H115i RGB PLATINUM (pump rubbing noise)

Hello everyone,

 

So I bought and installed this AIO couple of days ago, it was fine and all until today it started to make this weird noise all of the sudden.

The pump is set to Balanced and its been sitting on Balanced since the day I installed it.

 

It doesn't seem to be making that sound on Quiet nor Extreme.

But on Extreme it starts to make humming noise which I don't recall it making that when I was testing the first 1-2 days when I installed the whole thing.

 

You can hear the rubbing sound in this video that I recorded;

(Pump is set to Balanced in this video)

 

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What could be the problem?

I suppose it does sound a bit like "rubbing" and it could be friction between pump bearing. However if this is the case, then it should be even worse on the higher Extreme speed. The other possibility is some kind of electrical signal glitch on that specific speed. I would contact Corsair Support so they can send you the firmware file and see where things go from there. Obviously if it is physical as in the first suggestion, then there is nothing to be done and it needs to be replaced.

I suppose it does sound a bit like "rubbing" and it could be friction between pump bearing. However if this is the case, then it should be even worse on the higher Extreme speed. The other possibility is some kind of electrical signal glitch on that specific speed. I would contact Corsair Support so they can send you the firmware file and see where things go from there. Obviously if it is physical as in the first suggestion, then there is nothing to be done and it needs to be replaced.

 

Hey, I've been paying close attention for couple of hours now, it looks like whenever I change the pump speed to something else and switch it back to Balanced, the rubbing sound starts from being frequent and overtime it becomes less frequent. Maybe this is the reason I didn't notice this issue before? but like I mentioned before the first day when I was testing there wasn't anything like this.

I really don't know what I'm dealing with here, it's really strange and it doesn't seem to be effecting the temps since I'm getting fantastic results at all times.

I also made a follow-up video so you can hear the different pump speed sounds;

Blue is Quiet

Green is Balanced

Red is Extreme

 

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Update on this;

 

It hasn't made that noise since the day after, it's been like 10 days I guess? I've been monitoring the pump since then, never heard anything unusual.

I'm just gonna roll with it, since it hasn't affected the performance and I don't want to deal with demounting, sending, waiting for a month to receive a new one and installing it again. And there's a chance of not getting a replacement since the problem hasn't occurred again.

 

But the question remains why did that happen? Is it possible because the pump cable is connected to a shared sata power cable? (The other head of the cable is connected to a hard drive.)

 

I also have the windows startup USB disconnecting sound issue when iCue launches but that problem is inconsistent.

When I searched for a solution I found out that many people have the startup disconnecting problem but mine does that from time to time, maybe that caused the pump to make that weird noise?

But even if I hear the disconnect sound, the pump doesn't seem to be making anything unusual so everything is okay for now.

I think the most likely answer is there was a bubble in the block creating some pressure inequities. It worked itself out. The other thing is a lot of pumps have a specific speed that creates a resonance through the case. That specific frequency gets amplified by the motherboard vibrating at the same and you get weird noises. It's usually a narrow range. It's not something commonly reported for AIOs, but every set up it is possible. One thing is for certain... that was not the sound of death. It was rhythmic and subtle. If you have a mechanical problem, you are going to know immediately and it will be heart-stopping at irregular intervals.