High CPU temps

[Diamon]

Hi
I've been running watercooling for a while now and the temps seem suspiciously high to me. I'm using:
Block: http://www.swiftnets.com/products/Apogee-XT.asp
Rad:http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9016/ex-rad-157/Black_Ice_GT_Xtreme_280_Radiator_-_Black.html?tl=g30c95s930
Pump: http://www.dangerden.com/store/eheim-1048.html#tabs

And my "i7 920 D0" at stock settings is currently at 75C under 25% load.

Is this normal? Or if not, do you have any idea what may be causing it?

Thanks in advance.

[diluzio91]

Check your pump, Check the seating on the block

[SXRguyinMA]

yea 75C under load is about what the stock Intel HSF setup will get you. Something's not right :eek:

[x88x]

Yeah, that's too high. Besides what diluzio mentioned, make sure nothing's obstructing the airflow for the fans on the rad.

[mDust]

1) Make sure water is moving properly.
2) Increase airflow over radiator.
3) If airflow is coming from the case before passing through the radiator, make sure that the case is well ventilated. Cool air cools better than hot air.:glasses:
4) Reseat the waterblock with AS5 or similar thermal paste. Dab some (about the size of a grain of rice) on the center of the CPU and let the waterblock squash it down to avoid trapping any air. Temperature cycles will cause the paste to flow a bit so tighten the block after a week or so.
5) Lap the waterblock and/or CPU. Neither Intel or AMD make flat IHSs and some heatsink manufacturers realize this and make their products convex for 'a better fit'. It makes sense because most people don't know/don't care or simply don't have the balls to lap their CPU. Two semi-perfect flat surfaces are ideal though. Just be careful if you do as warranty = void.

[blaze15301]

i had that issue when i first put my loop together with that same block. i had to return the base because it was warped and only half of it was touching the cpu so it was overheating its self. it is a great block tho.

[Diamon]

Thanks for the help :)
I removed the loop from my case and a huge bubble rose from the block : /
I also replaced the thermal paste (AS ceramique) and now it's running at slightly below 60C after 30 mins of folding proteins @ home (100% CPU load).

Will probably check the seating of the block in a few days. And will check the base of the block as well to see if it's warped as blaze's was.

It's very nice to have this community to ask about these things :D

[blaze15301]

Thanks for the help :)
I removed the loop from my case and a huge bubble rose from the block : /
I also replaced the thermal paste (AS ceramique) and now it's running at slightly below 60C after 30 mins of folding proteins @ home (100% CPU load).

Will probably check the seating of the block in a few days. And will check the base of the block as well to see if it's warped as blaze's was.

It's very nice to have this community to ask about these things :D

it must be a bubble issue with this block as well because i always have to keep checking mine. maybe its a flow rate issue.but yeah the bubble was more then likely your issue. 60 c seems to be about right for an i7 at 100%.

[mDust]

I removed the loop from my case and a huge bubble rose from the block : /

it must be a bubble issue with this block as well because i always have to keep checking mine. maybe its a flow rate issue.

If one nozzle is higher than the other, make sure the water flows in the bottom and out of the top one. The water should force any air through the rest of the loop to a radiator plenum or a reservoir. Filling the loop outside the system and rotating blocks and radiators around can remove 100% of the air as well, but sometimes this just isn't feasible.

[x88x]

Ouch, yeah, that bubble will do it. :P

Personally what I do for bleeding my loop is I mount it all in my case, then using a fillport at the top of the case, I fill it, then turn on the pump, seal the fillport, and rotate the whole thing around. ...just make sure you have a strong, rigid, case before trying that.. :whistler:

[Diamon]

I assembled the loop below water. In my bathtub :)
Problem was that the nozzle I used to fill the bathtub forces air into the water. A few days later all that air had formed bubbles all around my system. Will definitely fill it with buckets next time -_-

Worst part is that I probably still have bubbles in my rad since it's not the same temp everywhere.

Watercooling is quite a hassle compared to air. But it'd be boring if it wasn't.

[x88x]

For the radiator, try tipping the case (or rad outside the case) so that the end with the hookups is higher than the rest of the rad. That will force the air bubbles out the outlet.

Also, as a side note, I would recommend filling your loop with distilled water with a biocide, not tap water.

[Diamon]

I thought about filling it with distilled water but I don't think the system is clean enough for it to stay distilled very long. In case of a leak I'm screwed either way. The biocide is a good idea however. I could easily put some of that in the loop.

[x88x]

The idea with using distilled water is that you start out with fewer contaminants Yes, you're right, it will quickly gain contaminants, but you end up with less if you start with none.

[diluzio91]

lol. sounds like my anti bubble technique... i started buying clear top blocks because its a bit easier to see bubbles in the block... and i like seeing the coolant... Glad to hear you got it resolved. btw, 60 is normal for an i7 under load?

[Diamon]

That's still too high I think. If you look at this review (http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1160/5/) of the block.

[mDust]

That's still too high I think. If you look at this review (http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1160/5/) of the block.

That review used a 3x120 with high-performance Noctua fans. Unless you have the same or better, 60C under full load is pretty good. Ambient temp plays a huge role too.

[x88x]

What fan setup are you using, Diamon? A 3x120 only has ~10% more simple surface area than a 2x140 (ie, 120*120*3 vs 140*140*2), and the Black Ice GTX series are thicker (55.7mm vs 34mm) than that Swiftech, and I think the fin density is higher as well. Long story short though, the best radiator in the world isn't going to perform its best if there's not sufficient airflow through it. If you can fit it in, I would recommend doing a push-pull fan setup.

[Diamon]

The rad is mounted just below 2 230mm fans. I suspect the air is flowing around the rad and through the fans rather then through it. I'll try cooling the rad with compressed air and see what temps I get. Once again, thanks for the advice :)

[x88x]

Is there space underneath the rad to mount two 140mm fans on it? That would funnel a lot more air through the rad and shouldn't interfere with the operation of the 230mm fans, like putting 140mm fans on top, between the rad and the 230mm's would. I think if no air at all were going through the rad, you would be getting even higher temps than you are, but it sounds like there's definitely not as much air passing through them as should be.

[Diamon]

I tried turning the fans off and the temps rose to 75C.
I do have enough room to install 2 fans below the rad. I'll probably just start with 2 though :)

[x88x]

I do have enough room to install 2 fans below the rad. I'll probably just start with 2 though :)

For clarification, I meant one layer, two fans (since it's a 2x rad).

[Diamon]

Ah, I got a bit surprised when I read that you thought I should stack 2 fans on top of each other.

[x88x]

Ah, I got a bit surprised when I read that you thought I should stack 2 fans on top of each other.

Yeah, I thought that's what it sounded like you thought I was saying...yeah...something like that...anyways... I have actually tried stacking fans like that before, and it doesn't really work very well.

[Cale_Hagan]

i haven't seen it resolved, so i'm going to just ask: how long have yo had it set up? is it in sunlight? and, lastly, are there anti algae formulas in it?:think: because its possible, that algae has built up in the block. :whistler:

[Diamon]

Been running for about 2 weeks with the same water. Been in sunlight roughly 10% of the total time in those 2 weeks. And it's just regular tap water with no additives. Maybe I should drain the loop and fill it with deionized water with some anti-algea in it.

The temps should otherwise be fine considering I have no dedicated fans for it.

[x88x]

The temps should otherwise be fine considering I have no dedicated fans for it.

I think you're right on this. If you do dismantle your loop to swap coolants, however, check your waterblocks and flush out your radiator with hot water, then distilled water, just in case.

[Diamon]

Ok, thanks for the help :)

[Diamon]

Hi again
Just a quick update. I bought two Noctua NF-P14 FLX fans and placed them below the rad. My cpu is now at a stable 56C at 100% load. And it's hot in my room :)

Once again, thanks for the help guys.