Overheating problems with liquid-cooled system

[SaberRyan1]

I'm having a problem with my liquid-cooled Alienware PC... Obviously the liquid cooling system isn't working correctly.

Here's what happening. The computer has been randomly shutting down recently, and now it's beeping and eventually shutting down when I'm doing something strenuous to the system -- like playing a video game.

I tested the RAM, but that doesn't seem to be the problem. I wondered about the power supply, but haven't tested it. Then I decided to try to find out if it was overheating, so I used SpeedFan to monitor the temperature of my system. While I was playing games, the CPU temperature began to rise and continued to rise until it reached around 214°F and the PC shut down. So it's now clear that it's overheating. And I have an Alienware system with a liquid cooling system and multiple fans.

I've opened up the case and cleaned everything inside, and watched the fans -- they're all running fine. But the tubes on the liquid cooling system never actually feel cool when the system is on (are they supposed to???), and the the computer is definitely overheating. So... Can anyone help me troubleshoot the liquid cooling system? Is it not working right? Can I get it working right? Or do I just need to replace it?

Any replies are greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
Ryan

 

[MichaelD]

Hi Ryan, welcome to the AT Forums. You have done a good bit of troubleshooting already.

It sounds like either:

1. The waterblock isn't making contact with the CPU

or

2. There's little or no liquid in the tubes/radiator

and/or (probably not a factor due to how hot your CPU is

3. The fan(s) that cool the radiator aren't working.

The tubes should not feel cool. They should be optimally at room temp. With air/water cooling, it's very difficult to get below room temp.

Can you get a finger on the radiator? Is it warm?

My money is on #1.

 

[jwhitakr]

Have you tried calling Alienware support to have them help you troubleshoot it? As I understand it, that's one of the reasons to purchase a high-end system with a high-end price from a company like Alienware.

 

[nealh]

Is the pump actually running

if there is fluid in the system and the HS is getting hot ..your are gettingheat transfer but if the water is not moving..you will get no cooling

I know this as my MCP655 pump decided to stop out of the blue..it is working now but I have no idea why it stopped for a few minutes

Do you have a separate PSU...unconnect the pump and plug it in and see if it is running

 

[mindwreck]

Originally posted by: jwhitakr
Have you tried calling Alienware support to have them help you troubleshoot it? As I understand it, that's one of the reasons to purchase a high-end system with a high-end price from a company like Alienware.

exactly. plus it will probably void your warranty if you poke around in there. call them up first and see how that plays out. If its still a no go, then come back.

 

[SaberRyan1]

Thanks for all of the replies.

Here's what I've got...

MichaelD: I'm not sure if the waterblock is making contact with the CPU... At first glance it seems to be, but upon further inspection I noticed that one of the screws doesn't seemed to be placed right. Here are some pictures I snapped with my digital camera to show you what I mean:

Here you can see what I mean. On the bottom, the screw is over top of that metal piece, but on top the screw is behind the metal piece. I'm guessing that it shouldn't be like this. Am I right? If so, how am I supposed to get it screwed in right... Do I need to take off the entire thing?

Here's another shot of the CPU.

And another of the upper screw.

Here's a full shot of the interior of the rig (excluding hard drives and PSU).

Lastly, here's where the pump is -- behind the radiator.

The fans on the radiator are working, although I don't know if they're running quite as fast as they should be... But they're running. And the radiator is warm after the PC has been running a while. And there is liquid in the tubes.

jwhitakr and mindwreck: I've called Alienware, but my warranty has expired, and in order to get help from them I need to pay them more money. Before I do that, I'd like to just try to resolve the problem myself.

nealh: I'm wondering this as well. The pump doesn't seem to be working, because I can see a few air bubbles in the liquid in the tubes (which is actually a bad thing, right?), and when I turn on the computer the bubbles don't move at all. So I'm guessing that the liquid in the tubes isn't actually moving. Are there any other ways of knowing if the pump is working or not? And if it isn't, how can I get it working?...

 

[SparkyJJO]

looks to me like the CPU block is not mounted right, both screws should be in the same position, either above or below the bracket (probably above).

To test the pump unplug it from the PSU and hook it up to a separate PSU if you have one. If it is bad you would have to get a new pump, drain the system, attach new pump, fill, bleed.... I'm no pro at watercooling - heck I've never even done it - so others can help you out in that arena more than I can.

 

[Maxspeed996]

dude the upper screw on the CPU waterblocks retaining clip needs to be taken out and put back in. It doesn't look like it pulled through the hole. But it very well may have. I almost guarantee that's what it is. you can see it clearly in the 2nd picture.

http://www.rycast.com/misc/aw_cpu3.jpg

Has someone been messing with your pc? You need to loosen the bottom on , hell , I'd take the whole thing off , clean the surfaces , throw some AC-5 on there, and get it on there right. Be careful when you tighten it down , I don't know what it's made of (waterblock) you need to tighten both screws a little at a time to snug it down evenly.

That top screw is definately not right. I bet you could slide paper between the top half of the waterblock and your processor because it's not tight there like it should be.

and yea , bubbles aren't a good thing , but if there is only some VERY SMALL ones, it'll be alright. the only way to tell on some systems is to put an impeller with a clear side on it ,so you can see the wheel turn in the flow of the coolant. If your pump is out , the first thing I'd do is get that video card out of that box. And start getting your gear out of it , so you can work on replacing the pump.
I stand by my observation that the top mounting screw on that waterblock is not right. And it makes me ask , has someone been messing with your case? Man I know a guy that would switch out your processor if he could get to it.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Did you just buy/receive this? I'd call and complain to alienware about the waterblock being placed wrong. They obviously didn't do a test of the system before shipping.

 

[SaberRyan1]

No, there's no way anyone could have gotten inside my case; you need a key to even get inside it, and I keep it at home... Someone at Alienware must have left it like this. I remember when I ordered it, the PC wouldn't go past some tests, so they had to delay the shipment to take it back and do some things to it... Maybe that's when this happened.

EDIT:

I've successfully repositioned the screw... It looks just like the one on the bottom now. However, I'm still having overheating problems.

I don't think the pump is working. It just doesn't seem to be. Wouldn't the little air bubbles in the tubes be moving if it was?... Any ideas on what I should try next?

Thanks again!

 

[pkrush]

I think the way the water block is installed is fine, since it's clipped to the bracket on the side where it's not screwed in. If it wasn't making good contact, it would be overheating MUCH faster. I'd almost guarantee that your pump isn't working, if air bubbles in the tubing aren't moving at all. Does the block itself get warm at all? If so then it's making good contact. As for replacing your pump, first you'll need to buy a replacement pump (http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=230&cat=23&page=1 should be good, just make sure to order it with 3/8" fittings) and about 2-3 feet of replacement tubing (looks like you'll need 3/8" inside diameter tubing).
To replace it, first drain the system (probably through the fitting on the radiator, you'll want to take it out first to make it the lowest point of the system)), then disconnect the old pump (you'll probably have to cut the old tubing to get it out by now). Run the new tubing to the new pump, with the outlet going to the block and the inlet coming from the radiator. Use zip ties to secure the tubing on the barbs.
Next, refill the system with a 10 percent antifreeze solution through the same fitting on the radiator (but this time with the radiator as the highest point in the loop, so you get as much liquid in there as possible). Plug the pump into a fan header on the motherboard, and fire it up and hope it works.
If you don't want to go through this, you can just take the radiator and block out and get a good aftermarket heatsink to replace it. Something like the Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro.

 

[SaberRyan1]

I knew it would be a lot of trouble... But I do want a liquid cooling system -- I don't really want to add anymore fans to this PC, because it's already terribly loud with the fans it has in it. In fact, if I had a liquid cooling system that actually worked, then I'd like to just get rid of some of these fans.

After having done a lot more research on liquid cooling systems, I've come to conclusion that this particular system seems rather low-grade. Does anyone agree with me here? The reservoir is almost none-existent, and the pump died in just a few months. I guess that's why Alienware's ALX line uses an entirely different liquid cooling system.

Right now I'm thinking about replacing the pump (or the entire system) in favor of something more like this. I like the idea of the pump/reservoir being in a 5.25" bay... Although it's pretty expensive. If I got this, is there anything else I would need to get? Should I get a "better" water block, or is the one that I have as good as any? What about the video card, would it be worth it to get a water block for it?

Besides that idea, what about phase change? It's supposed to be better than liquid cooling, although I'm sure it's typically more expensive. However, I found this little "micro" cooler that uses phase change and is only $50. Would it be as good as, or better than, a liquid cooling system? Of course, this has another fan on it...

Thanks for all the help.

 

[smopoim86]

The koolance system is no better than what you already have. If you want a kit get a swiftec kit, or one from petrastechshop.com

to really learn just about everything there is about pc watercooling check out the watercooling section over at xs

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=70