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Today we are going to take a look at Corsair's latest high-end CPU cooler, the H80i. It boasts a similar feature set to the H100i, however it has a more compact radiator which only requires one 120mm fan vent for installation. It replaces the popular Corsair H80 cooler which is very highly regarded among enthusiasts.
With the exception of the smaller radiator, the Corsair H80i is pretty much identical to the H100i. It benefits from the same updated feature set as the H100i which includes broader tubing, a revised pump and a pair of Corsair's impressive SP120 fans.
The main advantage that the H80i has over the H100i is compatibility. There are many cases on the market which simply don't have room for the H100i and its large 240 mm radiator. The H80i, on the other hand, only requires a single 120 mm fan vent which can be found on most cases.
Specifications
The Corsair H80i is supplied in a large cardboard box which is covered in an attractive black and red livery. This contrasts with the black and blue packaging we have seen with previous products in Corsair's H-Series range. There is a large image of the cooler on the top of the box which gives us an idea of what to expect inside.
Flipping the box over reveals some detailed information about the cooler. The box is very good quality and should be substantial enough to withstand fairly severe abuse from negligent couriers.
Inside the box we find a whole host of mounting accessories for the cooler. There are brackets included for both AMD and Intel platforms as well as all the cables you need to hook the H80i up to your system. There is also a fan splitter cable included as the cooler is supplied with two fans for a push-pull configuration.
Corsair have chosen to move to thick rubber tubing for the H80i which we think is far superior to the FEP tubing which featured on the original H80. This rubber tubing is a lot thicker and also much more flexible than the FEP tubing. These two attributes will help more coolant flow through the tubes and will make the installation procedure slightly easier.
As we mentioned earlier in the review, Corsair have developed a new pump for the H80i. This is contained within the newly designed CPU block which features a large LED backlit Corsair logo on the top. The colour of this light can be configured in the included Software bundle to any shade of your choice.
We find a number of connections on the CPU block which include a mini-USB connector, and two fan splitter adapter.
There is also a thin cable coming straight out of the CPU block which terminates in SATA power and 3-pin fan headers.
The most noticeable difference between the H80 and H80i is the different fans included with each. The H80i is supplied with a pair of Corsairs new SP120 fans which are already highly regarded by enthusiasts despite only being on the market for a month or so. These attach to either side of the radiator in a push-pull configuration.
As the H80i only features a 120mm square radiator, it's 38mm deep which is 13mm thicker than the radiator employed in the H100i. This should help narrow any performance difference between the two based on the size of radiator.
One of the most interesting features of the H80i is the Corsair Link V2 software which is bundled with the cooler. This lets us manually adjust fan speeds, set different fan profiles and even create our own fan profiles for the cooler. This will let you configure the cooler to suit your specific needs.
Corsair have altered the design of the mounting mechanism slightly from the H80 but it's fairly similar. The main difference is that the H80i features magnetic retention bracket which simply slot over the pump and are held in place by magnets. This makes things a lot easier for AMD users as the brackets no longer have to be unscrewed. We will be documenting the installation procedure with an ASRock Z77 Extreme6 motherboard.
Corsair recommend installing the radiator into your case before attaching the CPU block to the motherboard. However, we wouldn't advise installing the fan on the inside of the radiator until after you have everything else installed as it can get in the way of the screws which need to be attached to secure the CPU block in place.
We also wouldn't advise this if your case doesn't have a cut out section in the motherboard tray to allow CPU cooler backplates to be installed without removing the motherboard. In this case we would attach the backplate and stand-offs to the motherboard before installing the motherboard into the case.
Installing the radiator into the case is a little fiddly as you have to sandwich the fan in place between the case and the radiator while screwing everything together. We recommend installing the cooler so it exhausts air out of the rear of the case.
Next, the backplate needs to be placed on the back of the motherboard so the four protruding screw threads poke through the corresponding holes. The position of these can be adjusted to suit both Socket 1155/1156 and Socket 1366 motherboards.
Once the backplate is in place, the four stand-offs can be screwed in from the top side of the motherboard. These provide the mounting points for the CPU block.
Then, the CPU block can be secured into place using the thumbscrews provided. We would recommend tightening them with a screwdriver to ensure the mounting pressure is sufficient. We must take care not to over-tighten the screws.
Finally, all the cables need to be connected to your system. These include a 3-pin fan connector which needs to be plugged into your CPU fan motherboard header, a SATA power connector and an internal USB2.0 header which enables Corsair Link. Also, the two fans can be plugged into the CPU block using the provided adapter.
To test the performance of the Corsair H80i we built up a powerful Z77 based system to push the cooler to its limits. It features an Intel Core i7-3770K which was overclocked to 4.7 GHz using a core voltage of 1.3 V.
For comparison purposes, we will be showing results from the original Corsair H100 as well as the Corsair H80 and H80i. Both the H80i and H100i were updated to the latest V1.0.4 Firmware before testing.
We tested each unit in the three different preset modes; Performance, Balanced and Quiet. We also set the fan speed to maximum with the H80i and H100i as this can be achieved through the Corsair Link Software.
Test System
- Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K
- Motherboard: ASRock Z77E-ITX
- Memory: 8 GB Mushkin Blackline 1333 MHz
- Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-2
- Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7950
- Graphics Card (noise tests): HIS Radeon HD 5550 Silence
Software
- Prime 95 (64-bit)
- CPUID Hardware Monitor
- Corsair Link V2.2.0
For our temperature tests we loaded the system for 15 minutes using Prime 95 and recorded the CPU temperature using CPUID HWMonitor. We then restarted the system and left it idling at the desktop for 15 minutes before recording temperatures. Room temperature was maintained at 18 degrees Celsius for the duration of the tests.
We can see that the H80i performs much better than the original H80, especially in the overclocked tests. We can also see that it offers a similar level of performance to the H100i which is impressive considering the compact radiator.
In our noise level tests we switched off all the case fans and replaced the AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics card with a HD 5550 passive model so were just taking into account the noise generated by the fans themselves. We measured the noise level with a Digital Noise Level meter at a distance of 1m from the front of the case.
The H80i also performed well in this test. It as inaudible in quiet mode and the noise level only increased slightly with balanced mode activated. In performance mode it was fairly loud but not intrusive and with the fans set to maximum, the was deafeningly loud.
Overall we are very impressed by what the Corsair H80i has to offer. It improves significantly on the previous H80 model which was already one of the best coolers on the market.
We were very impressed by the performance of the H80i as it rivals that of the H100i in most areas. This is thanks to the combination of a slightly thicker radiator and a push-pull fan configuration. We imagine that the H100i would pull ahead if it were configured with push-pull fans, though.
As we've come to expect from Corsair, build quality can't be faulted. It's quite clear that they are committed to ensuring the H80i lasts as long as possible. For example, some users of the original H80 had issues with the pins of the Molex connector pushing out the back when connecting it up. Corsair have responded to this by using a SATA power connector for the H80i which won't suffer from this issues.
The most interesting aspect of the H80i has to be the Corsair Link V2 software, though. This allows the user to configure numerous aspects of the coolers function and performance to suit their needs. It's like nothing else currently on the market and sweetens the deal nicely.
At a price of around £75 from Overclockers UK, the Corsair H80i is far from cheap. However, we think it's a must have for those who can afford the price tag as it offers great performance and useful features that aren't available elsewhere.
Pros
- Excellent performance.
- Quality fans included.
- Easy installation.
- Corsair Link Software
- Good compatibility.
Cons
- A little pricey.
KitGuru says: Another winning product from Corsair.
