Corsair has been known for a long time for their great RAM. When they entered the power supply market, they established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Recently they entered the case market with their Obsidian 800D to equal accolades.
Today we’ll be looking at the Hydro Series H50, their attempt at breaking into the CPU cooling market. Thanks to Corsair for supplying this unit for review.
Specifications
Per Corsair’s site, the H50′s features:
- Pre-filled, closed-loop system is easy to install
- Copper CPU cooling plate for maximum cooling performance
- Integrated pump and reservoir is sealed for zero maintenance and improved leakage protection
- Large 120mm radiator for fast heat dispersion
- High-efficiency, low-noise 120mm fan for drawing cool air across the radiator
- Two-year warranty
With specifications:
- Model CWCH50
- Cold Plate Material Copper
- Fan Specs 120mm, 1700 RPM
- Radiator Material Aluminum
- Tubing Low-permeability for near-zero evaporation
We also asked Corsair some additional information that isn’t available on their web site:
- Fluid: Deionized water with propylene glycol to prevent corrosion.
- Thermal Interface Material Manufacturer: Shin-Etsu
- Original Equipment Manufacturer: Asetek makes the radiator/pump/block assembly to Corsair’s specifications.
- Fan Manufacturer: Akasa
Packaging & First Impressions
The outer box is strikingly similar to Corsair’s power supply boxes. It’s a sound design, so why not? Inside is a well packaged unit, immobile and encased in thin plastic flexible enough to absorb some shocks along its journey to the user. We see in the upper right on the back of the box that the OEM is asetek.
 The Box |
 Box Rear |
Packaging
When removing the unit from the box, we were struck by how light it was. It seemed to weigh about as much as the Apogee XT we reviewed. Weight doesn’t determine performance, of course.
When perusing the box contents, we see the cooler includes hardware for installing on LGA 775, 1156, 1366 and AM2+ as well as a 120mm fan to pair with the radiator. Not every cooler can claim such wide compatibility out of the box, so nice job Corsair!
Installation Hardware
Included Fan
The fan is an unknown make. It felt similar to a Yate Loon, so we compared. If you look where the blades meet the center hub, there is a small bend on the Corsair that differentiates it from the Yate. So the make is a mystery. As far as the fan itself, the sleeving was very well done and will keep your installation looking clean.
[EDITORS NOTE: Corsair got back to us - The fan is manufactured by Akasa. -hokiealumnus]
Fans Compared
Now we come to the main event, the pump/block/tubing/radiator assembly. It’s one piece and you cannot disassemble it. It feels solidly assembled and not fragile at all; you probably couldn’t get it apart without a good bit of effort. It’s good to see they paid as much attention to the sleeving for the pump power as they did with the fan sleeving. Overall, it’s a nice looking unit.
 Cooler Assembly |
 Pump/Block |
Radiator
The radiator appears to have a rather high 20FPI (fins per inch), which would put it on par with a HWLabs GTX radiator. Such high FPI radiators are generally associated with needing rather strong fans to get the most out of them. That’s not quite as much of a problem with this particular radiator because it’s not very thick.
FPI Measurement
The included thermal interface material comes pre-installed. The application looks a little thick but performance didn’t seem to suffer and when the cooler was removed, the contact pattern looked just fine.
Thermal Interface Material
Enough looking around though, let’s get it in and see how it performs!
Installation
The installation procedure for the H50 is painless and very well thought out. For this review, it was installed on an LGA1156 platform. The LGA backplate is one-size-fits-all, with three holes in each corner to accommodate all three of Intel’s recent CPU mounting hole configurations.
There are approximately 1/4″ thick “nuts”, for lack of a better descriptor, which you insert into the back plate. There is double-sided tape to keep it the back plate secured to the board for ease of mounting. You do not need to use the tape, but it may make things easier. Indeed, you may not want to use it if you plan on using this cooler in multiple systems.
The pump assembly hold down plate also has inserts that place the bolts in the proper position for your socket.
 Back Plate |
 Hold Down Bracket |
The beauty of this installation is that you install the back plate and hold down bracket before you install the cooler, which makes that step rather effortless. You partially tighten down the hold down bracket, push the pump/block assembly in and twist slightly, then tighten down the bracket the rest of the way.
Bracket Installed
Our only complaint about the mounting hardware is that the back plate is plastic. The modular design pretty much requires that, unfortunately it just feels less than solid when tightening. If you crank down it too hard, you could cause the nuts to strip out the part of the back plate that keeps them secure. It would take some effort though, so it likely won’t happen under normal circumstances. Just make sure you don’t over-tighten. We’d feel better about a metal solution.
Aside from that minor qualm though, we can’t say enough good things about this mounting. From the wide compatibility to the brilliantly modular installation assembly, it’s a very well thought out piece of hardware. Here’s what it looks like after the push, twist and tighten maneuver.
 Installed |
 Installed |
Testing Methodology and Results
The CPU being cooled for this review is an Intel i7 860, a furnace of a CPU. If you really want to test a cooler, an i7 is the way to do it. Tests were run at stock speed, overclocked to a moderate overclock of 3.6GHz and 3.8GHz, the 24/7 overclock of this system.
The H50 was compared for reference at stock speed against the stock Intel cooler. At stock and overclocked the main competition is a custom water loop, consisting of:
- Swiftech MCP-355 pump with XSPC reservoir top.
- Swiftech MCR-320 radiator, mounted externally with three Ultra High Speed Panaflo fans running at 7V (+/-.1V) for all tests.
- Swiftech Apogee XT water block.
- All linked with Primchill Pro LRT 7/16″ inner diameter tubing.
Unfortunately there are no good air coolers here to add into the mix. Bear in mind when viewing the results that the water loop the H50 is up against is way (way) more expensive, coming in at $270, and that’s not including tubing and barbs.
Testing consisted of no less than an hour and a half of Prime95 Small FFTs (except for the stock cooler, which only lasted about five minutes…we didn’t figure the CPU was a glutton for punishment). Most tests were run significantly longer than that (up to about 7 hours). CPU temperatures were measured using Coretemp’s logging function and ambient was measured with a common room thermometer to the nearest 0.5ºC.
The first hour of the temperature results were thrown out (to give the loops plenty of time to warm up) and the remainder were averaged for each core. Presented in the graphs are the average of all four cores at idle, the average loaded temperature of all four cores and the average maximum temperature of all four cores. Rather than present you with a deluge of data and screenshots, we’ve made some graphs to make it easier to digest. All temperature results were normalized to 22ºC ambient (per the esteemed Vapor, “…ambient and core temps scale perfectly fine (1:1) with i7.”)
Not to disappoint anyone that likes to pour through screenshots and excel spreadsheets, the test data can be downloaded in its entirety from Overclockers Tech here (it’s just under 4MB).
First off, we have the idle temperatures.
Stock Temperatures
So, just in case you didn’t know, the stock Intel cooler is horrid. The good news is that the H50 did a good job at coping with this little heating element at stock.
Moving on, let’s see how it copes with a moderately overclocked i7. You’ll notice in this next graph that there are a few H50 results. It was tested in three configurations.
- With the included fan.
- Push-pull with the Corsair fan and a high speed Yate Loon placed in push-pull (and extremely under volted…more on that in a minute).
- Finally, with the high speed Yate Loon by itself cranked to the max and a shroud in place of the Corsair fan.
3.6GHz Temperatures
Here we see the custom loop starting to come into its own, increasing its lead to about 13ºC. The H50 doesn’t do too bad for itself though. One thing is for sure, if you plan on putting this cooler on an overclocked i7, a fan upgrade is in order.
Regarding the push-pull results, we had to run the High Speed Yate Loon at 3.3V (which was amazing in itself that the thing still ran) or the Corsair fan put forth a rather loud, extremely annoying sounding protest. This stands to reason, as the Yate was pulling the Corsair faster than it was designed to go. What you should take away from this is that if you’re going to run this cooler in push-pull, get two stronger fans to do so. The Corsair fan just isn’t strong enough to cope well enough with an overclocked i7.
On the plus side, even changing it out for one improved fan is a nice boon to the H50′s performance, gaining almost three degrees over the stock fan.
So let’s see what happens when you give it a little more voltage and squeeze out an extra 200MHz. For this test, we did not run the Corsair stock fan or the push-pull orientation. When the CPU starts going too far north of 70ºC we start getting squeamish. Since the high speed fan was knocking on that door already, we decided to skip those other two configurations.
3.8GHz Temperatures
The custom loop actually gave back a little bit in this test, with its lead dropping to around 10ºC. The H50 certainly isn’t going to win any best water cooling awards but it does well for itself. These temperatures are about on par with the best air coolers but with the added benefit of being at a reduced noise level.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
$77.89. That’s what you’ll pay for the Corsair H50 at Newegg. Overall, not a bad price for what you get. Right at what you could get a Prolimatech Megahalems with two good fans in push-pull ($60 for the Megahalems and $33.90 for two Panaflo fans at Jab-Tech) will get you the H50, an upgraded fan and some additional silence to help your long term hearing prospects. It will likely net you a few degrees better cooling to boot.
Is this water cooling? Technically, yes. But no, it will obviously not compete with a good custom water loop. It also doesn’t cost near as much. What it will do is replace your air cooler and give you some more peace and quiet. That’s where we see the market sweet spot for this unit.
Pros
- Superb installation system.
- Wide range of compatibility.
- Quieter than air cooling with equal or slightly better temperatures.
Cons
- Sorely in need of a better fan.
- Unit cannot be refilled.
- Plastic back plate.
With these things in mind, we award the Corsair Hydro Series H50 an 8/10!
-Â Jeremy Vaughan (hokiealumnus)
Tags: corsair, H50, Hydro, watercooling
02-03-10 04:27 PM
Ohh one thing you didn't mention, how quiet the custom loop was vs the H50 on HS fans.
Thanks, looks like all of the questions are answered now.
02-03-10 04:30 PM
02-03-10 04:34 PM
02-03-10 04:58 PM
02-03-10 05:04 PM
02-03-10 06:27 PM
02-03-10 06:29 PM
02-03-10 07:07 PM
02-04-10 12:20 AM
02-04-10 10:38 AM
For AMDs I'm sure this would match a high-end air solution but, bottom line, it's still only one fan, which can only remove so much heat. That was plainly shown when you juiced the i7 a little and got a 10°C jump - pushing the limits of the H50 for an i7 OC.
The difference between high-end air and any water solution is very apparent for the average user who doesn't push his rig all the time. Few games will run a CPU at load for more than a few seconds at a time, which is enough to overload a heatpipe but not nearly enough to drastically effect the thermal capacity of a water loop. As such, the loop may show a very minor increase in temps while the air cooler will jump several degrees in this short time. So what we have with the H50 is the best of both worlds - low cost of high-end air combined with the heat capacity of water cooling to flatten out those temperature fluctuations ...
02-04-10 01:27 PM
02-04-10 02:09 PM
02-04-10 04:30 PM
02-04-10 04:43 PM
02-04-10 09:48 PM
I figure that if this works as well as I'm hoping with mine I can look at trying to tame my hubby's system with an H50 in a similar setup that is a bit noiser than I like even with Noctua NF-P13's on the intakes. -_-
02-04-10 10:14 PM
The push/pull setup in this review was running ~1,500 RPM. That said, those fans aren't Noctuas either and the comparison wouldn't be accurate.
Oh, and
02-04-10 10:23 PM
02-05-10 01:13 AM
I've been interested in water-cooling for quite some time but this is probably the first time it's gotten down to a point where I can dip my toes into the pool so to speak without risking my hard-earned gear. Believe you me all the troubles some of you have passing hardware costs along to your spouse I deal with as well so I really have to make each bargain session count.
BTW, I did wish to note that I am open to suggestions as far as fan selection especially if it nets me a fan that is quite and performs close or equal to the Noctua's. So if you've got some ideas I'd be glad to hear them. ^_^
And thank you for the welcome to your forums I really only just stumbled across this place but from what little peeking around I've done this may be a second home next to TPU for me! In either case I'm really hoping this provides greater cooling for lower noise than the Zalman 9700NT I'm using.
If I do manage to get this gear approved by the "budget committee" and get things going I'll try and report back here along with some pics as to how things went.
02-05-10 01:49 AM
02-05-10 03:14 AM
I have an H50 keeping my i7 ~70*c. This is while under 100% load 24/7 @ 3.8ghz
02-05-10 10:50 AM
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/scsf75cfms12.html
02-05-10 02:13 PM
IMHO, yate loon fans are pretty darn quiet. The high speed models not so much, but the medium speed versions aren't loud at all. You can get them for as little as $4 from Jab-Tech (sorry, can't link from here), or sleeved for $7 from Performance-PCs. Put them on a fan controller for when your CPU isn't loaded and you're talking completely silent.
I'm not a silent fan person unfortunately (I have six of these on my radiator), so on a budget advice is the best I can do.
02-05-10 02:27 PM
02-05-10 08:58 PM
*Longer tubing to make it easier to mount in the front of the case
*A dual 120mm rad for cases that can support it or people who don't mind a bit of cutting
*Two 120mm rad's to mount in separate locations
02-05-10 10:59 PM
I really may have to give them a try on a build for a friend of mine and see how they compare against the Cooler Master S12's and the Noctua's I run. I really would like to try their KAMA Bay but I hear it has fit problems with the Antec 300.
I looked over the guide you linked to and it's one of the better ones I've seen outside of the one MaximumPC did awhile ago. Just to be clear, I've wanted to go custom water for awhile now but there are three big problems involved:
a. Cost
b. Time-consuming to maintain
c. Reliability
Now I know you do get a MAJOR benefit in regards to cooling but between work and my other hobbies adding a current custom water system just isn't feasible. It's one of the reasons why the H50 is so attractive since it's a pre-packaged unit, fairly easy to work with and maintain, and low cost. If someone could figure out a way to create a similar system, using some kind of modular setup to allow for different configurations and/or uses, they would make a mint. Thermaltake tried it but their implementation left a lot to be desired. -_-
Speaking of Yate Loon I actually use those for my 120mm and 140mm exhaust with the Noctua's in front for a positive pressure system that works quite well. The only downside with them is the noise to CFM ratio they have is unable to match the Noctua's. -_-
This would be absolutely AWESOME if Corsair implemented the longer tubing and dual 120mm rad. Not sure how they could get a dual single 120mm rad system going 'tho while retaining the maintenance-free design. I mean, would'nt it be better just to go with a dual 120mm rad instead?
But, along that same idea I'd even go one further by adding the following:
a. An H50-style single rad cooler, using long hoses to allow for mounting anywhere inside the case, for use with ATI dual GPU video cards
b. An H50-style single rad cooler, using long hoses to allow for mounting anywhere inside the case, for use with NVIDIA dual GPU video cards
Really, any of the single GPU cards have a wide variety of options and I can't see how a single 120mm rad system would even be able to compete in that market. However, when it comes to dual GPU cards that's an entirely different story. Considering the amount of heat those generate if they could make a cost-effective system they'd sell AND make dual GPU cards more attractive. ^_^
02-06-10 12:03 AM
Corvette and Lincoln are made by the same companies who brought you the Vega and the Pinto ...
02-06-10 02:03 AM
I did some recent digging based upon what you said and, as it turns out, their QA problems look to have been licked:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article695-page6.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums...ic.php?t=39810
Hmmm, well the store around the corner stocks the SFF21E's I'm just a bit worried about the disparity of 49 CFM for the Scythe versus 54 for the Noctua. And, much to my fustration, Scythe does not list their static pressure numbers either.
I may just wind up getting a pair and seeing what happens but I'm not sure yet especially since I'd have to pass the additional stuff via the accounting office (read: hubby).
02-06-10 03:35 AM
b. Dunno about that. Building a new rig and watercooling does add time. I'd say at least 2-3 days for your first time. Then over the next 2-3 days you check for 10-15 min for leaks. Might top off the water.
You peek at it now and then over the next 6 months. At 6 months you drain all the water out you can get out and refill, bleed etc, maybe a Saturday, check for leaks and top off on Sunday.
A 6 months more you take it all apart, and clean. It's actually a joy to me, just tinkering over a weekend.
So I don't get it. it's a lot of fun and part of the hobby.
c. My stuff as is 99% of our watercoolers is as reliable as any air cooled rig.
The biggest issue is cost. If the maintenance issue isn't something you want to deal with, then a quality air solution is viable and will do the trick.
It's a hobby to me, I have been playing with PCs for 20 years, this is a new fun thing I discovered a few years ago. Spending a weekend tinkering rebuilding a complicated WC loops is fun, your milage may vary.
02-06-10 03:43 AM
02-06-10 04:35 AM
They got a good market segment now. It works for basic usages.
You start specializing, development costs and splitting the sale units to specialized uses destroys profits, and Corsair wants profits, we are not talking a small company. Look at the big picture.
Wish and poop into the same hand, you ruined your wish. You want more than the H50, go custom. You relly want Corsair and other cheapo setups to take over all the top dog custom WC companies where the real innovation happens? Remember that it all started with the teeny ONE guy who came up with a new block.
Big companies like Corsair DO NOT innovate. HECK, the H50 is a rebadged Asetek setup, but rebadged by a TOP overclocking company. It's still a basic cooling rig, under a different name with I bet millions spent in marketing.
Get over making it better, why would Corsair spend more money to split their market.
Grrr. I sometimes wonder if the dream and cheap dreaming is a world issue.
02-06-10 08:34 AM
I really do not mean to single you out on this, nor am I trying to make light of your opinion, but this entire paragraph is the core reason why most stay far away from watercooling and the reason why the H50 is like a breath of fresh air. Some of us do not have the spare money or time to invest in something that complicated or involved. Consider, why do you think so many prefer to play a game on a console than on a PC?
I'm married, have a social life, and work at a job that keeps me busy sometimes working 12-hour days. And this is not even taking into account chores around the house like doing laundry, grocery shopping, or other typical household maintenance tasks. After I get home the only thing I want to think about is spending time with my husband and relaxing.
Then if time and everything else permits I enjoy some of the fruits of my labors like booting up a game, tinkering with some tuning of my system to allow it to run better, read a book, or enjoy some of my other hobbies. What you described sounds more like changing the oil in the car, possibly risking hundreds of dollars of equipment should something go wrong, and not something I would even remotely consider a joy to do much less be able to dedicate an entire weekend to on a regular basis.
Yet, here you sit spouting the age old "if it's too complicated for you then we don't want your kind here" mindset that I've seen before. I saw it when I first started working on PC's, got it at Gamestop with the entire "shopping for someone" spiel, and walking into an auto parts store thinking just because I had boobs meant I didn't know what a carburetor repair kit was. If you want to keep this hobby to a "boys club" where while you guys can enjoy things like this while the rest of us work so that you can have time to do so then maybe I was mistaken about commenting here.
I thought watercooling, or for that matter overclocking or building PC's, was something that was meant to be enjoyed by all. And not that it was meant only those wealthy enough to buy the equipment and who, for one reason or another, have the luxury of free time on their hands to spend days on something without having to worry about work, chores, or other matters.
If that is not what you intended to mean then you may want to dial back your entire "Wish and poop into the same hand, you ruined your wish" mentality. Not everyone takes kindly to that kind of treatment from someone especially when they are just trying to enjoy the same hobby you do.
02-06-10 12:40 PM
02-06-10 02:04 PM
02-06-10 04:46 PM
It's interesting that you point out a possible dual rad configuration because while nosing around for other H50 mods I came across this:
http://www.ncixus.com/products/35702...012200/Asetek/
http://tinypic.com/usermedia.php?uo=...heNoh4l5k2TGxc
After doing a LOT of digging and nosing around I could'nt find one single review for it. Of the few that mention they own one they pointed out possible problems with the pump but did not clarify but they also said that they were not setup in a push/pull configuration either. I think that if Corsair got their hands on it that, I would think, they would be able to work with Asetek to overcome the issues with the factory model so that it worked better but that is just a guess since there is so little information about the 240mm version. -_-
02-06-10 04:51 PM
As far as splitting lines goes neither of us can really speak for Corsair on this matter. While you or I may or may not see logic in it if that's one thing I've learned working in the gaming industry is that if there is money to be made sense never really factors into the equasion.
02-07-10 04:44 AM
I hate to say it but all this work is for nothing if we dont have a comparison against a TRUE or something else. this product has never been positioned to compete against a custom water cooling kit, therefore why was it and the well known crap stock intel cooler.
this cooler is designed to compete in performance/price to the top end air. lets compare it to some top end air then. i am a supporter of this cooler right now but we all need to see how this compares to its competition.
02-07-10 04:58 AM
The results show the H50 is decent. With stock settings with pulling case air in and the stock fans it's close to a top air cooler. Add push pull with good fans it's a bit better.
It won't beat a real WC rig, but it's not bad.
That said, instead of demanding the reviews you are welcome to do them yourself. All you need is to spend money and time. Make sure you post pics.
02-07-10 05:15 AM
My conclusion was that it would perform roughly equal to a high end air cooler, or maybe even slightly better (with a better fan and more than one of them). A quick search will prove my point. You don't even need to be broad with search terms. Specific to the CPU I have (i7 860), we have H50 vs Megahalems. Or you could just compare my temp results with these Megahalems results (though that chip seems to be a better clocker).
Yes, I agree, it would have been better if I had a quality air heat sink to compare it to. We go into testing with the equipment we have, not the equipment we wish we had.
That said, if niksub1 wants to follow through on his proposal and let me borrow a strong air cooler, I'd happily test it and update the review with those results.
02-08-10 04:37 AM
02-08-10 05:02 AM
02-08-10 11:26 PM
02-11-10 09:08 PM
The H50 gave my PhII X4 940 (not oc'd) 20C idle and 28-32 under most loads but never more than 38.. ever. With my cpu OC'd to 3.8ghz, I idle anywhere from 26-28C and under load 34-42C
*But keep in mind, i have the push pull method with a VERY loud yate loon highspeed and the corsair factory fan
Oh, if you use this, make sure the SMART cpu fan control in the BIOS is turned off!
02-11-10 09:18 PM
Great point on disabling fan control. To anyone that doesn't understand - The pump is connected to a MB header. If your MB throttles that header automagically, it would not be very good for your temps or your pump.
02-12-10 01:32 AM
02-12-10 12:09 PM
I'd like to try one of these in my new build. It's going in a micro atx, so I'm going to see if radiator will make it to the top 120mm intake fan at the front of the case.
02-12-10 01:40 PM
This solution would be great for an HTPC as long as there is enough height clearance and a little extra space around the fan hole to accommodate where the radiator extends. HTPCs should be silent and this is an excellent way to accomplish that.
02-12-10 01:55 PM
02-12-10 01:57 PM
02-12-10 04:05 PM
02-12-10 08:39 PM
03-03-10 01:02 PM
03-03-10 02:24 PM
03-07-10 12:01 AM
Didn't want to start a new thread about this, so I'll just ask here if it's okay. I'm looking to buy a new cooler for my i7 920 (I keep it stock for now at 2.66), and I'm currently running the Coolermaster v8.
The problem with the v8 is that it's huge and I had to remove the side panel fan thingy from my CM-830.
Considering I'm looking for something that will be relatively quiet and easy to setup, would the H50 be a good recommendation and an upgrade from the v8? I do plan on doing a little bit of overclocking once I'm more comfortable with it, but I probably don't plan on doing anything major or extreme, and I already have a few Delta fans I can probably use instead of the stock fans as well.
Also, what would be the expected life-span of this cooler? Would I have to maintain it as much as I probably would a proper water-cooling setup?
Thank you in advance.
03-07-10 12:15 AM
I doubt if this would be an upgrade to the V8 as far as cooling the CPU goes (it might be if you use bigger/higher CFM fans, though) but if you can get a fan on your case side by using the H50 then it is an upgrade to the case cooling (NB/chipset/RAM) ...
03-09-10 10:50 PM
03-10-10 01:17 AM
03-10-10 09:47 PM
03-10-10 10:03 PM
03-11-10 04:39 PM
03-11-10 04:47 PM
The paste on it is Shin Etsu, which has very good stuff and mediocre bulk stuff. This is likely the latter (though Corsair did not supply the model #). I have a feeling you'd see at least slightly better temperatures replacing it with quality TIM.
03-11-10 05:47 PM
03-11-10 06:05 PM
03-12-10 12:40 AM
Just looking to see if my temps seem high. I have a I7 930 clocked to 4.0g with a vcore of 1.35 (so it says in the bios but cpuz says its a tad lower). I have 2 Siverstone FM121 (800-2400 rpm) fans in push pull. I am using real temp 3.40 to monitor temps, been running Prime for 3 hrs now with no errors but temps are staying around 76-78c with both fans maxed out. I know temp should drop some in a few days after TIM cures. Do these temps seem high though?
03-12-10 01:40 AM
03-12-10 09:27 PM
http://www.corsair.com/systembuild/r...ort_id=1157274