Corsair H50 Review
Introduction
Published: 21st May 2010 | Source: Corsair | Price: £62.31 |
Introduction
Heat.
Heat is the bane of the overclocker. More than almost any other factor you can think of, heat is what limits the potential of your hardware. Even if you prefer to leave your hardware at stock then heat can still contribute to the lifespan of your components. With fiscal considerations being up-most in most peoples mind then getting the most you can out of every item is a primary consideration.
Not so long ago we would all gladly trade any amount of noise for good temperatures because the speed increase from overclocking was so large as the stock speeds were so low. As technology brought rapid improvements in the stock speed of processors, as well as the introduction of digital media, more and more people sought silence as their primary focus rather than absolute performance.
Thankfully with the invention of tower heatpipe coolers it was possible to have great temperatures and, because you can choose your own fan, silence as well.More and more companies have taken this method of CPU cooling and produced their own varieties. However due to the nature of the design they're all very similar.
The alternative, apart from LN2 or other very esoteric cooling types, is to go water cooling. However water cooling can be a bit of a minefield if you're new. Many types of tubing, fittings, radiators etc etc all mean that, assuming you've got the room in your case and the time to leak test and the swathes of cash necessary, it's still a bit adventure.
So what if you want something different from the norm? What if you could combine the qualities of a water-cooling setup, with the price of a good air-cooler?
Enter Corsair with the H50, designed in combination with Asetek. Does it really offer everything?
Most Recent Comments
Overall the build quality is good, and it allows mounting in a case which is prohibitively small for a big tower.
EDIT: Got mine for £50 from ebuyer
Mine must use an older retention though because it's totally different and plastic. It can be a bit of a sod to install on AM2/3 also unless you stick the back bracket on (which I don't reccomend).
Also I have noticed that the Noctua review does not cover AMD at all (unless of course I have missed it) and if it performs anything like Noctua's other coolers do on AMD then I would have the Corsair hands down. I would be very interested to see if the Noctua performs well on AMD tbh. If so then I just may be persuaded to try one out.
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