Corsair iCUE H150 RGB - Pump Noise

[Consul]

I recently built myself a PC (got it built). There are no problems with the performance. However, after gaming for a while, I realized that a noise was coming from the AIO pump. It is a Corsair iCUE H150 RGB 360 mm AIO water cooler. It is installed with the radiator on top.

 

Is this sound normal or should I be worried? (I recorded it through putting my phone's microphone right next to the pump)

 

https://voca.ro/1mRUb1qCPEzB

 

Here's a video of the sound:

 

https://streamable.com/x5cgb6

 

Here are my specs:

MSI B650 Gaming Plus Wifi

AMD Ryzen 7 9700x

Corsair iCUE H150 RGB 360 mm AIO

Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (16x2) DDR5 RAM

NZXT H7 Flow (2024)

Corsair 1000W 80+ Gold Full Modular PSU

[Sawa Takahashi]

That depends on the model of the pump I'd say. Please list your PC specs so we can help you.

Is this an AIO or a complete water loop ?

The pump may also be pumping air but again it's very hard to help without specs.

Have a nice day !

[Consul]

6 hours ago, Sawa Takahashi said:

That depends on the model of the pump I'd say. Please list your PC specs so we can help you.

Is this an AIO or a complete water loop ?

The pump may also be pumping air but again it's very hard to help without specs.

Have a nice day !

Hello, I've updated the main post.

[Consul]

The AIO didn't have this problem until yesterday when I started hearing it. It is not a super loud noise but it can be heard when the room is silent and it mostly is. I have a feeling this might be a bubble though I wouldn't know because this is my first time using an AIO.

 

...or it might be totally normal as there are no crazy temperature increases etc.

[Consul]

I think I have solved this. Tilting the PC has helped greatly.

[Consul]

Bad news, it came back. No matter how much I tilt the case, it goes away for a bit and then comes back. I don't know if this is normal since temps are good.

I'm currently thinking of buying an air cooler and then RMAing this.

 

Here's a video of the sound: https://streamable.com/x5cgb6

[Sawa Takahashi]

1 hour ago, Consul said:

Bad news, it came back. No matter how much I tilt the case, it goes away for a bit and then comes back. I don't know if this is normal since temps are good.

About the AIO pump, is it located at the lowest point of the loop ? If it is located at a high point it is possible that bubbles will accumulate in the pump. If the pump is at the lowest point then bubbles will tend to migrate upwards by themselves.

1 hour ago, Consul said:

I'm currently thinking of buying an air cooler and then RMAing this.

There are many good air coolers out there so if you don't want to deal with an AIO and you still can return it, why not ?

[Consul]

1 minute ago, Sawa Takahashi said:

About the AIO pump, is it located at the lowest point of the loop ? If it is located at a high point it is possible that bubbles will accumulate in the pump. If the pump is at the lowest point then bubbles will tend to migrate upwards by themselves.

Pump is low, radiator is above the pump. I have heard that the bubbles migrate eventually but this noise still annoys me and I have a feeling of it not getting solved by itself.

 

2 minutes ago, Sawa Takahashi said:

There are many good air coolers out there so if you don't want to deal with an AIO and you still can return it, why not ?

That is true but I'm not sure if they'll accept it, I'll see. I also heard from someone on another forum that decreasing pump speeds might be a good idea but it's set on full speed and Smart Fan is not on (It's an MSI motherboard). How do I decrease the speed of the pump? MSI Center didn't work because BIOS overrides it.

[Sawa Takahashi]

2 hours ago, Consul said:

That is true but I'm not sure if they'll accept it, I'll see. I also heard from someone on another forum that decreasing pump speeds might be a good idea

Not all pumps support variable speed. Not all motherboard either. You need both.

3 hours ago, Consul said:

That is true but I'm not sure if they'll accept it, I'll see.

Well, if you are passed the return window, you can always try to sell your AIO. There should be a market for good 360mm AIOs with all the high-end CPUs introduced recently.

 

Have a nice day !

[Consul]

13 minutes ago, Sawa Takahashi said:

Not all pumps support variable speed. Not all motherboard either. You need both.

Yeah, seems like it. Learned my lesson the hard way I guess.

 

13 minutes ago, Sawa Takahashi said:

Well, if you are passed the return window, you can always try to sell your AIO. There should be a market for good 360mm AIOs with all the high-end CPUs introduced recently.

 

Have a nice day !

I still have it under guarantee and they might accept returns (it's a tech company that works with Corsair) so I'll see. If they don't see any problems with it and return it as is, I might just sell it and buy myself an air cooler.