Question Fix old H60i or toss and replace?

[flensr]

I have a corsair H60i that's a few years old. I run some distributed computing tasks using BOINC and when I started a couple of years ago, the H60i and my stock clocked i9-11900k were reasonably well matched. I didn't overclock, and with all cpus stress tested I'd get maybe 80-85 deg C temps across all cores. I recently noticed however that even a single core maxed out would get to 100C and thermal throttle. I took the system apart and the AIO radiator was completely clogged with dust so I cleaned it out. Unfortunately after reinstalling it (new artic MX-4 paste) it still throttles at 100C with only 4 or 5 cores loaded up.

So... Is the H60i toast, or can it be fixed? Pump speed still reports 4300rpm and fan speed is still at around 1600rpm. I know a single 120mm AIO is undersized for an i9-11900k, but I'm not overclocking and it seemed to work fine when it was new, with sustained full load stress testing 80-85C. After cleaning it out and putting on new paste I was hoping I'd get back to that kind of performance but it's still really bad, throttling with below 50% cpu load.

Unfortunately I can't get a 240mm AIO to fit in my case. The distance from the top of the mobo and the top of the case is too small, so even a "thin" 240mm radiator won't fit. It's a corsair case, so shame on them putting a 240mm fan grille on top but not allowing enough space above the MOBO for a radiator and fans to fit. So I'm stuck with either an air cooler or 120mm AIO. I'd like to stick with an AIO, so... Is there anything else I can try with the H60i to fix it? If the H60i can't be fixed somehow, what 120mm AIO should I try next? The thermalright Aqua Elite 120 is only $33 on amazon right now which seems like a great deal. If that's too noisy I could put one of the new noctua G2 fans on it. Any suggestions on what 120mm AIO might be best?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Paperdoc]

Consider this possibility, although it is NOT common and some might find ugly. You might mount a 240 mm rad AIO system with only the rad inside your case, and the rad fans mounted outside the case aligned over the rad and oriented to blow out of the case (sucking air though the rad). May require some custom holes bored for fan mounting bolts, and maybe finding the right length of bolts.

Amendment
I said fan to blow out of the case. That assumes the rad is mounted in the case TOP, so those fans should exhaust air. But IF your arrangement would put the rad inside the case FRONT, then those fans would blow into the case as intakes.

 

[flensr]

I have an older corsair H100 and I tried a half dozen ways to mount it (top, front, inside, outside, etc) and just couldn't come up with anything reasonable. I'm going to try the Thermalright Aqua Elite 120 and maybe later swap the fan out for one of the new noctua G2 fans just to see if that makes any difference at all.

 

[flensr]

Update - I installed the Thermalright Aqua Elite 120 using Artic MX6 paste and it's working as I expected with my i9-11900k. Under full torture test load, cpu package temps are maxing out around 85C and since it's under my desk it's quiet enough that I can't hear it at all even with the pump and fan at full speed.

The RGB is a nice add-on feature but it's not really my thing since it's a metal case stuffed under my desk. But for $33.95 it's really quite nice that it was included. Installation wasn't as simple as the corsair H60 it's replacing since the backplate and backplate screws don't have any way to hold it on until the intel-specific brackets are installed and screwed down, so I needed a little tape to hold the backplate in place until I had the brackets tightened down. Also the ARGB cables for some reason really didn't want to fit over my mobo's ARGB headers but after about 15 minutes of fiddling (yes 15 minutes for a single header) I finally got it plugged in.

So, before with the old/bad corsair H60- throttled with 2-3 cpu cores in use. With the new AIO even though it's only 120mm, 85C with all cores running in a torture test. I can live with that, for $33.95 plus $8 for a new tube of MX6.

 

[Paperdoc]

Glad to hear you got this done well. Thanks for the update.

 

[flensr]

Last update until/unless something else breaks - Temps with stock and noctua G2 fan
CPU and GPU loaded up with prime95 torture test and a couple of other small apps making sure everything is 100% loaded. I ran it fully loaded for about 30 minutes to make sure it was fully heat soaked, and waited until both cpu temps and exhaust fan temps were stable.
Stock fan at 100% - CPU package 89C, fan exhaust temp 125F (52C)
Noctua G2 fan at 100% - CPU package 84C, fan exhaust temp 116F (47C)

It seems clear that the noctua G2 fan has reduced temps, no question about that. It's not just 1-2 degrees either, a solid 5C in core temp and 9F in exhaust fan temp. The main drawback is that the noctua G2 fan actually cost more than the entire AIO system, so I pretty much doubled the cost of the AIO cooler to get 5C core temps. Not exactly the best bang for the buck, although I'm not upset because I really did want a little more cooling headroom for when it gets warm again here next summer.

The Noctua fan at full speed was just a small bit louder than the stock fan, but I think that's because it's running about 200 rpm faster. It's under my desk and I have other louder sound sources in my office, so it's not noticeable unless I bend down to put my ear under the desk or near the computer case.