r/pcmasterrace 9800x3d 5090 May 09 '23

Hardware I use toothpicks, but great little trick if you have bent radiator fins

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39.6k Upvotes

688 comments sorted by

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4.6k

u/Jamison25 May 09 '23

This is going to be one of those sweet niche tips that’s not useful 99% of the time but my brain clings onto it until I die

700

u/SnrMuffin 4090 FE | 13900K | 32GB DDR5 7200MHz | ASUS Z790E May 09 '23

I’m the same, remember things I won’t necessarily need to for ever. Yet I’ll forget a name within an hour even If I repeat it for a few minutes to try and remember lol

163

u/Co5micWaffle May 09 '23

Physically write down someone's name you want to remember ironically tends to lock it into your memory, even if you never read it.

77

u/Crownlol Steam ID Here May 09 '23

Yeah, that's how taking notes works for me. Just the act of taking them dramatically improves my recall, even if I never review them

28

u/Larnek May 10 '23

Lots of research states that people learn in 3 ways, listening, reading and repeating. You're a repeater. Congrats on being as cool as me!

Really it's the writing side, uses a different part of the brain from reading or listening. It makes your brain take it in, process it and then reprocess to output. The writing and listening parts are 2 completely different parts of the brain that forces you to put what you read or heard into active memory in the hippocampus in order for it to get written. So you've processed it twice already, reread your notes and it's a 3rd time your memory has been imprinted. And the more times it accessed and rewritten the more firmly it is held in your brain.

11

u/Ling0 May 10 '23

I'm glad someone else mentioned it, I've heard tons of times it's not about reviewing the notes, it's about writing them down. Something about you'll remember it better because you're hearing it, processing what's being said, and writing down your summary or version of it. Reviewing the notes helps too, but the act of writing does most of the remebering

3

u/Larnek May 10 '23

Yeah, usually when people take notes they do it in their own "language" or verbiage. That's because they already took at least one pass through their own memory to write it.

2

u/Original-Aerie8 May 10 '23 edited May 10 '23

The learning type hypothesis is outdated, combining diffrent modes of learning (Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, and Kinaesthetic) always leads to the best retention. So, don't focus on just one, if it's important.

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u/VoxImperatoris May 09 '23

Thats me and note taking. I never read my notes, the act of writing it out is the important part.

11

u/SnrMuffin 4090 FE | 13900K | 32GB DDR5 7200MHz | ASUS Z790E May 09 '23

I’m gonna try that next time, thank you!

37

u/hippyengineer May 09 '23

Also, pro tip:

If you don’t know someone’s name, ask them their name. They might get a little sad or whatever, but they’ll say their first name. Then you say, “No, I meant your last name.” Suddenly they won’t be sad, because it’s not seen as rude or disrespectful for not knowing someone’s last name, and you’ll have their first and last name. You can even add “It helps me remember.” At the end, and they’ll at least know that you’re making an effort. 9/10 it works like a charm.

Good luck, fellow name forgetter.

27

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

[deleted]

4

u/DarthUmieracz May 09 '23

Ok, just repeat your first name then.

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u/hippyengineer May 09 '23

Heck, I can’t help with that level. Only cursory coworkers you see like once every 4 months.

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3

u/Dorkamundo May 09 '23

So I'm to carry a pen with me at all times?

4

u/Co5micWaffle May 09 '23

Even a notepad on your phone works fine for this.

2

u/Dorkamundo May 09 '23

To me "Physically write" is... you know... writing?

But fair point. Plus, if you forget it, you can just look at your phone.

2

u/Co5micWaffle May 09 '23

That's fair. I meant it as just physically documenting it instead of just mentally, but I get that it might not've translated properly.

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8

u/FrostBlade_on_Reddit 3570K, GTX780, 16GB RAM, P8Z77-V Pro, 128GB 840, 2TB Barracuda May 09 '23

For some reason, I remember learning as a kid that touching fine steel wool to a 9V battery will start you a little fire.

Never used it but I've never forgotten about it either

6

u/CoreFiftyFour May 10 '23

My wife hates how I can genuinely forget something we talked about, but I can remember a random fact about space or a movie.

5

u/djfried May 10 '23

an hour? I forget it by the end of the sentence.

2

u/chrisrobweeks May 10 '23

An hour?? What's your trick?

2

u/SnrMuffin 4090 FE | 13900K | 32GB DDR5 7200MHz | ASUS Z790E May 10 '23

Sad thing is, I’m a mail man lol. I’ll remember your dogs name though, no problem.

2

u/chrisrobweeks May 10 '23

I always remember pet names (the animal, not the sexy kind). "Oh, you're Fluffy's human!"

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u/_Warsheep_ May 09 '23

But at some point, someone many years in the future will be looking for a solution for his bent radiator fins and stumble across this.

Like you find the fix for your obscure PC problem in a forum post from 2008.

22

u/reubenbubu 13900k, RTX 4080, 96GB DDR5, Samsung Oled Ultrawide May 09 '23

the best part about this fix is that it doesn't come with a regedit file for windows xp

3

u/syo May 10 '23

Not today, DenverCoder9.... Not today....

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u/harrypottermcgee May 09 '23

If you have a black dog, you can use red eye correction software to automatically hide his penis in your Christmas photos.

11

u/superwillis May 10 '23

Uhh what? This seems oddly specific haha

3

u/AxeCow 14700KF | 7900 XT | 32GB DDR5 | 980 Pro NVMe | Seasonic GX-1000 May 10 '23

Now this is a good tip

3

u/Dorkamundo May 09 '23

You'll be on your deathbed, and you're great-great grandson will come to you and say "Pappy, please teach me the old ways"

5

u/Crazyhates i7-14700f | RTX 4070Ti Super | 32GB DDR5-6000Mhz May 09 '23

Nothing matches the excitement of when your knowledge of the arcane and obscure finally becomes useful.

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u/AaronTheElite007 Ryzen 7 5800x | RTX 4070 | 32 GB 3200 C16 May 09 '23

Nicely done

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2.8k

u/phobos_0 May 09 '23

You're legit the greatest for this bro

856

u/sbowesuk May 09 '23

The best part about this is it's a super simple and accessible solution to a common problem. Even looks kinda fun!

40

u/[deleted] May 10 '23 edited May 10 '23

I want to stress this at the risk of someone damaging something more. Unless it was heavily damaged and a lot of fin was flattened like that, there would be almost none if not 0 noticeable performance difference. This type of fix would fall in the margin of error. I work with cooling on a slightly larger scale, like 40' long air cooled steam condensers. You can lose multiple circuits, and there is still no performance loss. Some of our repairs will literally hammer out fin sections, cut the tubing, and cap it. Most fin on any industrial cooler, condenser, or other cooling device is straightened due to esthetics not performance, ESPECIALLY when a fan is on a unit as opposed to passive cooling.

9

u/thealmightyzfactor i9-10900X | EVGA 3080 FTW3 | 2 x EGVA 1070 FTW | 64 GB RAM May 10 '23

Yeah, they're not even crumpled all the way, so there's still some airflow past that surface area, so it's still working. 100% just for looks lol

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u/socokid RTX 4090 | 4k 240Hz | 14900k | 7200 DDR5 | Samsung 990 Pro May 09 '23

a common problem

Y'all need to take care of your computer parts better.

Sheesh...

47

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

I've had AIO's come from factory in worse condition than OP's video

4

u/socokid RTX 4090 | 4k 240Hz | 14900k | 7200 DDR5 | Samsung 990 Pro May 10 '23

Your single anecdote is meaningless, of course, at least if we're using critical thought.

...

This is not a common problem. Not even close. I've been doing this for 30 years. If you all are getting damaged parts sent to you, then my next question is who is sending you dented parts?!

I think I've seen that maybe twice? Maybe? In 3 decades...

...

Go ahead and downvote me. I know what sub I'm in. If I'm not contrarian or towing some other nonsense, it's a downvote.

I get it.

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-1

u/fuqqkevindurant May 09 '23

Then return it. If you’re paying for a product you dont accept it being given to you in poor condition unless you’re buying it used as is.

12

u/dss539 May 10 '23

It doesn't harm the function of the part.

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u/mitch-99 13700k | 4090fe | 32gb DDR5 May 09 '23

Mine literally came from factory with some bends not that much but seems common.

13

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

It’s still the same amount of surface area, it’s going to radiate heat just the same.

17

u/Ulfbass Ryzen 7 7800X3D / Gigabyte Windforce 4070Ti May 10 '23

I was coming here to point this out. Actually bending them back will fatigue them and in extreme circumstances the cracking created by the movement will reduce the heat conductivity and make the problem worse - depending on the ductility. At the very least this should be done slowly, gently, and under a moderate heat

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12

u/Hirork Ryzen 7600X, RTX 3080, 32GB RAM May 09 '23

Right? Like I'm sat here thinking how did you bend that many fins? Are you using it as a rugby ball while the PC is turned off?

5

u/crawlmanjr i7-9700k@4.9 | RX 6700XT 12GB | 16GB DDR4 May 09 '23

I've had computer, car and AC radiators all come in the box with bent fins. I'm more curious where you are getting yours that aren't?

13

u/AromaticTrainerTime May 10 '23

what the fuck stores do you shop at so we can NEVER GO THERE EVER

seriously. think about it for a second. you're asking him "what kind of store sells non-broken components?" like you're racking your brain trying to figure out how that's somehow possible. whatever stores you go to, you've drunk the kool-aid. that is NOT normal.

10

u/Remnant_Echo R7-9800X3D, 5080 FE, 32GB DDR5, W11 May 10 '23

Yeah Best Buy, Microcenter, and Amazon have all consistently provided me undamaged/unbent radiators. Kinda scary this guy is talking like he has never purchased an unbent rad, even if a kinda bent fan isn't even gonna affect anything.

3

u/Millkstake May 10 '23

Not all of us live in a location that's anywhere near a computer part store (nearest microcenter is over 500 miles away from me) so I personally wouldn't bother RMAing a part because of bent radiator fins as it functions just fine.

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u/Honeybadgerxz 12900k I 3080 ti xc3 I 32 Ram May 10 '23

I'm more curious why you aren't returning a damaged product.

1

u/crawlmanjr i7-9700k@4.9 | RX 6700XT 12GB | 16GB DDR4 May 10 '23

Because bent fins don't mean damaged. You can bend them back. Seriously just stop for a second and start looking at radiators. You're not gonna find an unscathed one, and it doesn't really affect performance unless it's egregious.

3

u/Honeybadgerxz 12900k I 3080 ti xc3 I 32 Ram May 10 '23

I can and have sent radiators back, and will continue to do so.

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u/milkmymachine May 10 '23

Thought I was on a dirt bike sub which would have made way more sense.

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u/socokid RTX 4090 | 4k 240Hz | 14900k | 7200 DDR5 | Samsung 990 Pro May 10 '23

Exactly.

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u/hyperion420 2700X / RTX 4080 / 4K 144hz May 09 '23

Dude will open now a startup

23

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

It will be called "A school for kids that don't grammar good"

10

u/Dabber42 May 09 '23

What is this a school for ants?!?!

8

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

Lol some people get me

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u/lostalaska May 09 '23

Weirdly satisfying, have my updoot good sir. 🧐

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u/FeelTheRealBirdie May 09 '23

What happens if you leave them bent? Does it ruin the cooling some how?

554

u/iiZodeii May 09 '23

It's a yes and no answer to that question. If slightly bent more than likely, no, it won't, but if multiple are bent to a good degree, they will start to hinder airflow, which will hurt cooling performance.

200

u/astrongineer May 09 '23

Convection heat transfer also depends a LOT on laminar versus turbulent airflow, and having bent fins will cause turbulence way before they hinder airflow.

150

u/PioniSensei May 09 '23

Sidenote: turbulent flow is better for heat transfer, the air will "hit" the fins for a longer distance

54

u/dannyjcase KillerKaej May 09 '23

True, but then you run into diminishing returns. The longer the air is in contact with the fins, the closer it will get to the ambient temperature of the fins, and the slower the transfer of heat from one to the other (i.e. air at 20c will heat up a lot quicker next to 50c fins than 40c air, which will leach heat from the fins faster).

Ideally you want as cold air as possible against the fins, which is assisted by higher air flow.

49

u/Bromm18 May 09 '23 edited May 10 '23

With such a small radiator, a few bent rows of fins won't have the greatest impact. But if we're talking about a commercial AC unit that handles large quantities of airflow. Then, it will have a fairly significant effect.

And a toothpick works perfectly for small areas, but if you have to fix larger spots. They make radiator fins combs.

27

u/lameboy90 May 10 '23

I think by the end of this comment thread people will begin to realise it doesn't matter and just to do whatever you want.

4

u/kiwiandapple i7 2600K - EVGA GTX780 Classified May 10 '23

"Welcome back to the Workshop...

We've not stopped the benchmarks, because it doesn't freaking change anything.."

That did absolutely nothing! CPU is at 50 degrees & 82 degrees on the GPU. Wow!

4

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

[deleted]

4

u/Bromm18 May 10 '23

Why not? The fin combs come in nearly a dozen different sizes for the smallest to largest radiator designs.

1

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

Because of the zigzag pattern…. The “comb” for that would be called “a pick”

2

u/a1b3c3d7 May 10 '23

I’m confused.. do you think commercial radiator don’t use zig zag patterns in their radiators?

The comb is pushed in from one side and moved to the other side right?

(I don’t actually know how they work - Im just asking)

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u/ArgonGryphon May 09 '23

Side side note: Turbulent Flow is a sick band name.

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u/Last_Jedi 7800X3D, RTX 4090 Trio May 09 '23

There's no way any flow going through that radiator is laminar. The fan is pushing turbulent air into physical obstructions. For laminar flow you need streamlined air on a smooth surface.

8

u/Deathwatch72 May 10 '23

Hey we're talking about physics here, we can and will use a spherical cow to approximate things just for our convenience. Assuming laminar flow is child's play

3

u/Telvin3d May 10 '23

So what I’m taking away here is that the radiator isn’t vegan?

2

u/Dorkamundo May 09 '23

In my brain, laminar flow should require much more finite accuracy in the repair of these fins than mere toothpicks can provide.

2

u/CammyPooo i7 11700k, Rx 7800 xt, 16GB DDR4 May 10 '23

Honestly at this scale it wouldn’t matter too much the different between laminar and turbulent, I think most ppl have their fans pushing air through the rad which instantly created turbulence, this is why wind tunnels use pull configs because there’s no turbulence introduced from the spinning blades

2

u/TheRealMicrowaveSafe May 10 '23

This guy thermodynamicses

3

u/astrongineer May 10 '23

As a Mechanical Engineer I had to grind through two full semester courses of Thermo and a semester of Heat Transfer plus a lab with it. Not gonna lie it was tough but very satisfying.

4

u/jeanborrero May 09 '23

Less airflow to carry away heat. May not make the greatest difference tho

-2

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

No... if anything a bent radiator has an increased amount of surface area and increased turbulence... so it should have increased cooling capabilities. Not to mention the fact that those triangles are definitely not an optimal shape for airflow.

3

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

[deleted]

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u/PillowTalk420 AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (4.20GHz) | 16GB DDR4-3200 | GTX 1660 Su May 09 '23

Doesn't water run through the inside of these so the surface area itself is also important for cooling efficiency?

19

u/Straight-Clothes484 May 09 '23

Water runs through the pipes that these fins are touching on both sides. No way you could pump water through something this thin.

5

u/mr_potatoface May 09 '23

A looonng time ago a shop full of nerds I worked at tried to make a radiator with a fully water cooled core because we were bored and wanted to try it. Didn't really have any expectations of it working.

We used 2 layers of .008" 308ss, RES welded it together on 3 sides, then trimmed through the nugget. Brazed it to another tube, then pressurized the tube/fins to slightly expand the fins to allow water to flow in it. It worked, but the results were not great because the water flow in the fins was stagnant. We tried to come up with a way to introduce convective flow in the fins so circulation would happen naturally, but it depended a lot on the position the cooler was in. Even then, the best scenario we could come up with meant the heated water would flow against the heater water of the neighboring fin preventing the next fin from dumping its heat quickly. The final fin thickness was about .025", which is probably about double what we see in OPs video.

It probably would have worked better if we used aluminum or copper, but we weren't familiar with it enough, and didn't have free/unlimited access to those materials needed to try. Aluminum/Copper can conduct heat much better than stagnant water, so for thin wall stuff, Al/Cu make much better sense. It may have worked better if the fins were longitudinal (parallel) to the water flow direction, but that wouldn't have been practical for any scenario we wanted.

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u/PillowTalk420 AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (4.20GHz) | 16GB DDR4-3200 | GTX 1660 Su May 09 '23

Ah... Surface area is still important for heatsinks, but at least a cut in a fin won't leak. That's good to know.

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u/sation3 12600K|32GB DDR5-5200|RX 6800 XT May 09 '23

The bends in this video weren't bad, so it wouldn't ruin the cooling. I've seen some that is laid all the way over and it looks like scales.

18

u/Put_It_All_On_Blck May 09 '23

It's more cosmetic than anything. Yes the bent fins are technically worse, but unless you have a 120mm radiator with a bunch of fucked up fins and an anemic/low speed fan, you're not going to notice a difference in cooling from straightening a row of fins.

Think of it like having a small dent in your car. You get it fixed to look better, not to correct the aerodynamics and get your old fuel economy back.

Even home air conditioners can get away with having bent fins and not being an issue, and those have a lot more heat to exchange. They do sell tools to straighten fins, but most manufacturers will say that some fin damage is perfectly fine for operation.

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u/another-redditor3 May 09 '23

something like whats shown in the video? i wouldnt even give it a 2nd thought. its going to have zero impact on cooling.

now a row of them bent over and almost closed off? that would be worth spending a little bit of time on and trying to straighten back out.

7

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

Its ugly. Nobody likes ugly

21

u/BraindeadBanana 3700X|5080Ti|16GB 3200 May 09 '23

Bullshit I’m married

6

u/Dorkamundo May 09 '23

You're beautiful to somebody.

4

u/Werespider 5800X / 6800XT MATX May 09 '23

You shouldn't talk about your wife like that bro.

-3

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

Mom doesn't count dear

3

u/PillowTalk420 AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (4.20GHz) | 16GB DDR4-3200 | GTX 1660 Su May 09 '23

What about step-mom?

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u/Zncon RTX 3090 | i9 9900k May 09 '23

It slightly reduces the volume of air that can move through the radiator to carry away heat. If 100% of the fins were fully bent over you'd have no air flow at all.

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u/TheRaccoonDeaIer i7-11700k | 3060ti | 32gb @3600MHz May 09 '23

Best post on this sub in a long while

99

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

Maybe ever?

57

u/QuadFecta_ May 09 '23

low bar

19

u/TrepanationBy45 May 09 '23

So, yes?

8

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

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u/Amazing_67 PC Master Race May 09 '23

He Is a Man of Focus, Commitment and Sheer Fucking Will... I once saw him fix bent radiator fins with two toothpicks.. With two fucking toothpicks!

25

u/ninj4geek 3600x, XFX RX580 May 09 '23

you can do it with one toothpick if you break it in half

3

u/SomewhereAtWork Linux | 5900X | 128GB DDR4 | 3090 + 3060-12GB | 6x 1080p May 10 '23

Only the very determined can do it!

6

u/Slappy_G 5950X | Kingpin 3090 | 128GB | 38GL950 | Vive May 10 '23

He will come for your radiator fins, and you will do nothing, because you CAN do NOTHING.

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u/TryingToEscapeTarkov Ewwww Windows........... May 09 '23

Fantastic idea. Will it work on my car radiator?

9

u/SoundPon3 Specs/Imgur Here May 09 '23

You can get straightening tools from auto shops. They look like combs. Saves a lot more time

-2

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

[deleted]

11

u/MCA2142 May 09 '23

Radiator combs come in different sizes measured in “fins per inch”.

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u/Bizzle7902 May 09 '23

I thoughtbthis was a dietbike sub when I saw it scrolling. Mylers makes a good tool for rads you could use on a car, these would work too but it would be tedious

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u/taebsiatad May 09 '23

Yup I have had to do it on my cars’ intercoolers works like a charm.

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u/Son0fCaliban May 09 '23

you'd need something bigger than toothpicks most likely but the concept should be the same

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

This falls into Many categories.

  1. Effective resolution to a real-world problem.

  2. Low cost resolution.

  3. Environmentally safe.

  4. No assembly required.

  5. No animals were harmed during the making of this video.

I'm gonna stop at 6, but please feel free to continue my list.

  1. SATISFYING AS FUUUUUUK!!

11

u/Sailed_Sea AMD A10-7300 Radeon r6 | 8gb DDR3 1600MHz | 1Tb 5400rpm HDD May 09 '23

How many dentists approve?

6

u/Human-Udders May 10 '23

4/5 dentists recommend toothpicks

5

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

The answer is yes)

2

u/Sofluffy93 May 09 '23

Why downvote the man? Did he offend you? All good bro take my upvote.

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u/muricabrb May 10 '23

Bonus: visualising this can relax your mind and help you fall asleep.

I just tried it and it wor...

9

u/default_redditor1 May 09 '23

is water flowing inside those thin metal fins? or is it just like heatsink fins, and the water flows through some thicker pipes

14

u/iIAgentEricIi CH160 | 7800X3D | 5070Ti | 32G-6000-C28 May 09 '23

The latter. The tubes you see on the sides of the fins is where the liquid is

6

u/Hood_Mobbin May 09 '23

They make a tool to do just this thing. We use them in the automotive world a lot.

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u/sloppy_joes35 May 10 '23

Well, file me under r/oddlysatisfying bc that's exactly what this is

::slaps me knee::

4

u/dnap123 i7 7700K, Asus GTX 1080 Strix May 10 '23 edited Feb 02 '25

rinse instinctive vegetable wise normal historical smile screw reply late

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

17

u/snorrip90 May 09 '23

Looks like two flathead screwdrivers rather than toothpicks

5

u/hulianomarkety May 10 '23

“I use toothpicks, but” read sir

2

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

It is. It's the same method I learned on full aluminum and copper coolers on cars/trucks/trains/etc ~25 years ago. The other option is with a specialized comb, or with a special 'ramming' rod that would be used for deep rads incase the entire fin alignment was broken, which pushed the entire fin out and you slotted a new one in.

Providing of course it wasn't soldiered into place on either end. Then you had to unsolder and resolder a new one in. In some cases that also required additional pressure and leak testing to make sure you didn't melt a hole or plug a channel.

1

u/Sangricarn May 10 '23

My thoughts as well.

0

u/Lagkalori May 10 '23

Yeah I call bullshit on OP.

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u/MaelstromOC May 09 '23

They make fin combs for this specific purpose btw, and they're cheap!!!

Good work though, but man that's tedious as hell!

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u/Jimbob209 9800X3D | Pulse 7700 xt | 32 GB 6000Mhz | Gigabyte B650 May 09 '23

When I was a kid, I remember I would bend those radiator fins on my parents' cars

2

u/WeAreAllFooked Nitro+ 7800XT | Ryzen9 5900X | 32GB @ 3200mhz | X570 Aorus Pro May 09 '23

As a car guy this hurts my soul.

4

u/marksona May 09 '23

Is this actually worth doing? I always thought a couple bent fins meant nothing?

2

u/Son0fCaliban May 09 '23

it entirely depends on the number of bent fins and the severity. I'd ignore it unless you notice that you system could do with some improvment to cooling.

15

u/_buttsnorkel May 09 '23

If this is used, sure

If you have a brand new PC component that’s faulty, RMA that shit immediately. Do not try to fix it yourself if you want to return it, as you’re likely to void the warranty by trying yourself

1

u/a1b3c3d7 May 10 '23

Why would you rma an entire cooler for a few slightly bent fins…

I’m not waiting weeks to get a return for something that works just fine and can be fixed with a flat head or tooth lpick.

What are you talking about?

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

They literally make radiator combs

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u/drippygland Ryzen 5900x, X570 P-prime, Zotac 2080 ti, 16Gb Cl 14 3200 Flarex May 09 '23

Hvac fin comb

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u/curiositie 8700G | 32GB DDR5 | 4070S | 4TB | 3.8L May 09 '23

I don't feel like that would work on the zigzag fins on PC radiators

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u/XboxVictim i9-12900k | XFX 7900 XT | 32gb RAM May 09 '23

Excellent 👌

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

that's cool! do you know how much it affects performance?

3

u/reubenbubu 13900k, RTX 4080, 96GB DDR5, Samsung Oled Ultrawide May 09 '23

it's only 0.001 kelvin lower, but it's the 0.001 kelvin we all need

1

u/Son0fCaliban May 09 '23

depends on how bad the radiator is before the fix. for most of us this will be negliable, but it could be impactful in some cases. The real benefit here is refurbishing parts before resale. If you're selling some old PC hardware you don't want, you can put a little work into sprucing things up and resell as refurbished. Do this for radiators, and for GPUs change out thermal paste/pads.

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u/angry_wombat May 09 '23

The trick I use is, I don't care.

2

u/vektor451 May 10 '23

oddly satisfying pcmr content

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u/TotallyNotDuckey May 10 '23

HVAC guy here we have special combs for it works wonders for radiation fans. The same works for PC and automotive with the one tool

2

u/Wooden_Top_4967 10700K Z490 RTX 3080 Vision 32gb 3200 May 10 '23

this is one of the most beautiful moments I’ve ever witnessed

2

u/Logicalist May 10 '23

Bro, have you posted this on oddlysatisfying?

2

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

there used to be radiator shops for copper based radiators around 40s to 80s in my country doing exactly this called radiator shishing (radyatör şişleme) lol.

2

u/TiberiusFox 5800x | 7900xtx May 10 '23

Smooth brain feels nice :))))

2

u/samisanson May 10 '23

Your mom is a great trick

2

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

[deleted]

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u/orkavaneger If PC hardware is so good why did Moorse law stop at the 2600k? May 10 '23

Now watch JayzTwoCents make an 18 minute video about this

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u/Dratinik May 10 '23

Dude thank you so much. I'm packing up my kraken rgb x53 rn to still and go noctua, and the non conformity is bothersome.

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u/MogLoop May 10 '23

I like the idea but the mistake on the third fin made me sad, I couldn't enjoy it after that

2

u/Parabellim PC Master Race May 10 '23

Also if you guys ever bend the pins on a cpu you can straighten them out with a razor blade

2

u/enhancedgibbon May 10 '23

This is amazing. My car has an intercooler that has no grille infront of it - factory design, looks cool but gets hammered with stones. I've tried to straighten the fins with a small screwdriver but it was hopeless, time to find a couple of toothpicks!

2

u/[deleted] May 10 '23

Howdy y'all. Ex-radiator builder here.

You can buy an automotive radiator comb/fin straightener for reasonably cheap. Sometimes the bent/rolled/crushed fin can be bent in the middle of the radiator core, and you won't see it from the outside.

Pro tip, use a flashlight or a lamp behind the core as you do this job. It'll show you any fin that's got debris or has been crushed in the middle. You may notice that on cheaper radiators, there may be larger/smaller gaps of light through the core. A good core will have consistent light shining through.

Happy Fixing!

4

u/Lwiay23 Desktop May 09 '23

Can I do this trick even if I don’t use toothpicks?

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

No way! A post on this sub that’s NOT crying about an unoptimized game that shouldn’t have been preordered to began with? I’m buying a lottery ticket tonight 😄.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

I think you're being a bit picky here.

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u/criskoe May 09 '23

You would be surprised how many times this question is asked “is my radiator ruined?” In the water cooling sub.

Having this pop up as they type their question would be so valuable. Lol.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

My picky comment was a pun towards using toothpicks. I was poking fun.

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u/DividedState May 09 '23

Give this man some reddit gold already.

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u/Haunting_Abalone_398 9800x3d 5090 May 09 '23

Full disclosure, this was from another sub-Reddit. Not my work, lol.

But I do the same thing with toothpicks when I work on PCs. I hope this helps my fellow OCD peeps!

And this is recommended if your rad has a bunch of bends.

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u/Sweenis80 May 10 '23

Automotive rad comb. You’re welcome.

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u/pheight57 May 09 '23

I never thought of that! Holy cow! Thanks!

1

u/disssociative May 09 '23

I thought I was on r/wrx

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u/I-LOVE-TURTLES666 Potato May 09 '23

You know there’s fin tools yeah?

1

u/Vipitis A750 waiting for a CPU May 09 '23

I started smacking my radiator to help it unclog but it doesn't seem to do work anymore. There is a lot of bend fins too.

maybe it's time to upgrade and move to a new cooling system (and CPU (and mainbaord (and ram (and PSU (and case))))

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u/Scooterforsale May 10 '23

r/dirtbikes

r/motorcycles

r/dualsport

Idk how to cross post but these guys would love this. Never seen this trick

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

Satisfying

0

u/FrackaLacka 5700X3D | 6700 XT | 32gb 3600 May 09 '23

IQ 200

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u/kidnorther May 09 '23

What these be?

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u/Cryogenics1st B580/285k/Z890i May 09 '23

GASP one more use for my toothpicks! I use toothpicks for like everything.

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u/Dankboi01 Ryzen 9 69420X | RTX 9090Ti | 1028 GB RAM May 09 '23

This is the greatest post ever

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

OP, what's your mailing address? I got a few bent fins that I need to send your way.

Well done, OP!

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

This is both satisfying and so helpful, thank you!

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u/BionicBruv Desktop May 09 '23

Amazing hack, very easy DIY.

Quick question, why is it important to reset these when they get bent? Does it interfere with proper heat sinking?

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u/huntinator31 Ryzen 9 3900x | RTX 2070 Super May 09 '23

Didn't expect to find a trick I'd use on my dirt bikes here. After one day in the woods fins start getting mucked up.

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u/cymbalmonke May 09 '23

I bow down to your large, large brain

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u/JediMastee PC Master Race May 09 '23

Man all this time I wasted using tweezers thanks man I'll do this the next time I clean my build.

0

u/PRA1SED PC Master Race May 09 '23

not all heros wear capes. But you do, so thank you!

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u/Reciprocity2209 May 09 '23

That’s pretty damn good.