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Corsair announced its long-awaited Hydro X custom loop cooling hardware at Computex and Melissa got hands-on with the kit in Corsair’s suite at the Hyatt. Now it’s time for KitGuru’s third bite at the cherry as Leo works through the reviewer’s pack and tell you exactly what you can expect from Hydro X. Spoiler alert; there’s going to be a large amount of RGB.
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Overview of Hydro X
The review kit consists of two CPU blocks, one graphics block and a pump/reservoir unit, all housed in a Pelican case. In addition we received a 240mm radiator, a 360mm radiator, two bottles of coolant, a decent number of fittings and a selection of hard and soft tubing. While we did not quite receive the entire range of products we certainly have enough Hydro X kit to form a clear view about this new product range.
CPU Blocks
You have a choice of two CPU blocks that cost £70 with a plastic top or £75 with a cosmetic aluminium top. The XC9 model fits Intel LGA 2066 and AMD TR4 and has 70+ fins on its coper cold plate. The XC7 for LGA115x/AM4 looks almost identical but has 60+ fins on the cold plate. Both blocks are supplied with pre-applied thermal compound and we understand the 0.20-0.25mm fin density is comparable with hardware from the likes of EKWB.
Installation looks straightforward and is clearly based on the mounts that are familiar from AIO coolers. We can see the two G1/4 threads are arranged symmetrically, however there is a jet plate inside the block which means that one port is the intake while the other is an outlet.
Pump/Reservoir
Corsair has manufactured the XD5 pump with 100mm reservoir using injection moulding, which requires expensive tooling and results in a product that looks plasticky but which is initially expensive to manufacture. In the longer term we have to assume the Corsair will be able to produce these parts at a lower unit cost.
The pump is a European D5 with a PWM connection that is powered by Molex, which means it falls in the mainstream of custom loop hardware. The Corsair part of the equation is the inclusion of RGB LEDs that connect to a Commander Pro control unit.
Corsair charges a hefty £150 for the XD5, however it is supplied with isolation mounts and also with 120mm/140mm fan mounts. Also included is a temperature sensor that installs in one of the G1/4 ports so you get a decent amount of hardware for your money and have no need to buy any accessories.
Graphics Blocks
Corsair supplied us with an XG7 graphics block for RTX 2080 Founders Edition. This is a copper block that is nickel plated and comes with an aluminium cover and backplate. Corsair is promoting the fact the block includes a flow indicator, which is a novel feature.
Blocks are available for GTX 10-series, RTX 20-series, 2080/2080 Ti Strix and Vega 64 with prices ranging from £135 to £165. Each block is manufactured by CNC machining which means it is quick and easy to make, and the design can be easily adapted to allow Corsair to manufacture variants for after-market graphics cards. As you can see in our video there is a chamber in the block that hides away the RGB hardware and cables.
Radiators, Fittings and Coolant
Corsair makes no secret that it has sourced radiators, fittings and coolant from Hardware Labs Performance Systems, Bitspower International and Mayhems Solutions, respectively. These parts have been extensively tested for compatibility and you should have no problems using other fittings from the likes of Alphacool and EKWB (provided you avoid aluminium parts) and Pastel coolant shouldn't be an issue either.
Radiators by Hardware Labs fall into two groups. The XR5 models are 30mm thick while XR7 are 54mm thick. That thicker size sounds unusual, however it is well established in Hardware Labs’ Nemesis GTR and GTX models. Both 120mm and 140mm units are available with sizes ranging from 120mm/140mm to 480mm/420mm which should keep most people happy. Prices start at £40 and top out at £130 which looks absolutely fine.
XF Series brass fittings by Bitspower are available in three types; 10/13mm soft line, 12mm OD hard line and 14mm OD hard line in white, grey, gold and black. Add in speciality fittings (45 degree, 90 degree, Y splitter, fill port and ball valve) and you have quite a few permutations to play with, although it is clear Corsair could increase the size of the product range without difficulty.
XT Tubing comes in three sizes to match the fittings. The is a single size of soft line PVC tubing which is 10/13mm, and two sizes of acrylic hard line tubing (10/12mm and 10/14mm). Corsair is using acrylic and has chosen to avoid PETG.
Coolant (by Mayhems) is listed in clear, green, red, blue and purple at £15 a litre with Pastels due in the future. If you wish to switch to another brand/colour of coolant that should be OK. If your chosen coolant is currently compatible with hardware from the likes of Heatkiller it should be absolutely fine with Hydro X.
The Configurator
Corsair’s Hydro X hardware uses a conventional combination of D5 pump, 120mm/140mm radiator units and a choice of blocks for your CPU and GPU – however this can still be intimidating territory for anyone who is venturing into custom cooling. The ace in the hole is Corsair’s Custom Cooling Configurator which allows you to give details of your case, motherboard, CPU and GPU and then suggests a configuration that can both cool your hardware and which will also fit inside your case.
The obvious point here is that Corsair is a case manufacturer and has extensive records about the exact dimensions of a number of very popular cases. It seems likely to us that Corsair will start working on distribution panels that will fit inside a number of their cases, particularly those that share a common core chassis.
Closing Thoughts
In essence, Corsair has created some new CPU blocks that borrow from their extensive knowledge of AIO (all in one) liquid cooling and has decided to use a D5 pump/reservoir at the heart of the system. The range of graphics blocks is quite restricted and mainly covers Nvidia Founders Edition RTX and GTX, along with a certain amount of Asus Strix with the promise of more models to come.
Radiators, fittings and coolant are an essential part of the equation and these are sourced from Hardware Labs Performance Systems, Bitspower International and Mayhems Solutions. The Corsair part of the equation is the RGB lighting that is controlled by iCUE. This software suite also plays its part with Corsair’s extensive portfolio of products such as SSDs, RAM, fans, cases and gaming peripherals.
The cherry on top of this particular cake is Corsair’s configurator that helps you decide which hardware will work inside your PC and then gives you a simple one click option for placing your order. A typical custom loop for both CPU and GPU will set you back £600 and could easily cost £800 if you add extra radiators. We are not the least bit surprised that Corsair is keen to blow this market open and grab sales for itself.
That said, if they merely grab a slice of the existing custom loop market we would find that slightly depressing. Instead our hope is that Corsair’s bold move will prompt EKWB, Alphacool and others to push the technology forward and to expand the market. Corsair did this with AIO coolers and now the time has come for custom loop.
See the full range on Corsair's website HERE.
KitGuru says: Corsair Hydro X has finally arrived! Stay tuned for our full review.
