Idle Temps 84c

[RhysMFG]

3 year old pre-build from an online company. Has run fine until recently.

CPU temps rise to 84c idle.
I have unmounted my corsair h60 cooler and reapplied with fresh thermal paste.

Running an Intel i7 960 3.2ghz

CPU fan speed according to BIOS, 1650rpm


Any help appreciated.

Will provide more details if needed / told how to take readings etc

 

[Eduello]

Do both of the tubes on the cooler feel equally hot? Can you hear the pump working if you put your ear against the pump/waterblock?

 

[RhysMFG]

1 is normal temp, 1 is very hot.
I can feel the water pumping through both when I touch them

 

[Eduello]

One being hot and one being normal usually means that the pump is not working, but since you can feel it working, I'd say there's an air bubble obstructing the flow of water.

 

[RhysMFG]

How would I check for this? It is a water cooling block so it is not supposed to be taken apart (as far as I am aware)

 

[Eduello]

Yep, all-in-one kits are not meant to be taken apart (at least the ones from Corsair). There's really no way to get it out, but you can try to change the positioning (put the radiator below (if it's above the CPU currently) the pump/CPU) to make the air bubble move. That may or may not help with your temps, but if it does, you can be sure that the issue is caused by a bubble.

 

[RhysMFG]

After moving it a bit, the temps now sit at 85c (not much difference but thought I should report it) and neither pipe is hot, both seem to be working (based on vibrations) but I cannot hear anything.
(my computer is a fairly loud machine anyway

 

[Eduello]

Are you sure the vibrations aren't coming from the fan on the radiator? If you can, try unplugging all of your fans to make the PC silent, and then try to listen to the pump.

 

[RhysMFG]

The vibrations have almost stopped without any fans running.
Are we calling this a dead cooling system then?

if so, what would the effects on the cpu be from running at high temps?

 

[Eduello]

Yeah, it's probably dead. The heat is being transferred to the waterblock (since the other tube was originally hot), so it can only be an issue with the cooling system itself. It could potentially shorten the lifetime of the CPU in the long run, and it would cause the CPU to throttle to prevent burning itself to death, making it slower.

I would just get a new cooling system, or at least revert to the stock cooler (if you still have it) to keep your CPU at least somewhat cool.

 

[RhysMFG]

Seems my fears were correct.
I even left the store that had the same cooler on sale with thermal paste to attempt to fix this one. Now its closed.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Eduello]

Happy to help