An Enthusiast Turns an Air Cooler into a Hybrid GPU Cooling System
The hardware modding community never ceases to amaze with projects that challenge conventional limits. On this occasion, the well-known enthusiast TrashBench has shared a creation that fuses two worlds: air cooling and liquid cooling, applied directly to a graphics card. 🛠️
The Base: A Repurposed CPU Heatsink
The project doesn't start from scratch, but rather appropriates a well-known component: the Thermalright Peerless Assassin heatsink, popular for its performance on processors. The innovative idea was not only to adapt its aluminum block to a GPU, but to physically integrate a liquid circuit within its structure. This transforms a passive component into an active hybrid system.
The Core of the Modification:- Reuse the original heatsink's heatpipes as conduits for the coolant liquid.
- Seal the ends of these pipes and connect them to a closed circuit that includes a pump and a radiator.
- Circulate the liquid through the interior of the heatpipes, whose original content (a vapor-phase fluid) is replaced.
This approach combines the heat dissipation capacity of a large aluminum block with the heat transport efficiency of an active liquid system.
An Irreversible Modification Process
To achieve this functional hybrid, it was necessary to permanently alter the components. The process is not for purists who want to keep their parts intact, as it involves deep hardware manipulation.
Key Construction Steps:- Cut and solder the Thermalright heatsink's heatpipes to adapt them.
- Integrate fittings and hoses to connect the block to the rest of the closed circuit.
- Attach the final hybrid assembly to the graphics card, completely replacing the original cooler.
A Thermodynamics Experiment in Practice
This project by TrashBench is more than a simple aesthetic modification; it is a practical demonstration of thermodynamic principles. Although its everyday application may be questionable, the value lies in the experimentation and the deep knowledge required to conceive and execute such an idea. The final result is a unique piece that serves as testimony to how far creativity in PC modding can go. 💡