CPU and case fans problem

[MonstrousOgre]

So to start off, this is my first time building a PC myself. My case comes with 3 fans and 4 fan connectors (not sure what they're called). 2 of them are front fans and were already connected.

The third one was a rear fan that I had to connect myself. I could just connect it to the PSU directly, but then I wouldn't be able to use the fan controllers on the front panel.

Now the bunch of wires that are connected to the case include 2 Molex connectors - one male and one female. I only connected the male one to the PSU since my PSU only has female ports.

I have a CPU water cooler connected directly to the motherboard and no storage device. After I was done building it and tried to start it, this was the result:

1. I can see the CPU fan spinning and the BIOS says that the speed is above 1200 rpm. But the CPU temperature is going well above 80C. I'm turning the PC off myself when I see it approach 90.

2. The rear fan isn't spinning at all. The motherboard temp shows 32C. Is that good or bad?

I have no way of knowing if the front fans are working since they're completely covered and not visible.

Do you think I need to connect both the male and female Molex to the PSU? Is that why my rear fan isn't working? Keep in mind that the USB ports work since I was able to use a keyboard and mouse. I haven't tested the aux ports since I never booted into an OS.

And why is the CPU temperature so high? It's not like I'm doing anything that takes a lot of CPU power, since I was in the BIOS the entire time.

These are the specs:

i5-7600k
Asus H110M-CS
MSI GTX 1060 3gb version (which isn't being used in the BIOS anyway)
Corsair Hydro Series H45
Circle CC 830 Gaming Cabinet
Corsair VS650 650W
16GB DDR4 2400 MHz

I did ask my seller to update my BIOS so it could support Kaby Lake (and I didn't have a Skylake CPU to do it myself). I'm aware that my cooler is an older model but I was on a budget since I had already spent a lot on the other parts. I don't plan to overclock anytime soon but I didn't think it would be so high at idle.

 

[Calvin7]

Corsair Hydro Series H55 is All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler. There is the Assembled Pump Head that mounts onto the CPU. No CPU fan is used. If you see a CPU fan spinning. then the Corsair Hydro Series H55 is All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler is not installed correctly.

Manual link:
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-series-h55-quiet-cpu-cooler

There are several youtube videos of how to install it. Google a search for them. Don't forget to use thermal material between the CPU and cooler.

 

[MonstrousOgre]

Corsair Hydro Series H55 is All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler. There is the Assembled Pump Head that mounts onto the CPU. No CPU fan is used. If you see a CPU fan spinning. then the Corsair Hydro Series H55 is All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler is not installed correctly.

Manual link:
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-series-h55-quiet-cpu-cooler

There are several youtube videos of how to install it. Google a search for them. Don't forget to use thermal material between the CPU and cooler.

I actually meant H45. Sorry about that

Does this work the same way too?

Also, why do you think my case fans aren't working?

 

[Paperdoc]

Fist the Molex male / female thing. That is known as a "pass-though" connector. The idea is that you plug the male one into a female power output from the PSU, which then provides power to something (like, your fan controller module). Then the female connector is just available to provide power to something else; it "replaces" the PSU output connector you "used", so you can still connect more devices. Do NOT connect it to anything from the PSU.

The CPU cooler speed shown to you MAY be the pump speed, not the fan speed. Many AIO liquid cooling systems send the pump speed to the mobo header. for the FAN, you can observe what it is doing. Is it spinning at a reasonably fast speed? If so, the fan is working properly and the control system also is, too, if it is trying to run the fan really fast with a high CPU temperature.

So, why is that temperature high? Poor heat removal. Check these three things.
1. Any kinks in the tuning from pump to radiator?
2. The pump unit must be securely mated to the CPU chip top. Make sure it is level, not loose on one edge, and that all it hold-down screws are tightened up.
3. The pump unit comes with thermal paste pre-applied to ensure good thermal contact with the CPU top. But that pre-applied paste normally also has a protective plastic film over it that MUST be removed BEFORE you install in on the CPU. Did you do that?

 

[MonstrousOgre]

Fist the Molex male / female thing. That is known as a "pass-though" connector. The idea is that you plug the male one into a female power output from the PSU, which then provides power to something (like, your fan controller module). Then the female connector is just available to provide power to something else; it "replaces" the PSU output connector you "used", so you can still connect more devices. Do NOT connect it to anything from the PSU.

The CPU cooler speed shown to you MAY be the pump speed, not the fan speed. Many AIO liquid cooling systems send the pump speed to the mobo header. for the FAN, you can observe what it is doing. Is it spinning at a reasonably fast speed? If so, the fan is working properly and the control system also is, too, if it is trying to run the fan really fast with a high CPU temperature.

So, why is that temperature high? Poor heat removal. Check these three things.
1. Any kinks in the tuning from pump to radiator?
2. The pump unit must be securely mated to the CPU chip top. Make sure it is level, not loose on one edge, and that all it hold-down screws are tightened up.
3. The pump unit comes with thermal paste pre-applied to ensure good thermal contact with the CPU top. But that pre-applied paste normally also has a protective plastic film over it that MUST be removed BEFORE you install in on the CPU. Did you do that?

So the connector was double-sided and had a male end too. I guess I just didn't notice that. Connected it to the PSU and now the fans are working.

And the problem with the cooler has been solved. I did remove the plastic but apparently, I applied some thermal paste in addition to the pre-applied one and that just might have been what was causing it. (Too much paste? Possible air bubbles?)

 

[Paperdoc]

That's the problem and solution. Thermal paste is essential to ensure heat flow from CPU case top into the heatsink. Otherwise the tiny empty spaces in the irregularities of the contact surfaces act as insulation. But too much paste results in a layer that is too thick, also an insulator. Another example that "more is better" is often wrong.

Glad you got this solved. Thanks for Best Solution.