Conclusion
For those who have a 240mm grill in the roof of their case and want to use badass high profile RAM, this could be the answer to your prayers.
It’s easy to install, highly effective and has a 5 year warranty. The fans are effective and although a little on the noisy side when cranked right up, for normal use or even a mild overclock, the H100 performs as advertised.
We wondered how the H100 would go when paired with the Noctua NF-F12 PWM fans and our mates in Austria came to the party, providing us with 2 to test out. [See here for the review]
We weren’t too crazy about the controller being push button controlled inside the case but you do need to question how often you would be changing the profile as it does adjust itself up and down for the most part depending on the temperature sensor built into the pump.
The H100 will obviously fit in something as massive as a Cosmos II or a Cooler Master STRYKER but it will also fit in a compact case like a Bitfenix Prodigy where you could build a small but very powerful rig without compromising on cooling or CPU grunt.
At $159, the H100 isn’t cheap but when you consider that it comes with a 5 year warranty and look at the performance, flexibility and bragging rights it brings to the table, it’s worth trying to fit it in your shopping cart. If you are building on a budget, you will probably need to look elsewhere, perhaps consider other Hydro options in the range. If you are on a serious budget, then self contained liquid cooling is most likely not an option anyway.
Other options may include a custom loop water cooling setup like the XSPC kits that start from around the $139 mark but you would still need coolant and the time/skill/confidence to set it all up. High end air coolers like the Noctua NH-D14 can be bought for around $85-90 and will also give impressive temperatures but at the expense of high profile RAM options.
The bottom line is that this is a premium product at the top of the Corsair Hydro range. It is a great cooler and we were very impressed with it, both in terms of its performance and ease of installation. If the H100 is within your budget, we highly recommend it.
|
PROS |
CONS |
| Less weight and pressure on the Motherboard Socket than a high end heatsink | Having to reach into the case to change the pump configuration |
| Can be used as an intake or exhaust to your case so it reduces the number of fans you need to operate | The high speed fan is a little loud |
| Installation was easy and simple to install | Price will limit some people |
| Performance cooling without the headaches of a custom loop | |
| Will fit in some smaller cases like the Bitfenix Prodigy | |
| Allows the use of stupidly high profile RAM | |
| Can be fitted with up to 4 fans for push-pull configuration. (bundled with 2 fans) |
Verdict: Recommended (Thumbs Up!)
