[nextpage title=”Introduction”]
The H110 is a sealed liquid CPU cooler from Corsair with a 280 mm radiator and two 140 mm fans. Let’s test it and check its performance.
Although sold by another brand, the H110 is very similar to the NZXT Kraken X60, which we recently tested. The only visible differences are the fans, and that the Kraken X60 has a built-in USB interface and fan controller, which are absent on the H110.
Figure 1 shows the huge box of the Corsair H110.
Figure 1: Package
Figure 2 shows the contents of the box: the radiator-block set, fans, manual, and installation hardware.
Figure 2: Accessories
This watercooler is discussed in detail in the following pages.
[nextpage title=”Radiator”]
The sealed radiator-block system is shown in Figure 3. At the top is the 280 mm radiator; at the bottom-right, the block.
Figure 3: Sealed system
Figures 4 and 5 reveal the radiator of the H110. It measures 5.5 x 12.3 x 1.1 inches (140 x 312 x 29 mm).
Figure 4: Radiator
Figure 5: Radiator
[nextpage title=”Block and Fans”]
The block, with the integrated pump, is shown in Figure 6. There is a cable on the block with a three-pin connector that powers the pump. The block is similar to the Corsair H90’s, with no LEDs or connectors.
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
Figure 8 illustrates the 140 mm PWM fans that come with the H110. The fans have nominal speed of 1,500 rpm, airflow of 94 cfm, and noise level of 35 dBA.
Figure 8: Fans
[nextpage title=”Installation”]
In Figure 9, you can see the backplate with the nuts installed (at the left) and the mounted frame (at the right) for use with Intel CPUs, except for socket LGA2011 systems that use the stock backplate, as on AMD processors.
Figure 9: Backplate and frame
In Figure 10, you see this frame installed on the block.
Figure 10: Frame assembled
After assembling the frame on the block, install the system inside your case. Figure 11 shows the H110 installed in our system, with the radiator at the top panel of the case. Following the instructions of the manual, we installed the fan blowing air as intake.
Figure 11: Installation finished
[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 interfere 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
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 Master 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 |
| NZXT Kraken X60 (Silent) | 26 °C | 46 dBA | 1000 rpm | 62 °C | 36 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X60 (Extreme) | 26 °C | 60 dBA | 1650 rpm | 60 °C | 34 °C |
| Prolimatech Genesis Black Series | 25 °C | 46 dBA | 1150 rpm | 69 °C | 44 °C |
| Phanteks PH-TC12DX | 25 °C | 51 dBA | 1850 rpm | 74 °C | 49 °C |
| Corsair H90 | 23 °C | 51 dBA | 1550 rpm | 61 °C | 38 °C |
| Corsair H110 | 27 °C | 58 dBA | 1500 rpm | 60 °C | 33 °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 H110 CPU cooler include:
- Application: Sockets LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, LGA2011, AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, and FM2
- Radiator dimensions: 5.5 x 12.3 x 1.1 inches (140 x 312 x 29 mm) (W x L x H)
- Block height: 1.1 inches (28 mm)
- Fins: Aluminum
- Base: Copper
- Heat-pipes: None
- Fans: 2 x 140 mm
- Nominal fan speed: 1,500 rpm
- Fan air flow: 94 cfm
- Power consumption: 2 x 4.8 W
- Nominal noise level: 35 dBA
- More information: https://www.corsair.com
- Average Price in the U.S.*: USD 120.00
* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.
[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]
The Corsair H110 is a simple liquid cooling system for CPUs with a huge radiator cooled by two 140 mm fans side-by-side, with a cooling performance that equals the most powerful sealed water coolers we tested so far.
It may lack extras such as color-changing LEDs, integrated fan controller, and USB interface, but what the H110 delivers is simple, plain, cooling performance.
The main drawback of its design is the case incompatibility, since most cases don’t have room for a 280 mm radiator. Therefore, make sure to pick a compatible case before buying the H110.
Due to its top performance, the Corsair H110 receives our Golden Award.
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