Question CPU is making a weird noise

[RockinX]

Hi everyone. I have a Core i5 6600k, with a Corsair Hydro Series H60 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler, and I've never had a problem with them, but it seems that the thermal paste got dried up, because it started getting temperatures of 100 º C. I applied some leftover thermal paste I had lying around, and it doesn't get hot anymore, but ever since I did that, a weird constant noise has been coming from the CPU. I checked, and it wasn't the video card's fan or the radiator. It's weird, but I can only describe it as being as if something were making slight contact with a fan as it's spinning.

I tried removing and putting the cooler back on, and at first the sound disappeared, but over time it started making the constant sound again. What could be the cause of the problem? Thanks in advance.

BTW, the rest of my setup is 8GB RAM (2 sticks of 4 GB each), Gigabyte H110M-S2HP-CF motherboard, and a GeForce GT 730 video card.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Take the water block back off the CPU. Completely clean both the top of the CPU and the bottom of the water block using isopropyl alcohol. Apply fresh thermal paste in an amount about the size of half of a frozen pea. Be SURE to tighten the mounting hardware for the water block to backplate hardware EVENLY all the way around. What you are hearing might be the sound of the impeller blades on the pump INSIDE the water block/pump housing. If it is not even tightened there could be a misalignment, possibly, inside.

It's also possible that your pump is failing and you may need to replace or RMA the unit. Noises from the pump housing are not normal if they are different than what you are used to hearing previously. If you are hearing it now, because you have the side panel off, and didn't have it off before, then it might be normal. Try putting the side panel back on and see if you still hear the noises.

 

[RockinX]

Take the water block back off the CPU. Completely clean both the top of the CPU and the bottom of the water block using isopropyl alcohol. Apply fresh thermal paste in an amount about the size of half of a frozen pea. Be SURE to tighten the mounting hardware for the water block to backplate hardware EVENLY all the way around. What you are hearing might be the sound of the impeller blades on the pump INSIDE the water block/pump housing. If it is not even tightened there could be a misalignment, possibly, inside.

It's also possible that your pump is failing and you may need to replace or RMA the unit. Noises from the pump housing are not normal if they are different than what you are used to hearing previously. If you are hearing it now, because you have the side panel off, and didn't have it off before, then it might be normal. Try putting the side panel back on and see if you still hear the noises.

Would it be possible for the pump to be failing as a result of me misplacing it the first time I took it out and then put it back in? It didn't have the noises before that.

I'll try cleaning everything tomorrow when I can buy some fresh thermal paste. Thanks.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What do you mean by "misplacing"?

 

[RockinX]

What do you mean by "misplacing"?

Ah, sorry, English isn't my first language. I meant to say "installed it incorrectly."

 

[Darkbreeze]

So, how exactly did you install it incorrectly the first time?

It the thermal paste dried up then that cooler must have been on there for quite some time. These coolers generally only last about three years give or take a year. How long has that cooler been in service?

 

[RockinX]

So, how exactly did you install it incorrectly the first time?

It the thermal paste dried up then that cooler must have been on there for quite some time. These coolers generally only last about three years give or take a year. How long has that cooler been in service?

It's been in service for about three years and a half, so that must have been it, haha. I have no idea if I installed it incorrectly the first time. I'm asking if that was a possibility because I thought I just screwed up somehow.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, if it was working fine before, then it must have been correctly installed. My guess is that you problem with temps wasn't really due to the thermal paste. It was more likely due to either a weak pump, and you moving it around got it working right again except that now it has developed some noise, OR there has been some evaporation of the coolant inside the system which is pretty common, and when you took it off it developed an air bubble in the pump and now it's making noise because of that. It's weird that temps are back to normal again with a pump issue but it's not unheard of. I'd just replace the unit as much as that might suck because, well, it costs money to do that.

Personally, this is exactly part of the reason why I won't use anything but an air cooler. No pumps to wear out. No possibility of leaks. No issues with air bubbles or evaporation. If a fan dies, and they do occasionally, then you put another fan on there and it's good to go for twenty five bucks for another five to seven years.