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‘All in one' watercoolers have taken the enthusiast sector by storm in the last year. Not only have units from Corsair, Antec and Coolit proved to perform very well, but they are easy to fit and leave a lot of free space around the CPU socket. Today we are looking at the latest and greatest from Corsair – the H100.
The H100 is a ‘no maintenance' design which is claimed to deliver ultimate cooling performance with an idiot proof installation method. It uses a 240 x 120mm radiator to increase the surface area for improved performance.
Corsair are utilizing a new micro channel cold plate design with a split flow manifold. The new low profile pump is supplied with a push button control feature to offer three different performance settings.
The H100 also uses high quality Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) tubing which will ensure longevity thanks to reduced evaporation rates. The H100 supports AM2 and AM3 processors without a custom backplate installation. All Intel platforms are supported including LGA775, LGA 1155, LGA 1156 and LGA 1366 and even the upcoming LGA 2011 socket.
Corsair offer a five year warranty with the H100 cooler.
| Corsair H100 Extreme Performance Liquid Cooler | |
| Radiator Dimensions | 22mm x 275 mm x 27 mm |
| Fan Dimensions | 120 x 52 mm (x2) |
| Max Fan Speeds | (+/- 10%): up to 1300 RPM (Low Noise), 2000 RPM (Balanced), and 2500 RPM (High Performance) |
| Fan Air Flow | 46 – 92 CFM |
| Fan Static Pressure | 1.6 – 7.7mm/H20 |
| Noise Level | 22 – 39 dBA |
The Corsair H100 box is a very attractive design, sure to stand out in a retail store.
The top of the box pulls open to reveal the bundle inside. The cooler itself is shipped inside heavy duty cardboard sure to withstand some serious abuse during shipping.
The bundle includes the radiator, two 120mm fans, literature on the installation process and all the necessary mounting brackets and screws for both AMD and Intel platforms.
The manual is well written and easy to follow … always a plus point. There are two sides to the manual, one for AMD and the other for INTEL systems. In the image above (second row, bottom right), there is a backplate, a fan header extension cable and the AMD mounting brackets.
Corsair supply two quality 120mm fans, each of which ends in a 3 pin fan header.
These are attached to the CPU block as can be seen in the image above.
We immediately noticed the superb quality of the radiator, which unlike some others we have received in the past, was unmarked and in perfect condition. The FEP tubing is slightly more difficult to work with, due to the rigidity but there are many plus points to using this particular design.
For instance there will be very little, if any, liquid evaporation over a long period of time. The cables are also really tough and can cope with rough handling. The hoses can rotate at the head, making positioning and adjustment really easy.
The CPU block contains 4 headers for direct fan control. This also helps improve system routing during the build phase. The cooler connects to the motherboard via a standard pin header and it takes power from a molex connector.
The H100 has a ‘Corsair Link Digital Temp Sensor' for connection to a Corsair Link Commander unit, which is available separately. With this extra unit you can monitor pump speed, coolant temperature, fan speed and even set up custom performance profiles. There is a button on the top of the H100 block which controls various fan speeds (and therefore noise levels). We look at this on the performance page later in the review.
The H100 cooling block utilizes a split flow manifold. This means that when the liquid flows into the block in the center it flows out at the sides, before circulating back into the radiator. Corsair say that this system ensures improved cooling as the liquid absorbs heat from the hottest area of the CPU heatspreader.
The Corsair H100 is really a very simple cooler to install, and an improvement over their older Asetek built units. We are using an Asus Rampage III Black Edition motherboard for the review today.
The Intel backplate simply slots into position behind the board.
Above, an image of how easy it is to install. We simply removed both side panels with the motherboard already installed in the case and positioned the backplate.
Four double ended screws (with a center section to match the height of the CPU in the board) are bolted into the backplate from the front.
The H100 block is attached, then four screws are threaded in to hold the block in place
The screws can be then tightened with a driver. Be sure not to overtighten. Mounting pressure is a strong point with this particular design.
The two 120mm fans are then attached into the CPU block (this can be done beforehand if you want).
On this page we present some super high resolution images of the Corsair H100 Cooler taken with the 24.5MP Nikon D3X camera and 24-70mm ED lens. These will take much longer to open due to the dimensions, especially on slower connections. If you use these pictures on another site or publication, please credit Kitguru.net as the owner/source.
For our review today we are using an Intel Core i7 990X (engineering sample) processor, with the Asus Rampage III Black Edition motherboard. We have spent the last week retesting the leading coolers on this board.
While we could use an open test bench, we like to try and mirror more ‘realistic’ conditions so we use one of the best chassis currently available on the market – the Lian Li X2000F chassis, which actually needed a little work to accept the radiator.
The Lian Li X2000F is our reference chassis for cooler reviews, but it doesn't have a position for a single 240mm radiator at the rear. Thinking outside the box a little we used the front of the case with a 120mm to 140mm adapter plate, after removing two of the Lian Li 140mm intake fans.
We swapped the Corsair 120mm fans to intake air across the radiator and into the case, rather than expel out the back (as it isn't possible in this chassis). Corsair recommend that the fans are used in the reverse position, and normally we would agree. However, we want to maintain the front to back flow system as shown above.
Intel System:
Processor: Intel Core i7 990x
Motherboard: Asus Rampage III Black Edition X58
Thermal Paste: Noctua NT H1
Power Supply: ADATA 1200W
Chassis: Lian Li X2000F
Memory: Kingston T1 Modules @ 1600mhz (12GB @ 9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card: Asus GTX580
Comparison coolers:
Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920
Antec KÜHLER H₂O 620
Corsair H50
Corsair H70
Coolit ECO A.L.C.
Coolit Vantage A.L.C.
Noctua NH D14
There is no point testing these coolers at reference clock speeds as the results are all too closely matched. We therefore cranked the Intel Core i7 990x to 4.8ghz at 1.49volts.
System validation is available over here.
Above, a quick run of Cinebench 11.5 64 bit at 4.8ghz. A score over 12 points means this is pretty much as good a ‘mainstream' system as you will get for rendering or video editing duties.
The H100 has a button on the top which allows the user to switch between three cooling profiles. These vary the fan speeds according to the coolant temperature. In the image above we have selected the performance setting.
Quiet: fan speed range, 900 – 1300rpm
Balanced: fan speed range, 1300 – 2000rpm
Performance: fan speed range, 1600 – 2600rpm
We use a diode attached to the CPU, as software monitoring is often inaccurate by a couple of degrees Celcius (or more). Room ambient was maintained at 23c throughout testing. We loop Cinebench 11.5 for 30 minutes to mirror real world working conditions under 100% load.
Impressive, to say the least. It had to happen sometime, and the Corsair H100 has ousted the Noctua NH D14 (Austrian Sandwich) from the top position on the leaderboard. At the performance setting it is just over a full degree celcius better, and it matches the D14 at the balanced setting.
We have changed our method of measuring noise levels. Ambient noise in the room is around 28 dBa. We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the chassis and 4 foot from the ground with our Extech digital sound level meter to mirror a real world situation.
Our system was left in an overclocked state, running at 4.8ghz.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
These noise results are excellent, especially considering we are pumping almost 1.5 volts through the 990x at 4.8ghz. Unless you will be running a similar system, you can be assured that the noise levels will be lower. For those interested, the noise levels at idle drop to just over 31 dBa which is barely audible.
The Noctua NH D14 has been the highest performing ‘mainstream' enthusiast level cooler now for around a year. None of the liquid coolers or flagship heatsinks have managed to oust it from the top spot and we were beginning to wonder if it was possible. Until today.
The Corsair H100 is without question the highest performing all in one cooler on the market, outperforming the D14 by around a single degree under full, overclocked load. Obviously some test results might vary a little, but the only way to test these coolers is to crank then to the limit with the hottest running CPU on the market today – Intel's Core i7 990X.
First impressions of the bundle are almost faultless. Two quality fans are bundled, as well as instructions for both AMD and Intel platforms. High quality thermal paste is preapplied and the fitting is as painless as we have experienced. With the Asus Rampage III Black Edition motherboard already installed in a case, we fitted the H100 in around 5 minutes.
Noise levels are also very impressive, because Corsair haven't decided to cut corners by including sub standard fans, an issue we always raise when testing Thermaltake coolers. There is no excuse for it, and Corsair earn bonus for taking the high road.
Performance is the main selling point, because if you want to overclock then this product should be your first choice. It is easy to fit, is built to the highest standards and will allow your system to reach new heights. After the review was completed, we managed to get our 990x to 5.1ghz @ 1.53 volts and the temperatures peaked at around 81c when fully loaded.
Pricing in the UK right now is around £80 inc vat, which makes it around £15 more expensive than the Noctua NH D14. Remember however that the D14 takes up a lot of physical space around the CPU socket and may block high profile memory.
Pros:
- claims top spot as the best mainstream cooler on the market.
- built to the highest standards.
- two quality fans included.
- demands much less physical room around the CPU socket than leading air cooling designs.
Cons:
- Check your chassis will accept the giant radiator.
- It is expensive.
Kitguru says: The new king of coolers.
