My desktop PC and a tale of an AIO failure

This thread has been marked as solved as I've got the PC up and running again after this serious component failure. This was the most catastrophic series of issues I've had in over 30 years of using computers.

I'll try to keep this relatively short and will add some revealing photos at the end of the post.

1. Early this week late at night the computer which had been having no serious issues suddenly without warning instantly shut down. I rebooted and was before Windows started to boot presented with a black screen in a blood red font with a message saying that the wrong version of Secure Boot was being used. This wasn't Windows generated and was as far as I can tell from the UEFI Bios.

2. After checking the bios settings, I decided the best thing to do was to clear CMOS. This was successful in getting rid of the dreaded black screen already described. But much worse was to come.

3. I tried several times to reboot into Windows but kept on getting a series of boot load errors like cannot find winload.efi coupled with more freezes.

4. Then the beginning of the end was nigh. While checking the bios settings the fans in the computer started going psycho and aio pump started getting more and more noisier to the point it was making disturbing loud screaming and squealing noises. The PC thankfully shut itself down immediately.

The end result of all this was there had been corruption of the Secure Boot settings in the bios and Windows was fatally corrupted. And the AIO was dead.

I subsequently found out since that the Corsair H150i Elite Capellix XT AIO's like mine have a long history of exactly the types of failure I experienced. Apparently, these failures happen over a long period. I did have the AIO cooler installed correctly with the radiator tubes ABOVE the AIO pump. There had been though significant evaporation of the cooling fluid.

These photos show the oxidised coolant liquid with the large amounts of white particles in the fluid and inside the bottom of the pump.

I replaced the dead AIO with a Corsair Nautlilus 360 RS. I've clean installed Windows and the computer is currently stable.

I had to check Amazon to see when I got my H110i. July 2018. I run it in quiet mode and so far, it's silent and maintaining the same temps.
I was expecting the horror story of a leak. In the BIOS, I have the system set to shut down if the processor temp exceeds 90C. I rarely top 70C under load.

HeavyHemi said:

I had to check Amazon to see when I got my H110i. July 2018. I run it in quiet mode and so far, it's silent and maintaining the same temps.
I was expecting the horror story of a leak. In the BIOS, I have the system set to shut down if the processor temp exceeds 90C. I rarely top 70C under load.

Click to expand...

Luckily for my pc the motherboard shutdown the system quickly enough to stop further damage. The maximum temp set in the bios for my pc is also 90C.

Sorry for all your troubles but glad you managed to save your system from any further damage.
I have never even seen an AIO cooler so question from an old woman who is a complete newb on the subject. Though I'm too old now to ever encounter one, my Inquiring mind is interested in knowing how this works.

I kinda understand they work like a radiator in a car and the coolant inside them is kinda like antifreeze. Right?
If that comparison is correct, does the user have to add/change the coolant periodically? Is there a way to check coolant level? Do these components ever leak? Like a radiator does the user have to periodically flush sediment out?

What a pain the the butt. Good job fixing it, Marcus.

glasskuter said:

Sorry for all your troubles but glad you managed to save your system from any further damage.
I have never even seen an AIO cooler so question from an old woman who is a complete newb on the subject. Though I'm too old now to ever encounter one, my Inquiring mind is interested in knowing how this works.

I kinda understand they work like a radiator in a car and the coolant inside them is kinda like antifreeze. Right?
If that comparison is correct, does the user have to add/change the coolant periodically? Is there a way to check coolant level? Do these components ever leak? Like a radiator does the user have to periodically flush sediment out?

Click to expand...

The are a sealed All In One unit requiring no maintenance. It seems to be they either last for years or you get one that dies within a year. Quality control seems hit or miss even for the well known brands.

glasskuter said:

Sorry for all your troubles but glad you managed to save your system from any further damage.
I have never even seen an AIO cooler so question from an old woman who is a complete newb on the subject. Though I'm too old now to ever encounter one, my Inquiring mind is interested in knowing how this works.

I kinda understand they work like a radiator in a car and the coolant inside them is kinda like antifreeze. Right?
If that comparison is correct, does the user have to add/change the coolant periodically? Is there a way to check coolant level? Do these components ever leak? Like a radiator does the user have to periodically flush sediment out?

Click to expand...

Once I had bought a compact liquid cooler (about the size of a large CPU cooler) for my then Pentium D system. This required to replenish the liquid every six months, just in case. It worked well at first, but when I tried to put some more liquid I tightened the cover too much and created a small crack on the plastic around the cover. It was leaking slowly from there and eventually fried the motherboard! Since I could not afford a new motherboard, I had to go back to my Intel Pentium 4
This was a lesson for me not to deal with water cooling again. It's not worth all the trouble installing one and all that risk of a leak just for a few degrees cooler CPU. If you insist on using one, it is best to ask for a professional installation, unless you know exactly what you are doing.

glasskuter said:

Sorry for all your troubles but glad you managed to save your system from any further damage.
I have never even seen an AIO cooler so question from an old woman who is a complete newb on the subject. Though I'm too old now to ever encounter one, my Inquiring mind is interested in knowing how this works.

I kinda understand they work like a radiator in a car and the coolant inside them is kinda like antifreeze. Right?
If that comparison is correct, does the user have to add/change the coolant periodically? Is there a way to check coolant level? Do these components ever leak? Like a radiator does the user have to periodically flush sediment out?

Click to expand...

The composition of the fluid and how does an AIO cooler work.

All-in-one (AIO) coolers use a special cooling liquid called coolant or thermal fluid. This liquid typically consists of a mixture of distilled water and other additives such as anti-corrosion agents and surfactants to improve heat transfer efficiency and protect the internal components of the cooler. The coolant circulates through the closed loop system of the AIO cooler, absorbing heat from the CPU before passing through the radiator to dissipate the heat into the surrounding environment.

antspants said:

What a pain the the butt. Good job fixing it, Marcus.

Click to expand...

My heart had some real trouble coping too!

My lesson for the day.
So, just like a car radiator and you're just lucky yours ran out of water rather than springing a leak.

A true "tale of woe". ^^

glasskuter said:

My lesson for the day.
So, just like a car radiator and you're just lucky yours ran out of water rather than springing a leak.

Click to expand...

Yes, I was very fortunate and glad nearly 3 years ago when I did a lot of research and decided to buy the expensive Asus z790 mainboard listed below. It was this board that accurately monitoring the system and in particular shutdown down the PC when TJMax on the CPU was being breached.

My condolences Marcus.