Corsair H100i - 2 x 120 Millimeter Watercooler Review
Category : Watercooling
Published by Marc Büchel on 26.08.13
With the H100i, Corsair has a closed-loop watercooler in their portfolio, which can be equipped with two 120 millimeter fans. Therefore we expect great cooling performance at a very reasonable noise level. Apart from that, owners get the possibility to use Corsair's Link Software, which lets you controler fans speeds. So far we're quite curious how this thing is going to perform.
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On the following pages we will show you what the Corsair H100i is capable of.
Preview
Specifications and included in delivery
Specifications
| Model | Corsair H100i |
| Material | Aluminium / Copper / plastic |
| Dimension (D x W x H) Heat Exchanger | 122 mm x 275 mm x 27 mm |
| Fan | 2 x 120 mm x 120 mm x 25 mm |
| RPM | 2700 rpm +/- 10 |
| Tubes | PVC |
Included in delivery
- Cooling block
- Heat exchanger 240 mm
- 2 x 120 mm Fan
- Mounting kit for Socket LGA 775 / LGA 1155 / LGA 1156 / LGA 1366 / LGA 2011 AMD: FM1, AM2 (+) / AM3 (+) / 754/ 939 / 940
- Mounting components
- Manual
The H100i ships well protected, that none of the parts included will be damaged during transport. Corsair includes not only an Intel but also an AMD mounting kit. Therefore the cooler is compatible to both worlds right out of the box. Furthermore the manufacturer puts two of its own 120 millimeter fans into the box. The fans feature a 4-pin connector (PWM), which means that if you plug them to the board directly, you can easily alter rotation speeds. Corsair also bundles this unit with their Link software. For that purpose there are headers on the waterblock, where you can connect break-out cables. To these cables you can then plug the fans and regulate rpm speeds via the software.
Construction and design
Construction
Corsair provided the H100i with a dual fan heat-exchanger which offers space for two 120 millimeter fans. The manufacturer makes use of a heat-exchanger that is made from aluminum entirely. Compared to radiators which have been made from copper entirely, this gives the manufacturer some more headroom when it comes to product pricing. Usually closed-loop watercoolers feature quite a competitive price tag and we can say the H100i is in that range too. Although the H100i is competitively priced, the build quality is on a good level. It doesn't matter if you take a closer look at the radiator, the tubings or the cooling block. Everything is well built and in case of the tubings Corsair makes use of a new kind of rubber coating, which should offer lower evaporation. Regarding the cooling block Corsair uses a familiar piece, which features micro channels and a cooper base plate that doens't come with a mirror finish, but still quality is on a reasonable level. |
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Mounting
Corsair ships their H100i with mounting kits that are compatible to the most common Intel and AMD sockets. Basically mounting the cooler is very simple and we didn't even have to check the manual. Even beginner will feel comfortable installing this cooler, since it's easy and self explanatory.
Thanks to the compact cooling unit you'll find plenty of space on any board. You can be dead sure that there will be no compatibility issues at all. On the other hand there is the radiator which makes you want to have a case, that comes with two 120 millimeter ventilation holes right next to one another. Before you buy an H100i you should make sure, that your case offers space to mount this closed-loop watercooler. Apart from that we recommend to install the fans in a pull configuration and put them inbetween radiator and case. Like this you make sure to get best possible cooling and at the same time you keep temperature inside the case low.
Testsystem and testroutine
Testsystem
| Cooler | |
| Mainboard | ASUS P6T Deluxe |
| Processor | Intel Core i7 920 2.66 GHz 4C / 8T |
| Memory | Kingston HyperX 3 x 1 GByte |
| Graphics card | Gigabyte GTX 285 |
| Hard disk | Samsung Spinpoint F1 640 GByte |
| Power supply | Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050 Watt |
Testroutine
The CPU is being evaluated using Real Temp and with Prime95 we reach nearly 100% load on the CPU. For measuring the noise level we use a Voltcraft SL-200 decibel meter, which is positioned one meter from the CPU cooler with the fan mounted.- 2.66 GHz 12 volts load
- 2.66 GHz 7 volts load
Results 2.66 GHz 12 volts
| Cooler / fan | Temp. diff. load | Absolute temp. | RPM | Noise | Price | Review link |
| EK Water Blocks Kit L360 - Triple Fan (Push) - EK-Supreme LTX CPU block | 21 K | 48 °C | 1600 rpm | 41.7 dBA | CHF 294 (EUR 220) | EK Water Blocks Kit L360 |
| Aquatuning NexXxoS XP3 Light @ Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 360mm - Triple Fan (Pull) | 24 K | 51 °C | 1200 rpm | 36.9 dBA | CHF 360 (EUR 300) | Aquatuning NexXxoS XP3 @ Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 360mm - Triple Fan |
| Corsair H100i - Dual Fan | 26 K | 53 °C | 2700 rpm | 48.8 dBA | CHF 122 (EUR 88) | Corsair H100i |
| Corsair H110 - Dual Fan | 27 K | 51 °C | 1500 rpm | 41.9 dBA | CHF 125 (EUR 104) | Corsair H110 |
| Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige - Dual Fan | 27 K | 52 °C | 1600 rpm | 46.5 dBA | CHF 186 (EUR 155) | Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Triple Fan | 28 K | 57 °C | 1250 rpm | 41.3 dBA | CHF 124 (EUR 103) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Dual Fan | 29 K | 58 °C | 1250 rpm | 41.1 dBA | CHF 99 (EUR 83) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Corsair H90 - Dual Fan | 29 K | 53 °C | 1500/1500 rpm | 42.1 dBA | CHF 96 (EUR 80) | Corsair H90 |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E - Dual Fan | 30 K | 56 °C | 1100/1300 rpm | 41.8 dBA | CHF 70 (EUR 58) | Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Single Fan | 30 K | 59 °C | 1250 rpm | 40.7 dBA | CHF 99 (EUR 83) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Noctua NH-U14S - Dual Fan | 30 K | 60 °C | 1300/1300 rpm | 41.2 dBA | CHF 82 (EUR 65) | Noctua NH-U14S |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Super Mega - Dual Fan | 30 K | 57 °C | 1400/1400 rpm | 40.8 dBA | CHF 126 (EUR 105) | Prolimatech Megahalems Super Mega Dual Fan |
| Corsair H90 - Single Fan | 30 K | 54 °C | 1500 rpm | 41.4 dBA | CHF 96 (EUR 80) | Corsair H90 |
| Noctua NH-D14 - Single Fan | 31 K | 56 °C | 1300/1200 rpm | 40.9 dBA | CHF 114 (EUR 95) | Noctua NH-D14 |
| Noctua NH-U14S - Single Fan | 31 K | 61 °C | 1300 rpm | 39.8 dBA | CHF 82 (EUR 65) | Noctua NH-U14S |
| Cooler Master TPC 800 - Dual Fan | 32 K | 61 °C | 1400 rpm | 41.2 dBA | CHF 113 (EUR 94) | Cooler Master TPC 800 |
| Enermax ELC240 - Dual Fan | 32 K | 57 °C | 1500 rpm | 43.4 dBA | CHF 107 (EUR 89) | Enermax ELC240 |
| Prolimatech Armageddon - Dual Fan | 33 K | 56 °C | 1100/1100 rpm | 36.4 dBA | CHF 70 (EUR 58) | Prolimatech Armageddon |
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 | 33 K | 61 °C | 1400/1400 rpm | 42.0 dBA | CHF 96 (EUR 80) | BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 |
| Alpenföhn Nordwand - Dual Fan | 33 K | 57 °C | 1500 rpm | 43.0 dBA | CHF 103 (EUR 86) | Alpenföhn Nordwand |
| Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Single Fan | 33 K | 57° C | 1800/1800 rpm | 43.6 dBA | CHF 75 (EUR 63) | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| Gelid GX-7 - Dual-Fan | 33 K | 53 °C | 1800/1800 rpm | 45.5 dBA | CHF 45 (EUR 38) | Gelid GX-7 |
| Alpenföhn Gotthard - Single Fan | 34 K | 60 °C | 1200 rpm | 39.7 dBA | CHF 65 (EUR 54) | Alpenföhn Gotthard |
| Gelid The Black Edition - Dual Fan | 34 K | 60 °C | 1600/1500 rpm | 41.4 dBA | CHF 72 (EUR 59) | Gelid The Black Edition |
| Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Single Fan | 34 K | 58° C | 1800 rpm | 42.8 dBA | CHF 75 (EUR 63) | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| SilverStone Heligon HE01 | 35 K | 61 °C | 1900 rpm | 48.2 dBA | CHF 84 (EUR 70) | SilverStone Heligon HE01 |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow - Dual Fan | 34 K | 58 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.5 dBA | CHF 79 (EUR 66) | Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow |
| Enermax ETS-T40-VD - Single Fan | 34 K | 57 °C | 1900 rpm | 42.4 dBA | CHF 43 (EUR 36) | Enermax ETS-T40-VD |
| Noctua NH-C14 - Dual Fan | 35 K | 57 °C | 1250 rpm | 41.0 dBA | CHF 91 (EUR 76) | Noctua NH-C14 |
| Alpenföhn Nordwand - Single Fan | 35 K | 59 °C | 1500 rpm | 42.4 dBA | CHF 79 (EUR 66) | Alpenföhn Nordwand |
| Gelid GX-7 - Single Fan | 35 K | 55 °C | 1800 rpm | 45.0 dBA | CHF 45 (EUR 38) | Gelid GX-7 |
| Coolink Corator DS - Single Fan | 35 K | 57 °C | 1900 rpm | 47.9 dBA | CHF 45 (EUR 38) | Coolink Corator DS |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow - Single Fan | 36 K | 59 °C | 1400 rpm | 37.0 dBA | CHF 79 (EUR 65) | Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow |
| Prolimatech Armageddon - Single Fan | 37 K | 60 °C | 1100 rpm | 35.9 dBA | CHF 88 (EUR 73) | Prolimatech Armageddon |
| BeQuiet! Shadow Rock - Single Fan | 37 K | 60 °C | 1500 rpm | 42.7 dBA | CHF 63 (EUR 53) | BeQuiet Shadow Rock |
| Corsair H5O - Dual Fan | 37 K | 59 °C | 1600 rpm | 44.4 dBA | CHF 133 (EUR 111) | Corsair H5O |
| Noctua NH-C14 - Single Fan | 38 K | 60 °C | 1250 rpm | 39.4 dBA | CHF 91 (EUR 76) | Noctua NH-C14 |
| Thermalright Macho 120 - Single Fan | 38 K | 64 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.8 dBA | CHF 38 (EUR 32) | Thermalright Macho 120 |
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock 2 - Single Fan | 38 K | 65 °C | 1400 rpm | 42.0 dBA | CHF 77 (EUR 64) | BeQuiet! Dark Rock 2 |
| Noctua NH-U12P - Dual Fan | 38 K | 62 °C | 1400 rpm | 41.6 dBA | CHF 125 (EUR 104) | Noctua NH-U12P |
| Corsair H5O - Single Fan | 38 K | 60 °C | 1600 rpm | 44.0 dBA | CHF 113 (EUR 94) | Corsair H5O |
| Cooler Master Hyper 412S - Single-Fan | 39 K | 62 °C | 1200 rpm | 41.6 dBA | CHF 57 (EUR 48) | Cooler Master Hyper 412S |
| Cooler Master Hyper 212Evo - Single-Fan | 39 K | 62 °C | 1500 rpm | 42.9 dBA | CHF 50 (EUR 40) | Cooler Master Hyper 212S |
| Noctua NH-U12P - Single Fan | 40 K | 64 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.5 dBA | CHF 85 (EUR 71) | Noctua NH-U12P |
| Thermalright AXP-100 | 46 K | 72 °C | 2400 rpm | 43.1 dBA | CHF 48 (EUR 40) | Thermalright AXP-100 |
| Prolimatech Samuel 17 - Single Fan | 56 K | 85 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.1 dBA | CHF 49 (EUR 41) | Prolimatech Samuel 17 |
Results 2.66 GHz 7 Volts
| Cooler / fan | Temp. diff. load | Absolute temp. | RPM | Noise | Price | Review link |
| EK Water Blocks Kit L360 - Triple Fan (Push) - EK-Supreme LTX CPU block | 25 K | 52 °C | 650 rpm | 32.4 dBA | CHF 294 (EUR 220) | EK Water Blocks Kit L360 |
| Aquatuning NexXxoS XP3 Light @ Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 360mm - Triple Fan (Pull) | 27 K | 54 °C | 600 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 360 (EUR 300) | Aquatuning NexXxoS XP3 @ Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 360mm - Triple Fan |
| Corsair H100i - Dual Fan | 30 K | 57 °C | 700 rpm | 33.2 dBA | CHF 122 (EUR 88) | Corsair H100i |
| Corsair H110 - Dual Fan | 30 K | 53 °C | 650 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 125 (EUR 104) | Corsair H110 |
| Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige | 32 K | 56 °C | 800 rpm | 43.8 dBA | CHF 186 (EUR 155) | Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige |
| Noctua NH-U14S - Dual Fan | 33 K | 64 °C | 1000/1000 rpm | 37.7 dBA | CHF 82 (EUR 65) | Noctua NH-U14S |
| Corsair H90 - Dual Fan | 34 K | 58 °C | 650/650 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 96 (EUR 80) | Corsair H90 |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E - Dual Fan | 34 K | 60 °C | 500/900 rpm | 35.0 dBA | CHF 70 (EUR 58) | Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Triple Fan | 34 K | 63 °C | 750 rpm | 35.1 dBA | CHF 124 (EUR 103) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Corsair H90 - Single Fan | 35 K | 59 °C | 650 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 96 (EUR 80) | Corsair H90 |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Dual Fan | 35 K | 64 °C | 750 rpm | 34.9 dBA | CHF 99 (EUR 83) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Super Mega - Dual Fan | 35 K | 62 °C | 800 rpm | 40.8 dBA | CHF 126 (EUR 105) | Prolimatech Megahalems Super Mega Dual Fan |
| Noctua NH-U14S - Single Fan | 35 K | 65 °C | 1000 rpm | 37.3 dBA | CHF 82 (EUR 65) | Noctua NH-U14S |
| Noctua NH-D14 - Single Fan | 36 K | 61 °C | 1000/900 rpm | 37.2 dBA | CHF 114 (EUR 95) | Noctua NH-D14 |
| Noctua NH-C14 - Dual Fan | 37 K | 59 °C | 800 rpm | 34.1 dBA | CHF 91 (EUR 76) | Noctua NH-C14 |
| Cooler Master TPC 800 - Dual Fan | 37 K | 66 °C | 800 rpm | 34.2 dBA | CHF 113 (EUR 94) | Cooler Master TPC 800 |
| Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Dual Fan | 37 K | 61 °C | 1200/1200 rpm | 37.1 dBA | CHF 75 (EUR 63) | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow - Dual Fan | 37 K | 61 °C | 1000 rpm | 38.9 dBA | CHF 79 (EUR 66) | Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow |
| Enermax ELC240 - Dual Fan | 37 K | 62 °C | 1500 rpm | 37.0 dBA | CHF 107 (EUR 89) | Enermax ELC240 |
| Prolimatech Armageddon - Dual Fan | 38 K | 61 °C | 650 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 70 (EUR 58) | Prolimatech Armageddon |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Single Fan | 38 K | 67 °C | 750 rpm | 34.6 dBA | CHF 99 (EUR 83) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| SilverStone Heligon HE01 | 38 K | 64 °C | 1000 rpm | 34.7 dBA | CHF 84 (EUR 70) | SilverStone Heligon HE01 |
| Gelid The Black Edition - Dual Fan | 38 K | 64 °C | 1100/1000 rpm | 34.8 dBA | CHF 72 (EUR 59) | Gelid The Black Edition |
| Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Single Fan | 38 K | 62 °C | 1200 rpm | 36.7 dBA | CHF 75 (EUR 63) | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow - Single Fan | 39 K | 63 °C | 1000 rpm | 36.2 dBA | CHF 79 (EUR 66) | Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow |
| Prolimatech Armageddon - Single Fan | 41 K | 64 °C | 650 rpm | 32.3 dBA | CHF 88 (EUR 73) | Prolimatech Armageddon |
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 | 40 K | 67 °C | 500/500 rpm | 33.3 dBA | CHF 96 (EUR 80) | BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 |
| Alpenföhn Gotthard - Single Fan | 41 K | 67 °C | 700 rpm | 35.5 dBA | CHF 65 (EUR 54) | Alpenföhn Gotthard |
| Gelid GX-7 - Dual Fan | 42 K | 62 °C | 700 rpm | 34.0 dBA | CHF 45 (EUR 38) | Gelid GX-7 |
| Noctua NH-C14 - Single Fan | 42 K | 64 °C | 800 rpm | 33.5 dBA | CHF 91 (EUR 76) | Noctua NH-C14 |
| Corsair H5O - Dual Fan | 42 K | 64 °C | 900 rpm | 37.5 dBA | CHF 133 (EUR 111) | Corsair H5O |
| Alpenföhn Nordwand - Dual Fan | 43 K | 67 °C | 700 rpm | 37.0 dBA | CHF 103 (EUR 86) | Alpenföhn Nordwand |
| BeQuiet! Shadow Rock - Single Fan | 43 K | 66 °C | 800 rpm | 36.7 dBA | CHF 63 (EUR 53) | BeQuiet Shadow Rock |
| Cooler Master Hyper 412S - Single Fan | 43 K | 69 °C | 800 rpm | 35.8 dBA | CHF 57 (EUR 48) | Cooler Master Hyper 412S |
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock 2 - Single Fan | 44 K | 70 °C | 500 rpm | 32.9 dBA | CHF 77 (EUR 64) | BeQuiet! Dark Rock 2 |
| Thermalright Macho 120 - Single Fan | 44 K | 70 °C | 700 rpm | 34.2 dBA | CHF 38 (EUR 32) | Thermalright Macho 120 |
| Noctua NH-U12P - Dual Fan | 44 K | 68 °C | 1000 rpm | 38.0 dBA | CHF 125 (EUR 104) | Noctua NH-U12P |
| Enermax ETS-T40-VD - Single Fan | 45 K | 66 °C | 650 rpm | 32.7 dBA | CHF 43 (EUR 36) | Enermax ETS-T40-VD |
| Gelid GX-7 - Single-Fan | 45 K | 65 °C | 700 rpm | 33.5 dBA | CHF 45 (EUR 38) | Gelid GX-7 |
| Noctua NH-U12P - Single Fan | 45 K | 69 °C | 1000 rpm | 37.4 dBA | CHF 85 (EUR 71) | Noctua NH-U12P |
| Coolink Corator DS - Single Fan | 46 K | 68 °C | 800 rpm | 35.0 dBA | CHF 45 (EUR 38) | Coolink Corator DS |
| Corsair H5O - Single Fan | 46 K | 68 °C | 900 rpm | 35.4 dBA | CHF 113 (EUR 94) | Corsair H5O |
| Alpenföhn Nordwand - Single Fan | 48 K | 72 °C | 700 rpm | 36.4 dBA | CHF 79 (EUR 66) | Alpenföhn Nordwand |
| Cooler Master Hyper 212Evo - Single-Fan | 52 K | 75 °C | 750 rpm | 35.3 dBA | CHF 50 (EUR 40) | Cooler Master Hyper 212S |
| Thermalright AXP-100 | 57 K | 83 °C | 1200 rpm | 37.0 dBA | CHF 48 (EUR 40) | Thermalright AXP-100 |
| Prolimatech Samuel 17 -Single Fan | 67 K | 96 °C | 800 rpm | 36.2 dBA | CHF 49 (EUR 41) | Prolimatech Samuel 17 |
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| Corsairs H100i closed-loop watercooler was really able to convince us. Not only the performance were excellent, the build quality as well as the noise level was very good too. It really doesn't matter what you're looking at when you have the H100i in your hands. The only thing that could have been done better is the surface of the cooling block. This one could have been mirror lapped, altough that would be only for the looks and doesn't affect the cooling performance. Also the pump has been a great choice, since it's only causing a very silent humming noise, which you won't hear, when it's in a case. | - Cooling
capacity
- Noise level |
||
| Installation | + | - | |
| The installation process is very easy and there are very few coolers, which are easier to install. If you decide to buy such an all-in-one watercooler, first you should make sure, that your case offers plenty of space for a 240 millimeter radiator. | -
Super easy
- Compatible with Intel and AMD sockets |
||
| Performance | + | - | |
| During our tests we used the Corsair fans, which were included in delivery. If you drive these 120 millimeter fans at 7 Volt they are silent and at 12 Volt (2'700 rpm) they can be described as very loud. A closer look at the test results shows that the H100i shows excellent cooling capabilites at 12 Volt as well as at 7 Volt. | -
Excellent cooling
capacity
- 4-Pin PWM |
- Noise level at max rpm | |
| Recommendation | + | - | |
| If you should be thinking about buying an all-in-one watercooler and you have a case that can house a 240 millimeter radiator, then the H100i from Corsair is a great choice. Last but not least about 100 Euro is an attractive price tag for such a product. |
- Enthusiast PC
- Gaming PC - Slient-PC (7V) |
Author: Marc Büchel m.buechel@ocaholic.ch