Question Do I Need to change my watercooling?

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Dec 30, 2024
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Hello iam currently wanting to know if my watercooling is still effective or not.

My computer is now 10 years old, I have used it everyday for the last decade,

Here is the computer reference I have (in French, need to traduct): https://web.archive.org/web/2014122...et-blackbird-mk3-haswell-pc-gamer-108931.html

So yeah, iam talking about a Corsair Hydro Series H60, that is about 10 years old.

Backup:

I cleaned dust every 4-6 monthes, very carefully.

Recently the only change concerning its hardware has been the HDD 2to samsung, it completly crashed so i had to replace it with a 2 To SSD.

About the watercooling:

Core Temp stats at normal use:

-

r/pchelp - Do I need to change my watercooling?

- Here are the stats when I do a test, for example a 10 minutes encoding session of a video, which uses the CPU capacities in "above normal mode":

r/pchelp - Do I need to change my watercooling?

Questions:

- Are the temps normal for this CPU?

- I can do other tests if needed

thanks
 
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No, your processor should not be sitting at 100c, it's maximum temperature under load. This may suggest there's a problem with the cooler, which would not be uncommon for it's age.

In the BIOS make sure to max out the fan speed for the header the AIO pump is plugged into. What RPM does the pump report?
 
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Could be fluid cavitation or another problem. Although it may be possible to fix the unit, AIOs are generally sealed and not all that easy to repair.

A basic tower cooler would be sufficient to cool that CPU and would be much less likely to have issues moving forward.

Thermalright Assassin 120 is a decent one, so is this:
Really anything similar to this available in your region would likely be perfectly fine.
 
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Seems like the pump motor is still running if that one chassis fan is it. Aren't too many fans that go 4000 RPM, you would notice. Either the microchannels/jet have become clogged, the impeller has become damaged or dislodged, or there simply isn't much fluid left in the loop. They do evaporate slowly over time through the tubing. Even 41C is high for an idle condition in BIOS (even though it is running at 4Ghz)

It could just be that the thermal paste has finally dried out and cracked, but I wouldn't trust a 10 year old H60 anyway.

Certainly that the CPU is overwhelming the cooler under a load.

NightHawk's suggestions should work fine. I used an old Hyper 212 on my 4.3Ghz 4770k overclock (1.29 volts), that was plenty for normal use.
 
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I will say that getting a 10yr service life out of a Corsair AIO bodes well for the build quality, or your luck.

How long has it been since you have repasted the CPU/block?
If nothing else has changed than having to swap a drive, perhaps you knocked against the block and if the paste was dried it could have cracked reducing effectiveness. Would try a repaste first, just because. Even with that said that is a long time for an AIO to work correctly.
 
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@NightHawkRMX thanks for the recommendation . I do often use high CPU: encoding, video games, 3D rendering.. Will this tower cooler be enough for my high CPU daily use?

@Eximo and @punkncat I never changed thermal paste

So If i resume the situation:

- I should change CPU's thermal paste
- I might change the H60 to a basic tower cooler (if you confirm thats enought for daily high CPU uses)

I do not find the " assasssin spectrum" in the list of my country's online computer reseller, may I ask you to recommend me some of the following coolers that might be equal to the "spectrum"?
https://www.materiel.net/refroidissement-processeur/l458/+fv2533-15382/

Also, in the case I would change my mind and want to come back to a watercooling, which one should may I choose?
]https://www.materiel.net/refroidissement-processeur/l458/+fv2533-15384/[

Also, Iam a bit lost with all those new features, such as RGB, ARGB and so on.. What about the compatibility to my mother board and CPU? What generation is my own CPU? Intel 1150???

If you can recommend me few of the products thanks by advance
 
Eximo said:
Yeah, the CPU is not boosting anymore either.

H60 was not intended to last even close to that long.
Click to expand...
Is it still safe and effective to use a 10-year-old Corsair Hydro Series H60 water cooling system, considering regular dust cleaning and consistent usage? Could the age or maintenance of the cooling system impact the cooling performance or overall system reliability?
 
LGA 1150, yes. That would be LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1150/LGA1156/LGA1200, all compatible.

AK400, Hyper 212, Pure Rock 2, Arctic Freezer 36 (cheap one) are all roughly equivalent to the coolers already mentioned. Older quad core CPUs don't have the power demands of newer CPUs, so those more expensive ones will only be quieter, not add more performance.

So the fans will work guaranteed. You likely don't have ARBG or RGB headers, but some of the fans will operate with just a default rainbow color, others will just stay dark if you don't plug in the lights.
 
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james2526 said:
Is it still safe and effective to use a 10-year-old Corsair Hydro Series H60 water cooling system, considering regular dust cleaning and consistent usage? Could the age or maintenance of the cooling system impact the cooling performance or overall system reliability?
Click to expand...

No. Once you take this thing off, you are going to be manipulating the hoses, which means all the seals. While fine having sat in one place all these years, they are likely to crack and fail to reseal. These would be rubber o-rings where the tubes meet the pump housing and radiator. (How my h80i leaked, o-ring failed at the pump)

As mentioned the liquid does evaporate over time, so you might be empty or low at this point. It is not recommended to refill them. (It is also possible you had a leak that accelerated the evaporation)

AIOs also used mixed metals. Aluminum radiator and copper cold plate. This is a bad thing, but the coolant they use has anti-corrosion inhibitors in it (as well as antifreeze for shipping purposes) So the internal corrosion at this point is unknown. The reason it stopped working might be the fins and channels are no longer intact.

Only way to know would be to take the whole thing apart, which is a lot of work for an old AIO. They aren't intended to be serviced and refilling them is quite difficult.
 
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Time, I think to replace the cooler.
The mechanical pump can fail or get clogged with debris.
More likely, air has permeated the tubes causing internal air bubbles.
10 years is more than one should expect.

Then, also, the H60 units have a small radiator that is not as effective as the modern twin tower coolers like the thermalright peerless assassin:

4690K overclocks well with a good cooler.
You are leaving some 30% performance on the table
 
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I apreciated every recommendations, however I think ill buy the

be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black (link in previous post)​


In the description the manufacturer claims that the sound will be around 26.8dB

Did you have some feedback about the sound in the reality and not the theory?

Will it be enough to cool down things when it comes to intensive use (such as encoding?)
 
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A L F A said:
In the description the manufacturer claims that the sound will be around 26.8dB

Did you have some feedback about the sound in the reality and not the theory?
Click to expand...
About that... we/you don't know the conditions that this is achieved. It's not universal.
Was it done inside a case or not?
From how far away was the dBA measurement taken?
There's also acoustics, and your personal sensitivity to whirrs, whooshes, vrrrs, hmmms, or whichever sound the fan may make.

Won't know 'till you get it.
 
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Phaaze88 said:
About that... we/you don't know the conditions that this is achieved. It's not universal.
Was it done inside a case or not?
From how far away was the dBA measurement taken?
There's also acoustics, and your personal sensitivity to whirrs, whooshes, vrrrs, hmmms, or whichever sound the fan may make.

Won't know 'till you get it.
Click to expand...

Exactly!! This statement applies to every field, not only computer hardware ,

unbelievable that sound mesurment norms doesnt exist when it comes to selling electronic products

This is the jungle!!

Thats the reason of my question I want true experience feedback

- I hesitate a bit about the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE because the cooler itself is heavy 730g , also they dont talk much about the sound level on high use


Thats the reason I want to select something lighter andwith less sound result,
 
Btw, not all thermal paste is equal. Some of those pastes harden after about 5 years or more, and stop transferring heat. If you pull the CPU cooler off and it is hardened, then you have to fix that before you bother working on anything else.
 
A L F A said:
- I hesitate a bit about the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE because the cooler itself is heavy 730g , also they dont talk much about the sound level on high use
Click to expand...
That's not including the fans, which are 120g, a piece, but I digress. That cooler is a lightweight. NH-D15 G2 is 1525g total, and the weight isn't an issue; the mounting hardware does more than just secure the cooler to the cpu socket. 2000+g gpus on the other hand... but that's off topic.

If they talked about sound, there would be too much/many 'what ifs', and could cause confusion. Video reviews may, or may not, provide sound samples. It's not a common thing for some reason.
Hardware Canucks did it with the Phantom Spirit Evo(2:45 mark), though not the Assassin SE.
 
I suspect the Pure Rock 2 will be quieter than your current H60.

Do consider there's no pump to make noise now too, and Corsairs fans in that era were not as good as what we have available now.

Scythe also makes some very very quiet coolers, if that's what you're looking for. Their fans typically don't spin very fast and they rely on a lot of metal mass versus high airflow to deliver pretty good performance.
 
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