When cooling processors, one usually relies on classic air cooling. Compact and self-contained AiO water coolers are also becoming more popular. A student claims that in an attempt to push his processor to maximum speed, he used an ice cube for cooling. An idea he immediately regrets.
What does maximum clock speed mean? By increasing the clock speed of the CPU and graphics card, some gamers can still squeeze enough performance from their old systems to play newer titles with sufficient FPS. In this case, a processor or graphics card is temporarily operated at a higher clock frequency than the standard value. However, manufacturers also set a limit to prevent the hardware from overheating. If a chip reaches its specified maximum temperature, it automatically throttles down to a lower clock speed.
With sufficient cooling, this can be delayed. The method of cooling plays a significant role. What can be done with all the annoying boxed coolers that nobody needs is shown by this gamer. Tinkerers, on the other hand, simply want to get the most out of their hardware and compete with others through record values.
A student now had to experience, according to his statement, that an ice cube is not necessarily the best idea to cool his system properly at maximum clock speed. You can read about how it happened here with us.
“Don’t try this at home” – Ice cube experiment goes wrong
What is it about? Reddit user “yxre_1” stated that he wanted to bring his school laptop to burst frequency. The burst frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor can operate. The device has an Intel Pentium Silver N6000 processor with a base clock of 1.1 GHz. According to the data sheet, the maximum clock speed is 3.30 GHz.
The student says he installed a stress testing program for his attempt. Such tools search for prime numbers and thus ensure maximum CPU load of 100%. In this way, the processor approaches the burst frequency and reaches its maximum temperature within minutes.
How did he make his fateful mistake? “yxre_1” states that in an initial test, he reached a processor clock speed of 2.5 GHz. According to his statement, he noticed that the plastic cover became very hot. According to him, he suspected thermal throttling of the CPU and decided to remove the cover.
In the situation, the questionable idea came to his mind to place an ice cube on the heat sink of the processor. However, he owes the community a real proof apart from a photo of the alleged attempt.
The student says he ended his tests at a CPU clock speed of 3.15 GHz. After he removed the ice cube from the heat sink, the already melted water allegedly caused a short circuit. The device, according to his words, turned off immediately and could not be turned on again. His warning to the community was: “I just want to say … don’t try this at home”.
Whether this can be regarded as a gag or a serious experiment remains unclear. For some users commenting on the experiment on reddit, the behavior seems so absurd that they cannot understand it.
If your hardware should suffer real water damage, we have a few important tips for you below.
What to do in case of water damage?
Why is water in the system problematic? In principle, pure water in the system does not necessarily lead to irreparable damage. But salts and other various substances contained in water make it conductive and can lead to a short circuit or worse. Even distilled water can conduct electricity. What exactly happens to your PC or PS5 when they come into contact with water, we explain in this article.
What you should do in case of water damage:
- React quickly to avoid subsequent damage:
You should immediately turn off the notebook or PC and disconnect it completely from power. Additionally, you should unplug the power supply or power cable and, if possible, remove an existing battery from the device. - Remove water:
If only a small amount of water has flowed over the system, it can be wiped away with a cloth. For larger amounts, you can slightly tilt the computer to let the intruding water flow out. For safety, the computer should be dried on the heater for an extended period. - Consult a professional in case of doubt:
With small amounts of water, the aforementioned tips may already be sufficient. However, there may still be a small residue of water on the contacts and components. In this case, it is advisable to visit a repair shop and have the device dried or cleaned by IT experts. In the worst case, a repair may be necessary, during which the damaged components must be replaced.
Have you also had such ‘genius’ ideas to cool your processor? Or has your system ever fallen victim to a water accident?
What a cooling system gone out of control with 17 fans looks like, you can read here.
