Modders and PC enthusiasts have always played around with ridiculous cooling methods, but using a countertop ice maker is certainly novel. A modder took this kitchen appliance and plumbed an RTX 3060 into it to pump chilled water to the GPU and back again, creating an effective cooling solution for this older graphics card.
YouTuber TrashBench modified the ice maker to keep its compressor running continuously. In its default configuration, it would run until ice was created, then turn off again. It was all controlled by a thermostat, so TrashBench pulled that out and replaced it with one that would allow the compressor to run without interruption.
Sure, that’s probably not great for the compressor long term. But the GPU performance gains are worth it.
With the pump submerged in cold water and the tubing running from the GPU block over the evaporator, through the submerged pump, and back again, this resulted in significant drops in temperature. At stock, the card ran at around 60 degrees C, with a hotspot at 75 degrees when fully loaded during gaming. With the new mod in place, it would load at a chilly 22 degrees, with a hotspot of just 34.
That could open up a lot of overclocking headroom, and with 12GB of VRAM, the RTX 3060 is a prime target for revival in 2026. Indeed, manufacturers are re-releasing it because it’s such a viable entry-level card when so much else is overpriced and hard to find.
The modding process didn’t go off entirely without a hitch. There were some leaks; the modder didn’t account for condensation on sub-ambient temperature, and there’s no telling how long the compressor will last, as it was not designed to run continuously (or cool a GPU, for that matter). But the result is still effective, and a fun project for older hardware like this.
It goes without saying, but ExtremeTech does not recommend mixing water and electronics if you don’t know what you’re doing.
