rjbarker
Hey Obscure.....I had a couple of 780Ti's and 1080Ti's (SLi) also w EK Blocks and I think we are just more "sensitive" to the high pitched / frequency "squeal / whine" (white noise) we hear as we dont have any racket from GPU fans to drown it out....you know what I mean?
Sometimes the 3080Ti I notice it (if I really listen and focus on it) other times dont really notice it......completely bearable vs the GPU Fans imho....
Interesting though removing the pads....good find my friend!
 
I too am old school and my loop is 3/8 - 5/8 flex tubes...dont have the patience for hard tubes at this stage ;) My Loop hasnt changed (other than components and replaced the D5 Vario pump once) since 2013/14...still using the same BP fittings amd Rads ;)
Replaced the "O-Rings" in the BP fittings as well...and of course replace the tubing on average may once ever 18 months when I get off my lazy butt and flush the system or when I replace a component...I use EK clear concentrate coolant w distilled.
 
And yes I can confirm the 3080Ti FTW3 with its power draw really increases temp. For example the 3080Ti FTW3 under full load in my loop maxes at 46c...while waiting on my RMA I threw the Evga 1080Ti SC Black w EK Block back in the same loop and the highest temp it would reach was around 34c ....playing either SOTR or CP77.....same CPU (9900K) OC....so I would think your 2080 Card likely running cooler than these power beasts ;)

I think even a deaf person could hear it with how godawful it was. I recorded it prior to removing the pads (link below) thinking I may have needed to reach out to EVGA about it, but then I came across that Reddit thread I linked earlier. Although, my phone’s mic didn’t really do the loudness of the whine true justice. Since removing those pads, it’s been a much more enjoyable experience when gaming. Temps are about what they were with those two pads in place, maybe 1-2° higher. I’m not going to sweat that. Now, if I could just figure out why the fluid level in my res keeps slowly draining. I’m thinking it’s a either a leak or permeation, but there is no trace of a leak anywhere.

https://youtu.be/i7Luw5v4x9I

ObscureEmpyre

rjbarker
Hey Obscure.....I had a couple of 780Ti's and 1080Ti's (SLi) also w EK Blocks and I think we are just more "sensitive" to the high pitched / frequency "squeal / whine" (white noise) we hear as we dont have any racket from GPU fans to drown it out....you know what I mean?
Sometimes the 3080Ti I notice it (if I really listen and focus on it) other times dont really notice it......completely bearable vs the GPU Fans imho....
Interesting though removing the pads....good find my friend!
 
I too am old school and my loop is 3/8 - 5/8 flex tubes...dont have the patience for hard tubes at this stage ;) My Loop hasnt changed (other than components and replaced the D5 Vario pump once) since 2013/14...still using the same BP fittings amd Rads ;)
Replaced the "O-Rings" in the BP fittings as well...and of course replace the tubing on average may once ever 18 months when I get off my lazy butt and flush the system or when I replace a component...I use EK clear concentrate coolant w distilled.
 
And yes I can confirm the 3080Ti FTW3 with its power draw really increases temp. For example the 3080Ti FTW3 under full load in my loop maxes at 46c...while waiting on my RMA I threw the Evga 1080Ti SC Black w EK Block back in the same loop and the highest temp it would reach was around 34c ....playing either SOTR or CP77.....same CPU (9900K) OC....so I would think your 2080 Card likely running cooler than these power beasts ;)

I think even a deaf person could hear it with out godawful it was. I recorded it prior to removing the pads (link below) thinking I may have needed to reach out to EVGA about it, but then I came across that Reddit thread I linked earlier. Although, my phone’s mic didn’t really do the loudness of the whine true justice. Since removing those pads, it’s been a much more enjoyable experience when gaming. Temps are about what they were with those two pads in place, maybe 1-2° higher. I’m not going to sweat that. Now, if I could just figure out why the fluid level in my res keeps slowly draining. I’m thinking it’s a either a leak or permeation, but there is no trace of a leak anywhere.

https://youtu.be/i7Luw5v4x9I

All of my thermal pads on my EK backplate look like they really take a load from components after removing the backplate....as in big indentations in the pads...think there 1.5 mm or even 2 mm (most of them)....I'm half deaf with high frequencies anyhow (my age).....  ;)
 
If your losing coolant either a leak or possibly simply evaporation if you have your Rez "open" to the atmosphere....as in a filling tube left attached (I leave my filling tube attached to the top of my rez, so over a period of months, yes my coolant level will go down)....
 
...another possibility is a a few big air bubbles finally work themselves out of a Rad....
....if a small leak in a fitting just look for signs of it at the bottom of your case...I have had that as well....a "seep" from an old "O Ring" in a Bits Power fitting.....generally not leaking enough to make it really obvious....so you have to just kind of look for some "signs" of coolant staining at the very bottom of your case or at the "O Ring" part of your fittings.
I try to change out the O Rings on my fittings every few years.....just buy a bunch when I find them available....

rjbarker
All of my thermal pads on my EK backplate look like they really take a load from components after removing the backplate....as in big indentations in the pads...think there 1.5 mm or even 2 mm (most of them)....I'm half deaf with high frequencies anyhow (my age).....  ;)
 
If your losing coolant either a leak or possibly simply evaporation if you have your Rez "open" to the atmosphere....as in a filling tube left attached (I leave my filling tube attached to the top of my rez, so over a period of months, yes my coolant level will go down)....
 
...another possibility is a a few big air bubbles finally work themselves out of a Rad....
....if a small leak in a fitting just look for signs of it at the bottom of your case...I have had that as well....a "seep" from an old "O Ring" in a Bits Power fitting.....generally not leaking enough to make it really obvious....so you have to just kind of look for some "signs" of coolant staining at the very bottom of your case or at the "O Ring" part of your fittings.
I try to change out the O Rings on my fittings every few years.....just buy a bunch when I find them available....

The pads on the back of the card, the ones meant to cover the solder points of the MOSFETs/chokes, are 2mm I believe. And yeah, they sure to leave an impression in the pads.

I redid my loop this past July for annual maintenance. Fresh everything except the fittings and the radiators. I even replaced the EK pump/res combo because I had to settle for one I didn’t truly want when I first bought it in 2020. As it is, I’ve had to top off my res several times since July, definitely more added than just to compensate for bleeding air. Every time I top it off, I give it a thorough inspection but I never find any moisture. As far as being open to the atmosphere, I keep the lid on the res after filling, so it shouldn’t have anything to do with that. Who knows? At least there’s no discernible damage if there is a leak, and temps are just fine. Maybe I’ll buy one of those EK leak testing tools.

ObscureEmpyre

rjbarker
All of my thermal pads on my EK backplate look like they really take a load from components after removing the backplate....as in big indentations in the pads...think there 1.5 mm or even 2 mm (most of them)....I'm half deaf with high frequencies anyhow (my age).....  ;)
 
If your losing coolant either a leak or possibly simply evaporation if you have your Rez "open" to the atmosphere....as in a filling tube left attached (I leave my filling tube attached to the top of my rez, so over a period of months, yes my coolant level will go down)....
 
...another possibility is a a few big air bubbles finally work themselves out of a Rad....
....if a small leak in a fitting just look for signs of it at the bottom of your case...I have had that as well....a "seep" from an old "O Ring" in a Bits Power fitting.....generally not leaking enough to make it really obvious....so you have to just kind of look for some "signs" of coolant staining at the very bottom of your case or at the "O Ring" part of your fittings.
I try to change out the O Rings on my fittings every few years.....just buy a bunch when I find them available....

The pads on the back of the card, the ones meant to cover the solder points of the MOSFETs/chokes, are 2mm I believe. And yeah, they sure to leave an impression in the pads.

I redid my loop this past July for annual maintenance. Fresh everything except the fittings and the radiators. I even replaced the EK pump/res combo because I had to settle for one I didn’t truly want when I first bought it in 2020. As it is, I’ve had to top off my res several times since July, definitely more added than just to compensate for bleeding air. Every time I top it off, I give it a thorough inspection but I never find any moisture. As far as being open to the atmosphere, I keep the lid on the res after filling, so it shouldn’t have anything to do with that. Who knows? At least there’s no discernible damage if there is a leak, and temps are just fine. Maybe I’ll buy one of those EK leak testing tools.

Probably not necessary other than to satisfy a little Water cooling OCD  :)
 
Yeah you're fine...if temps ok....no obvious signs of "little stains" at the bottom of your case...no obvious signs of seepage or weeping on your fittings I wouldnt sweat it....how much coolant are you adding and how frequently ?

ObscureEmpyre

rjbarker
All of my thermal pads on my EK backplate look like they really take a load from components after removing the backplate....as in big indentations in the pads...think there 1.5 mm or even 2 mm (most of them)....I'm half deaf with high frequencies anyhow (my age).....  ;)
 
If your losing coolant either a leak or possibly simply evaporation if you have your Rez "open" to the atmosphere....as in a filling tube left attached (I leave my filling tube attached to the top of my rez, so over a period of months, yes my coolant level will go down)....
 
...another possibility is a a few big air bubbles finally work themselves out of a Rad....
....if a small leak in a fitting just look for signs of it at the bottom of your case...I have had that as well....a "seep" from an old "O Ring" in a Bits Power fitting.....generally not leaking enough to make it really obvious....so you have to just kind of look for some "signs" of coolant staining at the very bottom of your case or at the "O Ring" part of your fittings.
I try to change out the O Rings on my fittings every few years.....just buy a bunch when I find them available....

The pads on the back of the card, the ones meant to cover the solder points of the MOSFETs/chokes, are 2mm I believe. And yeah, they sure to leave an impression in the pads.

I redid my loop this past July for annual maintenance. Fresh everything except the fittings and the radiators. I even replaced the EK pump/res combo because I had to settle for one I didn’t truly want when I first bought it in 2020. As it is, I’ve had to top off my res several times since July, definitely more added than just to compensate for bleeding air. Every time I top it off, I give it a thorough inspection but I never find any moisture. As far as being open to the atmosphere, I keep the lid on the res after filling, so it shouldn’t have anything to do with that. Who knows? At least there’s no discernible damage if there is a leak, and temps are just fine. Maybe I’ll buy one of those EK leak testing tools.

What fluid are you running?  If it's one with ethylene glycol and you can't smell it, then there isn't a leak.  I had a rad with a micro crack that never had a visible leak, but I could easily smell the fluid.
 
Oh and you can fix that coil whine by simply reducing your framerate.  

rjbarker
Probably not necessary other than to satisfy a little Water cooling OCD  :)
 
Yeah you're fine...if temps ok....no obvious signs of "little stains" at the bottom of your case...no obvious signs of seepage or weeping on your fittings I wouldnt sweat it....how much coolant are you adding and how frequently ?

Seems like it’s lowering at a rate of about 1/4-inch a month, and I’ve been topping it off roughly monthly.

talon951
What fluid are you running?  If it's one with ethylene glycol and you can't smell it, then there isn't a leak.  I had a rad with a micro crack that never had a visible leak, but I could easily smell the fluid.
 
Oh and you can fix that coil whine by simply reducing your framerate.  

Using Mayhems X1 Eco pre-mix in UV clear blue. It definitely has a distinct smell to it, and I don’t smell it unless I’m topping it off or filling it after flushing for maintenance.

ObscureEmpyre

rjbarker
Probably not necessary other than to satisfy a little Water cooling OCD  :)
 
Yeah you're fine...if temps ok....no obvious signs of "little stains" at the bottom of your case...no obvious signs of seepage or weeping on your fittings I wouldnt sweat it....how much coolant are you adding and how frequently ?

Seems like it’s lowering at a rate of about 1/4-inch a month, and I’ve been topping it off roughly monthly.

talon951
What fluid are you running?  If it's one with ethylene glycol and you can't smell it, then there isn't a leak.  I had a rad with a micro crack that never had a visible leak, but I could easily smell the fluid.
 
Oh and you can fix that coil whine by simply reducing your framerate.  

Using Mayhems X1 Eco pre-mix in UV clear blue. It definitely has a distinct smell to it, and I don’t smell it unless I’m topping it off or filling it after flushing for maintenance.

Huh....1/4" a month does seem a little excessive....mine is around maybe 1/8" every 2-3 months....so little that I generally dont bother topping .....and because I leave the filling tube attached to the top of the Rez I chaulk it up as evaporation.
.....how many months has that been going on ? again if its just once or twice could simply be air pockets working there way out....you have lots of micro bubbles clinging to the inside of your rez....prior to this?
What you could try is unplugging everything...set the tower on a table...plug in just the pump (like your leak trsting) and get vigerous with the case....tilting from side to side almost to the horizontal in both directions just to ensure you dont have some little pockets of air trapped somewhere......that are working themselves out....you know?
 
Top up the loop and continue to monitor.....in all honesty if your temps are good and no obvious visible signs of a leak I wouldnt sweat it....
 
My preference the last few years for coolant has been EK Concentrate (clear)...they're is never any obvious smell....I have also ran straight distilled water w no additives for a few months ....no biggie...my loop is about 1.75L (not quite 2L) to fill.

rjbarker
Huh....1/4" a month does seem a little excessive....mine is around maybe 1/8" every 2-3 months....so little that I generally dont bother topping .....and because I leave the filling tube attached to the top of the Rez I chaulk it up as evaporation.
.....how many months has that been going on ? again if its just once or twice could simply be air pockets working there way out....you have lots of micro bubbles clinging to the inside of your rez....prior to this?
What you could try is unplugging everything...set the tower on a table...plug in just the pump (like your leak trsting) and get vigerous with the case....tilting from side to side almost to the horizontal in both directions just to ensure you dont have some little pockets of air trapped somewhere......that are working themselves out....you know?
 
Top up the loop and continue to monitor.....in all honesty if your temps are good and no obvious visible signs of a leak I wouldnt sweat it....
 
My preference the last few years for coolant has been EK Concentrate (clear)...they're is never any obvious smell....I have also ran straight distilled water w no additives for a few months ....no biggie...my loop is about 1.75L (not quite 2L) to fill.

It’s been about 5 months since I filled the loop, and already went through the tilting process to get trapped air out of it. I was even able to get all the air bubbles out of my 3080 Ti block, unlike my 2080 Ti block.

As for EK fluid, I’ve heard mixed reviews. I’ve heard that it used to be relabeled Mayhems fluid, but then EK went a different path and users were ending up with gunked up loops after the change. I’ve also heard mixed reviews about Mayhems liquid, so it’s six in one hand and half a dozen in the other. Maybe I’ll give EK a shot next time. Of course, Corsair entered the game recently, so maybe I’ll look into their fluid and try that.

ObscureEmpyre

rjbarker
Huh....1/4" a month does seem a little excessive....mine is around maybe 1/8" every 2-3 months....so little that I generally dont bother topping .....and because I leave the filling tube attached to the top of the Rez I chaulk it up as evaporation.
.....how many months has that been going on ? again if its just once or twice could simply be air pockets working there way out....you have lots of micro bubbles clinging to the inside of your rez....prior to this?
What you could try is unplugging everything...set the tower on a table...plug in just the pump (like your leak trsting) and get vigerous with the case....tilting from side to side almost to the horizontal in both directions just to ensure you dont have some little pockets of air trapped somewhere......that are working themselves out....you know?
 
Top up the loop and continue to monitor.....in all honesty if your temps are good and no obvious visible signs of a leak I wouldnt sweat it....
 
My preference the last few years for coolant has been EK Concentrate (clear)...they're is never any obvious smell....I have also ran straight distilled water w no additives for a few months ....no biggie...my loop is about 1.75L (not quite 2L) to fill.

It’s been about 5 months since I filled the loop, and already went through the tilting process to get trapped air out of it. I was even able to get all the air bubbles out of my 3080 Ti block, unlike my 2080 Ti block.

As for EK fluid, I’ve heard mixed reviews. I’ve heard that it used to be relabeled Mayhems fluid, but then EK went a different path and users were ending up with gunked up loops after the change. I’ve also heard mixed reviews about Mayhems liquid, so it’s six in one hand and half a dozen in the other. Maybe I’ll give EK a shot next time. Of course, Corsair entered the game recently, so maybe I’ll look into their fluid and try that.

Cant speak for the others but I have had no issues with EK clear concentrate....been using it since around 2015/16 when I couldnt get Fesser anymore....even after going around 18 months between flushes no issues, took both the CPU n GPU blcoks completely apart and quite clean in the fins.....

rjbarker
Cant speak for the others but I have had no issues with EK clear concentrate....been using it since around 2015/16 when I couldnt get Fesser anymore....even after going around 18 months between flushes no issues, took both the CPU n GPU blcoks completely apart and quite clean in the fins.....

My loop was dirty after a year. Had to completely disassemble, clean, and replace mostly everything. Maybe the Mayhems stuff isn't that good after all.