Question EK AIO 360 Pump noise... multiple RMA

[m.bsatgini]

Hi

I have an EK Aio 360, temps are all fine, it's mounted on the top rad.

However.. I had to RMA three times because of pump noise issue. It's fine at the installation and for a month but after that the pump starts to be noisy above 65 to 80% depending on the case.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KG_CRjdVgho

It's really annoying, it sounds like air bubbles but i can't manage to get rid of those.

Someone offers me to sell me an ELITE version which has a more powerful pump, would that be of any help?

I was considering to buy a Ryujin or go back to the Arctic LF2 but I had some issues with it (noisy vrm fan)

Thanks for the help

 

[Karadjgne]

Noise is subjective. No pc that has moving parts, whether pump or fan, is truly silent, there's even electrical noise from inductors as electricity moves through coils etc. Exactly what threshold the noise bothers people is different to every person.

A more powerful pump may or may not solve the issue, which is your sensitivity to noise. It's bigger and stronger so to get the same flow rate requires less rpm, but put at the same % rpm the bigger pump stands more of a chance of being louder. A 2000rpm pump at 75% will be roughly the same as a 3000rpm pump at 50%, but if both are at 50%, the 2000rpm will be quieter, lower rpm.

 

[m.bsatgini]

What i don't get is that it was completely silent for about a month and then starts to be annoying and I had the same issue with three units.
I guess i'm very unlucky because all is installed properly.

The "normal" noise does not bother me but the rattling noise which appears since two day is driving me nuts, i had to lower the pump speed to 65% to be able to get rid of it.


I thought that maybe the Elite can have more power to get rid of air bubble?

I was considering the Ryujin 2 but 300€ is a lot of money for an AIO..

 

[DSzymborski]

Can you provide an image of the interior so that one can actually see the whole travel of the tubes and your radiator? At no point in the video can one see the entire PC inside.

 

[Phaaze88]

I was considering the Ryujin 2 but 300€ is a lot of money for an AIO..

An Asetek-made cooler with Noctua NF-F12s on it. Sad thing is, for as much as it costs, it doesn't blow out the competition...
There are other Asetek models you could target, such as Fractal Design's Celsius, Msi's MEG Coreliquid, or NZXT's Kraken(can't avoid their software).

 

[logainofhades]

The quietest orientation, with the noise you are describing, for a front mounted AIO, is with the tubes below the pump, if they can reach. I believe the overall quietist, is having the rad mounted up top, though.

 

[Asryan]

An Asetek-made cooler with Noctua NF-F12s on it. Sad thing is, for as much as it costs, it doesn't blow out the competition...
There are other Asetek models you could target, such as Fractal Design's Celsius, Msi's MEG Coreliquid, or NZXT's Kraken(can't avoid their software).

 

[Phaaze88]

@DSzymborski , the above image doesn't show anything unusual...

 

[Asryan]

@DSzymborski , the above image doesn't show anything unusual...

Thats what I thought. i don't understand why i have this issue again and again it's annoying. I don't know what I should do.

 

[Phaaze88]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAwYEBmSfvE

6:00 - 7:49: What's that?
20:39: Dust or paint particles?

Looks like it is one of the few models out there that can be disassembled without breaking it. Dunno if you really want to go that route...

Any bubbles should be up in the radiator; air makes its way to the highest point of the loop.

 

[Asryan]

Hm no i won't do anything like this ahah

it's really annoying I had 3 rma, each time it was fine for a while and then the pump started to make this same noise... I don't think i'm doing anything wrong on the setup?

Ony solution is to run the pump at 65/70% speed is it fine?

 

[JeffreyP55]

Hi

I have an EK Aio 360, temps are all fine, it's mounted on the top rad.

However.. I had to RMA three times because of pump noise issue. It's fine at the installation and for a month but after that the pump starts to be noisy above 65 to 80% depending on the case.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KG_CRjdVgho

It's really annoying, it sounds like air bubbles but i can't manage to get rid of those.

Someone offers me to sell me an ELITE version which has a more powerful pump, would that be of any help?

I was considering to buy a Ryujin or go back to the Arctic LF2 but I had some issues with it (noisy vrm fan)

Thanks for the help

Some coolers are louder than others.
My 5600x build I used a evga with a 240mm radiator. Brand new it was unacceptably load. Like waves crashing on the beach. In a entertainment room environment that is a no go.
Upgraded to a 5950x and ID-cooling 360. Very quiet. Also didn't cost a kings ransom.
Should of done more research to begin with. Many owners of the evga had the same complaint.

 

[Phaaze88]

I don't think i'm doing anything wrong on the setup?

IMO, the rear case fan isn't necessary. I would remove it, so there's 2 intakes - that would cover both halves of the long radiator.

I'm having a hard time getting the loud pump scenario that some users run into, but I've only used 3 AIOs - Eisbaer Aurora 360, Celsius S36, and Celsius+ S28, and the oldest one of those is the Celsius S36 from June 2020. So that little bit from me doesn't amount to much.
All I ever hear is fans. I'm sure I could hear it if I disabled all fans...


The issue doesn't happen right away... I could speculate that there's something up with the pump/impeller, but past that, I'd have no idea without tearing it down myself.

Ony solution is to run the pump at 65/70% speed is it fine?

There's some debate over this, but IMO, it's fine to run it a little less than 100%, but definitely not below 50%. I've got a flat 80 and 85% curve on the 2 units I'm currently using.
The worst you'd see is higher low load temperature spikes.