I recently picked up a second-hand Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 and had a friend help me install it. The pump seems to be working fine, and there's a small fan running next to the CPU. However, the two larger radiator fans aren't spinning at all. I thought they might start up when the CPU gets hotter, but even after stressing my CPU with Afterburner, it only hit 70 degrees. After gaming for a couple of hours, the CPU temperature rose to 85 degrees, but still, the radiator fans stayed off, and the tubes felt really hot. I've checked all the connections and they seem fine, including the one near the copper plate. The radiator fans are connected to the only fan header on my motherboard, which limits my options. I'm considering tweaking some settings in the BIOS, but I'm not sure where to start. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
It sounds like the issue might be with how the fans are connected. The AIO cooler typically uses a single 4-pin connector that controls everything through a built-in hub. If you can separate the radiator fans from that hub and connect them directly to an available fan header on your motherboard, that could help you see if they're working properly. Be sure to check your motherboard manual for available fan headers. If they spin when connected directly, then there might be a problem with the fan hub or the wiring from the AIO to the fans.
Honestly, you might not even need liquid cooling for your CPU! I have the same processor and it rarely goes above 65 degrees with the stock cooler, even under stress tests. My fans are virtually silent too. If you're hitting 95 degrees while gaming, that's concerning, but there might be other factors at play. Have you checked the thermal paste or airflow in your case? Sometimes just improving those areas can solve overheating issues significantly.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload