One of the premises of the cooling systems in a computer is to keep the internal components at the ideal temperature for their operation. On the other hand, many of you will have a mini-fridge in your room to store soft drinks. Well, more than one will have thought of combining both ideas and put a pc in a mini-fridge to keep the components very fresh. However, it is a bad idea, or not. In any case, read on to find out why.
One of the curiosities that very few people know is that there are high-performance servers running in watertight compartments located at the bottom of the sea. The reason for doing this is due to the fact that the temperature of the water is much colder than the ambient temperature and allows them to save an enormous amount of electrical energy per year. A similar concept can be to put a PC in a mini-fridge. However, if it were that easy, everyone would do it. Is it as crazy an idea as it seems?
Is it possible to mount a PC inside a mini-fridge?
We must start from the fact that our refrigerators are designed to keep foods that are at room temperature at temperatures close to below zero. The components of our computer reach temperatures much higher than those of our environment. That is why conventional cooling systems, those based on air, are based on using fans to renew cold air.
In theory, a mini-fridge should provide a temperature where the air stays cool enough to do without. And this is where the first problem comes, There is no mini-fridge with the power to cool PC components more efficiently than a traditional box. Moreover, you would need a very high power for it. So not only would we not get better cooling, but much more expensive due to the huge electricity bill that we would have to pay.
The condensation problem
All this without taking into account an additional factor, that of humidity. Normally in a refrigerator used for food, it enters through four different channels:
- By the humidity of the food itself.
- Accumulated water in the air outlets of the Mini-Fridge.
- Every time we open the door.
- The rubber door seal is leaking. Since we need to have cables connected to the outside this would be impossible.
The first point we can avoid, on the other hand, the other three cannot. But the key question is: would condensation occur? Well, the answer is that, although it seems surprising, this would not occur during PC operation. We have to start from the fact that The radiator of a refrigerator does not use any type of fan to exchange the external temperature with the internal one. Simply, as it is a sealed behavior in which the air would not be renewed, it would increase its temperature. First, it would do it very slowly, since it would be opposed by the refrigerator’s own motor, which would increase consumption, until it could no longer refrigerate and it would trigger temperatures, causing the PC to shut down suddenly.
When this occurs, then it will end up generating a condensation effect, which is fatidic for electronic components. So if you’re looking to build a PC in a mini-fridge, our advice is simple: get that idea out of your head. Since it is still the same as mounting a liquid cooler with a broken radiator fan.
