H100i Loose backplate on the Asus Sabertooth Z7

Hi Guys,

 

I do realise this has been touched upon briefly in several threads but not been able to find a definitive answer.

 

I have recently purchased and fitted the new H100i water cooling unit and it works pretty much perfectly so far.

 

The issue I noticed when installing the pump was that the backplate was very loose once the stand-off screws were screwed into place. This did not become a major problem once the pump was screwed into place using the thumb screws.

 

Upon running some stress tests and comparing the temperatures with my old air cooler, the temperature under full load and at idle were pretty high (80+C full load, 31C idle).

 

I found that on another forum that the backplate was ill-designed and doesn't allow the pump to seat properly against the CPU, thus making the cooling very inefficient and giving high readings.

 

A suggestion that was mentioned was to use some rubber washers to reduce the gap between the backplate and the motherboard. I have yet to try this out and would like to see if anyone else has had the same issue and what steps anyone has taken to resolve this issue.

 

I'm debating on whether to write an email to Corsair to find out if they are aware of this issue and if they are in the process of fixing this.

I had the same problem with the same motherboard. the rubber washer trick worked for me! I just added some thin rubber washers on top of the plastic ones that were already on the back plate.

Cheers for the reply, i will need to hunt around for some washers today. I'm not best pleased that I have to reseat the whole thing, I'm not quite a pro when it comes to thermal compound application.

Quick update, i have just added some washers to the back plate and reseated the pump.

 

Upon removing the pump I noticed that only 75% of the pump was in contact with the CPU! :eek: Hopefully no damage had been caused.

 

With the washers and new paste the temp under full load is only hitting 60C which isn't bad for a i7 ivy at 4.2Ghz.

 

Maybe Corsair should include a set of washers in the kit to prevent this situation from arising, I'm sure the Sabertooth isn't the only mobo that has this problem.

Good to hear it worked and corsair needs to be aware of the issue.

Can you post some pics?

 

thanks

I have the same issue with my Asus Sabertooth X58. Will have to go hunting for washers tomorrow.

Sabertooth x58 here as well.

Where exactly am i putting rubber washers?

 

We're wanting more 'washer' on the underside of the motherboard, so that the thumb-screws push the pump down firmer onto the processor, is that it?

could i just use the backplate from an H100 i've got sitting idle instead of adding washers?

Same thing happened on AsRock z77 extreme4. Huge difference after adding washers made from a piece of rubber. Firtsly i was verry dissapointed by the H100i but now everything is nice.

Hope you understand something from the pictures and from my enghlish:).

Happy 2013!

From your picture, I'd say your backplate is incorrectly placed, see:

http://www.guru3d.com/index.php?ct=articles&action=file&id=1371

pic from the review of guru3d, using sabertooth z77 here

 

There is clearance for the 2 screws of the socket. ;)

Ok. I`ve changed the position of the backplate, hope this time the right way. I added two pictures with the temps i got.Running prime 95, fans to quiet, pump to minimum. Are those ok?

Yeah that's seems all ok, btw you can't change the pump speed, the option in corsair link software is only to get the pump speed reading.

"RPM Divider: Pumps tend to use different motors and report their RPM differently. Corsair pumps use a divider of 2 while other manufacturers may use different values."

Rubber washers did the trick for me as well. They need to have an inner diameter of at least 3/16" to fit over the posts on the back plate. Once the standoff screws are tightened down with the washers in place the back plate fits nice and snug.

 

I would be interested to know if this problem affects all Asus mother boards - and speicifically their Sabertooth line. I had real issues getting the stock i7 cooler to mount properly on this board, which is one of the reasons I went looking for an aftermarket solution.

 

Has anyone had problems with the back plate using any other mother board?

 

Other than that, I'm very impressed with the H100i so far. I'm idling in the low 30s and averaging 50 C running Prime95. These temps are without overclocking. Looking forward to pushing things without fear of frying my CPU.

I have a Rampage IV Extreme, but it's socket 2011 so I don't need the backplate :laughing:

Rubber washers did the trick for me as well. They need to have an inner diameter of at least 3/16" to fit over the posts on the back plate. Once the standoff screws are tightened down with the washers in place the back plate fits nice and snug.

 

I would be interested to know if this problem affects all Asus mother boards - and speicifically their Sabertooth line. I had real issues getting the stock i7 cooler to mount properly on this board, which is one of the reasons I went looking for an aftermarket solution.

 

Has anyone had problems with the back plate using any other mother board?

 

Other than that, I'm very impressed with the H100i so far. I'm idling in the low 30s and averaging 50 C running Prime95. These temps are without overclocking. Looking forward to pushing things without fear of frying my CPU.

 

I've started another thread on this issue here:

http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=113973

 

I'm using P4P800-E Deluxe and getting the same issue, but didn't have it with my old H100.

Same problem with my new H80 that i've just ordered after installing 2 other H80s this year with no problem, i'm surprised.

 

With the amount being reported on the forums at the moment i'm wondering if there's a manufacturer fault in the new bolts? Saying that the issues date back so maybe some newer boards are being designed thinner?

 

Who knows?! Just want to highlight the issue as if it's not addressed - the effect on the cooling is hugely detrimental.

 

It's on a Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Mobo. Awaiting response from Corsair on it..

Interesting; I just installed the h100i and noticed after tightening the mobo-side retention screws, there was play between the mounting bracket and screws. However once I mounted the bracket that covers the pump and applied the thumb-screws it appeared this had drawn-in any 'play' between the two. I thoroughly checked the fit between the pump and proc, and the seal seemed good.

Check out my post and pictures on how to resolve.

 

http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showpost.php?p=623994&postcount=3

I just wanted to confirm what Kimir stated in post 11 - it's possible that your backplate is aligned the wrong way. I too was initially having problems with a loose connection on the backplate (to the point where it sat crooked), but then after re-reading the post, I realized that there is a cut out in the backplate for the screws on the cpu socket.

 

http://s1.postimage.org/5f30yulcf/img_7385.jpg

 

So once I lined up the cut out with the other screws, the back plate could actually secure closer to the motherboard. There was still some play, but it was much less than before. And, once I actually put in the retention screws and secured the cooler, the thing is completely tight. I know I have a different motherboard, but it may apply to other machines as well. Better than buying some washers if you don't need them!

 

Sorry for essentially re-hashing the same information, but I didn't see any threads that explicitly spelled this out, so hopefully this picture will help clear up any confusion. It certainly helped me!!

Anytime sir http://www.citysmiley.com/smiley/look/chapeaubas.gif

I'm having the same problem, my bracket is loose, I noticed I installed in the wrong way also there is no space for the screws in the back because I installed in the wrong position, so just need to reinstall or add some washers or do both? And what kind of washers? Can it be the same that come for the radiator installation on top as show in the h100i manual?

Doesn't the manual say that the bracket is loose by design?

Have yo installed it yet? Is the block tight against the CPU? Or are you just worried about the backplate? The back plate should be slightly loose until the cooling block is tightened down and then it should snug up.

Just wanted to say my Sabertooth with H100i fits fine. No slack in the backplate. I'm getting temps of about 30 deg C idle and 70 deg C load OC'd to 4.8GHz.