Modder Uses a Countertop Ice Machine to Cool an RTX 3060 to Just 22°C

A hardware modder has turned a countertop ice machine into an unusual external cooler for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, bringing gaming temperatures down from around 60°C to roughly 22°C in Cyberpunk 2077. The experiment was not designed as a practical upgrade for everyday PCs, but it shows how much cooling headroom is available when a graphics card is connected to a chilled water loop.

The project used a standard RTX 3060 with its original air cooler removed. A custom mounting frame was installed over the GPU die so liquid cooling tubes could be attached. Water was then circulated through the card using a submersible pump placed inside the ice machine.

The setup initially worked without the ice maker compressor running, but temperatures slowly climbed because the water had no way to shed heat continuously. Once the cooling system was modified, the results improved sharply.

The Ice Machine Needed More Than a Simple Water Loop

The main challenge was that the ice machine was designed for short cooling cycles, not for removing heat from a graphics card under sustained gaming load. Its compressor would run briefly, make ice, and then shut off again.

That was not enough to keep the circulating water cool while the RTX 3060 produced heat during benchmarks and games. The modder replaced the original thermostat control so the compressor could stay active longer.

The evaporator coils also needed to sit deeper in the water. A small plastic container was added beneath them, allowing the coils to remain submerged and transfer heat more effectively from the water loop.

The RTX 3060 Ran Far Cooler Than a Normal Air Cooled Card

After the changes, the RTX 3060 held temperatures around 22°C to 23°C in Cyberpunk 2077. The GPU hot spot also dropped from roughly 75°C to 34°C.

Those results are impressive for a mainstream graphics card, especially because RTX 3060 models normally operate much closer to 60°C or higher during long gaming sessions. Lower temperatures could theoretically create more room for overclocking, although the experiment focused more on cooling performance than stable long term tuning.

The project also faced water leaks during testing, which shows why this type of modification is not suitable for most PC builders.

Why This Is Not a Safe Everyday GPU Cooler

Running water through a modified electrical appliance creates clear risks. The ice machine was never designed to run as a continuous liquid chiller for a graphics card, and forcing its compressor to remain active could reduce its lifespan or cause failure.

There is also a risk of condensation when hardware temperatures fall below the surrounding air temperature. Moisture forming around the graphics card, tubing, or fittings could damage the PC.

For regular systems, a proper closed loop cooler, large radiator, or high quality air cooler remains the safer choice. Still, the ice machine project is a reminder that unconventional hardware experiments can produce remarkable results when handled carefully.