Hot CPU with Watercooling

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Kiark

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Jun 30, 2014
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I have a STOCK i7 4770k and a Antec Kuhler H2O 950 cooler. My CPU use to be clocked up to 4GHz but I took it away after having the following problem.

Ever since I cleaned my computer out and reapplied thermal paste my CPU has been running extremely hot.

Just browsing the internet with 2-4 tabs open can fluctuate the temps up 100 degrees! This was never the case before. I even reapplied the thermal paste a second time.

So a little more back story. After cleaning my PC it wouldn't even boot. It would power on but nothing would happen. I couldn't even get into my bios. 2 days later it booted again but with the high temps I'm seeing now.

Any ideas on why it's running so hot?

Thanks.
 
Solution
synphul
Something isn't quite right if one hose is much hotter than the other. It should be a constant flow of coolant through the entire system and while the cpu is a source of heat warming up the coolant, the radiator removing the excess heat. Being in constant circulation though the coolant should balance out to a fairly even temp. Unlike an automotive radiator system there's no thermostat opening and closing to cause a 'hot' and 'cold' side of the system.

I would double check that the pump is plugged in correctly and receiving power, preferably full speed/power and not running slow due to a pwm signal/header. You may need to gently tip the case as if laying it on its side and righting it back up straight a few times or unmount the radiator...
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Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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If you reseated your cooler, and now it's running hot, it can only be one of two things:

1) You didn't seat it correctly, or
2) You broke your cooler somehow while you were messing with it, or it broke at the same time concidentally

I'd check to make sure the pump is running.
 
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Kiark

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Jun 30, 2014
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Thanks for the speedy reply, Ecky. I took the cooler on and off 2 times. It's on there pretty tight as well. I'd like to hear other suggestions before I take the cooler off again because it's such a pain to do!

From what I can tell the pump it working. One of the pipes is getting quite hot (obviously taking the heat from the CPU) and the other pipe is cool. Is there any other way of seeing whether the pump is actively working?
 
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Kiark

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I used an air compressor (a small one at that). Both fans are spinning. Everything seems to be in place correctly. The contact point is on very securely.
 
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K

Kiark

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What am I doing wrong? Like I said, this is a new problem. The cooler actually works pretty well (apart from the problem I'm having now).

Right now the temps have gone down to around 50 -50 degrees, but that's still pretty hot. It would be hotter if the pump wasn't working, right?
 
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Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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Not necessarily. Modern Intel CPUs produce very little heat at idle, to the point that passive convection should keep it within safe operating temps (at idle). I've had pumps fail many times in watercoolers over the years, to the point that I don't use them anymore and don't recommend them to others. Air coolers cool better and more quietly at the same price anyway.
 
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K

Kiark

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It is vibrating. It's not too noticeable though. I don't remember how it use to fell as the last time I checked the vibration of it was when I purchased it around a year ago.

The fan RPM is currently at 2000 - 2200.
 
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K

Kiark

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My only friend with a compatible cooler is overseas right now! Won't be back for quite some time.
 
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synphul

synphul

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Mar 11, 2011
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Something isn't quite right if one hose is much hotter than the other. It should be a constant flow of coolant through the entire system and while the cpu is a source of heat warming up the coolant, the radiator removing the excess heat. Being in constant circulation though the coolant should balance out to a fairly even temp. Unlike an automotive radiator system there's no thermostat opening and closing to cause a 'hot' and 'cold' side of the system.

I would double check that the pump is plugged in correctly and receiving power, preferably full speed/power and not running slow due to a pwm signal/header. You may need to gently tip the case as if laying it on its side and righting it back up straight a few times or unmount the radiator and give it a gentle shake. Try to make sure there are no air bubbles somehow caught in the pump and help move any air bubbles up into the radiator (above the pump).

There's no real way to check the pump on a closed system, it's not like you can just disconnect a hose and check its operation. If air gets trapped in the pumps impellers it can cause it to lose its prime and cause a 'dead' pocket where the pump isn't pushing coolant. That's bad for the pump since it relies on the coolant to help cool it, running it too long if there is an air pocket could allow the pump to burn out prematurely.

Check here and scroll down to "closed loop coolers".
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277130-29-read-first-watercooling-sticky

"Special Mention:
If you experience an airlock in your unit, please remove the entire unit from your system and hold the radiator above with the cpu block dangling below. Shake the cpu block until you hear a slight pop/swish of air travelling to the top/rad."
 
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