Liquid cooling for an UNRAID server

[bobbintb]

I've never delved into liquid cooling but now I'm thinking about doing so. The problem is that it's for my UnRAID server and that's not really a good place for a beginner to start. The server has lots of drives and video cards, beefy CPU, etc. so adding a lot of fans means a lot of noise and worse, vibration. So the setup isn't a basic one for liquid cooling. Any tips on where to start with something this involved?

[Hoopster]

24 minutes ago, bobbintb said:

The problem is that it's for my UnRAID server and that's not really a good place for a beginner to start

Of course, the choice is yours but liquid cooling on a server is not generally a good idea.  I am sure there are some that do it and perhaps they will share their experiences with you.

 

It is very much discouraged especially if you have a server that runs 24/7.  Liquid cooling failures can be very damaging to your server (depending on what type of failure it is) especially if they happen at a time when the server is not being monitored.  Air cooling failures are much easier to diagnose and fix and are less likely to happen.

 

Usually, liquid cooling is for the overclockers who want to squeeze every last bit of power/speed out of their CPU, RAM, GPU, etc.  None of these should be overclocked in a server.

[whipdancer]

Why I overthink it? Just use a quality AIO cpu or GPU cooler. I’m using one in my server because I’m running a Ryzen with a high TDP. The AIO cooler is smaller and quieter than an equivalent air cooled solution.

 

 I’m not running in a server/rack configuration, though. Just a giant full tower case, 20 something drives, 2hbas, 1gpu.

[bobbintb]

19 hours ago, Hoopster said:

Of course, the choice is yours but liquid cooling on a server is not generally a good idea.  I am sure there are some that do it and perhaps they will share their experiences with you.

 

It is very much discouraged especially if you have a server that runs 24/7.  Liquid cooling failures can be very damaging to your server (depending on what type of failure it is) especially if they happen at a time when the server is not being monitored.  Air cooling failures are much easier to diagnose and fix and are less likely to happen.

 

Usually, liquid cooling is for the overclockers who want to squeeze every last bit of power/speed out of their CPU, RAM, GPU, etc.  None of these should be overclocked in a server.

That's a very good point. That's kind of a big part of my issue is the hybrid nature of this server makes it difficult to manage. Are liquid cooling failures common?

[bobbintb]

16 hours ago, whipdancer said:

Why I overthink it? Just use a quality AIO cpu or GPU cooler. I’m using one in my server because I’m running a Ryzen with a high TDP. The AIO cooler is smaller and quieter than an equivalent air cooled solution.

 

 I’m not running in a server/rack configuration, though. Just a giant full tower case, 20 something drives, 2hbas, 1gpu.

I do already have one of those for my CPU. It works great but the radiator takes up a lot of space. I have four video cards so adding four more would be a nightmare.

[whipdancer]

On 7/14/2023 at 12:09 PM, bobbintb said:

I do already have one of those for my CPU. It works great but the radiator takes up a lot of space. I have four video cards so adding four more would be a nightmare.

That's a plumbing problem. You're way past a simple water-cooling solution for that. I'm pretty sure your unraid box isn't a beginner box either. 4 GPU's in 1 server is incredibly rare. I work in object detection and recognition and we rarely have 2 GPU's in a single server because it's really not cost effective.

[JonathanM]

On 7/14/2023 at 1:06 PM, bobbintb said:

Are liquid cooling failures common?

I don't have statistics to back this up, but probably not significantly more or less common than simple fan failures. The issue is the consequences. When you have a water block on your CPU, the amount of thermal mass available to absorb heat is relatively tiny compared to a big block of copper and aluminum. If the water stops flowing for whatever reason, the CPU can reach critical temperatures way faster than if a CPU fan fails. Plus, if the water isn't flowing, is it because the pump failed, or did the water leave somewhere? If so, what did it get wet?

 

The vast majority of people running water cooling don't experience failure. I just don't like the risk / reward balance for a 24/7 server that's mostly unattended.