OCZ Cryo-Z CPU Cooler
By Gabriel Torres on September 21, 2006

Introduction

Have you ever imagined hooking up a freezer to your computer to cool down your CPU? Well, OCZ is thinking about it for quite while now, and they are finally going to release their CPU Freezer – now called Cryo-Z – by the end of October. We had the chance to take a look on this impressive equipment, which promises to help people setting new overclocking records. Let’s see how it looks like.

Cryo-Z is a CPU cooler based on “phase changing cooling technology”, a fancy name for what everybody knows as a refrigerator. It uses the same idea and components as a refrigerator or a freezer. The very cold air produced by the equipment is blown to a copper block that is attached on top of the CPU. You can see Cryo-Z overall aspect on Figures 1 and 2.

OCZ Cryo-Z
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Figure 1: OCZ Cryo-Z.

OCZ Cryo-Z
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Figure 2: OCZ Cryo-Z.

The product has an LCD display that monitors the CPU temperature, as you can see on Figure 2. The LCD power is pulled from the motherboard, so the unit comes with a 24-pin connector to be installed between the motherboard power connector and the PC power supply.

We turned Cryo-Z on and its CPU block became literally frozen, as you can see on Figure 3.

OCZ Cryo-Z
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Figure 3: Frost on the CPU block.

Because of this effect extra care should be taken on the motherboard, or water can be condensed on it. Around the CPU socket we need to install special foam and OCZ recommends the motherboard to be covered with silicone (regular silicone gel, the same type used to build and repair fish tanks). Pay attention on the pictures below to see the silicone.

OCZ Cryo-Z
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Figure 4: Foam and silicone on the motherboard.

OCZ Cryo-Z
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Figure 5: Silicone was applied to the motherboard.

Let’s take a look inside Cryo-Z.

Inside OCZ Cryo-Z

As you can see on the pictures below, internally Cryo-Z is in fact a refrigerator. It uses the same kind of compressor used on refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners, a small radiator (heat exchanger) with a fan attached to it and an expansion valve (fat copper device). OCZ didn’t tell us what gas is used as refrigerant inside the system.

OCZ Cryo-Z
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Figure 6: Inside OCZ Cryo-Z.

OCZ Cryo-Z
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Figure 7: Inside OCZ Cryo-Z.

OCZ Cryo-Z
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Figure 8: Inside OCZ Cryo-Z.

Originally at http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/377

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