Like anything else that requires or generates a lot of power — combustion engines, batteries, etc. — computers require a cooling system to keep parts functioning within operating temperatures. Specifically, CPUs, which essentially function as the “brain” of a computer. Similar to engines, the more powerful the CPU, the more demanding its cooling needs are. When the most powerful CPU ever developed needs cooling, one YouTuber looked to the not-so-obvious: the cooling system from his F82 BMW M4.
How It Works
While the latest and greatest changes with the seasons, the newest high-performance CPU is the Threadripper 9995WX Pro from AMD. With massive power come massive cooling requirements. Like gearheads, one of the first things PC enthusiasts do with new hardware is “overclock,” which essentially takes the factory-installed guard rails off and lets the CPU run to its max potential. In regular conditions, the CPU can demand well over 1,000 watts of power. That’s a ton of heat to work off — and it’s sure to be more when overclocking. This is also around the limit of traditional PC liquid cooling systems. One alternative is liquid nitrogen. Of course, that’s only if you aren’t savvy — or crazy — enough to peek under the hood of your BMW.
In the video, you can watch Chinese YouTuber Geekerwan walk out to his Yas Marina Blue BMW F82 M4. After looking under the hood for a bit, the video cuts to his creation: a homemade cooling system for the CPU comprising parts yoinked from his S55-powered BMW M4. “The BMW M4 is almost the civilian car with the best cooling performance in the world,” he says in the video. Along with the radiator, Geekerwan also pulled the BMW M4’s water pump. Apparently, the pump is capable of delivering 1,200 liters per hour, perhaps enough to cool the ridiculously powerful CPU. A set of fans pulled from Toyota Highlander finish up the homemade cooling rig.
Benchmarks & Results
After hooking up the homebrew cooling system to the CPU, the results were a mixed bag. While everything functioned, the CPU failed to reach its peak possible performance of 5.0MHz, capping out around 4.9MHz. But perhaps more interestingly, the radiator was “still cold” during Geekerwan’s benchmarking. What does this mean? Ultimately, it’s a hardware issue. The CPU’s power consumption at nearly 4.9MHz exceeded 2,000 watts. That’s way more than his 1,600-watt power supply can handle, and the linkage from the CPU to the cooling system wasn’t up to the task, bottlenecking flow and not allowing the rest of the components to function at their best. You can check out the whole video on YouTube, although you’ll need to rely on subtitles if you don’t speak Chinese.