Freezer cooled CPU tower pushes RTX 3070 and GTX 960 up to 17%
TrashBench is back with another short experiment in questionable but entertaining GPU cooling. This time he moved from full submersion stunts to a more targeted approach for an RTX 3070 and an older GTX 960. The goal was simple: push both cards with sub-zero cooling using whatever parts he had on hand.
The mod starts with a Thermalright Peerless Assassin CPU air cooler. TrashBench strips off the fins to expose the heatpipes, then cuts the tops open to reveal the internal channels. He then glues thin water tubes into the cut ends and hooks them up to a small pump and the same camping freezer he has used as a chiller in past videos, turning the air tower into a makeshift water block and radiator in one. With ice-cold fluid circulating, the MSI RTX 3070 runs close to -14°C at the GPU core during load.
Source: Trashbench
For the RTX 3070 tests, he compares three states: stock cooler, a normal air overclock, and the “ice” water-injected setup. At 1080p Ultra, Black Ops 7 goes from 97 FPS at stock to 104 FPS with the ice mod, while Cyberpunk climbs from 105 to 116 FPS. Shadow of the Tomb Raider shows the biggest jump, from 203 to 235 FPS, and 3DMark Time Spy rises from 13,858 to 15,451 points. Across these runs the RTX 3070 gains roughly 7–16%over stock, with only modest headroom left between the air-overclocked and frozen configurations.
The GTX 960 run is where the strange cooler does more work. Tested at 1080p with “potato” low settings, Shadow of the Tomb Raider improves from 62 to 72 FPS and Forza Motorsport from 73 to 83 FPS. Cyberpunk moves from 28 to 34 FPS, which is the difference between a borderline and a playable experience, while Time Spy goes from 2,379 to 2,735 points. On this older card the uplift falls between about 14 and 21%, averaging around 17%across the games shown.
Source: Trashbench
The setup is not meant for daily use. Condensation risk, liquid leaks, and the need for a separate camping freezer keep it firmly in the “weekend project” category. It does show, though, how much thermal headroom is still sitting in older GPUs and how far a determined modder can push standard air coolers beyond their original purpose.
Source:
