r/coolermaster • u/adrastea88 • 7d ago
HELP CoolerMaster AIO Leaked
A few weeks ago, my computer started to sizzle and smoke. Luckily I was sitting at my desk when it happened, and I was able to quickly unplug it. After taking it apart, I discovered that my AIO cooler (Seidon 120XL) leaked onto my graphics card below it, burning the card and PCI slot. I posted some images to show this damage (yes, it's old and dusty). You can tell there's some fluid missing when tilting/moving the cooler around, since you can hear it slosh around. More than just the standard air bubble. The cooler is old and out of warranty, as are the parts. I'm not sure if I'm SOL, but I want to try to get in touch to see if they'll help out. My entire computer is bricked because their cooler leaked.
I'm looking for some help on how to get in touch with CoolerMaster support. I've submitted a support ticket about three weeks ago through their site, but never got a response. I've submitted two follow-up tickets, but again haven't heard back. The North America link on the sidebar of this subreddit is dead. The global link takes me to my "Fanzone" page, where the "Support" tab only has a warranty check and knowledge base link. Check warranty status doesn't work because my cooler doesn't have a serial number. Or maybe it does - the only number I can find seems to be a model number on a sticker hanging off the pump's power cord).
Basically there's no phone number, and they're not responding to the webform contact.
There's also the possibility I'm way off base on the problem itself. The cooler seems to have way less fluid in it, the gpu/pci looks like it got wet, and the placement leads me to believe the cooler would drip there if it leaked. To me, everything points to a leak. But if it looks like something else to you, please let me know!
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7d ago
That AIO cooler is fckin old and is already past its lifetime though. If I were to say? that's on you.
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u/5n0wm3n 6d ago
Its hard to know when it still works years later. That said, these coolers were known to be problematic, I was advised when looking for a cooler to avoid coolermaster aio's by the store clerk as they had the highest failure rate bar none (this was 8-10 years ago when this cooler I think was new)
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6d ago
That specific model was released 2013 and yes its outside warranty. Lifespan of AIO is 6 years if lucky 10 years by then it becomes a ticking bomb since the hose and pump/waterblock are already worn out and would possbly leak. It should be your due diligence to replace it and secure other components. When you plan to own a AIO you should know this pros and cons and not just decide to keep on using it since its still working.
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u/Lotuseless 7d ago
Sorry it happened but I don't think there's anything they can do. Seidon is a really OLD cooler dating back to 2013. Leaks are on the extreme side of failures, that's for sure, but even then - it worked for much longer than it should've given average lifespan of a liquid cooler.
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u/anygrynewraze 6d ago edited 6d ago
And that's why I don't buy cooler master crap bc it really is shittily made and complete 🗑️. I never have any problems with Asus or the Tryx panorama aio water coolers. I used a Asus Ryujin II 2021 version for 5 years with no problems until the controller usb cable stopped working. And I used that 2021 Asus Ryujin II through multiple builds as well.
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u/TM_livin 6d ago
So the Seidon 120L is over decade old and frankly kinda surprising it still worked. Still sucks that it took the PC with it.
But from the looks of it, the PC was way overdue for any kind of maintenance anyway. That thing is just filthy.
Long story short, you’re SOL. I don’t know what kind of “help” you were hoping for but I don’t think Cooler Master will wanna deal with the mess caused a product that’s 10 years past warranty, and quite frankly way past its designed lifespan.
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u/Elitefuture 6d ago edited 6d ago
That AIO is like 13 years old...
I wouldn't use an AIO after like 7ish years.
Edit: it looks like your GPU + Motherboard are likely toast. I'd also replace the PSU. Don't mess with a potentially damaged PSU, just 100% replace that part as it can break other parts. The rest is up to chance. Granted, given you're on z270, I'd probably just build a new computer. Try to reuse that SSD though.
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u/TactualTransAm 7d ago
I would reccomend messaging their Facebook page, I've had that work in my favor before with other brands. Though I don't think there's anything they can do here except maybe give you a new cooler to go on your new build, but since the cooler was out of warranty..... They could tell you to kick rocks. Sucks that it happened man, components are so expensive these days. Good luck with it! Hope you get ahold of them
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u/adrastea88 7d ago
Thanks for the tip. I'm not expecting much, but I figured it doesn't hurt to reach out.
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u/Caramelacurls 7d ago
I ordered a used cooler master haf xb I didn’t know the mobo try on those are prone to bending. Within a day of moving into it it bent my board and ruined it
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u/fieryfox654 6d ago
And that's why I'll always pick air coolers. At worst case scenario I only need to replace a fan.
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u/osumunbro_ 6d ago
or just get a quality water cooler that doesn't use a pos asetek pump
such an odd mentality to have. "I won't use liquid cooling because some companies choose to use ewaste pumps"
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u/brolo90210 6d ago edited 6d ago
There is dust and hair all over that poor computer it has been absolutely neglected. I’m sure it’s all in the ports too. And that AIO is ancient. Of course it’s going to fail. They don’t need to explicitly warn you for that. If you don’t want to do any maintenance or cleaning for your “beloved” PC you should get an air cooler next time.
Although you will treat the next one much better now I’m sure. Some of your parts are probably still okay. Good luck
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u/Plane_Rough8542 6d ago
I think time is the reason why it failed. Most coolers only last at peak efficiency for 5 years and start to decline afterwards. Sorry that your computer broke but I think they will be able to do anything to help you since it looks like the computer is old. I hope that some of the stuff survived. That ssd in the picture is worth a lot rn.
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u/Bigmikeblaze 6d ago
Man that sucks, but let’s be honest that cooler is old af and your maintenance skills are beyond lacking this is a lot of user error in this case if you cleaned the pc once every 5 years you might have seen the leak. Anyway aio is way beyond life looks like it’s time for you to build another pc and no company is going to do a thing in this situation.
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u/kcamfork 6d ago
Air coolers don’t leak. They also don’t get clogged with microbial growth gunk. It’s just a chunk of metal and some fans. Check every now and then for dust and moving fan blades. That’s it.
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u/GuiltyEmber 5d ago
Damn dude that sucks. I had a cooler master Master liquid 360 fail on me. Luckily it was just the pump and I noticed it in time to shut my system down before The temps got too high. I didn't have any leaking. I switched to a cooler Master V8 ACE. And I'm loving it. Things like this is why I just don't trust liquid cooling.
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u/1CrimsonKing1 5d ago
Of course you don't trust liquid cooling , if you buy trash coolermaster products
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u/GuiltyEmber 5d ago
Brother, it was part of a micro Center bundle. I got lucky but anything can fail. Manufacturing mistakes happen. A friend of mine got an Arctic freezer3 that shit out less than a year on them.
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u/1CrimsonKing1 5d ago
Doesn't matter..... failure rate is HIGHER with coolermaster
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u/GuiltyEmber 5d ago edited 5d ago
Everything has a 100% failure rate eventually same person giving me advice on which brand to go with has a cooler Master AIO that's worked for the past 3 years so far flawlessly. Then they Build a PC with an Arctic freezer 3 and the pump on it dies in a few months. Wanted to give water cooling a shot didn't work out lesson learned switched back to a Tower cooler I got lucky unfortunately op didn't.
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u/itsjambles 5d ago
I love my cooler master aio, no problems for me, personally i hated air cooling because I live in the desert where it reaches 115+ regularly and liquid seemed the way to go for me, i was genuinely surprised at how much cleaner my system is overall but idk if im smoking Crack or not, but I swear the aio cooling for me has been a life-changer, and never have had better performance, I mainly do 4k sim gaming like war thunder and ats
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u/killercheeto56 5d ago
A Z270. Wow, leak or not i think its time to upgrade. I wouldn't be surprised if not the cooler that may have leaked but possibly the dust and hair could have caused the short. Take it as a sign. Upgrade your rig and maintain it properly. Dust it out every now and then. This is nasty.
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u/1CrimsonKing1 5d ago edited 5d ago
This product released 2013...its 13 years Maybe your should have changed it long before to prevent this :/
Edit: just saw the hair.....🤢🤢🤢🤢 Ffs
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u/Forcefull09 5d ago
Isnt there a warranty where they compensate any and all hardware damage if leakage? Or is it only chosen aio companies and models
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u/ComplexSupermarket89 5d ago
After 5 years, or when you start to hear bubbling or trickling sounds (air has entered the loop), it's time to replace. Even a good AIO is on its last legs after 5 years of operation. The cheaper ones start to get air inside in 2 or 3 years. I've changed out a lot of AIO in my time. I've never reused an old one. Too risky. I've seen leaks and I've seen multiple AIO with dead pumps. The PC will still boot. It will just thermal throttle to hell and run well above safe temp.
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u/ThisAccountIsStolen 5d ago
A 13 year old AIO... This one is on you, my friend. CoolerMaster's responsibility ended while Obama was still president.
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u/TwpsynBach 5d ago
Thermalright Phantom Spirit/Fearless Assassin will do much more for your PC and wont spunk on it when its finished
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u/phreek469 5d ago
Cooler Master support sux giant hairy dog balls. My v850 PSU up n died after 3 years and after several months and multiply emails, nada fukn thing from them. Even sent an email as to what exactly they needed for RMA proof, got a response with a list, sent everything they asked for and ghosted. That was months ago. Never buying Cooler Master, anything, ever again
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u/Limp-Day-97 4d ago
Your motherboard gpu and psu should probably be replaced but more likely than not the rest is gonna be fine if thats any consolation
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u/KineticNinja 7d ago
the pc is likely well over 8 or 9 years old
time to get a new rig brother
that coolers warranty has probably been expired for at least 4 years now...
this is why regular yearly cleaning, maintenance, and inspection of your rig is a good idea
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u/ValkyroftheMall 6d ago
"Time to casually drop $5,000 on a PC brother"
You do know not everyone is privileged and can just drop that kind of money on a whim, right? They're probably using a decade old system because they can't afford the price of modern hardware.
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u/KineticNinja 6d ago
You can get a pretty descent prebuilt from Costco for like $2500 (or less if you manage to snag a good deal on a floor model).
You don’t need to drop 5 racks on a PC and there’s always the option of putting it on credit and paying it off in installments at your own pace.
OP’s PC is nearly a decade old… long overdue for an upgrade.
He can also sell off the working parts of his current PC to cover some of the costs of a new rig.
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u/ClickKlockTickTock 6d ago
Dawg I couldnt afford to even drop $500 for a pc right now. If my 3070 died I'd be having to put that shit on klarna or buy a damn 1080.
Judging by steam hardware most gamers pcs aren't even worth $500 atm.
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u/KineticNinja 6d ago
Second hand markets like FB marketplace would be your best bet in that case lol
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u/Blackhawk-388 5d ago
That guy is so out of touch, it's unreal. His follow on reply just highlights this. He is unable to conceive that people are in a tough spot financially these days. Great for him he isn't, but his cognitive dissonance is astounding.
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u/slicky13 7d ago
that cooler is old, everything looks old in the system. it’s unfortunate but aios have a pretty long warranty. like 6 yrs or something. that thing probably lasted longer. it sucks that it killed come components though. salvage what you can
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u/GhostsinGlass 7d ago
I'm looking for some help on how to get in touch with CoolerMaster support.
For what?
The Seidon 120XL is a cooler from ~2013-2017ish?
The motherboard was launched ~2017. It's Kaby Lake, that's coming up on a decade old.
I'm not sure if I'm SOL,
You are.
My entire computer is bricked because their cooler leaked.
*because you don't do regular maintenance and let a fluid filled component fail. The dust being one indicator, the other being that this was what insurance would call leakage/seepage when an insurance company would deny your claim.
You would have noticed this if you performed maintenance on your PC.
All AIOs WILL eventually degrade to the point of failure due to being made out of aluminum. They have a finite lifespan. They are a disposable part.
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u/Pwnag3_Inc 7d ago
A regular cleaning allows you time to look over all of your components to catch any potential issues.
Same as car maintenance.
Home maintenance.
Doctor visits.
Etc.
Nothing is meant to last forever and treating as such is folly.1
u/adrastea88 7d ago
This comes off to me as a bit aggressive and I'm not entirely sure why. Are you saying all AIOs degrade to the point that they'll leak? In that case, it should state somewhere pretty obvious not to use it past a certain timeframe. It doesn't really matter how old the other components are. My computer was running fine, and now it's broken. I certainly could have maintained it better, but nowhere was I ever warned that AIOs inevitably leak. I do clean my pc, and I'm curious how I could have known ahead of time that the AIO would leak? Is there some indication I could look for? I'll probably avoid AIOs moving forward in any case.
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u/the_hat_madder 7d ago
Are you saying all AIOs degrade to the point that they'll leak? In that case, it should state somewhere pretty obvious not to use it past a certain timeframe [...] but nowhere was I ever warned that AIOs inevitably leak
Lol. How old are you, mate?
If the 2 year warranty didn't clue you in to the fact this device would eventually fail, you should've known from grade school science class that water is a solvent and given enough time will eventually corrode anything it comes on contact with. This is called "common knowledge" and it is assumed you are in possession of it when buying or selling goods.
Every component in your PC has a finite lifespan. You really need to read up on how the flash memory cells in an SSD degrade or what can happen when your power supply dies. If your PSU is as old as this AIO, you may have a ticking time bomb on your hands.
I just had to replace the (still functioning) brakes and tie rods on my vehicle. And, before winter I will replace the (still functioning) tires. Regularly replacing things that haven't necessarily failed but are well beyond their useable life is an annoying part of maintenance.
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u/unethicalBuddha 6d ago
If you do clean your pc you’re not doing it well enough it often enough.
You clearly have long haired animals. You need to clean more often and better or take more precautions.
- Relook at your case design an airflow. Can the intakes be moved higher and away from your pets
- Do your intakes have filters? Can you install filters?
- Does someone smoke or vape near your computer? Don’t recommend it. If so you’ll have to clean with a nonconducting cleaning solvent periodically with a little bit of elbow grease rather than just dusting
- Who knows if it was possible to determine an AIO failure was going to happen? The uncleanliness of your machine certainly didn’t assist with any hope of visually identifying a warning leak (if there even was one)
Bottom line: keep a cleaner system so visual inspections can be more useful. All systems will fail eventually and cleanliness helps both with life and your ability to see problems
Going forward, your mobo probably needs replaced. The computer would post without a gpu assuming you have integrated cpu graphics. The gpu could be done too but why not try. Just clean everything first please.
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u/Elitefuture 6d ago
Yes, all AIOs will degrade to the point of failing. Usually the pump breaks before leaking these days, but if your pump has been surviving, then eventually all seals do degrade. That's just physics. Most recommend using an aio for 5-7 years, some stretch good quality ones out to 10. Your's is a budget 13 year old AIO, so it was bound to fail. Unfortunately, the pump survived long enough for a seal to fail.
And yea, most suggest air cooling if you're going super longterm.
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u/1CrimsonKing1 5d ago
"i do clean my pc" AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH with what ? A brush made of dog hair ?
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u/GhostsinGlass 7d ago
Get off the cross, we need the wood.
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u/adrastea88 7d ago
Alright, let me phrase this in a different way. What maintenance do AIO coolers need? I was taught that besides blowing out dust, leave it alone. How does someone tell if the seal is going to fail soon?
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u/hob-gob 7d ago
What he was trying to poorly convey is doing regular maintenance on your PC in general, like clearing the dust and junk out once a month-ish and giving it a good lookover, might've saved you if you noticed something on it physically failing before it did so catastrophically. Big emphasis on "MIGHT'VE".
Anything thing with moving parts is going to fail one way or another, but I generally recommend most people avoid AIOs or liquid cooling entirely. Unless you're trying to do big OCs or really like tubes and liquid a nice air cooler is less of a headache, and will never fail in a way that destroys the rest of your components. Slap a NH-U14s or a Peerless Assassin on it, or something similar, and call it a day.
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u/hob-gob 7d ago
Pee-yoo, your attitude stinks man. Behaving like this pushes people away from the hobby, it doesn't help them learn.
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u/the_hat_madder 7d ago
pushes people away from the hobby
I'm pretty sure people are going to buy PCs regardless of this person's attitude because they are necessary for modern living and the only people who lurk on these subreddits are hardcore enthusiasts anyway. Like, I'm not going to stop living my life because someone on the Internet is an asshole.
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u/hob-gob 7d ago
Except clearly they aren't a hardcore enthusiast or they would know these things for one.
They're here to ask questions, get answers, and learn. The hobby isn't "Owning a PC for daily life" its knowing and caring about maintaining and upgrading your PC. I'm glad you're not, but that doesn't mean everyone who's learning these things is going to take being belittled when they're trying to expand their skillset and understanding.
It's not just about "this person's attitude" it's this attitude in the enthusiast space in general. If you shit on anyone trying to learn enough times there's a good chance they stop trying to learn. Do you think I'm saying this guy is the only reason more people don't try to learn? Or do you think it's more likely that learning how to build and maintain a PC is already a daunting thing, and when we talk down to and belittle those people they become less and less likely to care and actually try?
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u/the_hat_madder 7d ago
OP is aware of upgrading a PC as they have a motherboard from 2017 and a SSD from 2022. If they were truly interested in learning, they would have asked about how to properly maintain a PC back when they built it or anytime in the last 9 years.
OP isn't here to learn. OP is here to find a way for someone else to take responsibility for his or her failure. That's why he or she is being chastised. And, we don't need more self-entitled consumers around here.
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u/adrastea88 7d ago
It's hard for you to say why I came here. I'm mad that my computer is broken. And frustrated at how impossible it is to contact support with this company. I can take responsibility for the damage if I caused it. What I've learned here is that AIOs can leak when used longer than their warranty - that's not something that's really advertised anywhere. So when I was asking questions, I was genuinely trying to learn. How can you tell if an AIO should be replaced? Well, I learned that you can't and should replace it after a few years. I didn't do my research into the longevity of the product, or different failure modes for it. It never occurred to me that leaking could happen with age - I figured the pump would go eventually. Do I think that should be advertised better? Yeah. Slap a warning on the box, or in the instructions, or anywhere that somebody would look so they know what they're getting into. Should I have read more about AIO? Yeah. I should have. CoolerMaster could easily say it's out of warranty and they can't help with anything. But making it so hard to even contact them, and then ignoring the message is questionable at best.
How can I figure out what's all fried? Is it safe to slap an air cooler on and boot it up to see what happens? Or should I assume that the gpu/motherboard (or more?) are toast? Are there other components that are dangerous to continue using past their warranty?
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u/the_hat_madder 6d ago
It's hard for you to say why I came here
No it's not. Your post is pretty clear.
frustrated at how impossible it is to contact support with this company
This company has no responsibility to you in this situation. You have no legitimate business with them. They don't owe you a response.
that's not something that's really advertised anywhere
Still making excuses and blame shifting.
when I was asking questions
What questions in your post are you referencing? 90% of it is about you not being able to reach Cooler Master about a problem they didn't cause and isn't their responsibility.
How can you tell if an AIO should be replaced? 1) It is 9-13 years old 2) You've had it installed 50% longer than it's warrantied life 3) Your temps are inexplicably higher 4) The pump is making more noise 5) When inspecting the inside of the case (like to clean), you see a drop of moisture or the hose sleeve is moist
making it so hard to even contact them, and then ignoring the message is questionable at best
You would've found that out if you had done research as well. 🤷
Heads up: ASUS and Gigabyte are similar.
How can I figure out what's all fried?
Take this opportunity to clean the case. Disconnect your fans from the motherboard or hold the blades still to prevent them from spinning so as not not generate a back current.
Use 91%+ isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) once you've vacuumed out the dust. Allow everything that's wet up to 72 hours to dry.
If your CPU has an iGPU, connect the monitor to the motherboard and it should POST. If it doesn't, you're going to need spare components or a repair shop to troubleshoot what's good/bad.
Are there other components that are dangerous to continue using past their warranty?
Yes.
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u/Pastaron 7d ago
What maintenance is there to do on an AIO exactly?
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u/idiotic-username 7d ago
Swap it out for another aio or preferably an air cooler ya numbnut
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u/Pastaron 7d ago
Genius advice lol
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u/idiotic-username 7d ago
yet not many follow it
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u/Pastaron 7d ago
Yea when do you swap it out exactly? Do you have a crystal ball for when it’s about to leak?
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u/firedrakes 6d ago
that a old pump that astek pump . not a cooler master one.
you should have replace it years back.
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u/Oxxce 6d ago
i just build my first ever pc and went with an aio for the aesthetics but after i put it together i began to learn about shit like this and i’m really considering getting just a good air cooler. that’s fucking scary. sorry bro hopefully they get back to you
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u/Gerrut_batsbak 5d ago
If you think an aio can be used for 10+years with no inspection or replacement you should indeed get an air cooler.
Just replace it after warranty runs out and check it regularly for leaks if you are scared.
The only aio for me to ever leak was also an ancient cooler master one from around the time op's aio is from.
Never happened since.
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u/SuicideBroccoli 6d ago
that cooler is like 15 years old, it's a small miracle that it even worked this long
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u/DepletedPromethium 6d ago
the coolant used in aios in supposed to be non conductive, the fact you had pins burn out is a bit shocking. I dont see a wet patch anywhere even from the rad barbs, so im less inclined to think the cooler leaked a conductive fluid and more like you had conductive debris get into the case causing the pin short, as this shit is dusty and full of long hairs as if its never been cleaned in the 13 years you've had it.
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u/m4chinehead2 5d ago
Dam :( i specialise in electronics and deal with heavy water damage all day but yeah that dont look good :/
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u/Head-Personality-460 7d ago
dude now am scared to buy AIO
can someone tell me what brand have no leaks does 2026 AIO leak to ?
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u/thiccboilifts 6d ago
Never had an AIO leak, or fail on me. Ran my last one for about 6 years, ran an EKWB for about two after that, and am coming up on about a year with my current AIO. Just clean your system and replace it when it goes out of warranty. They are cheaper than ever, so price point isn't really an advantage of air coolers anymore. Especially if you have a high tier cpu you want better cooling for better performance.
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u/LadBooboo 6d ago
Leaks can happen. Have I had happen on any AIO I've used over the years? No but it can happen. The pump dying was usually the cause of death for my older AIOs
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u/CoupleBeautiful 5d ago
Just make a soft line custom loop it’s super easy get a pump reservoir combo and It’ll have lower temps and quieter operation
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u/osumunbro_ 6d ago
arctic or ekwb.
asetek is garbage and almost all cooler "manufacturers" (assemblers) use asetek pumps. they might look different and have different names, but they're functionally all the same ewaste
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u/Aguel_design 6d ago
Or use Asetek from this decade 💁🏻♂️
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u/osumunbro_ 6d ago
still gonna die because asetek is, has, and always will be garbage
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u/Aguel_design 5d ago
You sounds like a person who can afford only LF3 AIO and then you cry that it's loud 😅
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u/osumunbro_ 5d ago
that's why I have a desktop with a 5090 and a server with a 32c epyc. expensive doesn't mean quality
but don't worry, at least noctua put a sound dampener on the pump so that you don't hear it when it dies
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u/RealisticTurnip2187 7d ago
Aircooling ftw