H150i - Middle Fan not spinning on new build

Hi all,

 

I recently built a new PC, and for the first time used an AIO cooler (the H150i Pro RGB) having previously used air coolers.

 

I've installed iCue and on the dashboard, it's showing the middle fan isn't running (0rpm). I had a look inside the case and it is indeed still whereas the other two (fans #1 and #3) are running at c.780-790 rpm.

 

I turned off the PC, checked all the connections and rebooted. The middle fan was spinning fine.

 

I've just checked iCue again about 10 minutes later though and second fan is back to 0rpm (see attached screenshot).

 

Any idea why this might be?

 

All three radiator fans are plugged into the splitter from the h150i cooler itself as per the instructions.

 

I have 3 x separate case fans which are plugged into my Fractal Design 7's Nexus fan hub (they are not PWM).

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

P.S. I need to sort my RAM out too - it's 3200Mhz but iCue says it's only running at 1596.5MHz - I thought I'd enabled XMP but will check in the BIOS.

DDR Ram runs at half the noted speed, so 3200Mhz DDR Ram runs at 1600Mhz base speed.

 

As for the Center fan, what is it set to run at in iCue? Balanced, Quiet, Extreme, Custom Curve, Zero RPM? You can set each of the fans to be different if you want to and maybe the center one is set to Zero RPM so it will not turn on until the coolant temp is high enough to need it.

Ah, right, thanks. I haven't used iCue before.

 

The fan profile is set to Quiet.

 

Is it normal for the middle fan to run slower than the two outer ones? If I select 'Balanced' Fans #1 and #3 run at c.1000 RPM and the middle one either to not run at all or to run much slower?

 

Wouldn't it be more efficient to have all three fans running at a lower RPM than to have two running at a higher RPM and one not at all?

Ah, right, thanks. I haven't used iCue before.

 

The fan profile is set to Quiet.

 

Is it normal for the middle fan to run slower than the two outer ones? If I select 'Balanced' Fans #1 and #3 run at c.1000 RPM and the middle one either to not run at all or to run much slower?

 

Wouldn't it be more efficient to have all three fans running at a lower RPM than to have two running at a higher RPM and one not at all?

 

No, it’s not normal.

Try to switch the fans connection in the AIO splitter to see if it’s a splitter problem.

 

Baio

I turned off the PC, checked all the connections and rebooted. The middle fan was spinning fine.

 

I've just checked iCue again about 10 minutes later though and second fan is back to 0rpm (see attached screenshot).

 

Any idea why this might be?

 

The most likely cause is a defect in the wire for the middle fan itself or the splitter coming from the pump. As suggested above, switch fans 1 <-> 2 or 2 <-> 3 back at the splitter to fan wire connector. If the fan is the problem, then 1 or 3 will now read zero. If the new fan on #2 is at zero and doing the same thing, it is likely on the splitter.

 

The fan can be replaced if necessary and one solution to the splitter problem is to double up on one of the other 2 with a PWM splitter. You would also have the option of getting a replacement cooler.

 

Also as mentioned above, when it is showing you the RAM as 1600 MHz (or 1599.97 whatever), this is the single data rate. The DDR4 speeds we are used to seeing are Double Data Rate (gen. 4). I guess we can't stick to standard way of showing this. Some programs use the single and some the double. Just depends. Your XMP does appear to be set.

 

 

**One other note - The "quiet" pump mode on the H150i is indeed very quiet. This is because is runs about half the speed of the medium "balanced" setting. It is OK to use sitting at the desktop doing light work, but be aware there is a definite temp penalty at the slowest pump speed at load for high core count CPUs. You can calculate how this matters for your usage by switching between Quiet and Balanced for the pump. Just something to be aware of. The fan speed is much less critical between the quiet and balanced modes and you will likely want to create your own fan curves once you get a feel for things.

Edited April 16, 2020 by c-attack

The weird thing is that it's not just not spinning - it spins up on startup but then settles back to 0. Periodically it will spool up but it's always at a lower RPM than the other two. I can't really work out why, as they have the same profile in iCue. So I don't think it's a hardware fault, more a software issue.

The software would not distinguish between ports 1-3 and a glitch on that end might result in a weird reading, but not physical change one only one fan of three running the same profile.

 

On the other hand, the tachometer and PWM wires are 2 of the 4 going down that splitter and fan cable. Inconsistent signal (like from a defect or partial break in the wire) on either can cause control problems and missing/erroneous fan speed data. I believe the H150i uses PWM% for control vs RPM specific like the Commander Pro, but the end result is the same. You need to figure out if it is on the fan or the H150i splitter.

Good point. I'll swap them around later and see if it's a defect in the fan / wire itself as you suggest. Thanks.

When you click on say the Balanced Profile are you also clicking on each fan to set them to Balanced? Take a screen shot of iCue and post it like this so I can see what is up.

Here you go.

 

My CPU is running very hot (80s) under heavy load (i.e. when gaming) so keen to get this sorted. Will try swapping the fan leads around so see if it's a problem with the wiring.

Here's one of the whole dashboard

Sorted. I am a moron.

 

The tubing from the cooler itself had risen up (or i'd knocked it when closing the case) and part of it was contacting the centre fan (#2) which was what was preventing it operating normally. I've moved the tubing and it 's now running fine.

 

The only thing is that even with all three fans spinning, the CPU temps according to iCue still seem pretty high.

Edited April 18, 2020 by bagsofsmoke

Sorted. I am a moron.

 

The tubing from the cooler itself had risen up (or i'd knocked it when closing the case) and part of it was contacting the centre fan (#2) which was what was preventing it operating normally. I've moved the tubing and it 's now running fine.

 

The only thing is that even with all three fans spinning, the CPU temps according to iCue still seem pretty high.

 

Try setting pump to Extreme when gaming and maybe make a custom curve for the fans based off CPU Temp. The normal Fan Plans are set of coolant temp and even then in Balanced mode the Coolant Temp has to run up to 38C before fans are at 100%. I run my fan curves on mine off CPU Temp. That way as CPU Temp rises fans spin faster and keep the coolant temp pretty steady which for me is around 23-24C. That keeps my 3900X under 70C for pretty much everything except running Prime95 Smalls for a while. Normal operation and even running at 100% CPU load for a while still keeps it under 72C.

 

In the picture I posted that shows my normal operation fan curve. When I game I have another Profile that has a slightly more aggressive curve, it changes my lighting and sets my pump to Extreme speed.

 

The tubing from the cooler itself had risen up (or i'd knocked it when closing the case) and part of it was contacting the centre fan (#2) which was what was preventing it operating normally. I've moved the tubing and it 's now running fine.

 

The only thing is that even with all three fans spinning, the CPU temps according to iCue still seem pretty high.

 

You are not the first. I had a nice panic moment today trying to power on my new build in vain. Racing thoughts of having blown a new PSU. Or the UPS was turned off from when I was building and the power went out.

 

 

If you are overclocking on any recent CPU offering, you will hit the thermal limits long before your cooler gets saturated. Voltage is always the limiting factor, but when they start tuned up out of the box, there isn't much place left to go.

 

I am not the AMD expert, however you can take an assessment of your coolant to CPU temp differential when fully loaded. Most people are going to see +40-50C, CPU and voltage dependent. Not much you do with that number except lower the voltage. As for the fans and cooler, watch the coolant temperature change from idle to whatever you are doing. On a h150i with that CPU I would expect you to spend most of your time at +4-8C when doing stuff. That is the number you can attack with fan speed. However, the bottom end is going to +3-4C when at moderate load, so you often are scrapping for 2-4C here. When you at 50-60C, who cares? Keep the fans comfortable. If you are brushing against your personal limit, then the fan speed becomes more critical. Most 120mm radiators fans will hit a good performance vs noise efficiency between 1000-1300 rpm. I wouldn't use any more than that until things hit the line.