AIO issue [first time AIO user]

Cully

Cully

Cully

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1 Dec 2012
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990
Hello there, lately ive been getting some overheating with my 7800X3D cooled by a FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler (AMD)
Temps have been fine since i got the PC about 18 months ago but the last few weeks randomly the CPU temps hit 85-92C and stay there.
Normally before this issue for example on a map load or shader compiling it would hit 80 maybe 85 for a few seconds then i can hear the AIO fans kick in and temps go back to normal and never an issue.
I temporarily fixed it by giving the AIO cables a wiggle about as if there was a bubble or something and this fixes it for a number of days and temps cool way down only for it to happen again and again.
Its very annoying if i dont get to open case and wiggle the cables then it has lead to a crash on a few occasions.
But once i do give the cables a move everything is fine again for days.
Im convinced the AIO is acting up, i can se the pump is running all the time via monitoring software so its not the pump, there has to be something blocking , be it a bubble or whatever.
Since this is the first AIO ive used having always gone with air previously.
Is there anything i can do or do i just need to bin the AIO and get a good air cooler, anything good enough to cool a 7800X3D?

Thanks for reading.
 
Whilst PC is ok and running tip it up and around to see if you hear any bubbles move, with what your stating even if you are getting a RPM reading it sounds like it's faulty.
 
Yeah i can hear water motion when gaming [its always been pretty silent though] and when temps are fine when they are not all i hear is fan noise.
 
I'll second the thought it might be faulty AIO. Possible pump monetarily seizing and/or coolant loss. Fluid loss in 18 month old AIO on high wattage wattage is not an uncommon issue. AIO only hold about 100-200ml of coolant. Not as common as it used to be, but still not unheard of. I don't think FrostFlow has a coolant fill port.

Where is AIO rad mounted?
 
Cully said:
Yeah i can hear water motion when gaming [its always been pretty silent though] and when temps are fine when they are not all i hear is fan noise.
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Does the "water motion" have a gurgling sound like air bubbles moving in it?

Cully said:
Heres a quick photo i took just now

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Tank on top of your radiator is higher than pump, so air should be caught in there. But just in case some air might be in pump, power up system so pump is running and as Glanza suggested try moving case so radiator is even higher above pump and lightly shake it. This shacking and moving might dislodge air bubbles out of pump.
 
Thanks again, ive done that there now while ingame of monster hunter wilds, temps have been fine since i gave tubes wobble yesterday when they got high so i guess its a wait and see scenario now.
 
from the photo it is plausible that air is gathering in either tube and blocking the coolant flow. Getting released when you wiggle.
but it would mean a lot of air is aready in the loop, unusual

try to arrange or tie tubes together so that it is a constant rise to radiator. Air in radiator is realtively fine.
 
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Hi guys just to update on this, temps started rising again soon after so i followed that up with a stronger shake about at many angles and all seems great ever since.
I cannot help wonder how long this will last however but its been over a week now.
As i daid initially i have zero experience with AIO cooling hence my questions, im wondering is this a common issue and does it infact resolve itself after a good shake so to speak?
 
Could be fluid loss due to permeation
Causing an air bubble
It's not that common nowadays
Aio tend to have a decent length warranty nowadays
But unless it's one with a fill port
Which isn't that common
Only way to top up coolant is either
Remove the cold plate and top it up that way
Or remove a tube and top it up that way
 
What Ncnupty2323 said .. and waterblock pump combo being mounted higher than it should be. Mounting waterblock pump with hose orientation on side or bottom can trap air in pump. It's best to mount waterblock pump with hose orientation up and always lower than top of radiator, so any air in system will collect in top of radiator, not in pump.
 
Thanks guys, i bit the bullet and installed the peerless assassin this afternoon.
First test was MH wilds which is one game that always pushed temps up and already temps are a lot better than the AIO even when it was working fine.
I think ill be sticking with air from here on.
 
Unless you have a cpu that is so toasty
A 360mm aio is the only option
It's just hard not to recommend any of the thermalright
Air coolers
They've shaken the market up with great coolers
At great prices
And they do aio as well now
 
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I think Thermalright added AIOs because their market share. They know air cooling is as good or better with less chance of problems than AIO but felt they were loosing out by not including AIOs in their line up.
 
doyll said:
I think Thermalright added AIOs because their market share. They know air cooling is as good or better with less chance of problems than AIO but felt they were loosing out by not including AIOs in their line up.
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by everything I have been reading today the thermalright 240 aio are pretty decent
 
Game said:
by everything I have been reading today the thermalright 240 aio are pretty decent
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While I haven't used Thermalright AIO cooler, I'm sure Thermalright AIO's are as good as or better than most if not all competitor's AIOs. I just don't like AIOs. There are many reasons, but one of biggest is their advertising and how reviewers / testers often used very poor test procedures, like comparing both in same cases with AIO radiator as intake. Also not telling us what air temp was entering cooler/radiator, and very often only running test for about 10 minutes. Another thing I hate is they almost never publish specifications of pump flowrate and lift. Granted, fan published performance specs are not great, but at least we have something we can use for comparisons. All of above combined with using water cooling before industry ever marketed anything for water cooling .. except fans. Back then we had to fabricate our own waterblocks, reservoir tanks, use big aquarium or small pond pumps, car radiators (sometimes passanger bus heater radiators) and figure out what fan combinations would fit radiators.

When AIOs first came out there were several different companies making them using several slightly different designs, but Asetek got a patent that covered basic concept of AIO was rather then specific design used. This forced many of their competition out of business because their patent cover almost all self contained water cooler systems.

There's also the fact buyers of AIOs that had issues (leaks damaging components) almost never got reimbursed by AIO companies (mostly Asetek) for their loss of equipment. If they did, it was months if not a year or more later after having to pay to send damaged components to AIO companies, and by then their newly released top tier high priced components were already 2nd or 3rd gen old .. and they had already paid out of pocket for replacements because if they didn't they had no computer. :(

While all this AIO hype and madness was happening many of us had moved from our old custom (really custom) loops to top tier heatpipe air coolers because they were more than capable of cooling needed .. as long as case fan system was setup to supply air within a few degrees c of room ambient to coolers.

In those days none of the top tier air cooler companies were selling only air coolers .. and a few good fans.

All of above combined with independent AIO flowrate testing showing their flow rate was about the same as a young adult male's urine rate .. when sober (not when drunk after having 5 or 6 pints). Component water cooling generally agrees flowrate should be almost twice what most AIOs flow.

I was testing / reviewing many of the best air coolers back then, so knew just how good they really are when case supplies air near room temp, so I had no interest in AIOs.

I did use a be quiet AIO with threaded fittings and fill port. Also used Alphacool Eisbaer and Swiftech. They work very well and could be expanded and serviced as needed.

I'm using air cooling again now. It does everything I need. Having a basic understanding of case airflow so I now what to look for in cases it's easy to do a good aircooled rig that will last many years longer than AIOs normally do. Newer cases have much better airflow too, making it even easier to cool with air.

Edit:
Sorry for long ramble.

Another Edit:
Thermalright of today has some of the best coolers (both air and AIO) on the market, and their prices are lower prices, often less than half as much as other cooling in the same league.
 
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I bought a Thermalright Frozen Edge 240mm AIO for £43 a couple of weeks ago to replace a Thermalright Peerless Assassin SE120 on that was suffering from heat soak from the GPU which I have placed right next to it horizontally. Before I moved the GPU the PA120 was more than enough but since the move temps were getting higher and the fans were ramping up and getting annoying. My solution was to move the cooler as far away from the GPU as possible which could only be achieved by a AIO. It's a cracking cooler, looks great with it's tactful minimalistic ARGB around the top edge of the block/pump. With the pump at full speed you can hear it but I decided to fix the pump speed at 2600rpm in the motherboard bios and stuck the fans on a silent profile also in the bios. My 7800x3d is now usually in the 55-57 degrees C range while gaming although it was hot here yesterday so it shot up to 67 degrees C. I could have made it run cooler by increasing the fans speeds but I prefer some peace and quiet instead. I chose the 240mm version as it's the biggest I could fit where I wanted to put it otherwise I would have gone for the 360mm version for a extra tenner.
 
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