Corsair H100 Extreme Performance Liquid Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Corsair H1003. Corsair H100 (Installation)4. Corsair H100 (Super High Res Gallery)5. Testing Methodology and Performance Results6. Acoustics Performance7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

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.

Become a Patron!