AIO Liquid Cooling Install Problem with HP Omen 870-244 Desktop

[garyburl]

I recently purchased a new Omen desktop 870-244. I also own an HP Phoenis Envy h9-1440t desktop that came with a closed loop AIO liquid cooling system (made by Asetek but has HP logo) installed on the processor. I thought that the liquid cooler had gone bad so I purchased a new one on ebay (which was advertised to fit the Phoenix Envy & looks identical to the one that was already in my computer, including the HP logo & Asetek brand stamp), but I later realized that the computer just needed a good cleaning & the pump was fine. Rather than return the new cooler, I decided to remove the air cooling heatsink & fan from the Omen desktop & replace it with the LCS. The Omen motherboard (Thimphu-K, LGA 1151 socket) has the 2 connectors that are required for this  (1 pump fan & 1 cpu fan connector) & the socket size was compatible (115x series) so I thought it would go smoothly. Unfortunately, once I installed the cooler & its fan, the computer would not post. It would turn on for a split second, then turn off, then turn on, etc., until I had to unplug it to gert it to turn off. I know that the cooler & fan are working because they both work fine when they are plugged into the connectors when the LCS isn't mounted onto the processor plate (& in the HP setup utility in the bios, it shows the liquid cooler fan speed at 1012 rpm, so it knows that it is there). It's only when the LCS is mounted onto the processor plate that it refuses to operate & the computer won't start. When I go into the bios, I see that there isn't any way to adjust fan settings so I suspect the bios is what is causing the problem. I don't think it's a power supply issue because the pump only uses 3 watts & I have a 500 watt power supply. I also applied the right amount of thermal paste & tightened the mounting bolts so that the LCS is attached securely to the processor plate. When I remove the LCS & reinstall the air cooler, the computer works fine.

Here is a link to my motherboard: https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/omen-by-hp-870-200/13687063/model/15741069/document/c05369438

and here is a link to the LCS I bought: https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Liquid-Cooling-System-160w-80x80-W-mounting-Bracket-657398-004-Envy-H9/1...

Any advice that anyone could give to help me get the cooler to work with my Omen computer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[erico]

Honestly, I would return that cooler to the seller and get a name brand unit. There is something wrong with it.

The cooler is probably drawing quite a bit more current than you think it is.

There is a reason your PC won't start and you are risking damage to the PSU and motherboard by using it.

I have been using Corsair H2O coolers with my desktop PCs for years without any problem.

[garyburl]

Thank you for your response. I am hesitant to install a different LCS until I have confirmation from HP that the bios will support it. The LCS I bought seems to work fine (I can hear & feel the pump spinning inside & the fan works, too. The contact plate also feels cold like it should when it is plugged into the 4 pin pump & fan connectors but the LCS refuses to work once it is mounted onto the processor. If there was a power supply problem, I wouldn't think the LCS would work at all when plugged into the pump & fan connectors.

[erico]

The problem does not have anything to do with the BIOS. It is an electrical issue. 

Not everything that one buys from eBay is the best of quality. 

If you buy something from Amazon, at least you get some measure of buyer protection.

[garyburl]

Thank you. I removed the (working) LCS from my HP Phoenix Envy & installed it into the HP Omen & had the same problem. The only difference was that the computer would power up for about 30 seconds before shutting down.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

None of the Omen 870 series PCs were provisioned with 657398-004. I just checked that part number at HP Part Surfer.

The water pump RPM seems low to me. My custom PC uses water cooling and I run the pump always at maximum RPM which is 2k RPM. 

You might look for a BIOS update for SSID 2B4B. If none are available then try clearing the CMOS and see if the BIOS will recalibrate the PWM curves for the fans and pump.  It might be that the pump is defective. I recall back that some HP PCs had issues with water pumps.

I suggest that you run a set of H/W diagnostics before updating the BIOS to make sure that your hardware is stable and that you get the latest firmware management and diagnostics routines. HP Hardware Diagnostics

[garyburl]

Thanks, Dave. I have been working on this problem with an HP service support specialist (case 5009924817, in case you are an HP employee) & will pass on this info before I speak with him tomorrow. I want to wait to hear what he says before proceeeding because he has already been making changes to my computer. Thanks again.

[garyburl]

I finally discovered what was causing all of the problems. I saw this in another post that seemed to describe the exact problem I was having https://rog.asus.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-43123.html. So I loosened the mounting screws that attached the cooler to the processor & the computer was able to post. It showed a blue screen message that said that because the system fan wasn't working that the computer would shut down automatically in 15 sec. to prevent overheating. But that was because I had disconnected the fan that was with the air cooling system & the new fan that came with the LCS was plugged into the CPU fan connector, which the bios apparently wasn't recognizing. So I think I need to reset the CMOS to make the fan error message go away but any other advice about this would be greatly appreciated. I'm just glad that my LCS is working great & has lowered my CPU temp by 5-7 degrees C.

[garyburl · Accepted solution]

Update on my liquid cooling system install problem: After many weeks of troubleshooting, I was finally able to pinpoit the main cause of the problem that I was having after installing the closed loop LCS onto the processor plate. Apparently there is a wide degree of variance in the amount of tightening that should be used when securing an LCS to a motherboard with the mounting screws. Some models require using a screw driver to tighten while others need only finger tightening, and even then, not very much. My LCS (a new HP labeled model made by Asetek that I purchased on ebay) mounting instructions merely said to "tighten screw nuts with fingers or screwdriver," but I found that if the screws are overtightened even a little bit, even by using fingers, the computer will not post when started and will cycle power on/off over and over again until the power cord is disconnected. After finding the right "sweet spot" for finger tightening, the LCS works great & the CPU temp on my i7-7700 processor has never exceeded 75 degrees Celcius with full load (room temperature 72 degress Fahrenheit), which is about 7 degrees C lower than when I was using the air cooling system that came with the computer. I use the computer for video editing in a 3rd floor apartment that often gets quite warm so this helps give me peace of mind. I love how the Omen Control software that came with the computer allows you to visually monitor the temperature of your CPU by the control varying the color of the LED lights on the front of the computer (ie., blue is cool & red is warm).

The only minor problem I'm still having after installing the LCS is that everytime I start the computer, it gives me a false error message: "Liquid cooler fan not detected." By hitting the F1 key I'm able to bypass this & boot up to Windows. I know that the cooler fan is working so I think it's a BIOS problem with the computer. I've tried reconnecting the LCS power connectors (one 4 pin connector for the pump & one 4 pin connector for the fan) into all possible combinations for the motherboard power connectors (there is one each oif the following: pump fan connector, CPU fan connector, & system fan connector), then resetting the BIOS, but every combination produces an error message at start up--either "liquid cooler fan not detected" or "system fan (90B) not operating correctly." Perhaps HP will address this in a future BIOS update so that anyone who installs an LCS into their Omen 875-244 can avoid this problem.

For anyone else wishing to install a closed loop LCS in their HP Omen 875-244 computer, because of the narrow dimensions of the case, you'll need to find an LCS with a radiator fan that is 92mm (vs. the more common 120mm) , The only one I could find was an HP model made by Asetek that I found on ebay, but there may be other models out there that I just couldn't find. Thanks to everyone who weighed in on this to help.