'I basically sprinkle water drops on top of tissue paper': One redditor's quest to cool their Mac mini

by adminApril 25, 2026034

Occasionally, I encounter a story that speaks volumes in a single image. It tells of human strife, endeavour, and an unwavering commitment to triumph in the face of adversity. This is one of those images.

My dear colleague Jacob Fox directed me to the r/pcmasterrace subreddit this morning, so that I may behold what he too has seen. And it’s this Mac mini, with what I will call an “unorthodox” cooling setup.

I can’t afford AC, so built this DIY watercooler for my mac mini, temprature dropped from 74°c to 49°c from r/pcmasterrace

At the risk of ruining the subtle beauty of what Reddit user kartikgsniderj has created, I’ll attempt to explain what I see. I think what we’re looking at here is a Mac that’s been given a heavy ridge of packing tape around the outer chassis to act as a water cooling tray.

This, as the thread title reveals, is a cooling system—and apparently an effective one, too. As our redditor can’t afford air conditioning, they “basically sprinkle water drops on top of tissue paper,” to cool their machine, which is then presumably collected in the packing tape “tray”, so as not to ruin the electrical components underneath.

Temp reductions of 74 °C to 49 °C are nothing to sniff at, though, and evaporative cooling is a thing. And I’ve been known to break out the packing tape in times of emergency, as well as enduring hot summers without the pleasure of air conditioning.

Still, I fear for the day this setup experiences an inevitable accident. The moment when that fragile tape lets go at a crucial junction, allowing water to drip into the vents and ports beyond.

There’s a chunky power supply in there, too, you know. For goodness sake, do not attempt this in your own home. Water and mains power absolutely do not mix, and while the ingenuity here is notable, it’s still a very, very bad idea.