H100i v2 Spiking from normal levels to a full 2700 rpm and back down from startup

Title. Have been using this cooler for a few years now with no problems. I believe it was a few weeks after I had "upgraded" to iCUE from Link 4, the cooler fans start spiking up to 2700 rpm from the moment I press the power button. It will occasionally drop back down to normal levels,(around 1400-1500) from time to time, but then goes right back up to 2700. It used to stop after maybe 30 minutes or so, staying back down at normal levels, but now it lasts much longer. I've uninstalled iCUE and gone back to link, but the problem still persists and I'm unable to fix it. Everything seems right in terms of CPU temps, but the fan just does what it wants and I'm unable to bring it down manually. Logs are attached, showing a few minutes of the system running idle.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/u3bcqc3sc6ttz5t/Corsair_Link_20190319_13_16_47.csv/file

In link form, since apparently you can't even upload Corsair logs to a Corsair site...

Your file isn't available and I am not sure the logs help most of us. Some basic observation of the iCUE/Link data usually is enough to figure out what's happening.

By default the fan curve for should be set to coolant temperature (H100i v2 Temp in Link). Trying to use CPU temperature is inefficient and tends to lead to these kinds of issues. What is the H100i v2 coolant temp when you are at idle? How does that compare to the room temperature? Most people will hold a steady +4-7C above the room temp.

If the coolant temperatures are normal, the CPU temps are low, and the fan curves set properly, then you may have some type of physical fan controller issue on the cooler. You could RMA the cooler for that, but also moving the fans to the motherboard would provide immediate relief. I am not sure how long I could stand those SP120Ls at 2000+ rpm. Probably less time than it takes to read this. What are you using as a fan curve? One of the presets? (quiet/balanced/performance-extreme) If yes, try setting a custom curve with more reasonable values. Also see if the cooler will hold a fixed RPM setting. That may answer the fault controller question.

I'm not really idle right now as I've been playing The Division 2, but the coolant temp is at 90 (so about 32 C) and the room temp is 70 (around 21 C).

Attached for real this time is a screenshot of the curve I've been using for ages. It rarely ever would need to hit 50% speed, as that is set at 99 (37 C), and full speed isn't even an option there. Just to see if I could calm the almost literal turbines down, I set a fixed 40% speed which did nothing. As of typing this, they have finally stopped spiking up and are following the curve I've set after multiple hours of full blast speed on and off.

I can also say, 2700 rpm is really really loud. I'm glad I have headphones that can somewhat quiet it, but it leaks through even those. Hoping to fix this ASAP for both the health of the fans and for everyone's ears.

EDIT: Well how wonderful, it's back! Added another picture showing the fan speed, the curve I have set, as well as the graphs on the side showing the fluctuation. At a total loss here.

I can check here in a few, but reading through that FAQ, it seems like if it wasn't set the fan wouldn't be running, and I wouldn't be able to control it through Link. I can control it normally as much as I want, but when it does this revving thing, I can't bring it back down.

Edit: Added the picture of what I believe you were asking for! At this point, the fans were again at 2700, so the reading there is either a different fan (which I'm pretty sure it isn't) or is wayyy low for whatever reason.

On the GTX/v2 series coolers, the BIOS will show half of the the pump speed on the CPU fan header (or wherever you connected). That ~974 corresponds to half the Quiet mode pump speed of ~1950. It looks like your CPU fan curve is set to silent in the BIOS picture, but perhaps it is overridden somewhere else since the pump and fans are hitting the high marks. Nevertheless, I would verify the header powering the pump and fans is not on some kind of curve. It would be a shame to send it in for replacement for a BIOS setting that got flipped on a BIOS update.

Sometimes we see weird fan behavior as the coolant hops across the 40C line on certain curves. Your coolant temp is low and steady. The coolant flow part of the system is working well. There is nothing wrong with your curve and it is smooth in progression. It looks to me like the fan controller in the pump is dying off. It's not common on this model, but there have been a couple over the years. I would contact Corsair directly through the ticket system to set up the RMA. In the meantime, verify the CPU fan curve setting in the BIOS and once that checks out and the situation does not change, move the fans off the pump and onto normal chassis fan headers. You'll probably need to use CPU temp as the control variable in the BIOS, but this will be more manageable than the current situation.

Well, nothing should've been changed, as I haven't actually updated my BIOS nor messed with any of the fan settings in there. I'll check again though.

Appreciate the help! I'll get back to you as soon as I can mess with all that and see what comes of it. considering the BIOS was reading the correct value and should be showing the correct value, yet the fans were higher, I'm inclined to agree on the problem being the onboard controller.

Set your CPU Fan Speed to 100%, not "Quiet".

Please.

Other things besides BIOS updates can reset BIOS settings.

Well, nothing should've been changed, as I haven't actually updated my BIOS nor messed with any of the fan settings in there. I'll check again though.

 

Appreciate the help! I'll get back to you as soon as I can mess with all that and see what comes of it. considering the BIOS was reading the correct value and should be showing the correct value, yet the fans were higher, I'm inclined to agree on the problem being the onboard controller.

You will never get fan speed reading in the BIOS for the cooler powered fans. The controller in the pump does not report it to the BIOS, only iCUE/Link. It does report half the pump speed. Other model coolers will report the exact pump speed. None of them report fan speed unless the fans are directly on the mobo.

Set your CPU Fan Speed to 100%, not "Quiet".

Please.

Other things besides BIOS updates can reset BIOS settings.

OH okay I get what you mean, I just re-read that bit in the FAQ. Set to Full speed now, and the fans almost immediately quieted down. Now to see if it lasts. Will keep you posted!

EDIT: Well, after saving that setting and rebooting, I’m now getting a boot failure message from my BIOS. Managed to clear the boot failure by rebooting (got the message twice, but seems to be fine now). Fans are still low currently, hopefully it stays that way.

You will never get fan speed reading in the BIOS for the cooler powered fans. The controller in the pump does not report it to the BIOS, only iCUE/Link. It does report half the pump speed. Other model coolers will report the exact pump speed. None of them report fan speed unless the fans are directly on the mobo.

My bad, I meant pump and not fan.

 

EDIT: Well, after saving that setting and rebooting, I’m now getting a boot failure message from my BIOS. Managed to clear the boot failure by rebooting (got the message twice, but seems to be fine now). Fans are still low currently, hopefully it stays that way.

Keep an eye on this. You get the CPU Boot error when the BIOS does not detect a device (the cooler) on the other end of CPU fan. Usually this is bad and means something has electrically failed on the cooler. It is possible momentary internal power fluctuations could cause this as well. If that is really happening, you might get USB disconnect/reconnect sounds, the pump and fan speeds will drop then surge in Link. However, since this hasn't come up before, it is not likely to be new behavior and may have been a momentary BIOS glitch.

Keep an eye on this. You get the CPU Boot error when the BIOS does not detect a device (the cooler) on the other end of CPU fan. Usually this is bad and means something has electrically failed on the cooler. It is possible momentary internal power fluctuations could cause this as well. If that is really happening, you might get USB disconnect/reconnect sounds, the pump and fan speeds will drop then surge in Link. However, since this hasn't come up before, it is not likely to be new behavior and may have been a momentary BIOS glitch.

It has happened before as I am overclocked (running a 6600k 3.5, OC'd to 4.4). It happens occasionally, telling me that current setting may not be compatible with the state of the hardware which shouldn't be the case since I'm well within the safe levels, and it will usually go away after a reboot and everything works fine. The fan issue came up a while after the OC was done.

OK, that sounds like a weird BIOS issue and not the panic button. Still, it is interesting. I would go ahead (if you haven't already) and create a support ticket for Corsair through the ticket system in the menu bar above. I think the fan controller is a bit wonky. Maybe there is an easier remedy like a firmware flash they can give you, but a physical controller issue would require replacement. In the meantime, if the fans stay settled, you can leave them on the H100i v2. Otherwise, move them to the motherboard for control to stop the spiking.

Make sure you upload the image from (2019-03-19 20_44_53-Graphing.png) to the Corsair help ticket. The dramatic fan fluctuation in combination with steady state other variables is the big clue. No power drop, no high temps, just loss of fan control.