PC in the freezer: Australian achieves what others have failed to do

Kevin Hofer

13/1/2026

Translation: machine translated

A small YouTube channel manages to do what big players have failed to do: it runs a PC in a household freezer without damaging the hardware. His recipe? Patience, a large freezer and socks full of silica gel.

Trash Bench is an Australian hardware tinkerer who specialises in chaotic and clever PC experiments. In his latest video, he achieves what even greats like Linus Tech Tips: he runs a desktop PC at minus 28 degrees Celsius in a standard freezer, runs benchmarks, overclocks - and then takes the hardware out dry and intact.

Old hardware as a guinea pig

For his experiment, Trash Bench uses older components: an Asus ROG Maximus XI Apex motherboard, an Intel Core i7-9700KF and an Asus ROG GeForce GTX 1070. By the standards of 2026, this is outdated hardware - and that's exactly what makes it ideal. Should something go wrong, the damage remains manageable. What's more, these parts consume significantly less power than modern high-end components. This is crucial because the freezer, originally intended for food, is not designed for 600-watt load peaks.

The secret: size and silica gel

Instead of placing the hardware on shelves, Trash Bench empties the freezer and suspends the test system in the air with straps. He spreads socks full of silica gel on the floor to bind moisture. He also seals the freezer so that no air can get in. This combination of a large freezer volume, minimal air movement and strict humidity control prevents condensation.

Why does his approach work while others fail? The key lies in the size of the freezer. Smaller models heat up quickly under load, which favours temperature fluctuations and condensation. A large chest freezer, on the other hand, acts like a cold accumulator: hundreds of litres of pre-cooled air buffer the heat and prevent rapid heating.

Lean performance despite the cold

The minus 28 degrees alone hardly bring any noticeable increase in performance - just 51 MHz more GPU clock speed. Only manual overclocking with +240 MHz provides measurable improvements: In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the frame rate increases by eight per cent (from 102 to 110 FPS), in 3D Mark Fire Strike by seven per cent. But even then it remains clear: a PC in the freezer does not make a high-end monster out of a GTX 1070.

Trash Bench's conclusion is correspondingly sober: Was the effort worth the return? With manual overclocking maybe, without it definitely not.

At least the experiment worked. But such a system is hardly practicable in the long term. At some point, condensation forms even in the large freezer, which damages the hardware. And who wants to game next to a humming freezer? Even loud fans are the more pleasant choice - especially with the measly increase in performance.

Kevin Hofer

Senior Editor

kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.ch

From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.

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