New PC: Where did I go wrong? Update: Concluded.

Just had a big upgrade recently. Basically replaced everything except the graphics card. Fired up my i7 8700K, and - holy crapamole it's hot. It's sitting idle at 70 C and busting the TJunction like nobody's business at even modest load, even after I turned off that stupid multi-core enhancer.

Where did I go so horribly wrong? Wrong CPU? Should I have waited a little longer and gone for the 8700 non-K or the 6-thread 8600K instead? Wrong/defective cooler? I have an ID-Cooling Frostflow 240L that might as well give up and not bother. Do I have to delid? I'm at a loss.

*Sigh* I regret this upgrade already. Should have got a new case and PSU and left it at that.

Crap. I think I posted this in the wrong forum. Damn those identical first two letters on my bookmarks.

Mods, please move. I'm too tired and frustrated to simply delete and re-post.

What voltage and clockrate is your cpu running at?

Applying thermal paste properly can bring the temp down quite significantly. You should just place only a single drop of the paste so that it spreads thinly as opposed to applying a lot of paste.

Got the same CPU and I love it. It does sound like thermal paste might be missing.

I had a similar problem which I solved by moving the pump connector to a different fan header. That was how I solved MY issue though, could be something else for you.

You probably know this, but just in case, make sure the fan is actually pointed at the radiator.

Also, check your voltages via HWMonitor. Make sure it isn't going above 1.5v, or even 1.4v.

Reseat your cooler, cos you messed up.

@madrocketeer: Moved to Hardware forum

Post zoomed-in, close up photos of your set up. That way, an observant viewer might notice something and cut down on several pages of guessing.

Def sounds strange, either the thermal paste issue, pump not working properly or bad seating. 8700K is by no means a cool cpu(esp without delid) but 70c is just way too high outside of high stress

I have been PC gaming since 1980 and I buy a new PC about every 3 years.

The only one I built was the only one that died before it should have...ha!

@madrocketeer: Honestly, that isn't even remotely the best AIO, there are much, much better options out there. I would take a look at this:

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3144-the-best-liquid-coolers-for-cpus-2017-holiday-sales-guide

Also, what kind of case do you have? Do you have proper air flow?

You shouldn't have to do anything crazy.

Also make sure all power connectors on your ID-Cooling Frostflow 240L are plugged in. Gotta have power for your pump, it's not going to just be powered by the pump/CPU fan 3/4 pin connector. There is usually a separate SATA style power connector.

Might be worth just removing the cooler to see if you messed something up. Make sure you have enough thermal paste on there (but not too much). After you remove it you should see the paste has spread to cover most of the heat spreader, without too much spilling over the sides. The idea to too get as thin a layer as possible, but still cover most of the heat spreader. Make sure there's no debris keeping the heatsink from fully contacting the CPU. Make sure the mounting mechanism is functioning correctly.

Do you have a normal heatsink and fan you can try just to test if all else fails?

I am grateful for your replies. I really am.

@PredatorRules , cheers. Right after I posted the the "crap, I screwed up" reply, I went to have a plate of spicy clam noodles and a very long sleep. Won't happen again - at least until the next time I'm in a combination of exhausted, hungry and frustrated.

@Yams1980 , my MB has a dedicated AIO connector, but it doesn't seem to have any settings for it. Maybe it needs an AIO with a sensor connector, which the Frostflow doesn't have. Tried what you said, and yeah, I did hear the pump working. Very quiet, though - maybe too quiet? I touched the pump, and the vibration was very small. Concerning.

@topgunmv , it's sitting between 0.992 and 1.134V. The clockrate is stock; 3.7 GHz base, up to 4.7 GHz Turbo. I turned off the multi-core enhancer.

@zaibutzu , yeah, I tried re-applying the thermal paste. Might try it again soon, though I am kind of running out.

@mordant221, tried that too. The MB yelled at me. Like, on the POST screen it displayed a "CPU fan error" or something, as if saying; "what the Hell are you doing connecting an AIO to a CPU fan connector, stop it!"

@jun_aka_pekto , apologies. As I said, I was exhausted, hungry and frustrated when I made the thread. Here:

@mecha_frieza , it's the easiest half-decent 2 x 120mm one I could find that would also fit in my tiny ITX setup. Basically, if I want to have a 2 x 120mm AIO cooler, the combined radiator and fans can be no thicker than 52mm. That said, I could also alternatively mount a front 1 x 140mm cooler instead, which will be much harder to find, so it had better work.

@pyro1245 , no, the Frostflow kit is pretty basic. I've already tried re-applying the thermal paste once, but yeah, I'll probably try again. Nothing to lose, aye? The 8700K doesn't come with a stock cooler, and the only air cooler I have is the old-as Cooler Master Hyper-something which I'm quite certain will not fit on a LGA1151 MB.

Again, thank you all.

@madrocketeer: Actually the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (if that's what you are referring to) should have come with mounting hardware for LGA-1151. It also should be enough to keep the temps under control for the most part.

It might not fit in your small form factor, but if all else fails it might be a good way to determine if the problem is with the AIO.

@pyro1245:

Nah, I'm pretty certain it won't. It's old - like, 2014-when-LGA775-was-latest-and-greatest old. I would have buy a mounting kit, and that will be REALLY hard to find or online-only.

@madrocketeer: Ah... Yeah.....

I'm looking at the box for one I bought about a year ago and it lists 'LGA-1150', but not 'LGA-1151'

However, after some Google Fu it looks like 1150 mounting hardware will fit a 1151 socket. They have the same dims, just an extra pin on the socket.

Don't know about a 212 Evo from 4 years ago though.....

I wonder if it's possible to tell if the pump in the AIO is bad by feeling for the vibration. I'm kinda thinking that's a likely cause though.

@pyro1245:

Yeah, this is my first AIO liquid cooler - the store offered me one when I built my last PC four years ago, but my-old-fashioned-ness told them "Hell no." As such, I have no idea if the very low vibration I'm getting from touching the thing is a bad sign or not. Now I'm starting to wonder if I should have stayed old-fashioned.

I think there's a similar Deepcool 2 x 120mm AIO at the same store I bought the Frostflow from. I checked the specs, and its 1mm thicker, but should fit. I might try that.

@madrocketeer: Heh. Year there's something to be said for old-fashioned air cooling.

Hmmm...

If your motherboard has a pump header (just like a fan header but usually labeled pump) you might be able to check the bios to see if it's reporting any RPMs.

Might also work if you just hook the pump up to a fan header too.

Fans and pumps are basically the same, one is just under water.

@pyro1245:

No can do. The pump connector does not have one for the sensor pin. And as I mentioned, when I swapped the connectors, the MB's BIOS yelled at me.

@Yams1980:

Cheers. I'll have a look at them when I have time.

Mobo's are stupid at times, I had a Kraken x60 which also gave my MB headaches, and I just disabled the error message so it would shut up.

It got upgraded free to a Kraken x61 for some major issue (which I have no idea what it was) and it doesn't cause the mobo to beep anymore, I'm sure that wasn't the problem, but I don't know.

Could be the same for yours.

I've just re-applied the thermal grease for a second time, and while it's still too early to say, the results are not looking good. After a brief gaming session, it busted the TJunction again, and it's now hovering in the 90s on a light load.

That's it. I have a plan of action. I'm going to downgrade, probably to a 8700 non-K, and at the same time return my Frostflow and/or replace it with a new cooler. At least this time I'll have an Intel stock cooler to fall back on, because surely Intel wouldn't be stupid enough to sell a stock cooler with a CPU it can't handle, right?

Changing the CPU won't help, it is obvious that that is not the problem.

Maybe not, but I went into this thinking I'd have a little thermal overhead to maybe do a little light overclocking. That appetite is gone for good. Now I'll settle for a PC that won't threaten to melt after a semi-long gaming session.

I've made my decision. I've just finished dismantling my PC and putting all the bits save for the PSU, RAM and HDD back into their boxes. I'm returning both my CPU and cooler - I don't even care if they don't give me a full refund. I just want them gone.

So, I have a conclusion to this little saga of mine. I took the Frostflow back to the shop, thinking they'd just take my word for it and replace it with another cooler. As I mentioned, to try to eliminate all variables, I was also going replace my CPU as well. The shops didn't sell one, so I would have had to walk ten minutes to another shop that does, but I was so desperate to end this train wreck I was willing to do it.

Turns out, they DIDN'T take my word for it, and tested the thing right in front of me, which confirmed that I wasn't crazy or did anything wrong at all; the Frostflow was indeed busted. At which point, they offered me a replacement: they didn't have a like-for-like replacement, so they offered me three alternatives. After quickly consulting the internet on my phone, I made my choice.

Hello Enermax, my old friend. I think I still have your old 500W Liberty PSU somewhere.

Anyway, after a quick lunch to clear my thoughts and evaluate what I learned from their testing, I decided to keep my 8700K after all. My new Enermax Liqmax II 240 cooler works like a charm; it barely busts 60 C at full load. The thing even fits my case better than the Frostflow did, due to its use of flat-top screws. And now, at last, I am a relieved owner of a brand new liquid-cooled i7 8700K PC. I just hope my six days of faffling about haven't done any permanent damage to it. Oh well, I did say I might end up buying two CPUs in one year anyway, what with the Meltdown and Spectre nastiness. This thing just needs to last until the Coffee Lake refresh at minimum.

Once again, thank you all for your replies. You've all been a lot of help.

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