Question Can't get CPU to run lower than 99C - Help!

podonnell

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Nov 17, 2014
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[Pics below]

I recently started hitting very high temps on my PC while gaming/streaming. 90-99C. Then my PC would get 'stuck' and even after closing all my applications, it would not go under 90C. I assumed my H100i liquid cooler had died -- as it has been about 5 years since I bought it.

I replaced it with a temporary air cooler -- Hyper 212 RBG Black. This worked well and kept my temps reasonable, but I would hit 90C once in awhile while gaming/streaming. But it would go back down to normal after closing applications. I was quite sure I did not have the pipes touching the CPU as best I could. Nevertheless this was only meant to last a week.

I got my H100i Pro in today and installed it. Immediately after booting I am at 99C. This is within my BIOS before I can even get to Windows. The PC had been off for hours, how could it immediately hit 99C? I unscrewed the cooler and looked to make sure thermal paste was making contact -- and I could see it was. Pictures below.

I also am hearing a liquid bubbling -- maybe this is how the pump sounds when it is first being used?

What is going on? I feel like my cooler was screwed in properly and everything was plugged in.

View: https://imgur.com/a/Qv67Zm1


Pictures here show my cooler after I removed it (the darker paste is a little bit of my own I put on as I forgot the cooler came with its own. Did not appear to be a problem. I could see the contact was being made with the CPU itself as the paste rubbed off onto it.

The last picture is my CPU fan plug as I wanted to make sure that was correct -- my CPU fan header on the MB has 4 ports, and I plugged it in to the leftmost 3 -- as I believe that was the only way it fit.

What could be going on here?
Is my new H100i Pro DOA? Did my CPU become defective by running at such high temps when my last cooler broke?
 

Mrgr74

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I'd advise you to clean off ALL thermal paste on both the CPU and heatsink. Looks like fresh paste on top of the "old"? (Thermal paste on the heat sink AIO block) Also only a very small part of the CPU is being "touched" by the thermal paste on the heat sink. A fresh application will help with this. The entire CPU should be in contact with the heat sink, the same with the thermal paste touching the entire surface of the CPU, but NOT oozing over. Maximum surface dissipation of heat.
 

podonnell

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I will try to repaste it -- I had put a small bit of my own on the CPU before remembering that these coolers come with their own.

If you look at the image though there is a lighter bit of paste that you can see on the CPU -- it looked like the contact was there.

Still worth trying to reapply the paste?
 

PC Tailor

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Agreed with above.
If you look at the image though there is a lighter bit of paste that you can see on the CPU -- it looked like the contact was there.
That and the thermal paste covering on that is poor unfortunately, ideally it'd be the thinnest layer coverin nearly all of the CPU. that thermal paste will not really be effective at heat transfereance from the IHS to the cooler. Even less so with double thermal paste layers.

Definite repaste it worth it, then also confirming that the CPU cooler is functioning correctly.
 
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podonnell

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Nov 17, 2014
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Figured it out.

The bracket that goes on the inner side of the cooler was not tight, so the pressure on the CPU itself was very weak. I could cause the temp to drop 20C by pushing on the cooler. I removed it and secured the bracket and my temps are now ~30-40C idle.

Thank you all for your contributions.