i7 6700k and Corsair Hydro H115i running insanely hot

[luciya]

Hey guys, I ran into a big issue with my computer.

First off these are my specs:

• 
  Intel Core i7-6700K
  MSI Z170A Krait Gaming R6 Siege
  Corsair Vengeance LPX Series (2x 8 GB)
  Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H115i
  
  ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 Dual O6G
  Corsair Obsidian 750D Big-Tower

For my fans I use Noiseblocker BlackSilent Pro Fan PK-PS - 140mm. There are 4 installed like you can see in the image.

This setup (with exception of the GPU) was running really well for about 2 years now. The performance was nice and the temperatures pretty low.

One day this has changed and the temperatures are just going crazy. I am close to giving up now.

In Idle (about 4-7% Load on my CPU) my CPU Package is about 67 °C. As soon as my CPU usage gets over about 20% the temperatur is immediately going up to 80-90 °C. If I push the usage to above 60% it is a flat 99-100 °C while the Core Speed goes down from 4000 MHz to something between 3200 and 3500.

No part of my system is overclocked.

Here are the steps I already tried:

Tweak the performance of my cooling system. There is in fact no change in temperatrue wheter my CPU fans are on 40% oder on 100% speed. My pump is in performance mode. The water temperature is on a constant ~50 °C and does not change if CPU temperature goes up (or down).

Re-installed my cooler. I thaught maybe the cooler is somewhat loose or the thermal paste is too old but nothing changed. (Used Thermal Grizzly Kryonau thermal paste, little dot in the middle and let the pressure spread it out). I tried it 2 times.

Tweaked my CPU voltage and clock speed. It was running on a core voltage of 1.336 V and i turned it down to 1.2. No change. I lowered the clock speed for up to 20%. No change.

People say room temperature matters but my room is about 20-23 °C and this should not make that huge of a difference.

It should not be any faulty software. I tested the Corsair Link software, HFiNFO64 and even my Bios confirms the high temperatures.

For those who are curious: I did not use any kind of stress test. For testing I simply started a rendering with Arnold under Maya (which is a CPU only renderer). Not even a second after starting it the temperatures are at 99-100 °C.

What is your next idea? Thanks for helping me out!

 

[androbourne]

Sounds like maybe the terminal compound needs to be replaced or the pump in cooler died.

In Corsair Link does it show the pump turning on at all? I believe by default pump is located bottom right in Link.

 

[luciya]

Thank you for your reply. The pump is listed under H115i inside Corsair Link. It says its running at about 3180 - 3240 RPM and I can switch it to 2040 with the quiet configuration.

What do you mean by "terminal compound"?

 

[androbourne]

On the heatsink there is thermal compound used between the heatsink and the CPU. After time this thermal compound gets all dried out and gets less effective.

 

[luciya]

Ah I see. As I mentioned I reapplied it 2 times with no effect.

 

[androbourne]

Ah I see. As I mentioned I reapplied it 2 times with no effect.

Yeah I saw that but did you apply the proper amount? You'd be surprised what happens if you dont put enough or you apply too much.

 

[luciya]

So as i removed the cooler the second time the hole CPU was covered with a pretty thin layer. Your advice would be to try it again with some more or less? I was looking in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2MEAnZ3swQ

At 1:54 he shows the method I used in terms of technique and amount.

 

[androbourne]

Yeah that is a decent amount but you could put a tag more just to be safe.

 

[Eximo]

Pump RPM is not a 100% sign of a working pump, just a working motor. If the housing has failed or it is clogged up with an air bubble then it is just going to heat up.

My normal advice is to remove the cooler and shake it around, rotate it, etc. You want to get any potential air bubbles into the reservoir.

If that doesn't work, probably call up Corsair about a replacement.

 

[luciya]

I'll try some more thermal paste tomorrow when my system is cooled down.

But the temperature sensor for the pump is inside the pump so if it does not work fine would'nt that mean the water gets hotter too?

 

[lumineZ]

I have to agree with Eximo here.
Pretty sure there is something wrong with the AIO (H115i).

If everything has been working good for 2 years and then suddenly the temps starts to spike... And you have tryed to fix it. 1 out of 3 things.

1. Old or badly applyed TIM (Thermal Interface Material or Thermal grease as you call it).

2. Cooler not mounted correct onto the CPU

3. Faulty cooling unit.

 

[mdd1963]

Many times the pump gets contaminants and degrades from corrosion and/or algae, hard water deposits, etc....

You might be able to disassemble it and clean it out with assorted chemicals and a toothbrush...; search Youtube for cleaning your specific pump model...

 

[luciya]

My normal advice is to remove the cooler and shake it around, rotate it, etc.

I tried this, still no change. I contacted Corsair and wait for their reply.

From my feeling it got even worse. 70 °C in idle no matter how I set fan and pump speed.

 

[lumineZ]

If you are 100% positively sure that your mounting of the waterblock onto the CPU is done correct your AIO is / has failed.

 

[devbiker]

What's the temperature of the pump in Link?

I do have to agree with earlier responses though ... this sounds like an AIO that's going bad.

 

[luciya]

Even more replies, I really appreciate that guys.

I am pretty sure the cooler is installed correctly. Its is the exact same way as in the 2 years of it working fine. I am using the correct standoffs for my socket and the screws are a little tiny bit above hand-tightened which in fact is the maximum the thread of the screws can offer. When I push the pump a little bit down to the CPU with my finger (with a running system) the temps are not affected at all. I also reinstalled it 4 times yet and there was not the smallest change in temps.

The H115i temperature starts at about 40 °C and raises up to 60-64 °C no matter how hot the CPU is.

As a little update: Yesterday I saw the temperature was going worse (up to 80 °C in Idle) so I decided to lower the clock speed to 2800 MHz (CPU ratio and ring ratio) which instantly pushed the temperatures to 100 °C.

After so much research most people say the cooler is broken so I think I will need a new one. Which cooler would you choose? I really need it to be quiet as I'm sitting right next to it all day long.

 

[devbiker]

As long as you have the receipt, you should be able to get it replaced under warranty.

 

[luciya]

Yes I already contacted the support. I didn't know that there is a 5 year warranty on the hydro coolers. The bad thing is that I need my machine to work again as fast as possible due to deadlines.

 

[lumineZ]

Yes I already contacted the support. I didn't know that there is a 5 year warranty on the hydro coolers. The bad thing is that I need my machine to work again as fast as possible due to deadlines.

How about getting an cheap aircooler until you get a new AIO? like the Cooler Master 212? That one is pretty cheap and can handle the 6700K. Just leave it at stock speeds

 

[luciya]

What a nice idea. To be honest I never thought about overclocking. I am really interested in hardware and its so much fun to work with it but I just don't have the time to put in all the testing and tweaking. In the end I need a working system with as low maintenance as possible.

The only reason I bought the more expensive AIO water cooler was the fact that my machine is rendering for days from time to time and I thought this cooler could handle this a little better.

Now I read that the pumps are more likely to break the longer they run. So an air cooling system maybe would be the better choice.

 

[luciya]

If you are 100% positively sure that your mounting of the waterblock onto the CPU is done correct your AIO is / has failed.

I called my retailer and in 2 minutes we could figure out the pump is not working as expected. I will start the RMA and buy some cheap air cooler for the time it takes.

Thank you guys for your help 😍

 

[androbourne]

Yes. I agree there could be a problem with the pump. I was trying to rule out other issues before suggesting a replacement which thermal compound would have been the obvious first choice.

There could be other facts at play here such as the terminal issues with newer i chipsets which requires delidding etc...

Another way to test for that too would be just to go install the stock CPU heatsick and see if issue continues etc... There is more troubleshooting that could be done.