vlad06 Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 Hey all, I have an old build from 2015. I have a Corsair H100i cooler on an AMD FX 6300 4.4 GHz processor. Recently I have noticed my PC shutting down due to the CPU overheating. I have cleaned out all dust, and I have re-applied thermal paste, yet it still overheats from time to time. My fans all work fine still, and I can't visibly see anything wrong with the cooler. Problem is, I don't have any reliable software that can tell me if there is a fault with the cooler. I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate (please don't judge me too harshly) and I have Corsair Link. Corsair Link doesn't let me do anything with my cooler other than to change the LEDs, which is useless to me in this situation. Before I go out and buy a new cooler, is there anything I can do to determine if it is indeed the cooler that is the problem? I suspect it is. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeDoyen Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 you can touch the tubes when your PC has been in use for some time. On a good cooler, the temperature difference between the two tubes is mild. If you feel one tube is significantly warmer than the other, you have a water flow problem which is how old AIO usually die. They get clogged up and can't pass much water through the pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-attack Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 (edited) The other thing you can try to assess is idle CPU temp behavior. When you have a flow restriction, the water does not make enough trips from CPU to radiator and back and thus the water and CPU temp will steadily climb from the moment you power on. So wait until some morning when the PC has been off overnight and boot up. Open any CPU temp monitor and watch. If you see an idle temp of 40C initially but it keeps steadily climbing 45..50..55...60.. over 5-10 minutes (or less), that is a clear sign there is a flow issue. Le Doyen advice above also applies and if you see one, you likely see the other. In this state, once you warm up the liquid, it won't come back down until you power off and it naturally dissipates. Edited November 22, 2023 by c-attack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlad06 Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 Thank you both. I will try both tips and report back. Much appreciated. In terms of upgrades and compatibility, will a new-age cooler such as the 'H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB' replace it easily, i.e., has the same fittings etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-attack Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 (edited) I don't think any of the current coolers will have the same stand-offs and brackets as the 2013 H100i, but whatever is needed is in the box and it's only a few minutes more to swap in the current version of backplate and bracket. Edited November 22, 2023 by c-attack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlad06 Posted February 23 Author Share Posted February 23 On 11/22/2023 at 12:03 AM, c-attack said: The other thing you can try to assess is idle CPU temp behavior. When you have a flow restriction, the water does not make enough trips from CPU to radiator and back and thus the water and CPU temp will steadily climb from the moment you power on. So wait until some morning when the PC has been off overnight and boot up. Open any CPU temp monitor and watch. If you see an idle temp of 40C initially but it keeps steadily climbing 45..50..55...60.. over 5-10 minutes (or less), that is a clear sign there is a flow issue. Le Doyen advice above also applies and if you see one, you likely see the other. In this state, once you warm up the liquid, it won't come back down until you power off and it naturally dissipates. Hey, I took it all apart and discovered that the radiator underneath the fans was clogged with dust, looks like I overlooked this aspect when I regularly cleaned the PC. This time I removed the fans attached to the radiator. I'm going to assume that this is the reason..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-attack Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 That will be a substantial restriction to airflow preventing heat release at the radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeDoyen Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 good lord hahaha i hadn't seen one caked like that in a long time ^^ If you don't care much about RGB, and your radiator is on the top of the case, you could install the fans on top of the radiator in pull configuration. It hides a bit the lighting to say the least, but it leaves the radiator accessible for easy cleaning, without needing to dismantle the fans. That's an option to consider if you find it preferable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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