YouTube channel DIY Perks is no stranger to the world of amazing builds that are practical and aesthetically stunning. For his latest creation Matthew Perks, pushes the envelope of artistry and engineering, making a submersible PC that’s loaded with the latest and greatest PC components.
The steampunk influence of the build not only keeps the innards at optimum temperature but also looks stunning. Of course, the whole thing needs to be waterproof to the last drop to keep water from getting inside the housing, and damaging the thousands of dollars’ worth of computer equipment!
Designer: Matthew Perks (DIY Perks)
This is not an average DIY that anyone can think of making over the weekend. In fact, it required a lot of skill and know-how about putting metal components together, calculating the waterproofing capabilities of the rig, and experience handling electric hardware in close proximity to water. Matthew knows what’s he doing in this demanding DIY, and in the end, he manages to create a stunning submersible PC that’s capable of running any complex 3D renders or gaming titles at it!
It all starts with building the watertight acrylic cylinder that creates a see-through shield for the mounted hardware and then goes on to creating the cooling frame. The latter is filled with distilled water since Matthew doesn’t want any chemical coolants to accidentally seep into the delicate aquatic ecosystem of the pond he’ll test this machine in.
Once both are done, the next step is to install the PC hardware into the space-constricted vertical frame and sort out the cooling frame assembly. To keep the inside waterproof from the water pressure, the seasoned DIYer opts for custom gaskets, rather than going for the regular ones. The most important step is to reinforce the top cap section with watertight components.
Finally, the DIY is complete and it’s time to test the underwater PC submerged in the backyard pond. A 50-meter optical thunderbolt cable is connected to the Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED at the other end on dry land. As soon as the power button is pressed, the PC comes to life, lighting up the steampunk machine underwater. The surrounding water helps in keeping the hardware cool and during the one-hour testing phase, Matthew is surprised by the efficacy of the cooling system (maximum recorded temperature 20.8 degree Celsius) even when the system churns out over 800 Watts!
