Billet Labs has struck again. With a frantic pace of production – given the amount of work put into each project – Felix is already back, barely two months after the presentation of the cast-iron PC-radiator. On the program this time, a high-performance fanless PC in true Billet Labs style.
Configuration:
In the beginning, it was Felix’s living-room computer. The subject of the previous Billet Labs video, this unusual project set out to cool the CPU and GPU with a cast-iron radiator. The components themselves were fixed under the radiator. What was a success in the early days soon became an ordeal. Impurities kept accumulating in the filter, requiring the system to be completely drained… every two weeks.
Untenable. As a result, the machine was forced into early retirement and its components were reused in this new fanless project. So we find a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, an RTX 5080 and a Flex-ATX power supply. This explains the relatively rapid production of this new model! Many of the components are used as is, including the custom cabling.
1. Watercooling Billet Labs:
As far as watercooling is concerned, Billet Labs remains faithful to its own products, with :
- CPU waterblock (prototype)
- Solderable connectors for 15 mm copper tubes
- A home-made tank inspired by the Wall-y project
The three radiators are from Alphacool. A high-efficiency Hpe model is included. The GPU waterblock is also from Alphacool. Of course, the whole thing is unrecognizable. The English studio’s attention to detail is well known. There isn’t a single element that isn’t customized to the extreme.
2. Invisible details:
Among the improbable attempts, let’s mention :
- The addition of thermal pads (6 mm) between the motherboard and the aluminum bracket to dissipate heat from VRMs and SSDs without using the board’s built-in fans.
- the addition of thermal paste (Arctic MX-4) between the power supply and the bracket to avoid using the power supply fan
3. A success?
No. First of all, motherboard cooling using thermal pads is a success. Our tests show that a large proportion of applications are possible. The GPU never throttles, but the water temperature reaches worrying levels (over 50°C), and the processor undergoes thermal throttling under stress.
Why? Firstly, because passive cooling is a difficult challenge, especially with high-end components like these. But also because the design, however aesthetically pleasing, is not the most efficient. Heat rises naturally from the first radiator and ruins the efficiency of the other two. Finally, the choice of radiators is not optimal for passive cooling. Those used here have a high fin density, better suited to forced airflow.
And that’s the charm of this type of project! Felix has learned a lot. And so have we. Of course, there’s more to come, as Felix has announced a new attempt that will retain the current superb assembly and add a single 120 mm fan. Stay tuned, we can’t wait. Watch the project video here.
