Physically Hitting My Case Dramatically Lowers My Temps

[NitroDubz]

Hi, I've recently noticed something interesting about my H100i that I bought about 3 or 4 years ago. I've been having relatively high temperature for a while, so I've blown out all the dust, reapplied thermal paste, and made sure the cooler is mounted properly, but my temps are still relatively high for my i7-4790k. However, I recently noticed something that brings my temps down.

 

I noticed that by physically hitting the top of my case close to where the radiator is mounted a few times, my temps drop instantly. A few light pats seems to do the trick, and I'm just so confused as to how this is even working. The effect is dramatic, I notice my package temps drop more than 20-30c instantly. The image below shows my temps right after I hit it. I have to do this at least once a day since the temps rise back up after a few hours.

 

Is this just an issue of my H100i being old and needing to be replaced due to blockage and buildup? Is there anything I can do so I don't have to keep abusing my poor PC? Thank you for the help.

 

https://imgur.com/a/aq1EC7i

[c-attack]

You've got a blockage. Theoretically, it could be an air bubble, but those tend to make noise and reveal themselves. This is a more common problem on the GTX/v2 series of coolers and users who have stripped their unit down find a gummy mix blocking the cooling fins. I am not recommending you take it apart and try and clean it. These devices are infuriating to take apart and reassemble with a definite risk of future leakage. They were not made to worked on by the user.

 

My guess is you have a combination of pressure build up on one side and the blockage in front of it. The whack dislodges the blockage temporarily, but there is no where for it to go. It will come around again. If you are still within the 5 year warranty period and have a receipt, contact Corsair for a replacement. Otherwise, it is probably time to go shopping. Having to bang away on the cooling system once or twice per day is not really a viable operating state.