Question CPU Overheating but nothing seems to be wrong... I cannot find the issue and need some help

[BubbaSniped]

Hello to whoever is reading this! First off I will list my PC specs...

Ryzen 7 3700xt
Radeon 5700xt
16gb XPG 3000Mhz RAM
240mm liquid CPU cooler
3 Intake fans in front, 2 output fans on top and 1 output fan in the back
2TB HDD
1TB SSD
1TB M.2 NVMe
750W Power Supply

So I bough this PC prebuilt from iBuyPower back in June 2020 and received it in July 2020. It has run great ever since I got it, until recently. About 3 weeks ago it started randomly shutting off when I was loading up a game or closing one out. Black screen, lights out, no signal to monitor. This had never happened before and I was not sure what was wrong. A friend suggested that the CPU could be overheating, so I started monitoring the temps and it was true. my PC was idling at about 65-75 degrees Celsius with no games running. I tried loading Apex Legends and I watched the CPU temp hit 102C before the PC shut off. My CPU cooler pump is still going at 4300RPM but the radiator is cool to the touch. So I figured it could be a thermal paste issue, so I got new thermal paste and reapplied it. Perfect! My PC was idling at 40-45 and running games at 65-70 for a few days. I thought my problem was solved, but then while I was simply using Google and Microsoft Word about 5 days later the PC shut off again. I rebooted and checked the temps and you bet it was idling in the high 60s low 70s again, and it is currently running at 76C while I'm typing this. When I was just playing Apex and Valorant it got up to almost 100C so I stopped playing. I don't know what else to do. My cooler is still good, and it was working fine for a few days after I changed the thermal paste, but now it randomly isn't working again. I have no idea what could be happening and I would appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks!

 

[BubbaSniped]

Shoddy assembly work - whoever put it together didn't fully secure some of those screws, and vibrations from moving parts, such as fans and pump, did the rest over time.


Did you pay IBP for a cpu overclock, or overclocked the cpu yourself? Then no.


There's not too many ways to troubleshoot this.
If the pump is working and liquid flowing as it should[that's why I asked you to feel the temperature of both tubes while the cpu was under load],
If the cpu isn't overclocked[a 240mm AIO should handle an OC'ed 3700X just fine, unless the fans are choked, plus someone set the Vcore to a constant 1.45v or worse with no chance to run lower voltage],
That leaves the cooler mounting. IF that also checks out, then I will be stumped...

It has never been overclocked. Not by me or IBP. You said that both liquid tubes should feel the same temperature, but wouldn't it make sense for the incoming tube to be hot and the outgoing tube to be cool? Otherwise how would this be an effective cooling mechanism if it is keeping the same heat going in and out?

 

[Phaaze88]

You said that both liquid tubes should feel the same temperature, but wouldn't it make sense for the incoming tube to be hot and the outgoing tube to be cool?

No, that would be too fast.

Yes, liquid has a greater thermal capacity than air, but due in part to the larger volume of fluid in them, AIOs take longer to heat up, but they also take longer to cool down. Air coolers actually cool down faster.
All that energy coming from the cpu doesn't just up and vanish right at the radiator. It takes time.

Otherwise how would this be an effective cooling mechanism if it is keeping the same heat going in and out?

It wouldn't be effective at all without fans. AIOs are just as dependent on good airflow, if not more so than air coolers are.

 

[BubbaSniped]

It seems like this changes everyday now. After shutting down the PC for the night, today I fired it up and I opened up HWMonitor and Apex Legends. My current temp running Apex is 70-80C with a max of 90.8C and a low of 42.6C since the PC has been turned on . It is hard to tell whether the heat from the GPU is making both of the tubes feel warm, or if it is the liquid inside doing that. I'll be giving iBuyPower a call to see if they will send me a new AIO since its only a year old and its under 3 year warranty.

 

[BubbaSniped]

As stated above your AIO is dead or dying.
If the CPU is hot and the radiator is cold then the pump is not working.
Most AIO water coolers have mixed metals. Which causes corrosion.
This corrosion usually clogs up the micro-fins on the CPU block.
Moving the block to repaste probably dislodged the corrosion.
After a few days running it clogged again.
Most likely time for a new CPU cooler.

I really hope this isn't the case. The AIO is only a year old and they are supposed to last far longer than that.

 

[BubbaSniped]

No, that would be too fast.

Yes, liquid has a greater thermal capacity than air, but due in part to the larger volume of fluid in them, AIOs take longer to heat up, but they also take longer to cool down. Air coolers actually cool down faster.
All that energy coming from the cpu doesn't just up and vanish right at the radiator. It takes time.


It wouldn't be effective at all without fans. AIOs are just as dependent on good airflow, if not more so than air coolers are.

It is sounding more and more like my AIO went bad. I wish it were easier to tell. The software I'm using says the pump is working, but my CPU is still way too hot. We've determined by now that it is probably not the thermal paste causing the issues. I don't know anything about that CPU mounting block you were telling me about or the screws that go with it.

 

[BubbaSniped]

It is sounding more and more like my AIO went bad. I wish it were easier to tell. The software I'm using says the pump is working, but my CPU is still way too hot. We've determined by now that it is probably not the thermal paste causing the issues. I don't know anything about that CPU mounting block you were telling me about or the screws that go with it.

No, that would be too fast.

Yes, liquid has a greater thermal capacity than air, but due in part to the larger volume of fluid in them, AIOs take longer to heat up, but they also take longer to cool down. Air coolers actually cool down faster.
All that energy coming from the cpu doesn't just up and vanish right at the radiator. It takes time.


It wouldn't be effective at all without fans. AIOs are just as dependent on good airflow, if not more so than air coolers are.

I also want to add, I noticed in the picture of an AIO you sent me, there were wires going into the black box that is embedded in the radiator. On mine, there are no wires there. There are wires going into the other part of the AIO that attaches to the CPU. does this make any difference? Does this mean the pump is in that end and not the radiator?

 

[Phaaze88]

It is sounding more and more like my AIO went bad. I wish it were easier to tell. The software I'm using says the pump is working, but my CPU is still way too hot. We've determined by now that it is probably not the thermal paste causing the issues. I don't know anything about that CPU mounting block you were telling me about or the screws that go with it.

That also goes towards why I asked you to feel the tubes, as the software isn't 100% reliable.
Sure, it can tell you that the pump is running, but things like clogs, or air pockets? It wouldn't directly tell you about those.


Ignoring the radiator for a moment, there's these metal and rubber brackets(either round or squared) and screws that secure the water block to the cpu from both sides of the motherboard.
If you push down on the cpu block, is there some give or wiggle room?


Also, I believe Unolocogringo hasn't realized that your AIO has the pump in the radiator, so they're looking at it like it's one of the traditional models.

 

[BubbaSniped]

That also goes towards why I asked you to feel the tubes, as the software isn't 100% reliable.
Sure, it can tell you that the pump is running, but things like clogs, or air pockets? It wouldn't directly tell you about those.


Ignoring the radiator for a moment, there's these metal and rubber brackets(either round or squared) and screws that secure the water block to the cpu from both sides of the motherboard.
If you push down on the cpu block, is there some give or wiggle room?


Also, I believe Unolocogringo hasn't realized that your AIO has the pump in the radiator, so they're looking at it like it's one of the traditional models.

There is no give or wiggle room when I press on the water block. Everything seems to be firmly in place. I am currently waiting for a call back from iBuyPower. I am very tempted to, in the mean time, run to BestBuy an grab a new cooler to try and see if it fixes the problem, then just return it if iBuyPower says they will send me a new unit lol.

 

[Phaaze88]

~Yeah... I'm stumped. I guess there's something about these AIOs that I don't know. I have 3 myself, but they're the typical pump in water block models.

Gonna have to wait and see what the cooler replacement does.

 

[Unolocogringo]

I understand his pump is in the radiator. .Does not matter if in radiator or CPU block.
ANY time you mix metals the weakest metal (Aluminum radiator) and copper ( CPU block) you will have galvanic corrosion.
Add electricity and the process accelerates.
It does not have to be direct electrical connection. Electromagnetic fields have the same effect but not as fast as direct contact.
Depending on the inhibitor added into the fluid this process can be slowed down at the cost of less efficient heat transfer and a thicker liquid which needs a stronger and louder pump.

Quick google search for pics.
https://www.google.com/search?q=AIO...HVAOA1oQ_AUoAnoECAEQBA&biw=1920&bih=938&dpr=1

 

[Phaaze88]

I'm aware of that, but the PC has only seen like 17(?) months of use. It's a little early for the inhibitor to expire, isn't it?
What do I know though...
A rather cheap cooler to be done in before 2 years of use; other mixed metal coolers are known to go longer...

 

[BubbaSniped]

Well fellas I went to BestBuy and bought a $40 CoolerMaster 120mm air cooler. Popped that on and my temps have been completely normal. Played Apex Legends, Valorant, and Tarkov. Highest temperature recorded was 81C, but was running between 60-70C while gaming. Looks like the pump in my AIO must be fried, despite the various software saying that the pump is running. I'll be giving a call to iBuyPower to get a replacement AIO, as my whole PC is under 3 year warranty and I have only had it since July 2020. I appreciate all your help more than you know! Thanks everyone! I'll let you know what IBP says about the AIO replacement.