FRONTPAGE Corsair Hydro Series H100 Review

[Overclockers.com]

The H100 is currently the top of the line offering from Corsair in their Hydro series which is a low cost liquid cooling (LCLC) product line. Water cooling is far superior to even the best air coolers on the market, but will the H100 be worthy of being put into the samecategoryas custom loops? Will it even be able to beat out what some say is the best air cooler on the market, the Noctua NH-D14? Continue reading to find out!

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[Diggrr]

Very nice, about where I was expecting it to land .vs the other methods too!

Thank you!

 

[=XAF=AfterShock]

I wonder how much of a diff it would have made replacing the h100 fans with better ones, I have the h100 but haven't purchased a case that will accommodate it so I'm still using my h70 in my antec 900 and the corsair fans aren't anything to write home about. When I find a case to mount the h100 I will def be looking at replacing the stock fans.

 

[trekky]

cool thx you just made me feel very happy that i went for the H100 over the NH-D14 and i only got my H100 for $100 after MIR at tigerdirect about 1 -2months ago
and very nice review

 

[bmwbaxter]

I wonder how much of a diff it would have made replacing the h100 fans with better ones, I have the h100 but haven't purchased a case that will accommodate it so I'm still using my h70 in my antec 900 and the corsair fans aren't anything to write home about. When I find a case to mount the h100 I will def be looking at replacing the stock fans.

Fans with a higher CFM would helps temps. since the rad isn't thick or dense with fins static pressure wouldn't be as important as CFM.

 

[Lyian]

Even so, 92 CFM (max) for 120mm fans isnt that bad really. You could proly get more but they would likely be a lot louder. I didnt go to the h100 cause im not overclocking for a while. But it seemed like a good cooler.

 

[Mjolnir]

120 for you guys maybe.. It's 160+ here in Aus.. If it was 120 I would've bought it already.. Lol. Grr... I can get an XSPC RS240 Kit for a cheaper price than a H100- and an RX240 for the same price.. But I'm not interested in maintaining a proper loop, and all that jazz.. WC'ing isn't my thing.. ><

 

[Lyian]

120 for you guys maybe.. It's 160+ here in Aus.. If it was 120 I would've bought it already.. Lol. Grr... I can get an XSPC RS240 Kit for a cheaper price than a H100- and an RX240 for the same price.. But I'm not interested in maintaining a proper loop, and all that jazz.. WC'ing isn't my thing.. ><

haha, i kinda agree.. Id like to get one at some point just to play around with, and custom loops look neat, but i dont actually *need* one

 

[Nebulous]

Very nice write up. These LCLC have come a long way. Can you imagine if these where out during the socket A days?

 

[Robert17]

Nice reveiw.

Just a note to make sure "your" case can easily accept the rads: My H60 doesn't top-mount in my Phantom due to the spacing of the screw holes placement for the 200mm fan set-up that NZXT has pre-configured in the top of the case. Custom brackets need to be added to that case. And probably others as well.

Since not everyone can or wants to mod their case it would be a good idea to check for mount points before buying. Nevertheless, I'm thinking, since your review, that I could mod some brackets in the top, mount the H100, and move my H60 to Unit 2. Hmmmmmm, wonder if the puppy would mind skipping a week or two of treats ??? A few extra degress of cooling would let me push towards 4Ghz 24/7...safely.

 

[freeagent]

The H100 is a very good cooler imo. I had my doubts with it at first.. I did not like the fans that came with it.. If you can mount the rad in a location that provides an unobstructed flow of air, with minimal turbulence, you will have a solid performer

I have 4x 38x120s strapped to mine, and am folding at 4209mhz, for that clock speed I need to use 1.46v, with LLC that translates to about 1.47v loaded. I am seeing load temps in the low to mid 70s, a bit higher in the 70s when the furnace comes on. I have the NH-D14, and a classic TRUE, and this thing mops the floor with em

 

[Convicted1]

Awesome review!

Hopefully this will put an end to the "all LCLC solutions are total junk" claims.

 

[Diggrr]

Nope, not total junk, but if they'd consider a premium unit with a copper radiator I might consider buying one.
Call it a 125 or something, I'd pay the extra.

On second thought, does the whole series have the same water block/pump unit? The same black neoprene tubing is available and I have a radiator...hmmmm.

 

[bmwbaxter]

the h80 and 100 have the same pump/block... I believe the all the other units vary slightly.

 

[Diggrr]

I suspected so with the digital link thingy available only on the top two.
Thanks!
$100 bucks is still less than a waterblock and pump in most cases.

 

[synphul]

coolant and warranty..

A lot of people equate coolant in LCLC systems to that of cars. Even with a 5yr warranty I'd be a little suspicious. Coolant variants like 'dexcool' are rated to 5yrs when in fact it can cause problems, corrosion of aluminum and build up. Hopefully what they use is more along the lines of standard green propylene glycol. I know first hand what 'extended life' versions like dexcool do in a full size car system (radiator channels etc) and would think even though temps are lower than a car, the parts dealt with are much smaller and perhaps more prone due to more restricted lines and weaker pumps than automotive. Are these LCLC systems factory sealed or serviceable?

 

[bmwbaxter]

A lot of people equate coolant in LCLC systems to that of cars. Even with a 5yr warranty I'd be a little suspicious. Coolant variants like 'dexcool' are rated to 5yrs when in fact it can cause problems, corrosion of aluminum and build up. Hopefully what they use is more along the lines of standard green propylene glycol. I know first hand what 'extended life' versions like dexcool do in a full size car system (radiator channels etc) and would think even though temps are lower than a car, the parts dealt with are much smaller and perhaps more prone due to more restricted lines and weaker pumps than automotive. Are these LCLC systems factory sealed or serviceable?

they are factory sealed, one of the reasons LCLC are becoming so popular is that they are basically maintenance free. the only thing you should do is use an air can to blow the dust out of the rad.

 

[synphul]

Those don't appear to be bad temps for what it is, considering the lower cost compared to a custom multi loop system. I'd be a bit concerned about it not being serviceable, but at that price and the pros of easy hassle free setup - seems to be a better alternative to the older h70's or even the new liquid coolers from intel.

 

[=XAF=AfterShock]

just got my h100 installed in my new switch 810 case and so far it doesn't seem to be doing as good as the h70 was. My unit had fin damage and the fan mounting screws pretty much are forced threaded into the radiator creating metal dust and flakes, had to use an air compressor to clean it out. The mounting method for AMD chips is also far less effective compared to the h70, 2 mounting points vs 4 which unlike the intel install you cannot torque the tumbscrews too much without the risk of snapping off the am3 mounting block.

I'm going to try reseating and running the fans off my mobo headers vs the waterblock to see if I can get this to perform somewhere a little closer to what I was getting with the h70, I have a feeling that if there was a review pinning the h70 vs h100 on a quad or hex core phenom the odds would be on the h70's side for having much greater mounting force and likely more coolant to move around.

 

[caddi daddi]

I just went from an h60 to the h100 with an fx 8120, my 24/7 clock was 4.2 ghz and loaded temp of 58c now i am at 4.7 ghz and 54c. the h60 i ran high speed fans in a push me/pull you, on the h100 i am running the stock fans.