is extremely protective of.

By the way, cooling a CPU down below ambient temperature causes condensation. There are actually gaps in the CPU and the CPU socket in which condensation can form; these things are not designed to be cooled that way.

[Kilmeister]

By the way, cooling a CPU down below ambient temperature causes condensation. There are actually gaps in the CPU and the CPU socket in which condensation can form; these things are not designed to be cooled that way.

Yeah I thought of that, but I assumed he'd turn it off when not in use. But then I thought, how does he turn the cooling system off. Do you just power down the fridge when not in use?

[ZedNova]

Putting your laptop in a cold place when it's boiling hot... i don't think the moisture buildup would be too nice...

Plus if you put the battery in there, it's going to degrade or kill it after repeated Cool+heat cycles.

[J.Random]

Don't listen to them, it's totally OK to put hot electronic equipment into freezer. Also, you should try this:

[DonLorenzo]

Hehe that's mean! Only in the way that you can now charge your phones so much quicker than your friends I mean!

Also, I do like how OP includes helpful directions such as 'open/close fridge'

Seriously though, don't do that (the laptop or the phone thing)

[Aghanim]

Well in overclocking cooling there is such thing called a phase change cooler that skips the air in the fridge by directly putting its cooling coil to the CPU, but everyone that use that use some heavy insulation to prevent condensation

[NASAFanboy]

i have a better way of doing it

step one: Turn off the computer

step two: Wait

[Designer225]

Man, those who had their computer shut down due to overheating must have not kept the fan opening open. It seemed like a good idea though, but I doubt it would work. Besides my laptop isn't overheating most of the time (even when the CPU are at their full power).

[sal_vager]

What on Kerbin is this doing in the Science labs?

To the Space Lounge with you!

(Also, this idea is not very good)

[StrandedonEarth]

Never use your "laptop" on a soft surface, including your lap. This is why they are officially called "notebook" computers. Soft surfaces will block the airflow openings leading to overheating. KSP gives me a pretty hot exhaust stream ( I should try to keep my coffee cup in the stream) but never a slowdown or shutdown, because:

The first thing I did when I got my first laptop was to cut a slightly bigger piece of plywood to fit underneath it, so the openings are never covered no matter where I put it. I also drilled a bunch of holes in it for fun (the plywood, not the notebook). Of course, you can always buy a laptop cooler to put it on, I see one at NCIX for C$20

[KvickFlygarn87]

First of all, buy a serious cooler - you'll have a problem with condensation before ya know it.

Secondof all, my rig isn't gonna fit in the freezer.

[NovaSilisko]

No, all you have to do is just put it into a tub of ice water, that cools it down very quickly. Be sure not to unplug it, the ionization of the water from all the electricity in it helps to clean out dust!

Edited February 16, 2014 by NovaSilisko

[minerman30]

No, all you have to do is just put it into a tub of ice water, that cools it down very quickly. Be sure not to unplug it, the ionization of the water from all the electricity in it helps to clean out dust!

I know, doesn't this work so well? Almost as good as the microwave trick

/sarcasm

[Red Iron Crown]

I've used some laptops that, even with a new or recently cleaned cooler, are not capable of keeping up with a combined CPU/GPU heat load. Not all laptops are well or even competently designed.