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Taken as a whole, Corsair has done a decent job with the iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT AIO cooler. Build quality is up to the usual standard. No additional trim panels needed to be added to the radiator as the factory black finish is of high quality and the chrome logos give it the unique Corsair touch.
The new AF140 Elite fans are well-built too, there’s no adverse flex in the frame, and they feel sturdy. How much effect the anti-vortex Corsair AirGuide vanes have on performance is questionable, but in terms of noise they seem to be an improvement over previous generations. However, they are still quite loud at maximum RPM compared with some of the competition.
Integration with iCUE and other Corsair products via the Commander Core is excellent. iCUE is one of the few pieces of RGB software I don’t mind using as it just seems to work where similar software from rival manufacturers is fussy at best. The wiring to and from the Commander Core is a little messy and adds time to the installation. I still feel that this could be improved upon and I would like to see the option of a Corsair AIO that does not require iCUE to operate fully.
Corsair has revised the installation process of its AIO coolers many times and has now got to a point where the cooing hardware at least is very easy to install. Brackets easily slide on and off the pump housing and all CPU platforms use the same sliding bracket method for installation so there’s no faffing around with loads of screws. Just slide the brackets in, install the motherboard stand-offs and you are away.
In terms of the performance of the H170i Elite LCD XT, on our test bench, it is up there with some of the best AIOs we have installed. However, for the £349.99 price tag attached to the cooler, I expected it to be a clear performance winner, edging away from 360mm competition, which sadly it isn’t.
In an age where consumer budgets are stretched due to the rising costs of living it no doubt very expensive. A couple of years ago we could buy a decent graphics card for this price and now Corsair is asking almost £350 for a CPU cooler. It seems excessive to me but no doubt there will be Corsair enthusiasts out there that are willing to pay the price.
One thing for certain is that the cooler looks great. Corsair’s implementation of RGB lighting is subtle compared with previous products as the company now uses a watercolour-type pastel theme as the default lighting effect. I like this subtle look but it can be changed and customised easily using the iCUE software.
When installed into a system with other Corsair products the integration with the software is excellent. In iCUE the user can customise lighting effects individually or use the Lighting Link option which projects the same RGB effect on all installed Corsair parts for seamless synchronisation. The customisation options of the LCD screen are very good too with the ability to select various system info, pre-set and custom images or animated gifs which look great on the IPS display.
The Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT is a very expensive AIO which performs only on par with the best 360mm offerings from other manufacturers which is why I find it difficult to be too enthusiastic about it, but if you absolutely need a Corsair AIO, iCUE integration and LCD then it could be worth buying. If an LCD screen is not essential but you still want the iCUE features maybe go with the cheaper Elite Capellix.
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Pros:
- Great integration with iCUE.
- The LCD screen allows customisation.
- RGB effects are very good.
- Installation is easy.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- Lots of cables to manage.
- Might not fit in your case.
- Still only able to rotate images and GIFs in the software.
KitGuru says: The iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT might be an expensive CPU cooler for most, but for Corsair enthusiasts that have already invested in iCUE integration it might be a price worth paying – let us know what you think.
