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Big problems with the Corsair H100i water cooler

Tags:
  • Water Cooling
  • Components
  • Cooler Master
  • Thermal Compound
  • Corsair
  • H100i
Last response: in Components
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August 9, 2014 4:22:17 AM

So, I had been using the Cooler Master Evo 212. I have a stock Intel i7 4790k. With the 212, I was getting idles of about 31 and never got above 55. Now that I installed the H100i, I'm getting idles of around 40, and frequently get above 60 (in Prime95, it shoots up to 85 instantly even at 100% fan speed, and only climbs from there). I've taken it apart and installed it four different ways, all of which just as bad as the last. Currently, with just Google Chrome open, I'm sitting between 40 and 41.

I've tried the stock thermal paste, stock Cooler Master thermal paste and Arctic Silver 5. Along with that, I've mounted the fans on top and below the radiator, trying intake/exhaust on both, and nothing seems to work well at all.

Did I get a faulty unit, do something wrong, what? I'm stumped on what to do, because for an $80 price difference between this and the 212, it's just unacceptable. Can someone help?

More about : big problems corsair h100i water cooler

Best solution

August 9, 2014 9:16:49 AM

Do 2 things.

1. Feel the pipes leading from the pump to the radiator. If the pump is working, one of them should be noticably hot (especially when your CPU is at 80C) and the other a little cooler.

2. Make a "stethoscope" from rolled up paper and hole the one end to your ear and the other end near the pump. You should hear the pump.

If neither of these are failing then

You mounted it wrong and the pump's heat sink isn't making proper and tight contact with the CPU.

Test this by pressing down on the pump to make a better contact. You should notice an immediate drop in temp as the heatsink takes up CPU heat.

otherwise your cooler is defective and you should be talking to Corsair.
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August 11, 2014 8:32:32 PM

Turns out, the mounting bracket was on upside-down (I had the misfortune of doing so three times in a row). It's such a small indication, and with the fact that it only has instructions in the form of pictures, it's not easy to pick up on. Thanks for the help, it works fine now!
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August 12, 2014 12:33:07 AM

Well, you got it fixed. That's good, right? :) 
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