Overheating issue during startup on Corsair H100i
Overheating issue during startup on Corsair H100i
I recently assembled my first PC and immediately noticed the Corsair H100i cooler blinking red when I turned it on. After turning it off and back on, the issue repeated. I inspected the CPU fan cable and reinserted the 20-pin connector into the commander core. On the third attempt, the cooler stopped blinking red, stayed on the rainbow RGB display, but the pump head failed to light up. While starting a Windows installation, the system attempted a full shutdown on the first restart. After restarting, the initial screen displayed CPU fan failure and overheating warnings. When I accessed BIOS, the CPU temperature reached 88 degrees, then rose into the 90s before the computer powered off. I haven’t taken any further action. Someone suggested the cooler might be defective and needs replacement. I’m unsure what to do next and would appreciate any advice.
If this was the 50th+ boot, I'd think the cooler failed. As it's the first boot, I'd suspect a user mistake unless proven otherwise. Verify if the pump is operating. Touch the CPU block; vibration indicates it's working. If absent, it might not be connected or the pump is dead—replace it. If the pump works, likely the mount is faulty. Take out the CPU block from the CPU to check thermal paste contact. For Intel LGA 1700 (12th gen), ensure you're using the correct mounting hardware—the LGA 115X holes match size, but the CPU sits a few millimeters lower, which could mean incorrect hardware and poor contact.
The lights on the aio pump block aren’t activating, which might indicate a problem. The fans and RGB components are working independently via the Corsair Core.