[SOLVED] Persistent CPU Temp Issues

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CtrlAltDeleted

Sep 9, 2021
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I have had a NZXT pre-built PC for about a year now. Recently I thought I was having AIO issues with my Kraken M22 because I was seeing idle temps of 65-75C and hitting 95C and throttling under load.

Finally fixed it after hours of troubleshooting and reverting my OC, etc. All it took was taking off the heatsink and reapplying some new thermal paste and reseating. After that, I was back down to 40C idle and 55-65C under heavy loads (Prime95 stress test).

Monitored it closely for a couple days, first 48 hours, no issues... then last night, about 72 hours after I thought I fixed it, I'm back up to the same high temps...

Case: H510 NZXT
AIO: Kraken M22
MB: Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO WiFi
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
GPU: GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (No GPU temp issues)

Ambient temp is 20C in my office (leave the side glass off, so case is open, no airflow issues), and when I reapplied the thermal paste I used a generous amount (2 peas worth roughly, dead center on CPU). I did not spread, I carefully reseated the heatsink and tightened the screws evenly.

AGAIN, worked great for 48 hours or so, about probably 10-12 hours under load during that 48 hour stretch.

Please help, this has been very frustrating.
 
Solution
Phaaze88
You've had it about the same time other users started having trouble with it.
I've noticed something in regards to the remarks/complaints about this particular cooler, in that it's 'too small', or to be more precise, the radiator is.
AIOs aren't topped off with fluid, so there's some air present from the beginning. Over time, the fluid to air volumes change as fluid permeates the tubes.
Eventually, users reach a point where they can't avoid air making its way into the pump, which should be kept wet/submerged, because the fluid keeps it cool and prevents friction.
Mounting the rad at the top of the chassis is a no-go, because the pump is there, and air makes its way to the highest point of the loop.
Mounting the rad lower than the cpu...
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I'm going to reapply paste when I get home from work today. I'll upload some pictures.

My buddy said to do a paper test before I unmount the heatsink, to see if there is a gap. So we'll see.

I had the screws tightened completely, but how do I prevent them from loosening? @jay32267

My buddy also said to spread the TP with a credit card before reapplying the heat sink this time, and to run the PC for 10 minutes idle, then power down for 20, then power up for 10, down for 20 (cycle three times), to "let the thermal paste seat"? Could that be my issue?

Just is so weird to me that it worked perfect for two days, and now I'm back to close to 95C where my CPU will start to throttle itself.
 
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That's what I thought at first, because I read a ton of reviews that said the unit was junk. @Phaaze88

Just doesn't seem like thats the case here, since my temps were good for like a year, then once I replaced the poorly applied pre-built paste job, they were great again for the first few days.

My buddy wants me to go aircool, but I really like the look of the 120mm AIO in my case, and don't want the noise of an aircooler..
 
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You've had it about the same time other users started having trouble with it.
I've noticed something in regards to the remarks/complaints about this particular cooler, in that it's 'too small', or to be more precise, the radiator is.
AIOs aren't topped off with fluid, so there's some air present from the beginning. Over time, the fluid to air volumes change as fluid permeates the tubes.
Eventually, users reach a point where they can't avoid air making its way into the pump, which should be kept wet/submerged, because the fluid keeps it cool and prevents friction.
Mounting the rad at the top of the chassis is a no-go, because the pump is there, and air makes its way to the highest point of the loop.
Mounting the rad lower than the cpu block doesn't work, because now the air is going to collect at the cpu block instead, and that disrupts the transfer of heat from the cooler cold plate to the thermal medium, which is the liquid.
Mounting at the rear or front inevitably doesn't work, regardless of tubes up or tubes down, because the pump is dab smack in the middle of the 'lil 120mm rad; some time passes and fluid loss later, air is getting into the pump.
 
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Solution
@drea.drechsler The OC wasn't the issue, my MB bios is updated, and even back to default manufacture clock I'm still hitting the terrible temps I quoted above. I thought it was maybe my OC'ing or my MB.. but I ruled those out by updating MB bios and reverting back to factory default CPU settings.
 
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CtrlAltDeleted said:
@drea.drechsler The OC wasn't the issue, my MB bios is updated, and even back to default manufacture clock I'm still hitting the terrible temps I quoted above. I thought it was maybe my OC'ing or my MB.. but I ruled those out by updating MB bios and reverting back to factory default CPU settings.
Click to expand...
So if I got it right, both CPU clock and VCore settings are on AUTO, PBO is disabled and it's hitting 95C and thermal throttling.

I do agree it surely sounds like something with the AIO...it's an NZXT M22 right? 120MM? I wonder if it's saturating the liquid and that does it. But even that doesn't make sense: I've a 1700, overclocked to 3.9G/1.35V, under a no-name (Id-Cooling) 120MM AIO and it holds up with temps in the low 80's even after several hours of P95. If it were working right I'd have to imagine an NZXT would be better.

Are you cooling it (the radiator) with external air? or using it as an exhaust?
 
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@drea.drechsler It's setup as exhaust I believe, but I've got my rig up on my desk with the side panel glass off. It's got the 120mm Kraken M22 mounted up top left, and then 240mm dualie fan on the front. Ambient temps are around 20C always.

Biggest thing thats throwing me off here, is that the new TP fixed my temp issues completely.. but only for two days..? I went from 65-75C idle, and 95C after like 30-45 seconds into P95.

Put on new TP, and my idle temps were 35-45C and after 20 minutes of P95 I was max like 65C...

Monitored temps close for a day or so, seemed to have been fixed... Then all the sudden last night about 5 hours into gaming, I was getting offline and pulled up Cam and my CPU was at 92C... Killed everything and idle temps 5-10 minutes later were 70-75C..

So confusing/frustrating.. AIO seems to be running just fine, seems like a seating/TP issue..
 
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So.. Just got home. Took heat sink off, and looks like my TP didn't spread very evenly, and because I used a generous amount, there were spot where it was spilling over the side of the CPU a bit.

Cleaned off with IPA and reapplied, this time spreading a thin layer with a credit card before putting the heatsink back in place. Fastened evenly and then tightened her up as tight as my AIO will let me.

Let it idle for 10 minutes or so, and am idling around 45-50C, which seems kind of hot for a 20C room, but I've read that these 3000 series Ryzen's run hot. Ran Prime95 for 5 minutes and never passed 66C, hit 65-66C in the first 30 seconds or so, then leveled back out to low 60's...

Thoughts? My buddy said to let the TP seat by cycling the PC on and off a couple times, but I can't find that similar suggestion online anywhere, and I know TP doesn't really ever "set"..

I'm just hesitant because I got the same type of temps when I did this 3 days ago, but it was only a temporary fix. Maybe I just used too much TP last time and it got some gaps/bad coverage when I seated the heatsink??

Idk.. This is all just so weird/frustrating.. Really hope this fixes it, but I'm skeptical its going to hold up....
 
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It's hard to screw up thermal paste application, unless one has specific instructions for application, and you ignore it. For example, TG Kryonaut requires a thin layer manually spread over the surface of the entire IHS.
Too much isn't as bad as too little - it's just a little wasteful is all; excess paste will get pushed off the sides of the IHS by the cooler mounting pressure.

The purpose of paste is a bridge between your cpu's heatspreader and cooler cold plate. After that, the rest is up to the cooler and fans.

Also, see my previous post - #8 - about the Kraken M22. The Pump-In-Radiator design has some major flaws. If you were using a different model, like the traditional Pump-In-Pumphead/Cpu Block, you probably wouldn't be having these problems.

CtrlAltDeleted said:
Thoughts? My buddy said to let the TP seat by cycling the PC on and off a couple times, but I can't find that similar suggestion online anywhere, and I know TP doesn't really ever "set"..
Click to expand...
Mmm, some pastes supposedly had curing times of a few hours to a whole day, so IDK...
 
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This persists to be an issue... So lost..

I was up around 90 two days ago, but I read that my MB/CPU combo is known to run hot because it gives the CPU too much voltage. I undervolted my CPU a bit, and got my temps down to low 80's yesterday under a few hours of load...

Then all the sudden today again, 95C and throttling... So, I took my heatsink off, reapplied some thermal paste, AGAIN, and what do you know... I'm back to 45C idle and 65C under load...... But I'm sure this will only last a few days again.

My heatsink is securely fastened, and I have not touched anything in my system since I reapplied prior.. So what does that mean do you think? Got to be a spacing/seating issue, no?? I did the "paper test" when I tried to slide some cardstock between my CPU and heatsink prior to unmounting, and I couldn't get it thru.. So as far as I can tell, it's not a seating issue?

Again, I'm so damn lost and frustrated here... This has been unreal..
 
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