TrashBench cools RTX 3060 with a modified ice machine, GPU stays below 23°C
TrashBench has tested another unusual GPU cooling setup, this time by connecting an RTX 3060 to an ice cube maker. The idea was to check whether the machine itself could cool the card, rather than just using ice as a temporary cooling source.
The RTX 3060 used in the test was first tested with its stock air cooler. Under load, the card reached around 60°C on the GPU and 75°C on the hotspot. A water-only setup lowered those figures to 44°C and 55°C, but this was still just a passive bucket of water with no active cooling.
The stock ice machine did improve the result, but not enough to keep up with the GPU for long. TrashBench then modified the unit so the compressor could run continuously. The evaporator also had to be placed in contact with a small water reservoir, since it sat above the original water line.
With the modified ice machine running, the RTX 3060 reached 23°C on the GPU and 34°C on the hotspot. TrashBench also tested the setup in Cyberpunk 2077 for around 15 to 20 minutes, where the GPU temperature reportedly never exceeded 23°C.
Source: TrashBench
TrashBench says the main issue was condensation. The water temperature dropped below ambient, which left moisture around the setup. TrashBench stopped one test after around 10 minutes because the hardware was covered in water, then resumed after dealing with the problem.
So the answer is yes, an ice machine can cool a gaming GPU. It can even keep an RTX 3060 far below its normal air-cooled operating temperature. The answer to whether anyone should try it at home is still no, unless they are ready to deal with water near live PC hardware.
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