leds Junk LEDs in fans, pump and water block.

[lukehall]

Hi,

I have recently built a custom loop using a CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB TG White case, a CORSAIR Hydro X Series XC7 RGB CPU block and a Hydro X Pump.

Within 4 months of light use, several of the blue channels in the LEDs incorporated into the fans supplied with the case have failed, leaving those LEDs a bright yellow hue and unable to produce white light.
In addition, several of the LEDs within the pump unit have gone the same way, leaving a yellow hue on 1/3 of the pump's lighting ring.
Finally, the CPU block which produced a nice clean white light when first installed is now producing a dimmer and distinctly dirtier white light.

Is  this a common problem across Corsair RGB products? They seem to have used a very poor quality choice of LEDs, which should last for thousands of hours. not a couple of hundred.

 

[c-attack]

It's not uncommon for fans, although there are huge number of them out there so it's hard to quantify what percent have LED failures.  However, Hydro X RGB failures are not something commonly reported and I can't remember any recent reports of such.  Contact Corsair Support. 

 

An XD5 LED replacement might be as simple as a top swap, although that will require removal and disassembly, but still better than a full unit exchange with down time.  For the CPU block, part of the LED intensity is the reflection off the nickel plating.  As your loop gets "dirtier" you are likely to see less intensity from a slightly cloudy plastic lens or less reflective plate.  The good news is the XC7 is extremely easy to take apart and clean.  While it's possible there is some type of LED anomaly on the XC7 strip, the reduced light quality from normal fluid contact is something most people will need to deal with.

[lukehall]

On 2/14/2022 at 9:53 PM, c-attack said:

It's not uncommon for fans, although there are huge number of them out there so it's hard to quantify what percent have LED failures.  However, Hydro X RGB failures are not something commonly reported and I can't remember any recent reports of such.  Contact Corsair Support. 

 

An XD5 LED replacement might be as simple as a top swap, although that will require removal and disassembly, but still better than a full unit exchange with down time.  For the CPU block, part of the LED intensity is the reflection off the nickel plating.  As your loop gets "dirtier" you are likely to see less intensity from a slightly cloudy plastic lens or less reflective plate.  The good news is the XC7 is extremely easy to take apart and clean.  While it's possible there is some type of LED anomaly on the XC7 strip, the reduced light quality from normal fluid contact is something most people will need to deal with.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have since contacted the supplier for the case and they have said they'll send me replacement fans for the faulty case items, so that's a good result. They haven't responded to my report of the pump LEDs but I expect they will in due course.

You make a good point about the block appearing dimmer or dirtier. I use a clear coolant and the rest of the system is pristine when it comes to dirt or staining. However, I'll take the time to disassemble and investigate to either confirm or debunk!

Cheers :-)

[c-attack]

It's possible there was some type of system wide event that affected the XC7 and everything else.  However, I just recently replaced my previous XC7 with an XC7 Pro.  The old block was only a year old and I keep the loop in good shape.  6 weeks later I am still amazed how bright the new block seems, but it's clear it is from the reflectivity off the nickel.  My old one was no longer as shiny as it once was and it definitely has an effect.  

Edited February 15, 2022 by c-attack