i9 9900K Freezing w/ H150i Pro Liqiud Cooler

Hi,

 

We upgraded from an i5 with a tower fan to a brand new i9 9900K & H150i Pro Liqiud Cooler. When we boot up, we can get into the bios and it recognizes the CPU correctly (mobo Asus Tuf Z730-Pro Gaming w/latest firmware version). However, as soon as we get out of the bios and try to start Windows, it hard freezes the system. It acts as if the CPU is overheating. We reseated the processor and when we did, we noticed that there was very little evidence of any thermal paste on the CPU, only the the outside edges. It just appears as if the heat sync is not actually connecting to the CPU and that is why it is overheating. We watched multiple vidoes on setting up the cooler and followed the instruction manual closely. We took off the cooler and reseated it multiple times, but we always had the same results with it hard freezing the system if we tried to do anything more than look in the bios. After it nearly trashed our Windows installation we finally removed both the CPU & cooler and installed our old i5 back in, got Windows repaired and the system is running fine again. I'm wondering if the cooler is faulty or is there is some other reason why the coolor isn't connecting. Everything else about the coolor appears to be functioning as far as I can tell without getting into Windows. It lights up, the bios sees the CPU fan, all three fans are spinning etc. Any suggestions? We just spent a significant amount of money on the CPU and Cooler and I'm a little at a loss as to what to try next. We did also clean off the stock thermal paste and put on our own Artic Silver and it seemed to last maybe 30 seconds longer before it froze, but it still didnt' resolve the issue.

If there is no TIM transfer onto the CPU (and the CPU temp is high in the BIOS), then you can be pretty sure you don't have good contact. Make sure you have the right standoffs for your socket type (115x). Make sure they are properly fitted. Make sure the backplate has the notch in the right place over the bump. Aside from that, there isn't much we can tell you. It is a physical fit issue. If the TIM feels unnaturally hard, you might want to clean it off and use your own. It will also make evidence of contact easier to spot.