News Enermax Dist. Recalls Liqmax III ARGB AIO Liquid Coolers in Korea

[Admin]

C-nex Zone has issued a recall on three Liqmax III ARGB AIO liquid coolers. The issues related to poor CPU cooling efficiency thanks to impurities found inside the coolant.

Enermax Dist. Recalls Liqmax III ARGB AIO Liquid Coolers in Korea : Read more

 

[tennis2]

Again!?
If the first wave wasn't bad enough, they clearly haven't learned their lesson. Might as well close down their AIO division now.

 

[KananX]

These aio coolers are way too often clogged up like that, not only these ones, I see it frequently with various brands and models on YouTube videos, don’t buy it and use a good air cooler instead.

 

[blppt]

"hese aio coolers are way too often clogged up like that, not only these ones, I see it frequently with various brands and models on YouTube videos, don’t buy it and use a good air cooler instead. "

Sometimes that is just not possible. Even the ultimate Noctua air coolers suffer from extreme reliance on excellent case flow. And with cooling nightmares like the 12900KS you would need your ultra air cooler to also have the absolute idea air flow for that Alder Lake special not to throttle under heavy load.

 

[Phaaze88]

But who is the OEM/ODM of Liqmax III? I couldn't seem to find that after 20mins of searching. Enermax seems to have that under lock and key... but seeing as their previous Liqtech and Liqmax still had problems, it may be Apaltek again.
FYI:
NZXT Kraken M22
Msi MAG & MPG Coreliquid [The MEG is Asetek.]
Enermax Liqtech
Fractal Design Lumen [Haven't noticed a flood of complaints from this one - yet.]
^All Apaltek, and have had, or still having issues with clogs. Some prebuilts, like Cyberpower, are rebranding and offering them amongst their selection of coolers.
The clogging is going to happen eventually in these sealed coolers, but it shouldn't be as early as they have been popping up...

 

[javiindo]

Liquid cooling it's exotique but air coolers are much better no problems solution. The difference in temperatures it's not that much either.

 

[tamalero]

"hese aio coolers are way too often clogged up like that, not only these ones, I see it frequently with various brands and models on YouTube videos, don’t buy it and use a good air cooler instead. "

Sometimes that is just not possible. Even the ultimate Noctua air coolers suffer from extreme reliance on excellent case flow. And with cooling nightmares like the 12900KS you would need your ultra air cooler to also have the absolute idea air flow for that Alder Lake special not to throttle under heavy load.

You still need airflow to cooldown the radiators bro...

 

[Cartrover]

Enermax/Apaltek appear to be really trying. If this clogging issue is similar to what happened on the MSI ones that just got recalled (also made by Apaltek) and investigated by Igorlabs, it's not the same as what happened on the Threadripper AIOs a few years ago. The Liqmax III would be a solid AIO if they have fixed this issue on newer units.

There are a number of pump/clogging complaints in reviews on US retailer websites, so this recall may be extended to other countries.

 

[KananX]

"hese aio coolers are way too often clogged up like that, not only these ones, I see it frequently with various brands and models on YouTube videos, don’t buy it and use a good air cooler instead. "

Sometimes that is just not possible. Even the ultimate Noctua air coolers suffer from extreme reliance on excellent case flow. And with cooling nightmares like the 12900KS you would need your ultra air cooler to also have the absolute idea air flow for that Alder Lake special not to throttle under heavy load.

Simply don’t buy inefficient CPUs, 12900k isn’t exactly a must buy, for people that need 16 core the 5950X is far better. For gamers there are 12700K, 12600K, 5800X3D.

 

[blppt]

"12900k isn’t exactly a must buy, for people that need 16 core the 5950X is far better. For gamers there are 12700K, 12600K, 5800X3D. "

That's not the point. If you want the best gaming CPU on the planet, you need the 5800X3D or 12900KS, and neither one can be cooled by air unless you have great case airflow, and then yes, I agree, the D15 is the equal of any AIO water cooler. The 12900KS especially, but the X3D too runs very hot compared to other Zen 3 products.

 

[blppt]

You still need airflow to cooldown the radiators bro...

Yes, you need some airflow for the AIO water coolers . But not anywheres near the great airflow you need for an air cooler of equivalent performance like the giant Noctuas.

Plus, unlike the Noctuas, you can mount the radiator in multiple places on the case that get direct airflow from outside the case, or pushing directly outside the case. You do not have that flexibility with a top mount air cooler.

Trust me, I've tried the Noctua solutions. I have never been great at maximizing airflow over a top CPU mounted air cooler from front intake out to the back, so they have never performed as well as a good 280mm double fan AIO like the Corsair H115i series (or other brands' equivalents). I'm sure if you got a great airflow layout, the Noctuas would cool just as well without the disadvantages of a water cooler, but you have to be GREAT at routing cables and components to allow for great airflow for those to reach their potential.

AIO water coolers are much easier to get effective cooling, especially for those of us builders who are not great at the above.

 

[Cluso108]

I have the Enermax Liqmax III 240 ARGB and im in the UK, my CPU started overheating to the point where my system shuts down last week and its been getting worse and worse.
My Ryzen 5800X temps will spike to 90+ and the system just shuts down due to overheat protection.
Any way of fixing this? im assuming I am affected by this issue.

 

[Phaaze88]

Any way of fixing this? im assuming I am affected by this issue.

There is no real fix; the majority of modern AIOs aren't user-serviceable(except Alphacool's), and going by the article, they're only handling RMAs in Korea...
Get a new cooler and toss out the Liqmax III - keep the working fans though.

 

[tennis2]

(summary air coolers suck)

Cooling performance is primarily surface area. Either way you slice it, you're passing air over some fins to cool a liquid which is pulling heat off the CPU. AIOs do have a slight "heat soak" time advantage for burst-y frequencies because of the greater amount of fluid compared to air coolers.

Below you can see the NH-D15 is within 2C of a good 280mm AIO. Also note the Noctua NH-U12 and Scythe Fuma 2 on the table.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/arctic-liquid-freezer-ii-280-a-rgb-aio-cpu-cooler/7.html

• Air coolers don't require some insane amount of case airflow like you say. In your average system [needing a 240mm+ AIO or large tower heatsink] you're going to need 2 intake fans and at least 1 exhaust. It's harder to push air through an AIO rad than just an open case fan so even with high static pressure fans, you lose CFM comparatively.
  • If you use the AIO as intake, your case air temp is increased for the GPU.
  • If you use the AIO as exhaust, it suffers the same as a tower cooler because it's breathing the heated air from the GPU.
• AIO does combine the case fans and cooler into 1 unit, but less efficiently as described above. Air coolers obviously add 1-2 additional fans in the system though.
• AIOs (as shown) have a much higher failure rate than air coolers.
• AIOs put less stress on the mobo than a tower cooler. Generally not a huge issue unless you're transporting your system regularly.
• An AIO certainly exposes more room around the CPU to work in if you regularly tinker in your PC after it's built. Also AIOs can be beneficial for compact builds.

 

[blppt]

Again, the chart you posted is in a setup with good airflow---heck, sometimes these charts are compiled on open air testbeds.

I'm telling you from direct experience---unless you have good airflow in your case, even the high end Noctuas get beat by a good 280mm AIO. They need good airflow by their very nature.

• If you use the AIO as intake, your case air temp is increased for the GPU.

No, it isn't. In a decent sized tower, the GPU is far enough away that it doesn't matter in my experience. I've had both push/pull testing.

"If you use the AIO as exhaust, it suffers the same as a tower cooler because it's breathing the heated air from the GPU."

It isn't affected as much as a setup which relies entirely on air for cooling. This is just common sense, and born out by my experience. And the GPU spits its exhaust outside the case, so most of its heat is directed away from the interior of the case.

• AIOs (as shown) have a much higher failure rate than air coolers.

Which is why I even tried the Noctuas because I don't feel like having the possibility of a leak destroying my entire system. But its not good enough without excellent airflow (which I do not have).

 

[KananX]

That's not the point. If you want the best gaming CPU on the planet, you need the 5800X3D or 12900KS, and neither one can be cooled by air unless you have great case airflow, and then yes, I agree, the D15 is the equal of any AIO water cooler. The 12900KS especially, but the X3D too runs very hot compared to other Zen 3 products.

That would be pointless, as for gamers 12700K and 12600K are almost same speed as 12900K. The 12900K is more for content creators or people that work and play. The 5800X3D on the other hand is clearly faster than 5950X.

I'm telling you from direct experience---unless you have good airflow in your case, even the high end Noctuas get beat by a good 280mm AIO. They need good airflow by their very nature.

Everything needs good airflow and if you have a tower with bad airflow in 2022 you’re clearly doing something wrong. This discussion you’re having is more than moot.

 

[tennis2]

(AIO as intake) In a decent sized tower, the GPU is far enough away that it doesn't matter in my experience. I've had both push/pull testing.

Passing (typically the only) case intake air through the AIO rad pulling 75-250W off the CPU is going to result in hotter air entering the case than just fans.

the GPU spits its exhaust outside the case, so most of its heat is directed away from the interior of the case.

Very few GPUs use blower-style coolers anymore.

 

[blppt]

"Very few GPUs use blower-style coolers anymore. "

Well, both my 3090 and 6900XT intake air from the case and output to the outside. I'm not sure what GPU you are using, but I'd imagine that most of the 3xxx and 6xxx series are the same.

"Passing (typically the only) case intake air through the AIO rad pulling 75-250W off the CPU is going to result in hotter air entering the case than just fans. "

That's if you have absolutely no other source of cold air coming in, and no exhaust fan right next to the CPU pretty much expelling that intake charge immediately out the back. My case may not have great airflow, but there are other methods for cold air to enter. Because of that, its not ideal, but a really good AIO cooler is better able to deal with this than even the best TM air cooler.

 

[blppt]

That would be pointless, as for gamers 12700K and 12600K are almost same speed as 12900K. The 12900K is more for content creators or people that work and play. The 5800X3D on the other hand is clearly faster than 5950X.

Look at the charts on this very site. If you want the best single core and best overall CPU performance, you get the KS or X3D. It doesn't matter whether or not it makes perfect rational sense in your head, its the truth. The 12700K and 600K are simply not as fast, no matter what you consider to be "acceptable deficits

"Everything needs good airflow and if you have a tower with bad airflow in 2022 you’re clearly doing something wrong. This discussion you’re having is more than moot."

No, it doesn't. I have never had great airflow through any of my cases, and I'm telling you definitively that it is still stable and high performing if you use a great AIO versus the best TM CPU cooler. Actual experience. You seem to have a narrative in your head that there is no situation involving airflow where a pure air cooler wouldn't suffer more compared to a great AIO, and that is quite simply, FALSE.

 

[tennis2]

"Very few GPUs use blower-style coolers anymore. "

Well, both my 3090 and 6900XT intake air from the case and output to the outside. I'm not sure what GPU you are using, but I'd imagine that most of the 3xxx and 6xxx series are the same.

Brand and model of the GPUs you're talking about would be nice.

"Passing (typically the only) case intake air through the AIO rad pulling 75-250W off the CPU is going to result in hotter air entering the case than just fans. "

That's if you have absolutely no other source of cold air coming in, and no exhaust fan right next to the CPU pretty much expelling that intake charge immediately out the back. My case may not have great airflow, but there are other methods for cold air to enter. Because of that, its not ideal, but a really good AIO cooler is better able to deal with this than even the best TM air cooler.

Most* gaming PCs will make use of 2-3 front intake fans. If you occupy that with an AIO rad, that's all your intake. Most* gaming PCs use the typical single rear exhaust fan also. In higher end systems you might be at 3 font intake fans, a rear exhaust, and a top exhaust.

 

[KananX]

Look at the charts on this very site. If you want the best single core and best overall CPU performance, you get the KS or X3D. It doesn't matter whether or not it makes perfect rational sense in your head, its the truth. The 12700K and 600K are simply not as fast, no matter what you consider to be "acceptable deficits

except nobody cares about minimal differences but you and a few people with too much money to burn. It’s a irrelevant difference.

No, it doesn't. I have never had great airflow through any of my cases, and I'm telling you definitively that it is still stable and high performing if you use a great AIO versus the best TM CPU cooler. Actual experience. You seem to have a narrative in your head that there is no situation involving airflow where a pure air cooler wouldn't suffer more compared to a great AIO, and that is quite simply, FALSE.

And you’re still trying to have a argument with me? It’s better for you to buy a console, since you’re simply overburdened with PCs.

And your GPU 100% isn’t blowing the air out of the case, no modern design does that, you’re talking complete nonsense here.

 

[rafeesamith]

But who is the OEM/ODM of Liqmax III? I couldn't seem to find that after 20mins of searching. Enermax seems to have that under lock and key... but seeing as their previous Liqtech and Liqmax still had problems, it may be Apaltek again.
FYI:
NZXT Kraken M22
Msi MAG & MPG Coreliquid [The MEG is Asetek.]
Enermax Liqtech
Fractal Design Lumen [Haven't noticed a flood of complaints from this one - yet.]
^All Apaltek, and have had, or still having issues with clogs. Some prebuilts, like Cyberpower, are rebranding and offering them amongst their selection of coolers.
The clogging is going to happen eventually in these sealed coolers, but it shouldn't be as early as they have been popping up...

I think it's unlikely to be Apaltek since the pump isn't in the radiator, it is presumed to have a Fly Alpine pump due to its similarities with a Cougar Aqua. Although it also has a striking similarity to the Galahad pump and block from their advertising images and the coldplates seem identical. (Liqmax III, Galahad - TechPowerUp)
There is a possibility of it being an in-house design too as Enermax has an active patent for a flat liquid cooling pump.