Hardware Possible to cool a CPU without fan?

[Harsky]

I got a call from my cousin who says that I can have his old gaming PC which I plan to turn into a seedbox for torrents. Is it actually possible to cool the CPU without a fan so that I can have a super silent machine to have in my room?

 

[Deleted member 473940]

Water Cooling? Or you can buy silent fan?
Which CPU is it anyway?

 

[Originality]

Yes it is possible to passively cool a CPU. However if it's a CPU that has a high TDP, such as CPUs used in gaming PCs, it is extremely unadvisable and would require fairly extreme under clocking. Also keep in mind that without any fans in the system, it will only get hotter and hotter with use, and that hot air will not have any way to get out.

Consider getting a case designed for sound suppression.
Edit: also consider a PSU with an exhaust fan and a closed liquid cooling loop for the CPU with a silent fan. Won't be silent, but it will be quiet.

 

[Youkai]

just put the Computer in the Basement or something if you don't want to hear it ... as Long as you only use it for seeding or as a Server it shouldn't matter where it is placed as Long as you have Connection down there ^^V

 

[Foxi4]

Considering the fact that this will be exclusively a seedbox, I can totally imagine it going fanless. Remove all the unnecessary components, use the integrated GPU (if present), underclock, undervolt, if needs be grab a bigger fan. It won't ever reach the point of heavy stress anyways and that way you can minimize power consumption and heat emission.

 

[FAST6191]

For my money water cooling takes a bit too much maintenance for a machine you want to stick somewhere and largely forget about.

Peltiers not an option? A bit power hungry perhaps and you may have the condensation issue to deal with. It would be a struggle, especially on a once gaming grade PC that has now aged out of it.
Likewise some of the wax based phase change stuff is doing well, I have not seen it in computers yet (computer cooling types seem to have a very odd relationship with science) but it could be made to work.

Failing that what about having a fan and just controlling it so it does all its fanning at once and never between certain hours?

Alternatively alternatively HDMI leads can be fairly long before they starting having issues, LAN cables can also be fairly long before they have issues and remote desktop is pretty good these days if neither of those will do. Not really suitable if you only have a small flat or something but if you do have an attic, basement or cupboard somewhere then it is very much an option. In recent times I have run a few HDMI cables on longer runs so people can have media PCs without the hassle of having to have a SO approved case or something.

 

[Harsky]

Another thing that I want out of this seedbox is the ability to check the progress from my main PC. I was thinking of having Windows 7 and using the remote desktop feature but I'm not sure if this is the ideal solution.

 

[Arras]

Another thing that I want out of this seedbox is the ability to check the progress from my main PC. I was thinking of having Windows 7 and using the remote desktop feature but I'm not sure if this is the ideal solution.

If you just want a seedbox for torrents, running some version of Linux with a web-based client may be a good idea. It allows you to manage the torrent client from any web browser on the local network (or even on the internet if you port forward) and you can get away with a much lighter OS than Windows 7 - perhaps even one without any GUI at all if you do all torrent managing from another PC.

 

[Foxi4]

FAST6191 The problem with peltiers is not just the condensation, it's the fact that while one side is extremely cool, the other is *extremely hot* and requires cooling of its own. The idea behind them is to take the component well below the temperature it would normally reach with a fan or water cooling, but that doesn't mean that they won't be required to cool the cell itself - in fact, you have to use them or the cell will immediately fry itself.

 

[PityOnU]

If all you want is a seedbox that is quiet and can be checked remotely, you're much better off just getting a dedicated low-power/silent rig. Otherwise, it will always be loud and use way too much power.

Also consider that this dedicated PC need not run Windows. You can find many very cheap Android devices (even your own old phones/tablets) that can run a torrent application and connect with an external USB HDD. Those are likely the best solution in this case.

A gaming PC as a seedbox? Bad idea.

 

[raystriker]

I got a call from my cousin who says that I can have his old gaming PC which I plan to turn into a seedbox for torrents. Is it actually possible to cool the CPU without a fan so that I can have a super silent machine to have in my room?

Another thing that I want out of this seedbox is the ability to check the progress from my main PC. I was thinking of having Windows 7 and using the remote desktop feature but I'm not sure if this is the ideal solution.

{POSSIBLE STUPID IDEA}

You wanna the computer for seeding torrents and stuff, a typical (and old) gaming PC would consume a lot of energy. A good solution would be a Raspberry Pi. Cool, silent and efficient.
Sell the computer for parts. Get a Raspberry Pi .

 

[marcus134]

It's actually possible to make a pc almost silent by using full immersion cooling, the only thing that can't be immersed is the hdd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_immersion_cooling#Liquid_submersion_cooling

home made attempts made by tom's hardware: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/strip-fans,1203.html
Puget system offer parts for such projects: http://www.pugetsystems.com/store/index.php?cat=Aquarium+Computer+Parts

 

[Originality]

I forgot about immersion cooling. I saw it once when they were showcasing the LGA2011 chipset before launch at an expo. But it isn't the cheapest option (getting a sealed container and so much of that special liquid).

 

[Harsky]

For anyone wondering what I went for in the end, I decided on using a Mybook Live NAS HDD in the end. Followed this guide and within 10 minutes, I got Transmission installed on it. I'm still playing around with it but this was exactly what I wanted when I set out to create a seedbox. Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Another thing that I want out of this seedbox is the ability to check the progress from my main PC. I was thinking of having Windows 7 and using the remote desktop feature but I'm not sure if this is the ideal solution.

Utorrent has built in remote management functions.

Probably the easiest way to handle that issue.

 

[Plstic]

I used to use my raspberry pi as a seedbox and it worked great. I rent out a server now.