[SOLVED] CPU consistently at 80-90 C, need help troubleshooting my AIO

[afsanta]

Recently, I have been having issues cooling my CPU (Ryzen 7 5800X) even when running minimal workloads at normal clock speed (3.8GHz). I have a MAG Coreliquid 360R fastened to the top of my pc case, with three intake fans on the front, and one exhaust fan on the back. I tried reapplying thermal paste to the cooler head but that doesn't seem to have made a difference. As far as I can tell, my radiator fans are blowing up, towards the radiator, which I believe is correct but obviously something is wrong. Can someone help me figure out what the issue with my fans is? Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

have been having issues cooling my CPU

what fans are you using?
how are your fan speed curves configured?
what case?

what thermal paste are you using?
is the CPU block loose at all if you lightly "wiggle" it?

what is your CPU voltage set to?
many motherboards default to a very high setting that can lead to unnecessarily high temperatures.

 

[afsanta]

Fans: Stock MSI fans that come with the Coreliquid 360r, 120 x 120 x 50 mm
Case: MSI Gungnir 110 EATX
Thermal Paste: Noctua NT-H1
CPU Block doesn't wiggle
Voltage I believe is set to ~1.4V for the CPU
PUMP RPM is consistenly 4000
Fan speed curves are configured to go to 100% once they hit 70 C

I suspect that some of the fans are not blowing in the correct direction or the case is not providing enough airflow to the system but I don't know

https://imgur.com/a/tCOWLjb

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

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I suspect that some of the fans are not blowing in the correct direction or the case is not providing enough airflow to the system...

MAG Coreliquid 360R fastened to the top of my pc case

you can usually tell which direction the fan's air will be blowing by the shape of the blades(curved towards the direction of airflow),
by the support rails placement(they will be positioned on the rear of the fan),
or by the sticker showing in the middle of the fan(usually a logo on the front & specs or corporate info on rear).

this Gungnir 110 seems to have very bad exhaust in the top...and not the best intake from the front either.
if there is an option to remove the solid top panel and allow the fans to vent properly you should get much better temps.
these two slim vents along the sides are not enough to properly vent the heated air so it is circulating back through the radiator constantly and raising temps.

if this case is new, you may want to return it and get something with better cooling options and better airflow.

 

[afsanta]

I took off both the front and top panel, and it didn’t really help at all. A few minutes before I had to turn off my machine because the temperatures were climbing to almost 100 C ...
if I didn’t know any better I would think that the cooler is not making contact with the CPU
Even while in the BIOS the temperature rises

 

[Tigerhawk30]

If your temps rise in BIOS, I'm willing to believe that your AIO is dead/dying. They shouldn't even break the proverbial sweat in there, but if they are...

I would highly suggest changing that cooling solution ASAP, especially if you've already reapplied thermal paste and re-seated the coldplate, much less used the old trick of opening up the case for maximum venting. If you have a separate cooler hanging around, I'd swap it out and see what the new solution does for you.

Hope this helps!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

if I didn’t know any better I would think that the cooler is not making contact with the CPU

it should be easy to determine.
if it is fastened in tight and does not move when manipulating it then it is connected tightly.
is the backplate also tight in place or moveable?
when you re-applied the thermal paste was the previous application evenly & very thinly spread?
are you sure you are using 4th gen compatible mounting hardware?

sometimes it's just hard to tell though for unknown reasons.
i've seen a few cases of others struggling with similar scenarios and then all of a sudden they re-install the cooler again and it works perfectly.
i would guess it would usually be standoffs not positioned perfectly or something similar.

it's always possible that there is a buildup of bubbles or some sort of blockage in the tubing or block.
you can try taking it out and shaking and rotating the block & tubes to see if this helps.

 

[afsanta]

the paste that I cleaned off before re-applying looked fairly even. I will attempt to reapply it again and shake out the AIO for any bubbles, but I don’t see how this could be a big issue with my set up on the top of the case. Both the CPU block and the screws attached the cooler head to the CPU are firmly attached. The mounting is compatible with my CPU. What cooling solution would you recommend as a replacement?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

What cooling solution would you recommend as a replacement?

this cooler is adequate.
if there is any issue with it it would be a fault in manufacturing or damage that occurred later.

if you can determine that it is actually not functioning properly and that the mounting is not the issue;
i would either RMA for a replacement and try again or just return it and get something similar.

my ASUS Ryujin 360 works perfectly on my OC'd i7-11700K @ 5.2GHz.
my older EVGA CLC 280 still also works perfectly many years later on my i7-8700K @ 5GHz, but i had to replace the loud-*ss fans with something better.

if you wanted to try switching to air cooling the be quiet! Dark Rock series are very nice.
as are the Noctua NH-D15 series.
i don't usually recommend them anymore though unless you are lacking radiator mounting space.

 

[afsanta]

I will contact MSI and see if they can give me any answers. All of the parts on the system are less than a year old, so they should still be under warranty.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

All of the parts on the system are less than a year old, so they should still be under warranty.

guess that rules out returning for refund if they are over 30-60 days.
if through RMA you get a replacement with the same issue then it could be a problem with the motherboard's mounting.

has this issue been happening ever since the original install or something recently occurring?

if you could get your hands on another AIO maybe from friend, family, etc to try;
i would try that one and see if it functions properly on your system.

 

[afsanta]

This has been an issue for the last 45-60 days ballpark. Tomorrow I will give it another crack and see if perhaps the CPU mount on the mobo itself is the issue, shake the rad to get any loose air bubbles out of the way, and reapply the paste .. will report back with the news.
Appreciate all the suggestions and insight

 

[Phaaze88]

MAG Coreliquid 360R

Pass the word on, folks, you can't sustain these AIOs with the pump in the radiator mounted at the top. You will damage and kill it in like a year of use.
You have to mount that radiator at the front with the inlet + outlet towards the bottom of your chassis... but that's dang near impossible in most chassis with a 360mm.

There's quite a number of people buying these units - due to their aggressive pricing - and ultimately screwing themselves, as these PIR models are more restricted in viable mounting positions.
Avoid Coreliquid R, RH, C, and P, unless you can mount them like I just mentioned. Coreliquid K and S are fine, but are expensive.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Pass the word on, folks, you can't sustain these AIOs with the pump in the radiator mounted at the top. You will damage and kill it in like a year of use.

I've built many systems over the last decade most with liquid cooling AIOs.
I currently have two that have been in use in top mounted exhaust configurations for years and have NEVER had an issue with deterioration of performance.
also out of the 10 plus i have built for friends & colleagues that i am still in constant contact with in this configuration, none of them have ever experienced leaks, failures, or lack of performance

this has turned out to be a well documented problem with these types of pumps.
the MSI CoreLiquid series being one of the worst of them.
something about the design with the pump integrated into the radiator causes a large portion of users to suffer pump failure and/or blockage in the system.

 

[Phaaze88]

I've built many systems over the last decade most with liquid cooling AIOs.

Thanks for taking my post out of context. I'm specifically referring to models that have the pump in the radiator, and not the usual block sitting on the cpu.
There aren't many of them out in the market - Kraken M22, and the above-mentioned Coreliquids. You have, or have built systems with one of those?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

You have, or have built systems with one of those?

yes with the pump+radiator as a solid component, not built into the CPU block.
i've found both types to suffer from the same issue but that not being a horizontal mount.

the problem usually only occurs when the radiator is installed vertically with the inlet/outlet tubes coming & going out of the top.
when they are installed horizontally the liquid is still covering the entrances/exits so these types of issues normally wouldn't happen.
i've worked with them quite a few times in the past and unless they have altered their engineering of them they should still hold up with a top horizontal mount.

but if you have links to some articles regarding the issue becoming a large hazard i would really appreciate you sharing them.
i would love to have any proven info regarding the situation available in order to avoid hazards in the future and could redact my current advocate of them.

 

[Phaaze88]

I'd love to if it were possible, but no one reputable has extensively covered PIR models past the first few days of use. They performed well/poorly/etc during the testing phase, and move on to the next review.
All the negative press has come from ownership after a few months to a year.

 

[afsanta]

well fellas I'm happy to report that by altering the power management mode in Windows, the CPU has cooled down significantly and is in a normal range. I guess

what is your CPU voltage set to?
many motherboards default to a very high setting that can lead to unnecessarily high temperatures.

that this was the case, with the voltage and power usage being needlessly high.