[SOLVED] 10900K very hot with 3 rad water cooling - low flow?? help plz

Mar 19, 2021
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Hi everyone looking for advice. I just built a 3 360 rad, 10 static pressure fan custom hardline loop cooling gpu and cpu with a d5 200 pump. It is running near 88c most of the time w/o even gaming pushing it. I see Asus AI lower cpu voltage and frequency to reduce the temps. I have the fans 2200 static full blast x 10, pump running near 4800 full rpm and nothing seems to help. I have xmp 2 memory, but for now just did auto for overclocking by passing xmp profiles. I have a couple right angle bends I was thinking of updating to curve bends. I also was thinking maybe to remove the cpu, clean it and apply paste again. Any additional suggestions?

Here is what I have:
Case:
Lian LI O11D XL-W
Power Supply:
CORSAIR AXi Series AX1600i CP-9020087-NA 1600W ATX 80 PLUS TITANIUM Certified Full Modular Digital ATX Power Supply
Storage:
980 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD 2TB M.2 2280 form factor | MZ-V8P2T0B/AM | Genuine PCIe 4.0 NVMe speed (up to 7,000/5,100MB/s for read/write speed)
Graphics:
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 DirectX 12 ROG-STRIX-RTX3090-O24G-GAMING 24GB 384-Bit GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Motherboard:
ASUS Republic of Gamers Maximus XII Extreme
CPU
Intel Core i9-10900K 10-Core 3.7 GHz LGA 1200 125W BX8070110900K Desktop Processor Intel UHD Graphics 630
Memory:
G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Intel XMP 2.0 Desktop Memory Model F4-3600C14D-32GTZR (64 gb)
Cooling:
FANS & LIGHTING
EKWB EK-Vardar X3M 120ER PWM 120mm Fan, 500-2200 RPM, Digital RGB x10
iCUE Commander PRO Smart RGB Lighting and Fan Speed Controller CL-9011110-WW
CORSAIR RGB Fan LED Hub CO-8950020 x2
PUMP & RESERVOIR
EK-Quantum Kinetic TBE 200 D5 PWM D-RGB - Plexi
CPU WATER BLOCK
EKWB EK-Quantum Magnitude CPU Water Block, Intel CPU (115x), D-RGB, Nickel/Plexi: Computers & Accessories
GPU BLOCK
EKWB EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090 GPU Water Block, Digital RGB Nickel/Plexi
EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3070/3080/3090 Backplate - Nickel
RADIATORS
EKWB EK-CoolStream PE 360 Radiator, Triple, Black
EKWB EK-CoolStream SE 360 Radiator, Slim Triple, Black
EKWB EK-CoolStream SE 360 Radiator, Slim Triple, Black
 
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Solution
It's an intel under water. I'd use thermal grizzly hydronaut for paste and being an intel only needs a good pea blob in the center. Not an exact measurement. If you want to spread it around with a credit card, that's fine too. It just needs to be a well covered area, not peanut butter thick.

After application, 4 screws tighten in an X pattern, couple threads at a time, keeping pressure uniform otherwise you run the risk of dumping all the paste out of one corner and/or over pressuring part of the cpu. Ram errors starting from the memory controller are extremely common in that respect.

Being a block, plenty of overall pressure is somewhat important to thermal conductivity. A block not sufficiently seated and tightened will get high...
Mar 19, 2021
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Also started thinking about the cpu in and out and triple checked, but I believe I'm good based off this. I haven't change the jet plate. EK-IM-3831109818930.pdf (ekwb.com)

Also, not sure if it is accurate and I know I didn't set this up correctly, but the bitspower flow meter. I didn't add the inserts to reduce flow in or out - just wide open. But it does show 3 l/m. I think that is low based on 4800ish RPM the pump is doing. Only thing I can think of is replacing the elbows with the rounded connectors similar to the top left rad.
 
running near 88c most of the time
What speed are you running and what voltage? Is your 10900K setup to default turbo ratios so it is using the 53 multiplier when lightly loaded? Some people use this combined with a fixed voltage so power consumption and temps go up higher than they should be or need to be.

See what HWiNFO reports for Vcore.

I have a similar 10850K with a nothing special AIO and here is what I am getting when idle. Not a lot of Windows bloat running in the background. Low CPU usage with the core C states enabled results in low power consumption and temps.

NKAESsL.png


What sort of temps do you get when running a benchmark like Cinebench R20?
What speed are you running at during this test?


Your setup looks great. Hopefully you can find a way to get the temps down.

At the default 4900 MHz 10900K all core speed, I get this when fully loaded running Cinebench.

G9S4NM4.png
 
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Mar 19, 2021
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Thank you very much. I hope soo too. I think I need to start with a set voltage and frequency. I have it on auto and xmp 2 for another test, but as it auto adjust the temps can go very far up and this is when just sitting in windows with nothing running. Thank you very much for the links. I'll download that and give that a try when I get back home. Do you know of a reference where I can manually set the voltage and frequency and other manual items in the bios? I'll post a few more pictures but wonder if the "flow rate" showing red at 3 L/M is another issue.

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Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
There are a lot of bends and fittings contributing to flow restriction, but I don't think that will be a huge issue here. Given the three radiators, and their orientations, I am not surprised.

3/L min isn't too low though, about the recommended average. Beyond that it doesn't help much with cooling.

I would concentrate on the CPU configuration and sit yourself down with a good overclocking guide. Once you are in control of the voltage, I'm sure it will be fine.

If not, then re-mounting the block would be the next step. Might just need more mounting pressure (add some washers to the back of the motherboard between the backplate. Usually does the trick if you have come close to bottoming out.
 
Mar 19, 2021
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There are a lot of bends and fittings contributing to flow restriction, but I don't think that will be a huge issue here. Given the three radiators, and their orientations, I am not surprised.

3/L min isn't too low though, about the recommended average. Beyond that it doesn't help much with cooling.

I would concentrate on the CPU configuration and sit yourself down with a good overclocking guide. Once you are in control of the voltage, I'm sure it will be fine.

If not, then re-mounting the block would be the next step. Might just need more mounting pressure (add some washers to the back of the motherboard between the backplate. Usually does the trick if you have come close to bottoming out.

Thank you, good thought on that. I did verify the GPU temp was around 24c idle so I think that is good, but not 100% sure. It did get to roughly 28-31ish?? c for Shadow of the tomb raider getting to open screen with max settings.
 
Mar 19, 2021
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What speed are you running and what voltage? Is your 10900K setup to default turbo ratios so it is using the 53 multiplier when lightly loaded? Some people use this combined with a fixed voltage so power consumption and temps go up higher than they should be or need to be.

See what HWiNFO reports for Vcore.

I have a similar 10850K with a nothing special AIO and here is what I am getting when idle. Not a lot of Windows bloat running in the background. Low CPU usage with the core C states enabled results in low power consumption and temps.

NKAESsL.png


What sort of temps do you get when running a benchmark like Cinebench R20?
What speed are you running at during this test?


Your setup looks great. Hopefully you can find a way to get the temps down.

At the default 4900 MHz 10900K all core speed, I get this when fully loaded running Cinebench.

G9S4NM4.png

Okay ran Cinebench and CPU was 2873 points. Temps peeked at 89c but didn't climb above that I could tell. The overclocking is still doing a lot on its own so I need to figure out how to manually overclock and work from there. Currently seeing ratio down as low as x8 all the way up to x50 so vid is all over up to 1.31 or more and then falls below 1.00 as it adjust. Fans and pump are consistently maxed fans 2200 and around 4750rpm.
 
Cinebench and CPU was 2873
Your 10900K is not running anywhere close to how it should be running in R20. For comparison, I adjusted my 10850K so it is running at a consistent 4900 MHz. That is the default full load speed of a 10900K.

u6yw5ec.png


If your CPU cannot run at this speed during this test then go into the BIOS and see what the turbo power limits are set to. The default 125W value will force these CPUs to throttle to a fraction of their rated speed.

Your temps are still way too high. Try running HWiNFO64. It will show you the reasons why your CPU is throttling. If you see PL1 or PL2, those are your power limits that are causing the problem.

In the BIOS it is probably best to do something simple like use the Sync All Cores feature. Set this to 49 or 50 for a consistent CPU speed.

tGz34qs.png
 
Mar 19, 2021
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Your 10900K is not running anywhere close to how it should be running in R20. For comparison, I adjusted my 10850K so it is running at a consistent 4900 MHz. That is the default full load speed of a 10900K.

u6yw5ec.png


If your CPU cannot run at this speed during this test then go into the BIOS and see what the turbo power limits are set to. The default 125W value will force these CPUs to throttle to a fraction of their rated speed.

Your temps are still way too high. Try running HWiNFO64. It will show you the reasons why your CPU is throttling. If you see PL1 or PL2, those are your power limits that are causing the problem.

In the BIOS it is probably best to do something simple like use the Sync All Cores feature. Set this to 49 or 50 for a consistent CPU speed.

tGz34qs.png

Thank you so much. I did a full CPU report and didn't see any PL1 or PL2. My HWInfo64 looks different than yours. I looked in System Summary and Sensor Status and didn't see any PL1 or PL2. I'll do the sync all cores and 50 and see if that increases score and watch temps. Okay reran temp about the same 88c 89c and 3030 points this time.

I have everything else set to auto. I tried xmp 2 profile but the cinebench score was much lower, so changed it back to auto again.
 
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CPU Thermal Throttled
What program showed thermal throttling? At default settings, the 10900K is not supposed to thermal throttle until it reaches 100°C. It might be turbo power limit throttling. That can happen at any temperature.

What thermal paste are you using, how much did you apply and how did you apply it to the CPU? I know these are dumb questions but something is not quite right. Either the flow is not adequate or the waterblock is not sitting square to the CPU or you forgot to use any thermal paste.
 
Mar 19, 2021
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What program showed thermal throttling? At default settings, the 10900K is not supposed to thermal throttle until it reaches 100°C. It might be turbo power limit throttling. That can happen at any temperature.

What thermal paste are you using, how much did you apply and how did you apply it to the CPU? I know these are dumb questions but something is not quite right. Either the flow is not adequate or the waterblock is not sitting square to the CPU or you forgot to use any thermal paste.

I was using the Intel Extreme Tuning. When doing the stress test and even not doing it it shows throttling. I'm going to start with a manual clock speed, voltage, etc. lower and work my way up.

That is a good point about the amount of thermal paste. Been thinking about that. I applied a very thin coat, but maybe wasn't enough. I was very careful to apply it evenly and did tighten the screws little by little in an Diagonal pattern.

I'm using the paste that came with the EKWB cpu mount, but to be safe will buy thermal grizzly or another top brand. If you have recommendations I'm open for suggestions. I saw they did a review on this site and was going to follow that. The other thing if I'm replacing paste and taking all cooling apart I'm going to replace the elbow joints with the rounded ones. Not much of a difference but should help a bit. I'll also try and rerun a couple that have multiple adapters.

No question is a dumb question because it has been at least 15 years since I did any pc build and this is my first water cooling :). Appreciate the help.
 
Mar 19, 2021
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Quick update - screws to backplate were not the same, thermal paste didn't seem as uniform as I remember putting it on and don't believe the standoffs were tight enough causing some space between the block and gpu. Have new thermal paste on order. Any recommendations on how much I should apply? 1g? .5g? Thanks all I'll post more when I get it all put back together.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
It's an intel under water. I'd use thermal grizzly hydronaut for paste and being an intel only needs a good pea blob in the center. Not an exact measurement. If you want to spread it around with a credit card, that's fine too. It just needs to be a well covered area, not peanut butter thick.

After application, 4 screws tighten in an X pattern, couple threads at a time, keeping pressure uniform otherwise you run the risk of dumping all the paste out of one corner and/or over pressuring part of the cpu. Ram errors starting from the memory controller are extremely common in that respect.

Being a block, plenty of overall pressure is somewhat important to thermal conductivity. A block not sufficiently seated and tightened will get high temps.

Flow direction/orientation looks fine. 3.7Lpm is 1Gpm, so at 3Lpm you are a little on the lighter side for flow. Not too much a problem since those rads are only medium restrictive, but the SE aren't exactly great performers.
Good read.

Is that a phobya inline t-sensor on that bottom rad? What's it reading for coolant temps?
 
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Solution
Mar 19, 2021
12
0
10
It's an intel under water. I'd use thermal grizzly hydronaut for paste and being an intel only needs a good pea blob in the center. Not an exact measurement. If you want to spread it around with a credit card, that's fine too. It just needs to be a well covered area, not peanut butter thick.

After application, 4 screws tighten in an X pattern, couple threads at a time, keeping pressure uniform otherwise you run the risk of dumping all the paste out of one corner and/or over pressuring part of the cpu. Ram errors starting from the memory controller are extremely common in that respect.

Being a block, plenty of overall pressure is somewhat important to thermal conductivity. A block not sufficiently seated and tightened will get high temps.

Flow direction/orientation looks fine. 3.7Lpm is 1Gpm, so at 3Lpm you are a little on the lighter side for flow. Not too much a problem since those rads are only medium restrictive, but the SE aren't exactly great performers.
Good read.

Is that a phobya inline t-sensor on that bottom rad? What's it reading for coolant temps?

I actually ordered a water temp and just got the thermal grizzly hydronaut. Putting things back together and will have at least distilled water leak test going tomorrow. Hopefully results mid/late week to see where we land. Thank you for your reply.
 
Mar 19, 2021
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Ok, thank you all. Everything is running very cool now. I even did a quick xmp 2 and 5ghz quick overclock and running cooler than it did idle in bios or windows with nothing running. Appreciate all the help. What was it? I think a combination of the backplate not tight enough, maybe bad application of thermal paste??