NZXT Kraken X61 rattling noise

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EvoExia

EvoExia

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Jul 31, 2014
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I just recently finished building my rig a couple of weeks ago and it's been running strong and constantly running at cool temps. A couple of days ago, I noticed this rattling noise coming from the pump of the X61, it's noticeable when I'm not playing any sounds from the speakers. I opened the CAM software and it's still running normally and still doing its job. So I'm not sure if this is normal operation or whether if it will cause issues if left unnoticed long term. Any suggestions before I RMA it?

Video clip of the pump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKUj7hfqH8&index=1
 
Solution
Karsten75
Roll up a piece of paper into a tube, hold it to your ear and if it is *definitely( coming from the pump, then switch off your computer and get the cooler RMA'd. That sound is NOT GOOD. I have one of those and after >1 year it is still as quiet as the day I bought it.
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Karsten75

Karsten75

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Oct 15, 2009
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Roll up a piece of paper into a tube, hold it to your ear and if it is *definitely( coming from the pump, then switch off your computer and get the cooler RMA'd. That sound is NOT GOOD. I have one of those and after >1 year it is still as quiet as the day I bought it.
 
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Solution
EvoExia

EvoExia

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Jul 31, 2014
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Yeah, it was definitely the pump. I installed the stock CPU fan and the rattling is gone...I'm skeptical about ordering another X61 from them (as to I WANT to avoid this happening again) should I order the predecessor Kraken X60 or a different one approved in the community? (Open to suggestions)
 
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Karsten75

Karsten75

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Oct 15, 2009
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I really like Kraken AOI coolers. What can I say? :) I think you might have gotten a bad egg. but I can't guarantee NZXT's build quality.

I can tell you that I'm running on an older NZXT Kraken AOI cooler for >1 year in this very rig I'm typing on and it's still cool and quiet. I'm much happier with the Kraken and with the Intel AOI coolers than I ever was with the Corsair series of AIO coolers. Those were the only ones I had to swap fans out to get them quiet enough and I didn't like their mounting instructions and mounting kit.

If it was my $$ on the line, I'd give NZXT another chance.

 
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C

ChrisVTR

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Mar 1, 2015
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CAM causes the rattling. Turn it off and the X61 will still remember whatever settings it was on. CAM is a bit of a resource hog anyway so I prefer to not have it running.
 
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kaefers

kaefers

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Sep 6, 2013
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Long story, short answer: avoid the NZXT Kraken X61 (X41/X31).
Also, avoid NZXT in general for any LONGER warranty period if you are in Europe.
Because once you cannot go back to the retailer, mostly after 1-2yrs, you will need to deal with support in the US.

My X60 broke, and NZXT sent me a X61 as replacement - which is great service.
The problem was, that the X61 they sent me had a bad pump on arrival and had too much air inside.
The pump makes noise no matter what and I can only mount it with the rad on top or the pump will run dry immediately.

After one whole month of messages back and forth, NZXT's only offer is for me to FedEx the X61 from the UK to California, on my pocket of course, to then check the item, and see what they can do. That must be by far the most useless suggestion I can imagine. No cooler for weeks and spending half the coolers value of FedEx to the US. After all, it is not my fault that the product they sent me is not working as it should be expected/

Never again.
 
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Karsten75

Karsten75

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Oct 15, 2009
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Do you know many (any?) manufacturers that pay to have items shipped to them under warranty? The procedure you describe is common. You should be able to return the device to the retailer within the timeframes that you are mentioning in your post.

If you buy stuff online, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the return policies both of the online retailer and the manufacturer.

Most people run afoul of the cost of returning products to the manufacture and it's a constant source of dissatisfaction among a large swathe of manufacturers. But then you come here, you read the reasons (not yours, others) put forward for RMA and you get to feel a little sympathy for the manufacturer - if you don't eat that cost, then they have to build it into their product and we all pay for it.

Also, your experience is wholly outside of my experience with NZXT Kraken products and I regret you got the short end of the stick - twice. Still won't mean that I will stop recommending NZXT AIO coolers.

 
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kaefers

kaefers

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Sep 6, 2013
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To be honest, I contacted NZXT, and initially they were looking to help me out.
Before they had support in Europe, but now they only do in the US. That is the main issue for me.

The X61 has issues, which NZXT even admitted on reddit (with Asetek), and while sending in the UK is reasonable, sending it to the US without any advance RMA or proper timeline, after keeping me guessing what to do about it for a whole month, is just wasting my time.

I sent them videos, UEFI screenshots, pictures. They do not care, that is the issue. And they know too well that they will get 95+ % of people from Europe to give up before they sent it to the US. It's not ok to pretend when you actually just don't give a sh.. as manufacturer.

Anyway, I will see what the retailer can do about it, as you said. With an item that has 6yrs warranty though, I still could not recommend anyone from Europe to trust support from the US. I think that is somewhat reasonable. Amazon UK will, usually, redirect you to the manufacturer after 1 year for any
support queries.

Quote from reddit: "NZXT Kraken X61 rattling sound from pump" - NZXT reply there: "Check to see if the fans are making some noise by disconnecting them. Also, we are aware of whats going on and working on it with Asetek, for a possible fix."

 
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T

tomdgs

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Aug 16, 2015
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4,510
Hi, i followed the instruction here (http://support.nzxt.com/hc/en-us/articles/203684004-Getting-a-noise-coming-from-my-Kraken-) and managed to get rid of the noise. Modify the voltage curve of the CPU FAN from the BIOS to 100% at all time. Works in my rig (ASUS VII HEROE).
 
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K

Katateochi

Commendable
Oct 23, 2016
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1,510

This should be the top answer because this is the solution.
 
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