New H80i running hot - Replace thermal paste?

I recently RMA'd my H80i and installation went fine. It's an identical setup to my previous H80i - I simply removed the unit, thoroughly cleaned the paste off and fitted the new H80i.

I notice idle temp is nearly 45C. It used to be 38C.

Running a few tests in Prime95 it's hit 100C so I had to stop the test.

I'm running a very small case so I get fairly high temps. But this new unit is performing considerably worse in identical conditions

I also notice there comes a point where the H80i fluid temp starts rising considerably - it was at 40C when my CPU hit 100C and going up at a rate of almost 0.1C per few seconds.

Long winded post, sorry, but could it be the thermal paste? I'm not ruling out the possibility I screwed up, though the cooler fitted without an issue - went straight down onto CPU and was tightened up without movement on the surface of the chip.

TTL;DR - Any suggestions for thermal paste as mine may be screwed.

Thanks

What RPM is the pump running at? You can check using the BIOS if the 3-pin connector is plugged into a fan port on your motherboard.

Take a picture of the install and post it as an attachment here as well.

~2250rpm with a single Cougar 140mm pushing cold air.

I have an FT03-mini so airflow is bad yet good. It's like a chimney so despite absolutely no space for cable management, it does a pretty good job of staying cool.

Those temps above were OC - so running test on standard, I get 38C idle and 70C in prime95 - that's definitely wrong. My old H80i never broke 60C under absolute worse conditions and would sit around 30C idle.

Old H80i | New H80i

30c/60c | 40c/70c

I checked pump was secure this morning and there is no movement. It's pulled the backplate up correctly.

I have an Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe like this guy: http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=112940

Which temperature are your referring to? I am guessing the H80i temperature which does seem rather warm to me. What is the Package (PKG) and all the Core temperatures? CL won't tell you this, so you would need exit CL and run HWiNFO (latest Beta) or my SIV utility and then post a screen shot. A screen shot of [status] would also be handy as this will show the Averages, Minimums and Maximums.

Sorry, those are the package temps using RealTemp.

leaving the system for a bit, I can see one core is considerably cooler

So I've clearly not seated it correctly. I tightened the thumb screws quite tight though. I'd be scared to tighten any further. Perhaps I've overtightened?

I tried to ensure I tightened them evenly and in a diagonal pattern (so screw 1, screw 3, screw 2, screw 4, each little by little until they were all tight)

See Core 1

Is this what you need? Screenshot of idle and a less than 10mins later in Prime95 you can see it hits the 90s.

I used standard paste that came with the cooler.

I don't have a perfect setup (single fan pushing through rad and avery cramped case) but my issue is that it's performing worse than my previous, albeit faulty, H80i.

Not sure what AUXINX temps are but they are terrifying! No other software has shown the mobo temps close to that so I hope they are errors

Also, I appreciate the help so far too. Thanks!

The stand-offs are not fully screwed in. On picture 3 there is a gap between the stand-off and the motherboard. This is probably why you are seeing high temperatures.

If you cannot screw it in further, you may need to add plastic washers to resolve your issue.

The stand-offs are not fully screwed in. On picture 3 there is a gap between the stand-off and the motherboard. This is probably why you are seeing high temperatures.

 

If you cannot screw it in further, you may need to add plastic washers to resolve your issue.

The gap is normal. Once you screw it down it becomes tight.

I would check the backplate make sure the notches are lined up

You have to ask yourself: Why do I have a case that is so small, then wonder why I have heat and air flow issues.

I would suggest you spend 50 bucks on a decent mid tower case with a couple fans, and stop messing around with this thing you have.

Time is money.

If you cannot screw it in further, you may need to add plastic washers to resolve your issue.

A few people say that solved the issue. It does feel very secure as it is. But I might give it a try.

The gap is normal. Once you screw it down it becomes tight.

 

I would check the backplate make sure the notches are lined up

That's a good call, I know a few people have large gaps with the P8Z77-I Deluxe so I assumed they were normal. I'll double check all gaps are equal.

You have to ask yourself: Why do I have a case that is so small, then wonder why I have heat and air flow issues.

I appreciate the advice, but the case does it's job - I've had no heat issues with any components before.

That said, it's a f**king nightmare to work in that little case!

Thanks guys, I've ordered some MX-2 so I'll let you know how I get on with reseating it.

So after removing the H80i, only one side was in contact so that was the issue.

I stripped the whole PC and checked the backplate was aligned. How tight are the thumb screws supposed to be?

I'm going to get some nylon washers tomorrow because I'm starting to believe the P8Z77-I is too thin. Although it pulls the back plate up, it's not contacting the CPU correctly and I'm scared to overtighten it.

*UPDATE*

So, turns out it was seated very badly.

Anyway, I upgraded to the H100i and had the exact same problem - high temps.

So, I bought some rubber washers, ensured the pegs were seated correctly. BOOM, 40C cooler. FOURTY!! Most I hit now is ~60C as opposed to 100C. Idle temps are only about 5C lower though because of this one troublesome core that refuses to drop below 40C.

However despite, again, tightening the nuts in sequence, it doesn't seem to be sitting flat on my CPU.

Could the CPU cap be warped?

EDIT:

Reading around, thats apparently just how it is with the 3770K. Load temps even out nicely so there you go.

Conclusion:

Rubber washers on a P8Z77-I DELUXE make a very big difference in temps!

Thanks

You could have done this without changing from a H80i to a H100i and without the rubber washers.

Clean off old paste, apply new paste reseat the cooler and test.

Now the million dollar question is how did you mount the h100i radiator when there are no 240 mounts in the case?

Well the case is not the problem with mine. mine is a full tower haf 932. I was just wondering on washers as it seems to be the fix for many of us ASUS motherboard owners.

So what size washer was used/where to get them is my question?

You could have done this without changing from a H80i to a H100i and without the rubber washers.

 

Clean off old paste, apply new paste reseat the cooler and test.

 

Now the million dollar question is how did you mount the h100i radiator when there are no 240 mounts in the case?

I'm not so sure.

I had tightened all the thumb screws to the Max - there was not more thread left. And I was still able to bush the mounts down vey slightly.

Adding washes made a significant impact to my temps.

I bought a 380T case and discovered the H80i is too thick. So I bought an H100i which just fits.

FT03-mini is an incredible case though. I just didn't have enough room for drives in there

Well the case is not the problem with mine. mine is a full tower haf 932. I was just wondering on washers as it seems to be the fix for many of us ASUS motherboard owners.

 

So what size washer was used/where to get them is my question?

Sorry I didn't measure them. I took the backplate to a hardware shop and tried a few out.

Also the solid 'washer' underneath comes with the backplate. I simply added the rubber donut looking one on top. It allowed me to have more thread for the CPU bracket.