[SOLVED] XSPC Raystorm Water Cooler Failed - Any way to fix?

[Qaztar]

Hey there,

Today I was playing a game I play pretty often (Planetside 2) and noticed that my frames were unusually low. Whereas I usually get 70-80fps, I was getting around 30-40fps. I started up CoreTemp, and saw that all my cores were at around 90 degrees celsius. I closed the game and the temperatures stayed this high. I wasn't entirely sure about how usual this was, so I ran a CineBench benchmark and it gave a far lower score than normal. I shut off my computer for a minute, turned it back on, and it failed to start, giving me an error message about too high temperatures. I opened the BiOS, and found that the pump RPM was N/A. I then opened up my case and felt the tubes of water, only to find that they were in-fact no longer carrying any water through, as there was a small pocket of air I could see that was not moving at the end of two tubes.

I've now fully unplugged my computer and moved it out to give it a closer look. I moved the tubes a little to see if there was anything loose, and the bubbles flew down the tube to somewhere else in the system. I then decided that I shouldn't mess around with it much more.

I got this computer in 2015-2016 from CyberPowerPC (a decision I now regret wholeheartedly). Around half a year after it came, the water cooler began filling with bubbles, so I went through the arduous process of repackaging the computer and sending it back to them. They fixed it, apparently, and it's worked mostly fine since.

Around 5 months ago, I noticed that there were again some bubbles in the cooler. It didn't seem to be posing much of a problem, so I wisely decided to leave it alone (kidding of course). However, to my surprise, in the span of just a few weeks, the bubbles vanished and I forgot about the whole thing.

Now it seems it's completely conked out. I doubt I have warranty anymore for the computer (and honestly I do not want to repackage the whole thing) so I'm considering what my options are. Is there any way that I can hope to fix the thing on my own? Is purchasing a replacement cooler and installing it a possibility? I've unscrewed the cooler from the motherboard(?) and here's a few pictures. I have no idea if this looks normal or not.

It should be noted that while I gave a valiant amateur attempt to clean out my computer about a year ago, I did not realize I could take off the back panel, and thus didn't know about all the dust on that final picture (or about the <Mod Edit> cord job).

Is this a lost cause? Any tips?

 

[Karadjgne]

You have water loop. It should be flushed every year. I'd be looking at the Mayhem's or Primochill system flush, there's plenty of videos. Maybe even a full teardown of the entire pc, good flushing with distilled water and vinegar, replace the distilled coolant with some biocide. The tubing looks either discolored or the coolant is.

Full custom loops require maintenance, it's not an aio.

Whether the pump is still good or just packed with crud, dunno.

 

[DSzymborski]

Yikes, four years without cleaning! Sorry to say, but you really bit off more than you could chew; a year between flushes would be the longest I'd go. But four years! It's like buying a sports car: they're fun, but you have to commit to the maintenance. There's nothing wrong with having a Toyota instead of a Porsche.

Thank goodness it doesn't appear that the GPU was part of the loop. Honestly, I'd just clean up the top of the CPU, apply new thermal paste, and get a good air cooler or AIO that you can just leave in there with just the periodic maintenance of making sure the fans are clean.

 

[Qaztar]

You have water loop. It should be flushed every year. I'd be looking at the Mayhem's or Primochill system flush, there's plenty of videos. Maybe even a full teardown of the entire pc, good flushing with distilled water and vinegar, replace the distilled coolant with some biocide. The tubing looks either discolored or the coolant is.

Full custom loops require maintenance, it's not an aio.

Whether the pump is still good or just packed with crud, dunno.

So I took this apart some more and did some research, but all tutorials I find include a water cooler with a drain valve and it doesn't seem like mine has one (just a box with a thing on the top to open with a coin). Where can I find a tutorial for draining it and flushing it if it doesn't have a drain valve?

 

[Qaztar]

Another issue I'm having is that if I were to take the water cooler out and replace it entirely (which seems like the most viable option) I'm unable to detach the radiator (maybe it's not the radiator, it's the big box thing with two tubes put into it) from the top of the PC. Would I only need to remove the tubes? Or should there be some easy way to remove this radiator that I'm missing?

 

[Karadjgne]

There aren't any tutorials that I know of. Pc's are versatile, they are only 'right side up' for your pleasure and airflow. They can be flipped upside down without issue.

And that's where you'll need to get creative. Unplug it totally. Take it to the sink. It's easier since you have soft tubing, find something that unbolts easily from the case and get a tube as low as it can go, hanging inside the sink. Pop a tube off, then crack the fill coin nut to allow air into the system. It'll drain mostly. You can tilt or upright the pc as needed (with care) to try and coax as much as possible to drain.

It's very doable, can just be a pain. Be careful with the rad, they don't like to drain always and can retain some fluid. Best to keep those hoses/ports on top of any possible fluid levels.

Then start disassembly, pull it all out and follow proper cleaning procedures, depending on the method of cleaning.

 

[Karadjgne]

The rad (big black box looks like the radiator in a car) is fastened in one of 2 ways. It's either got small screws from the outside, or long screws from the outside. They may be under some sort of plastic cover.

 

[Qaztar]

(as a preface, I know the dust in here is crazy, very embarrassed about it)

This is the view of the radiator from the inside. Feeling around the sides reveals no screws or anything attaching it to the sides, so it must be attached somehow to the top.

The top itself is covered by this "oo so cool" white cover, so I can't see inside to any screws (not that I would be able to unscrew them even if I could see them) and I can't find a way to remove the top.

Inside there's a panel that slides slightly back and forth, but again no indication of easily accessible screws that I can detach the radiator from.

Any ideas for removal?

(note, the case is apparently a cyberpowerpc Cooler Master Stryker. Bit of an ironic name given the circumstances)

 

[Karadjgne]

View: https://youtu.be/6sH877y_f1k

 

[Qaztar]

View: https://youtu.be/6sH877y_f1k

Absolutely legendary. Thank you!

 

[Qaztar]

If anyone has any ideas of something I could use to replace the watercooler, please let me know! I'm only going to be able to use this computer for another year or so (college) so it doesn't need to be no-maintenance. Are there any watercoolers which I could just fit into the same spot and attach in the same way without too much hassle that are better than my current one?

 

[Karadjgne]

Better? That's a rather subjective question. Typically, a custom loop has the best cooling capacity as the radiator has a much higher surface area than an aircooler, and better coolant flow than a AIO, amongst other reasons.

With that Z170 motherboard, under loop cooling, you most likely have a i7-6700k that was ordered with cyberpower overclocking, so you'll want a large capacity cooler.

At 186mm of clearance, I'd suggest a Noctua NH-D15S or beQuiet Darkrock Pro4, or a decent aio such as a Evga CLC 280, nzxt Kraken X62.

 

[Qaztar]

Better? That's a rather subjective question. Typically, a custom loop has the best cooling capacity as the radiator has a much higher surface area than an aircooler, and better coolant flow than a AIO, amongst other reasons.

With that Z170 motherboard, under loop cooling, you most likely have a i7-6700k that was ordered with cyberpower overclocking, so you'll want a large capacity cooler.

At 186mm of clearance, I'd suggest a Noctua NH-D15S or beQuiet Darkrock Pro4, or a decent aio such as a Evga CLC 280, nzxt Kraken X62.

Thanks a ton again. The Evga CLC 280 looks like the nicest to me. Are there any tips on what kind of coolant I would put into it?

 

[Karadjgne]

None. The Evga is an AIO/CLC, that's All in One, or Closed Loop Cooler. It works roughly the same idea as your current setup, but instead of seperate radiator, pump, block and tubing, it's all connected. It's closed, as in you do nothing but clean it for the next 5 years or more.

 

[Qaztar]

None. The Evga is an AIO/CLC, that's All in One, or Closed Loop Cooler. It works roughly the same idea as your current setup, but instead of seperate radiator, pump, block and tubing, it's all connected. It's closed, as in you do nothing but clean it for the next 5 years or more.

Ahh I see. Thanks again, I'll respond again if anything more comes up.