H110i gtx barely working.

[ghostkyle]

I have the h110i gtx mounted on my i5-4690k at stock speeds, it won't even boot unless I turn turbo off, and and when it is idle it is still ~50*C. at first I thought it was the backplate, so I got a new one, but it is still way to hot for idle. Right now it the water is at 37.5*, the pump is at 3180 rpm, and the ambient temperature in my case is 30.5*. I have reinstalled it several times, with very little difference every time. Anybody have an idea what is going on?

[c-attack]

Water temperature is the key to discerning a pump issue from every other kind. A 7C delta for warm idle over ambient is within the possible range and that value is very case and environmentally specific.

 

However, if the CPU cores are idling at ~50C and +13C over the water temperature when unloaded, that suggests the problem is elsewhere in the contact/TIM/voltage department. Also, when the water system is failing, you are still able to boot with high settings. It's only after a build up of heat (which it cannot expel) that the system becomes unusable. The water temp keeps going up 40-45-50-55... is a steady manor until the cumulative CPU temps ultimately hit the throttle zone. If you have a water problem now, it is likely your idle water temp will keep climbing while sitting on the desktop reading this.

 

Is this a brand new unit? If not, I assume it worked fine prior to today.

 

You may want to fill in the rest of specifications in your profile. Knowing the case and describing where the H110GTX is located (intake/exhaust) can help put the temperatures into context. You also may want to specify the exact motherboard. Some of the Asus Z87/97 boards have trouble with the Corsair backplate. Someone may be able to give you very specific advice.

[ghostkyle]

The radiator is mounted to the exhaust, and the water is staying only a couple tenths of a degree around 37.5*. I have also completely reset my bios so there is nothing changed except for the fact that I have turbo off. I have also left the computer off for about 35 hours to let the everything cool to room temperature, and within seconds the cpu was idling around 70* in the bios.

The cooler is just under a year old and the temperature has never been that great, I just never really looked at it all that much and when I did I ignored it. But I have been wanting to get into overclocking again, so I wanted to get this fixed.

[c-attack]

Well, the cooler itself appears to be functioning correctly. It seems more likely the problem is on the cold plate/TIM/CPU end of the system. This is usually characterized by by both high idle and load temperatures, with the later causing near instant throttling.

 

You said the temps were never great, but obviously the PC was usable and that is no longer true. Did you make any hardware changes, cleaning, or something else where the block might have been bumped or unsettled in some way? Regardless, a remount is the place to start. You will need some new TIM and to clean off the old with isopropyl alcohol and the closest thing to a lint free cloth you can find. They do sell kits for this stuff, but they are not strictly necessary. Look at the old TIM pattern when you take the pump block off. Look for uneven distribution or areas that never spread out. The cold plate has to make complete contact with the CPU. Even the tiniest of air gaps cause a loss of thermal transfer from the CPU to the water system.