Corsair H100 Review
Corsair H100 Review
Published: 12th August 2011 | Source: Corsair | Price: £87 |
Introduction
So we finally have the Corsair H100 in the OC3D labs. You all know it's the range topper in the Hydro series and you really don't need us to waffle on with needless introductions. Mainly because we have been inundated with requests to test the H100 since pictures were first leaked a few months back. So lets not waste time and get straight on with the specifications and testing.
Specifications
Radiator Dimensions | 122mm x 275mm x 27mm |
Fan Dimensions | 120mm x 120mm x 25mm |
Fan Speed | (+/- 10%): up to 1300 RPM (Low Noise), 2000 RPM (Balanced), and 2500 RPM (High Performance) |
Fan Airflow | 46 - 92 CFM |
Fan dBA | 22 - 39 |
Fan Static Pressure | 1.6 - 7.7mm/H20 |
Package Contents
- Corsair Cooling H100 CPU Cooler
- Two 120mm fans
- Multi-platform mounting kit (Intel ® LGA 1366, 1155, 1156, and 775, AMD® AM2/AM3)
- Thermal compound (pre-applied)
- Quick Start Guide
Testing
Test Setup
Gigabyte UD3R V2
Intel i7 950 @ 4GHz 1.25v
Mushkin Radioactive 2000MHz
HIS 6850
Corsair Carbide 400R
Corsair AX750w
Testing
For the first test we set our i7-950 overclocked to 200x20 @ 1.25v for a clock speed of 4.0GHz. We allow the system to idle for 10 minutes and then run Prime95 'maximum heat maximum stress' setting for a further 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes we note the temperatures of all cores and the ambient temperature of the room. An average of all cores is taken, then the ambient temperature is removed from this figure and this gives us the delta temperature. Delta is the temperature difference above ambient which is a truer reflection of the heat-sink performance rather than mere maximum figures. Testing in an Igloo or the Sahara would give vastly different maximum temperatures, yet the Delta could be the same.
The second test follows all steps from above but with a 200x21 @ 1.35v for 4.2GHz overclock, the extra voltage in this test allows us to see if the heat-sink can cope when extreme loads and overclocks are applied.
Moving on to the 4.4GHz tests which we run at 200x22 with a 1.45v Vcore. The reason why there are not many results in these graphs is because these are the ONLY coolers we have tested that have passed this hardcore test.
Video Review
Conclusion
So you've seen the graphs, possibly watched the video and are bound to have noticed a Gold Award at the bottom of the page. "You best explain this and fast" I'm hearing you say in your strictest voice, thanks for not using the motherly one because we are all out of cougar jokes this week.
Fitting the H100 is easy, if you are capable of fitting any other CPU cooler then you are capable of fitting this. All you need to consider is where and how you are going to fit the radiator. An easy and very loose guide would be you'll need 50mm of room above the top of your motherboard is fitted. There is obviously too many variables to go beyond this.
The tests we carried out with the adjuster on the main body of the pump at both minimum and maximum levels to test the difference between the two in both temperatures and noise levels. I am happy to report that in my eyes the option of having this Jekyll and Hyde option for a Corsair unit is brilliant. Before you had to set fan profiles or use fan speed controllers because, let's face it, the fans Corsair supply are far from quiet at 12v. The simplicity of just being able to press that button is brilliant. Another positive note is even if you have the dial all lit up and everything set to max when the system is at idle of low temperatures the unit will still slow the fan speeds down with them only ramping up once the temperatures start to rise.
So when testing at 4GHz the H100 was just over 2c warmer than the NH-D14, that was the only test it lost though. I say that in honest shock and I did retest each one several times to make 100% certain. So yes as the graphs suggest when running the H100 at maximum in both the 4.2GHz and 4.4GHz the H100 was cooler than the NH-D14 and only beaten by full on watercooling kits. The trade off of these temperatures is some quite high noise levels, indeed it's far from silent. There's no taking away from the fact when testing the H100 does sit quite nicely between the air coolers and "proper" watercooling kits.
The fact you can still turn the H100 down easily is in my eyes its trump card, because its roughly a 4-6c increase but with a massive reduction in noise. So you can set your system up with some hefty over-volts and overclocks for 24/7 and still be able to keep things cool and quiet but with a flick of a switch you can unleash the full cooling power for those silly bench runs and even higher over volts that you would not want to be running 24/7.
So the recap is yes on max the H100 is still noisy like ALL of the Hydro series has been. The clever thing is though is that the fans can easily be set to spin much slower without temperatures rocketing. At around £90 the price does sting a bit, also unless you buy a Corsair case you may find this difficult to fit so its far from perfect. Taking everything into account though I think the H100 deserves the OC3D gold award and I'll openly admit this is the only Hydro I would actually recommend people buy. I just hope Corsair keep working on this range because they are definitely heading in the right direction now.
Thanks to Corsair for the H100 we tested today, you can discuss the results in our forums.
Most Recent Comments
Quote
Quote
Pre-made watercooling beating the Noctua? The price of bacon better not sky rocket when the pigs escape from their pens.On a side note, can't wait until you review the Corsair 400R and maybe the 500R later on
QuoteYou could change the fans for push/pull arrangement but more adding additional cost to an already expensive product!Quote
I have some questions:-Is it possible or even advisable to buy 4 other fans best to mount this type of cooler in a push / pull? Do you think the gain in temperature is interesting?
-Do you think the inverted mounting fans (fresh air which enters the case) can be a good option without this increase over the temperature of other components of the PC?
-Do you think the fans are good or should it consider replacing them for better?
Thank you.
Quote
Quote
Quote
QuoteFirstly, the fans. Yes, not quiet, but they're shifting 92CFM on full! Even with aftermarket fans you're going to struggle to push that through without Scythe Slip Streams, which still put out 35dBA+ anyway. In fact, to get below the magic 20dBA mark you're going to have to go Noctua NF-S12B FLX, which firstly only push 59.2CFM, and secondly are around £20 each.
Which brings me to the price. £90. First thing people will say, and Tom pointed out in the vid, is "That's £25 more than the D14". Factor that in, plus a pair of Noctuas to make it anywhere near livable with, and you're looking at £130. Exactly the price of the XSPC Rasa 240 kit on Specialtech, which will give much better temps than a heatsink or an all-in-one unit every day of the week.
Still, never a bad thing to have the option there. For me, and for the above reasons, I'd go with a solid silver.
(Before anyone starts, I completely understand Tom giving it gold, as it heavily outweighed his expectations. And I think it's fair to say the expectations of many of us)Quote
I'm totally amazed that TTL likes this - but then not having preconceived ideas going in and giving everything a fair whack (apart from ThermalTake obviously) is what I love about your reviews.
For me it needs to be thicker and have less dense fins so that it can be super quiet... Nice review - I think they'll sell like hot cakes...Quote
|
Originally Posted by nothingspecial
Which brings me to the price. £90. First thing people will say, and Tom pointed out in the vid, is "That's £25 more than the D14". Factor that in, plus a pair of Noctuas to make it anywhere near livable with, and you're looking at £130. Exactly the price of the XSPC Rasa 240 kit on Specialtech, which will give much better temps than a heatsink or an all-in-one unit every day of the week. |
love your reaction ttl
QuoteAt least with the H100 you install the kit and your done , but with watercooling you have the task of leak testing and an hour or two of installation. Then there is the added cost of cooling fluid etc each time you need to clean the loop and the extra work every six to twelve months of cleaning out the loop.
The only thing you need to do with the H100 is take the rad off the case every once in a while to clean it from dust.
I will sure as hell upgrade to the H100 when I am replacing my CPU and motherboard.Quote
I would get one if it was a bit cheaper but £90
Quote Removeable motherboard trays, Best thing ever. Quote This makes me wonder lol if it'll hang with helping me go for the gold with my 2600K lolQuote[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5auv8UvYn0&feature=player_embedded[/media]
I wonder if they will produce a range of fans that can change colour?Quote
These are audible fans,but not as noisy as stock fans.If i were to add other fans,the xspc rs360 kit is within 30£.
But corsair is going right direction with the H100.Quote
http://i2.sqi.sh/s_3/9KL/l_tomsface.jpg
first the jaw dropped, then the eyebrow raised and then it dawned lol. You looked trully shocked Tom.Quote
QuoteBut then I do value quietness
Quote|
Originally Posted by badtaylorx
what im waiting for personally is for corsair to start spitting out "one size fits many" gpu coolers in this style......when that happens sign me up |
http://www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/omni.htmlQuote
Quote|
Originally Posted by sheroo
Coolit, who are one of Corsairs partners, and I think make most of the "H" series range for them already have... http://www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/omni.html |
How did the fan manufacturer manage to squeeze 7.7mm/H2O of static pressure? Noctua NF-P12 120mm Fan only give out 1.68 and they were designed with static pressure in mind!Quote
Good idea, good product , bad execution of the fan controller ...Quote
|
Originally Posted by mayhem
They should ship that with a external fan controller as standard not as a addon on. A small bracket with a button would be better than having it on the top of the cpu block. how many people gonna keep opening up there case to get dust in just to change the fan speed. I thought that would have make is a silver not a gold award. Good idea, good product , bad execution of the fan controller ... |
|
Originally Posted by Zeals
Coolit make the H60, H80 and H100. The H50 and H70 were made by Antec I believe. How did the fan manufacturer manage to squeeze 7.7mm/H2O of static pressure? Noctua NF-P12 120mm Fan only give out 1.68 and they were designed with static pressure in mind! |
So I'm waiting for that one to see how well it beats out the H100.Quote
i saw another review using 4 quiet fans in push pull and the temps dropped even more a good -4 to 6c at full load using 1.35v at 4.5ghz on a core i7950 the user highly reccomended it but did comment on the fins being bent as the supplied screws were slightly too long corsair aparently have fixed this issue.
he did state that the 4 fans he bought cost him a further £80 uk £20 each for highflow 17db at 12v and it would of worked out cheaper to get a full water kit.Quote
|
Originally Posted by UkGouki
i would only get this with push pull fans on it then it would not sit so nicely at the top of a corsair case it would fit nicely into a haf x though. i saw another review using 4 quiet fans in push pull and the temps dropped even more a good -4 to 6c at full load using 1.35v at 4.5ghz on a core i7950 the user highly reccomended it but did comment on the fins being bent as the supplied screws were slightly too long corsair aparently have fixed this issue. he did state that the 4 fans he bought cost him a further £80 uk £20 each for highflow 17db at 12v and it would of worked out cheaper to get a full water kit. |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbH1mhZWRn8&feature=player_embeddedQuote
Orange ..that would go good with a Gigabyte X58A-OC buildQuoteQuoteMaybe they'll figure out there might be more value in a thicker radiator that has some sort of "quick disconnect" feature so people can mount the radiator on the outside. If they can't do it cheaply for $100 US or less, its probably pointless though.Quote
|
Originally Posted by badtaylorx
what im waiting for personally is for corsair to start spitting out "one size fits many" gpu coolers in this style......when that happens sign me up |
I haven't seen it for sale anywhere except bestbuy.com but its been atleast a week since I looked around for it... purely out of curiosity.Quote
|
Originally Posted by clonazepam
PNY's got a closed loop cooling system on their gtx 580s. It's a 120mm job. I personally wouldn't even consider it b/c you run into the problem of "wtf do I mount this ?" - especially if you did sli hehe I haven't seen it for sale anywhere except bestbuy.com but its been atleast a week since I looked around for it... purely out of curiosity. |
And yeah, I agree with your concerns about mounting, I imagine it'd have to go on the rear exhaust mount, and the CPU Rad would have to go in the roof. It'd make a case messy.....Quote
CSS Valid
Continue ReadingQuote