Corsair H100i CPU Cooler Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

This time we are reviewing the Corsair H100i, a sealed liquid cooling system for CPUs, with a 240 mm radiator cooled by two 120 mm fans and featuring the “Corsair Link” USB interface that allows the computer to control and monitor temperature, pump, and fan speed. Check it out!

Recently, we tested the H80i, a smaller version of this cooler, with a 120 mm radiator, which proved to be a good product. Let’s if its big brother also deserves our recommendation.

Figure 1 shows the box of the Corsair H100i.

Figure 1: Package

Figure 2 shows the contents of the box: the radiator-block set, fans, manuals, cables, and installation hardware.

Figure 2: Accessories

This watercooler is discussed in detail in the following pages.

[nextpage title=”The Radiator”]

The sealed radiator-block system is shown in Figure 3. At the left is the radiator; at the right is the block. The 240 mm radiator of the H100i uses two 120 mm fans side-by-side, and can also be installed with four fans in a push-pull configuration.

Figure 3: Sealed system

Figures 4 and 5 reveal the radiator of the Corsair H100i.

Figure 4: Radiator

Figure 5: Radiator

[nextpage title=”Block and Fan”]

Figure 6 shows the block. The power cable has a connector that must be connected attached to a SATA power cable of the power supply. This may be a problematic if the user has a relatively old power supply with few SATA power cables, or if he or she is using all the available SATA cables. There is also a single cable that must be connected to the “CPU cooler” header of the motherboard, since many motherboards must receive the rpm signal of the CPU cooler fan in order to work properly.

There are connectors in the block for the fans (at the left) and for the USB cable (at the right). Each one of the connectors at the left is intended to be used with a harness that connects two fans. The H100i comes with two harnesses, which allows the user to install up to four fans. The white area at the top of the block is illuminated by LEDs whose colors can be configured by the user.

Figure 6: Block

The base of the block, which is made of copper, is revealed in Figure 7. The thermal compound comes pre-applied.

Figure 7: Base

The cables that come with the H100i are shown in Figure 8. The cable on top connects the H100i to a USB port of the motherboard. Each one of the harnesses below it allows you to connect two fans at the block.

Figure 8: Cables

Figure 9 illustrates the 120 mm fans that come with the Corsair H100i. The fans have three-pin connectors.

Figure 9: Fans

[nextpage title=”Installation”]

In Figure 10, you can see the mounting hardware of the H100i. At the left is the frame and screws for use with AMD processors (which use the stock backplate), and at the right the backplate and frame for use with sockets LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, and LGA2011.

Figure 10: Mounting hardware

Figure 11 shows the screws installed on the component side of the motherboard.

Figure 11: Screws installed

The last step is to install the system inside the computer, attaching the block on the CPU and the radiator on the top panel of the case. (Some cases allow the installation of 240 mm radiators on the bottom or front panels.) The fans must be installed as exhaust.

Figure 12: Installation finished

The software that controls the H100i must be downloaded from the Corsair website. The fans can be configured for several manual or automatic modes. The color of the LEDs at the block can also be configured. We liked the option to change the color of the LEDs according to the temperature of the coolant liquid. Figure 13 shows the application screen.

Figure 13: Corsair Link screen

We tested the H100i in two modes: Quiet and Maximum.

[nextpage title=”How We Tested”]

We tested the cooler with a Core i5-2500K CPU (quad-core, 3.3 GHz), which is a socket LGA1155 processor with a 95 W TDP (Thermal Design Power). In order to get higher thermal dissipation, we overclocked it to 4.0 GHz (100 MHz base clock and x40 multiplier), with 1.3 V core voltage (Vcore). This CPU was able to reach 4.8 GHz with its default core voltage, but at this setting, the processor enters thermal throttling when using mainstream coolers, reducing the clock and thus the thermal dissipation. This could inter
fere with the temperature readings, so we chose to maintain a moderate overclocking.

We measured noise and temperature with the CPU under full load. In order to get 100% CPU usage in all cores, we ran Prime 95 25.11 with the “In-place Large FFTs” option. (In this version, the software uses all available threads.)

We compared the tested cooler to other coolers we already tested, and to the stock cooler that comes with the Core i5-2500K CPU. Note that the results cannot be compared to measures taken on a different hardware configuration, so we retested some “old” coolers with this new methodology. This means you can find different values in older reviews than the values you will read on the next page. Every cooler was tested with the thermal compound that comes with it.

Room temperature measurements were taken with a digital thermometer. The core temperature was read with the SpeedFan program (available from the CPU thermal sensors), using an arithmetic average of the core temperature readings.

During the tests, the panels of the computer case were closed. The front and rear case fans were spinning at minimum speed in order to simulate the “normal” cooler use on a well-ventilated case. We assume that is the common setup used by a cooling enthusiast or overclocker.

The sound pressure level (SPL) was measured with a digital noise meter, with its sensor placed near the top opening of the case. This measurement is only for comparison purposes, because a precise SPL measurement needs to be made inside an acoustically insulated room with no other noise sources, which is not the case here.

Hardware Configuration

• Processor: Core i5-2500K
• Motherboard: ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z
• Memory: 16 GB G.Skill Sniper (DDR3-1600/PC3-12800), configured at 1,600 MHz
• Hard disk: Seagate Barracuda XT 2 TB
• Video card: Point of View GeForce GTX 460 1 GB
• Video resolution: 1920×1080
• Video monitor: Samsung SyncMaster P2470HN
• Power supply: Seventeam ST-550P-AM
• Case:  Cooler Master HAF 922

Operating System Configuration

• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit SP1

Software Used

• Prime95
• SpeedFan

Error Margin

We adopted a 2°C error margin, meaning temperature differences below 2°C are considered irrelevant.

[nextpage title=”Our Tests”]

The table below presents the results of our measurements. We repeated the same test on all coolers listed below. Each measurement was taken with the CPU at full load. In the models with a fan supporting PWM, the motherboard controlled the fan speed according to core load and temperature. On coolers with an integrated fan controller, the fan was set at the full speed.

Cooler	Room Temp.	Noise	Speed	Core Temp.	Temp. Diff.
Cooler Master Hyper TX3	18 °C	50 dBA	2850 rpm	69 ºC	51 °C
Corsair A70	23 °C	51 dBA	2000 rpm	66 ºC	43 °C
Corsair H100	26 °C	62 dBA	2000 rpm	64 ºC	38 °C
EVGA Superclock	26 °C	57 dBA	2550 rpm	67 ºC	41 °C
NZXT HAVIK 140	20 °C	46 dBA	1250 rpm	65 ºC	45 °C
Thermalright True Spirit 120	26 °C	42 dBA	1500 rpm	82 °C	56 °C
Zalman CNPS12X	26 °C	43 dBA	1200 rpm	71 °C	45 °C
Zalman CNPS9900 Max	20 °C	51 dBA	1700 rpm	62 °C	42 °C
Titan Fenrir Siberia Edition	22 °C	50 dBA	2400 rpm	65 °C	43 °C
SilenX EFZ-120HA5	18 °C	44 dBA	1500 rpm	70 °C	52 °C
Noctua NH-L12	20 °C	44 dBA	1450 rpm	70 °C	50 °C
Zalman CNPS8900 Extreme	21 °C	53 dBA	2550 rpm	71 °C	50 °C
Gamer Storm Assassin	15 °C	48 dBA	1450 rpm	58 °C	43 °C
Deepcool Gammaxx 400	15 °C	44 dBA	1500 rpm	60 °C	45 °C
Cooler Mast er TPC 812	23 °C	51 dBA	2350 rpm	66 °C	43 °C
Deepcool Gammaxx 300	18 °C	43 dBA	1650 rpm	74 °C	56 °C
Intel stock cooler	18 °C	41 dBA	2000 rpm	97 °C	79 °C
Xigmatek Praeton	19 °C	52 dBA	2900 rpm	83 °C	64 °C
Noctua NH-U12P SE2	18 °C	42 dBA	1300 rpm	69 °C	51 °C
Deepcool Frostwin	24 °C	46 dBA	1650 rpm	78 °C	54 °C
Thermaltake Frio Advanced	13 °C	56 dBA	2000 rpm	62 °C	49 °C
Xigmatek Dark Knight Night Hawk Edition	9 °C	48 dBA	2100 rpm	53 °C	44 °C
Thermaltake Frio Extreme	21 °C	53 dBA	1750 rpm	59 °C	38 °C
Noctua NH-U9B SE2	12 °C	44 dBA	1700 rpm	64 °C	52 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Pro	15 °C	54 dBA	2000 rpm	52 °C	37 °C
Deepcool Fiend Shark	18 °C	45 dBA	1500 rpm	74 °C	56 °C
Arctic Freezer i30	13 °C	42 dBA	1350 rpm	63 °C	50 °C
Spire TME III	8 °C	46 dBA	1700 rpm	70 °C	62 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer	11 °C	54 dBA	2000 rpm	49 °C	38 °C
Arctic Alpine 11 PLUS	11 °C	45 dBA	2000 rpm	82 °C	71 °C
be quiet! Dark Rock 2	10 °C	41 dBA	1300 rpm	58 °C	48 °C
Phanteks PH-TC14CS	16 °C	47 dBA	1300 rpm	58 °C	42 °C
Phanteks PH-TC14PE	16 °C	48 dBA	1300 rpm	57 °C	41 °C
SilverStone HE01 (Q)	19 °C	44 dBA	1150 rpm	63 °C	44 °C
SilverStone HE01 (P)	20 °C	57 dBA	2050 rpm	62 °C	42 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Extreme (S)	17 °C	44 dBA	1250 rpm	52 °C	35 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Extreme (E)	17 °C	53 dBA	1900 rpm	50 °C	33 °C
Deepcool Neptwin	11 °C	46 dBA	1500 rpm	56 °C	45 °C
SilverStone HE02	19 °C	49 dBA	2000 rpm	64 °C	45 °C
Zalman CNPS9900DF	23 °C	45 dBA	1400 rpm	68 °C	45 °C
Deepcool ICE BLADE PRO V2.0	22 °C	43 dBA	1500 rpm	67 °C	45 °C
Phanteks PH-TC90LS	24 °C	47 dBA	2600 rpm	95 °C	71 °C
Rosewill AIOLOS	20 °C	40 dBA	1600 rpm	94 °C	74 °C
Corsair H60	20 °C	49 dBA	2000 rpm	64 °C	44 °C
Zalman LQ310	27 °C	51 dBA	2050 rpm	65 °C	38 °C
Noctua NH-L9i	24 °C	44 dBA	2500 rpm	95 °C	71 °C
NZXT Respire T40	20 °C	45 dBA	1850 rpm	76 °C	56 °C
NZXT Respire T20	21 °C	45 dBA	1900 rpm	77 °C	56 °C
Zalman LQ315	20 °C	52 dBA	1950 rpm	57 °C	37 °C
Corsair H80i (Quiet)	19 °C	44 dBA	1100 rpm	61 °C	42 °C
Corsair H80i (Maximum)	19 °C	57 dBA	2500 rpm	55 °C	36 °C
NZXT Kraken X40 (Silent)	25 °C	44 dBA	1050 rpm	66 °C	41 °C
NZXT Kraken X40 (Extreme)	25 °C	53 dBA	1650 rpm	62 °C	37 °C
Zalman LQ320	20 °C	52 dBA	2100 rpm	57 °C	37 °C
Corsair H100i (Quiet)	22 °C	45 dBA	1150 rpm	58 °C	36 °C
Corsair H100i (Maximum)	22 °C	61 dBA	2500 rpm	54 °C	32 °C

In the graph below, you can see how many degrees Celsius hotter the CPU core is than the air outside the case. The lower this difference, the better is the performance of the cooler.

In the graph below, you can see how many decibels of noise each cooler makes.

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the Corsair H100i CPU cooler include:

• Application: Sockets LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, LGA2011, AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, and FM2
• Radiator dimensions: 4.7 x 10.8 x 1.1 inches (120 x 275 x 27 mm) (W x L x H)
• Block height: 1.26 inches (32 mm)
• Fins: Aluminum
• Base: Copper
• Heat-pipes: None
• Fans: Two, 120 mm
• Nominal fan speed: 2,700 rpm
• Fan air flow: 77 cfm
• Power consumption: 2 x 4.32 W
• Nominal noise level: 37.68 dBA
• More information: https://www.corsair.com
• Average Price in the U.S.*: USD 110.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The Corsair H100i presented an exceptional cooling performance in our tests, outperforming the former best-performance liquid cooling solution in our roundup, the Thermaltake WATER2.0 Extreme.

With the fans at their maximum speed, the noise level was high. However, configuring them at their minimum speed, the cooling performance was still excellent. This means the user can find an optimum balance between cooling performance and noise level.

For its flexibility, ease of installation, quality of construction, and incredible cooling performance, the Corsair H100i receives our Golden Award.