Extreme Cooling – The Wild Experiment of Air Conditioner-Powered PC Cooling
Most PC builders rely on AIO liquid coolers or traditional air cooling to keep their systems running smoothly. However, some enthusiasts push boundaries in search of ultimate thermal performance. If money and power consumption aren’t concerns, you might be tempted to go beyond conventional cooling—like integrating a full-sized residential air conditioner into a custom liquid cooling loop. While that might sound excessive, one enthusiast has already made it a reality.
A video producer in China took on this ambitious challenge, connecting a 12,000 BTU air conditioning unit to a custom cooling loop for a high-end rig featuring an Intel Core i9-13900K and NVIDIA RTX 4090. As showcased on Bilibili, the setup maintains an idle temperature of just 20°C (68°F)—exceptionally low for hardware of this caliber. Even under heavy workloads, temperatures rise by only a few degrees, an impressive feat considering the intense power draw of these flagship components.
While undeniably effective, this approach has major drawbacks. The Xiaomi 12K BTU air conditioner alone costs as much as a high-end custom loop, but its bulk and noise levels make it an impractical addition to most setups. To avoid turning a room into a heat chamber, the unit must be installed outside, adding complexity to an already cumbersome installation process.
The biggest concern, however, is energy consumption. The air conditioner draws over a kilowatt of power, meaning running it for cooling alone could cost more than powering an entire gaming PC. Unless you’re comfortable with a massive electricity bill and the intricate setup process, it’s hard to justify such an extreme solution. For most, a high-quality air cooler or AIO liquid cooler remains the far more practical choice.
