Opening Salvo: The game starts here!
Ok. So I have this knack for being over the top in anything that I do. And this definitely applies to how I build computers. When it comes to performance, I want the most that is physically attainable. Limits aren't acceptable here!
So in that unbridled mindset, I present the following.
I see too many people who build high-end (liquid or phase chilled) computers complaining about condensation resulting from their aggressive measures. That just doesn't make any sense to me. So let me give you an analogy to prove my point.
1.) Think of condensation as a speeding ticket.
2.) Go out and buy the fastest Ferrari available.
3.) Furiously spend money to get the car running even faster.
4.) Now, tell the salesman, "Put a throttle limiter on it, so I don't get speeding tickets!
Now, I don't know about you, but that just makes no sense! That's kind of like parachuting out of a plane at +10,000 feet, in shorts and a tee shirt. The point is, if you're headed into the cold, dress for it. Like the saying goes, "Dress for success!
So how do you dress for success when it comes to building computers? Simple. Coat your board with an anticondenstion layer. It's not too difficult. My first attempt was almost a disaster. But I learned from that experience, and I'll share it with you.
When I coated my board, I made the mistake of using Latex. It didn't occur to me that Latex siphons. Latex takes way too long to dry. And it siphoned right up into my DIMM slots. That was a nightmare! But it's easily avoidable.
I chose Latex, because it's what I had available. And I literally painted it onto the board in very thin layers (with a 1/2 wide painters knife. Yes, I'm also a painter). I chose painting instead of spraying, because my board had FOUR cpu sockets and SIXTEEN dimm slots. I started out by doing the back of the board. I knew that I would never be able to control spraying a (Tyan S4980) board that only had cpu sockets and memory slots consuming all of the real estate. But because of the capillary action of the DIMM slots, they were drawing the Latex up into them without my being aware of it.
It was only later that I found out what happened, when trying to insert my memory. So after spending much time with alcohol-soaked swabs cleaning them out, I finally got them clean. But it was certainly a nightmare.
It was only afterwards that I figured out how to avoid that from ever happening again. And here's how to avoid the disaster. You start out by using finger nail polish. Don't get fancy here, clear polish will do just fine! Taking the polish, seal all of the memory slots at their junctions to the motherboard. Fingernail polish dries much more quickly (almost instantly by comparison) than Latex. So there will be less chance of the capillary action pulling it up into the slots. Just use small amounts in each application. And yes you can be liberal here.
Once that has been completed, you can soak the board to your heart's content, and nothings going to suffer because of it. You can even use a lacquer if you want. Again, just thoroughly cover the board. The deeper the covering, the less likely it will fail! If you have ANY exposed areas (especially where components plug into the board), they will be susceptible to causing electrical shorts. And if that happens, believe me, you'll sh!t your shorts!
So if when you're all done, you've done the job right, you'll never have to be concerned about how low your temperatures drop during the operation of your brand spanking new Ferrari. ZOOM!
Shingoshi
So in that unbridled mindset, I present the following.
I see too many people who build high-end (liquid or phase chilled) computers complaining about condensation resulting from their aggressive measures. That just doesn't make any sense to me. So let me give you an analogy to prove my point.
1.) Think of condensation as a speeding ticket.
2.) Go out and buy the fastest Ferrari available.
3.) Furiously spend money to get the car running even faster.
4.) Now, tell the salesman, "Put a throttle limiter on it, so I don't get speeding tickets!
Now, I don't know about you, but that just makes no sense! That's kind of like parachuting out of a plane at +10,000 feet, in shorts and a tee shirt. The point is, if you're headed into the cold, dress for it. Like the saying goes, "Dress for success!
So how do you dress for success when it comes to building computers? Simple. Coat your board with an anticondenstion layer. It's not too difficult. My first attempt was almost a disaster. But I learned from that experience, and I'll share it with you.
When I coated my board, I made the mistake of using Latex. It didn't occur to me that Latex siphons. Latex takes way too long to dry. And it siphoned right up into my DIMM slots. That was a nightmare! But it's easily avoidable.
I chose Latex, because it's what I had available. And I literally painted it onto the board in very thin layers (with a 1/2 wide painters knife. Yes, I'm also a painter). I chose painting instead of spraying, because my board had FOUR cpu sockets and SIXTEEN dimm slots. I started out by doing the back of the board. I knew that I would never be able to control spraying a (Tyan S4980) board that only had cpu sockets and memory slots consuming all of the real estate. But because of the capillary action of the DIMM slots, they were drawing the Latex up into them without my being aware of it.
It was only later that I found out what happened, when trying to insert my memory. So after spending much time with alcohol-soaked swabs cleaning them out, I finally got them clean. But it was certainly a nightmare.
It was only afterwards that I figured out how to avoid that from ever happening again. And here's how to avoid the disaster. You start out by using finger nail polish. Don't get fancy here, clear polish will do just fine! Taking the polish, seal all of the memory slots at their junctions to the motherboard. Fingernail polish dries much more quickly (almost instantly by comparison) than Latex. So there will be less chance of the capillary action pulling it up into the slots. Just use small amounts in each application. And yes you can be liberal here.
Once that has been completed, you can soak the board to your heart's content, and nothings going to suffer because of it. You can even use a lacquer if you want. Again, just thoroughly cover the board. The deeper the covering, the less likely it will fail! If you have ANY exposed areas (especially where components plug into the board), they will be susceptible to causing electrical shorts. And if that happens, believe me, you'll sh!t your shorts!
So if when you're all done, you've done the job right, you'll never have to be concerned about how low your temperatures drop during the operation of your brand spanking new Ferrari. ZOOM!
Shingoshi
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