My PC started powering off shortly after booting today. The AIO suddenly ramps up loudly, and I briefly saw a CPU overheat warning. I reapplied the thermal paste even though the original paste still looked fine, but the problem continues. The AIO fans spin and I can feel some vibration in the tubes, though I'm not sure whether the pump is actually circulating coolant. The system is running Windows 11 with an MSI X670 motherboard, AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, and a top-mounted EVGA three-fan AIO cooler. What should I check next?
2 Answers
The pump is the main suspect here. Fan operation doesn’t prove that coolant is moving, and a dead pump can cause a Ryzen 9 7900X to overheat and shut down very quickly. Check the pump RPM in BIOS and make sure it is connected to constant power rather than only a fan-control header. If there’s no pump speed reading, replace or temporarily bypass the AIO with a known-good cooler.
The AIO pump may be failing even if the fans are spinning and you can feel a little vibration. Check the BIOS hardware-monitoring screen for the pump or CPU_FAN/PUMP RPM reading. If it shows zero or an unusually low value, verify the pump’s power and motherboard header connections, then test with another cooler if possible.
Would removing the AIO and testing with another cooler be the best next step?
That makes sense. I’ll check whether the BIOS is showing any pump RPM before buying another cooler.