H115i 48 Celsius on Idle with i7 9700K

Hi Guys, I hope someone could shed some light to my conundrum.

Recently, I had to build a new custom PC, New motherboard, ram, cpu.

But recycled used the old AIO Cooler GPU etc.

System specs are up to date on my profile.

Radiator is mounted up top on a corsair Air 740 Case, blowing in.

CPU is Intel Core i7 9700K

Fans are running off Motherboard headers, Pump Molex and USB link are connected.

Pump control runs to Motherboards dedicate AIO connector

Temperatures I am seeing are 40 Celsius Idle and over 75 Celsius while gaming and very very loud fans.

I have a strong suspicion Pump is not moving the coolant around as it should since when I disconnect the fans, there is zero noise.

However, Link reports the pump is running at 3K RPM

And coolant temperature as again 42 Degrees.The latter stays constant no matter the CPU / Package temperature..

When I change the pump speed on Link, the temperatures stay the same, constant...

Is there any way I could test this out before going and buying a new AIO Cooler?

Any suggestions, questions?

The prior generation GT/GTX/v2 coolers which includes the H115i (formerly H110 GTX) seem to get fussy when moved. It is possible your flow rate is being hampered by bubbles or something else. Bubbles usually make a definite "clickity-click" static like noise. Ironically, dead silence is more worrisome. That could be either a true physical blockage or the pump has had a mechanical issue and is no longer capable of moving coolant. If you put two fingers on the pump block, you should be able to feel vibrations. If truly nothing, the pump may not be actually moving at all despite the read out.

I will suggest you treat it like a blockage for the moment. Try rocking the case backwards (or whichever direction) so the tube inlet/outlet are above the pump block. This is the standard treatment for air bubbles. If nothing else, you might hear the pump change in tone which would suggest something is moving. Feel the hoses. Are they about the same temperature? They should be. Or is one clearly warmer than the other? You can try tapping the hoses and CPU block to see if you can cause a change. If neither the rocking or the tapping creates a result, the final option is to take the cooler out and shake it. Nothing scientific about this. Last resort before RMA. If you have a PSU jumper, you can then run the cooler on the table and likely tell if the flow state has changed without remounting.

As far as general analysis, partial blockages tend to elevate coolant temp by an a definite amount. True mechanical failure or a zero flow state will cause the coolant to start climbing until you shut down. Hose feel we talked about. The other give away is radiator exhaust temp. It should be approximately equal to the coolant temp. 40C air is pretty warm and noticeable. If it feels cool coming off the radiator fins, heat is not getting to the radiator. None of this changes the troubleshooting above, but these are key points to make if filing for a RMA replacement.

The prior generation GT/GTX/v2 coolers which includes the H115i (formerly H110 GTX) seem to get fussy when moved. It is possible your flow rate is being hampered by bubbles or something else. Bubbles usually make a definite "clickity-click" static like noise. Ironically, dead silence is more worrisome. That could be either a true physical blockage or the pump has had a mechanical issue and is no longer capable of moving coolant. If you put two fingers on the pump block, you should be able to feel vibrations. If truly nothing, the pump may not be actually moving at all despite the read out.

 

I will suggest you treat it like a blockage for the moment. Try rocking the case backwards (or whichever direction) so the tube inlet/outlet are above the pump block. This is the standard treatment for air bubbles. If nothing else, you might hear the pump change in tone which would suggest something is moving. Feel the hoses. Are they about the same temperature? They should be. Or is one clearly warmer than the other? You can try tapping the hoses and CPU block to see if you can cause a change. If neither the rocking or the tapping creates a result, the final option is to take the cooler out and shake it. Nothing scientific about this. Last resort before RMA. If you have a PSU jumper, you can then run the cooler on the table and likely tell if the flow state has changed without remounting.

 

As far as general analysis, partial blockages tend to elevate coolant temp by an a definite amount. True mechanical failure or a zero flow state will cause the coolant to start climbing until you shut down. Hose feel we talked about. The other give away is radiator exhaust temp. It should be approximately equal to the coolant temp. 40C air is pretty warm and noticeable. If it feels cool coming off the radiator fins, heat is not getting to the radiator. None of this changes the troubleshooting above, but these are key points to make if filing for a RMA replacement.

Thank you c-attack,

Finally had time to replace it with an H115i Pro, today.

Almost Completely silent (You can hear the pump, if you concentrate real hard... and below 50 Celsius, under load; despite being clocked to 5Ghz (9700K)

I feel like I'm in a similar situation, although I'm running an i9-9900k@5.0GHz with a H115i(not pro).

I typically see idle temps ranging from 43-50c with highs in the mid 70s at load.

I know the i9s are known to run hot, but I sometimes see reports of much lower idle temps. I've recently tried reseating the cooler, making sure to completely clean both surfaces and applying Arctic MX-4 appropriately. Didn't really notice a difference.

The case fans are setup pretty standard; front intake, rear and top exhaust. I haven't tried reversing the H115i fans to a intake flow config. My ambient room temp usually runs on the warmer side between 77-83F.

I'm just wondering if this is pretty normal and OK to live with, or if upgrading my AIO to the H115i Pro or another might make any difference.

I feel like I'm in a similar situation, although I'm running an i9-9900k@5.0GHz with a H115i(not pro).

 

I typically see idle temps ranging from 43-50c with highs in the mid 70s at load.

Need to compare this to coolant temperature (H115i Temp). At your room temp I would expect idle H115i Temps of 29-32C, but that should also keep idle cpu temps pretty much at that same point. Load coolant temp should probably top out at 40C.

I feel like I'm in a similar situation, although I'm running an i9-9900k@5.0GHz with a H115i(not pro).

 

I typically see idle temps ranging from 43-50c with highs in the mid 70s at load.

 

I know the i9s are known to run hot, but I sometimes see reports of much lower idle temps. I've recently tried reseating the cooler, making sure to completely clean both surfaces and applying Arctic MX-4 appropriately. Didn't really notice a difference.

 

The case fans are setup pretty standard; front intake, rear and top exhaust. I haven't tried reversing the H115i fans to a intake flow config. My ambient room temp usually runs on the warmer side between 77-83F.

 

I'm just wondering if this is pretty normal and OK to live with, or if upgrading my AIO to the H115i Pro or another might make any difference.

Hey Buddy,

To be Honest, there is no way to be certain but to actually try it.

I am going to take a different approach, from your specs, you can afford it... And I am sure there are return guarantee vendors in your area.

For me Temps were high, obviously. I didn't compare them to other people because I have a Corsair Air 740 Case. Nothing but the CPU was overheating.

I picked 115 i pro specifically

1. It appears to be the quietest of the 280mm

2. It has 2 fans, hence i didn't need a splitter or anything and just used the motherboard cpu headers.

Worst case scenario, you have spent a 100 something dolars and upgraded another component. The alternative is a cracked or burned CPU core which is around 1K USD :)

Please let us know how you get along.

Need to compare this to coolant temperature (H115i Temp). At your room temp I would expect idle H115i Temps of 29-32C, but that should also keep idle cpu temps pretty much at that same point. Load coolant temp should probably top out at 40C.

Yup sorry, forgot to mention that. Coolant temp is typically around 35-36C at idle and think can get up to around 42C under load.

OK, so normal deltas. That means the cooler is working as expected. I suspect there is nothing to be done about the room temp and like most of us you are stuck with the way things are. The one place you might be able to claw back a few degrees is on the airflow management.

Idle coolant temp is a couple of degrees higher than I might expect. This could be related to any one of the the following reasons:

1) You keep the fans pinned to absolute minimum speed when on the desktop. 140mm fans won't move much air through a radiator below 600 rpm. That does not mean you have to change, just be aware there is a consequence. I typically keep mine between 600-700 for desktop do nothing time.

2) Physical restriction across the radiator - Dust, dust filter, or very restrictive case panel. I would not use a dust filter with a radiator and there is usually a clear penalty. However, some users feel dusting is akin to serving hard time in a penitentiary, so user's call.

3) Physical placement in room - under a desk, packed in the corner, etc. all trap heat around the case and create an warmer environment. Give it some space.

The 780 is not known as a warm case and has quite a bit of interior volume. Can you walk me through the complete case fan and direction set up? Do you have anything on the bottom?

First thought without knowing the rest of your layout is to turn the fans back around to exhaust on top, along with the rear fan. Front intake and if you have bottom space, squeeze another fan in there. With only a rear 140mm on exhaust duty, you may have a lot of accumulated heat sitting in the center of the case and that is the 4 degrees I am wondering about. You might be able to compare the coolant temp with the motherboard temp sensor and anything else you have.