[SOLVED] Replacing 5 year old AIO cooler

Jul 26, 2019
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I have a Corsair H100i from 2014-2015. I have it left over form my last build but recently completely upgraded my whole build. I am currently using it in my new build with an i9 9900k. How long can I expect my old cooler to last? Should I just go ahead and replace it or wait until it peters out?
 
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I have a Corsair H100i from 2014-2015. I have it left over form my last build but recently completely upgraded my whole build. I am currently using it in my new build with an i9 9900k. How long can I expect my old cooler to last? Should I just go ahead and replace it or wait until it peters out?

The thing that breaks most AIOs long term: (In order of likeliness)
  1. Permeability of the hoses which leads to eventual fluid loss leading to air bubbles.
  2. Pump failure
  3. Contaminant causing clogging/restricted flow (including galvanic corrosion)
  4. Transferring cold plate across multiple processors. Some cold plates will warp over time to match the profile of the processor they are mated to.
  5. Paste getting "crusty" and no...
Not sure that it is going to just die at a certain period...might be tomorrow, might be in 7 more years. No specific way to determine.

I think most Corsair AIO warranties lapse at 5 years: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/warranty

COOLING PRODUCTS
  • Hydro Series™ products have a 5 year warranty
  • Hydro X Series Core products have a limited 3 year warranty (blocks, pumps, radiators)
  • Hydro X Series Accessory products have a 2 year warranty (coolant, tubing, fittings)
  • ML Series™ products have a 5 year warranty
  • Air Series™ products have a 2 year warranty
  • All fan products have a 2 year warranty
What you decide to do is up to you.
 
I have been using AIO's pretty much from the start and always replace around the 4 to 5 year mark. As you have the mighty 9900K whci will run hot if overclocked, I would say go a good 280mm or 360mm AIO. I can recommend the Corsair H150i Pro as I have been using it since launch and it is great at cooling and very quiet with the Mag Lev fans...
 
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I have been using AIO's pretty much from the start and always replace around the 4 to 5 year mark. As you have the mighty 9900K whci will run hot if overclocked, I would say go a good 280mm or 360mm AIO. I can recommend the Corsair H150i Pro as I have been using it since launch and it is great at cooling and very quiet with the Mag Lev fans...

I was thinking that was going to be the upgrade. Thanks so much. OK so looks like 4 to 5 years thanks y'all
 
Is your H100 doing the job for you?

What is the make/model of your case?

My usual inclination is to not replace a part that is doing the job.
You have no guarantee that a similar replacement will be any more sound.

But, in the case of a aio cooler, a failure like a leak can be nasty to recover from.

In a good case with 160mm room, consider a noctua NH-D15s air cooler.
It has about the cooling capability of a 280mm aio cooler.
And... it will not ever leak.
 
I have a Corsair H100i from 2014-2015. I have it left over form my last build but recently completely upgraded my whole build. I am currently using it in my new build with an i9 9900k. How long can I expect my old cooler to last? Should I just go ahead and replace it or wait until it peters out?

The thing that breaks most AIOs long term: (In order of likeliness)
  1. Permeability of the hoses which leads to eventual fluid loss leading to air bubbles.
  2. Pump failure
  3. Contaminant causing clogging/restricted flow (including galvanic corrosion)
  4. Transferring cold plate across multiple processors. Some cold plates will warp over time to match the profile of the processor they are mated to.
  5. Paste getting "crusty" and no longer making good thermal interface as "cracks" develop. (Happens if you move case/parts)
As someone said, it might fail tomorrow, it might fail 7 years from now. Run the processor in a low power state, and check the temps at idle. Then ramp the pump RPMs and see if they look good. Then slowly bring the processor under more load and check temps.

If the pump/fan just doesn't "die" then you'll see a slow degradation in performance over time. So if it wasn't performing like it used to, it might be time to replace it.

The 9900K's boosting behavior is closely tied to it's temp and how many cores are under load. (This is based on observational evidence as Intel refuses to post guidelines on how boosting occurs now) It consumes a metric ton of power (That's a technical term) so you might want to step up from an H100i.
 
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