Help Narrowing Overheating Issue

[SIXxOFxONE]

Hello all,

 

I'm seeing some pretty high CPU temps, and am trying to isolate which component(s) need to be repaired/replaced to get back to acceptable temps.

 

Specs:

Ryzen 5 2600

MSI Gaming Pro Carbon X370 Motherboard (SMBIOS Ver. 2.8)

Corsair H100i AIO liquid cooler

Arctic MX4 Thermal Compound

Lian Li O11 Dynamic

6 Intake Fans and 3 Exhaust (2 of which are attached to the H100i Rad)

EVGA 2080 (Triple Slot variant)

16gb DDR4 3200mhz

No OC (but XMP is enabled for RAM)

EVGA 750 W PSU

 

Issue:

At desktop running only Firefox and HW Info, I'm seeing it idle at about 65C (149F).  I noticed after gaming for several hours that the rad was very hot (could feel through the top of the case; hot enough to burn bare skin).  I ran HWinfo and saw that CPU was sitting at about 104C.  I ran Prime95 to see what would happen, and it spiked to 115C, followed by a full system shutoff. 

 

What I've Tried:

My first thought was that it's been at least a few years since I've removed the cooler, so maybe the thermal paste was past its prime (and it was the cheapest solution I could try).  I cleaned the CPU and cooler with alcohol wipes and reapplied thermal paste.  Now when I run Prime 95, I hit about 95C (better, but still high).  I've also tried pinning all the fans to 100% to see if I could get the temperature down, but no luck; even running with no panels and all fans + pump at 100% in a roughly 21C room, I'm still seeing it idle at around 65C.  My usage bounces between 4-10% at time of writing.

 

My Theories (In no Particular Order):

• Maybe the lid on my processor is not making good contact with the CCX's?  I've never tried delidding or anything, but it seems possible?
• My AIO pump is dead (I'm the second owner, I got it secondhand maybe 4-5 years ago).   Seems unlikely because it appears in CorsairLink with an RPM of 2200 or so, but I guess still possible (Would I know if my AIO was dead?) 
• My MoBo or CPU is doing something funky with voltages?  Everything is set to manufacturer defaults (except XMP for RAM), but I don't know a lot about CPU voltages, so I'm really not sure what would be (ab)normal.  Corsair Link is reporting 1.18V VCPU and HW Info is reporting 1.162 Core voltage  if that's relevant?

 

Things I don't Think it Is:

• HWInfo is misreading / I should use other monitoring program - Maybe, but it did trip a thermal switch 10 seconds into Prime95, and the case was hot (burning) to the touch.  Even if the numbers aren't spot-on, they're still high.
• Thermal Paste application - I don't go too crazy with the stuff, so I don't think it's that.  Plus, even if my initial application was bad (after using for 3+ years), reapplication should have changed things.  
• Inadequate Ventilation / Fan Orientation / Fan Types - I've got plenty, and the issues persist even when running case with no side panels.  I'm not using static pressure fans on the rad, but I've been running this config for 3 or 4 years now with previously good temps.  The only real change I've made is adding 3 filtered intakes on the bottom of my case to achieve a higher positive pressure, and the temperature problem is new.   

 

I'd appreciate any thoughts you guys might have on how to narrow down the issue.

 

Minor Update:   The general consensus thus far is that my cpu pump may be dead.  I will try to get a replacement asap to determine whether that was the issue and post an update.  As the PC has been idling for the last hour or so, it has risen from 65C at desktop to now about 75C. 

 

Resolution / Update for Future Readers:  So I installed a new 360mm AIO, and am now seeing around 25C at idle and around 40C while gaming.  The last cooler was the issue, and the fact that the pump was reporting an RPM in Corsair's software was just a red herring.  Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[CommanderAlex]

1 minute ago, SIXxOFxONE said:

My AIO pump is dead (I'm the second owner, I got it secondhand maybe 4-5 years ago). 

This seems very likely due to the age of the AIO over time with stress and heat. 

2 minutes ago, SIXxOFxONE said:

HWInfo is misreading / I should use other monitoring program

This is one of the best hardware monitor's to pick from so the accuracy of your temperatures being incorrect are very slim. 

 

Overall, I would say its possibly time for a new AIO or a beefy air cooler. 

[Coolmaster]

Has it always been really hot or only recently. If it's recently it is probably a dead pump, or you are somehow blocking the airflow through the radiator.

[SIXxOFxONE]

This is a new issue.  Traditionally, I saw about 70C while gaming - never 100C.  As far as radiator impediments, there is a magnetic dust filter between the rad and the vents in the top of my case, but I wouldn't call that substantial.  There's no dust either (I clean the vents and filters at least once per month). 

[SIXxOFxONE]

12 minutes ago, CommanderAlex said:

This seems very likely due to the age of the AIO over time with stress and heat. 

This is one of the best hardware monitor's to pick from so the accuracy of your temperatures being incorrect are very slim. 

 

Overall, I would say its possibly time for a new AIO or a beefy air cooler. 

This is helpful, thanks.  If the pump is dead, should I be surprised that the H100i still reports a pump RPM of 2220?  Is this just measuring the fan that's attached to that particular header, or is this a true representation of the pump's RPM?  Similarly, when AIO pumps "die," do they become progressively more ineffective (ie, slowing down), or will it just stop functioning completely? 

[I have an a10]

if you have over heating issues try disabling led lights if you have some or if your room is hot try moving the position of your pc to get some airflow and if your playing heavy games i think thats just normal but if your playing on medium or low setting it relies to much into the cpu but in high max setting it mostly relies on the gpu so just try to disable and put stuff until you get air flow

[ApolloX75]

13 minutes ago, SIXxOFxONE said:

This is helpful, thanks.  If the pump is dead, should I be surprised that the H100i still reports a pump RPM of 2220?  Is this just measuring the fan that's attached to that particular header, or is this a true representation of the pump's RPM?  Similarly, when AIO pumps "die," do they become progressively more ineffective (ie, slowing down), or will it just stop functioning completely? 

They typically stop working altogether. I think you've got a bad pump at this point as everything points to that. Do you still have your stock cooler that came with the 2600? You could try switching to that temporarily to see if your issue is solved.

[Coolmaster]

17 minutes ago, I have an a10 said:

if you have over heating issues try disabling led lights if you have some or if your room is hot try moving the position of your pc to get some airflow and if your playing heavy games i think thats just normal but if your playing on medium or low setting it relies to much into the cpu but in high max setting it mostly relies on the gpu so just try to disable and put stuff until you get air flow

Led lights create almost no heat compared to the rest of a computer, turning them off will make almost no difference. And the temperature while gaming is dependant on the cooler not what settings you have, it is not normal to be above 100 degrees on high.

[SIXxOFxONE]

31 minutes ago, ApolloX75 said:

They typically stop working altogether. I think you've got a bad pump at this point as everything points to that. Do you still have your stock cooler that came with the 2600? You could try switching to that temporarily to see if your issue is solved.

Unfortunately, I don't; I donated it to a buddy to help him build his first system.  I may pull the trigger on a cooler tomorrow.  I'll post a follow up when I can.  Thanks.

[Mark Kaine]

Narrowing it down: user error or inadequate or defective cooling solution. 

 

Proposal: just use the stock cooler next time, aios etc are prone to failure, dangerous and in almost all use cases completely unnecessary. 

 

I'm running on stock cooler, slightly lowered stock fan curve and getting ~56C while gaming...  (70-75 with the stress test thingy) 

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited November 9, 2020 by Mark Kaine
Forgot that I actually lowered fan curve a bit because the default was revving up way too much, unnecessarily and annoyingly

[Mark Kaine]

2 hours ago, SIXxOFxONE said:

may pull the trigger on a cooler tomorrow. 

I'd recommend a cheap Bequiet or Noctua with 1 fan, everything more seems really overkill for this cpu. 

[narrdarr]

Definitely sound like the aio.

I had the same issue with h100i v2

 

The Pump probably is not dead. The pump and cold plate are gunked up. I wouldn't be surprised if the aio is getting low on fluid too.

 

Its not as hard to refurb it as many makes it seem. Pretty easy tbh.

I did mine.