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Corsair H100 Extreme Performance Liquid Cooler Review

We have changed our method of measuring noise levels. Ambient noise in the room is around 28 dBa. We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the chassis and 4 foot from the ground with our Extech digital sound level meter to mirror a real world situation.

Our system was left in an overclocked state, running at 4.8ghz.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

These noise results are excellent, especially considering we are pumping almost 1.5 volts through the 990x at 4.8ghz. Unless you will be running a similar system, you can be assured that the noise levels will be lower. For those interested, the noise levels at idle drop to just over 31 dBa which is barely audible.

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14 comments

  1. Wow I never even knew this was out. wicked !

  2. Now thats what im talking about. I never thought id see the D14 beaten ! good job corsair.

    I take it this isn’t asetek design?

  3. No, the D14 is still king in my book. I mean Sure they both come with incompatibility issues but I reckon the D14 has far less than the H100, I mean the D14 fits any case that has a 140mm fan in the back it’s that simple. With this it raises all sorts of problems not present with the D14. Sure the D14 overshadows some RAM but theres good alternatives to those RAM modules also you can remove the heatsinks too.

    Not only is it that here the D14 costs £70 roughly but the H100 costs around £100, so more price for a lower performing heatsink which comes with, in my book, more compatibility issues.

    Yup, D14 still wins. But I reckon the next generation of readymade water cooling units may be able to match the D14. But right about then Noctua will probably release their next beast which they’re working on. Saw pics of it somewhere not sure where tho.

  4. Actually its 80 on scan, as shown in conclusion , not 100.

    I also dont think its as clear cut as that because d14 can block slots and not fit in some instances. They both have quirks, but id much rather have the h100 fitting system and space around cpu area.

  5. I would argue that the D14 is more compatible. i have a D14 and i dont mind the memory slot being covered as I use low profile memory.

    A few points I have found however with D14. I recently changed my power supply and I had to remove my motherboard to get the new power supply in.

    Why?

    The heatsink had blocked access to the CPU power cable port between it and the I.O plate at the back. I cut my hand trying to get the cable out without removing the motherboard and in the end gave up. I swore for about 30 minutes with this.

    It is just too damn big.

    Sure its great, and I love it, everuone loves it, but it is a damn pain in the ass once you get the system built and need to change components. If you want access to memory, forget it. it requires removal of the heatsink and or board. same with my power supply/

    H100 would be my next purchase based on this review however my case wont accept two `120mm fans with a radiator, so i would need a new case. I might just end up with an antec 920, as it looks good and gives all the room free around motherboard.
    D14 is awesome, but it is a fit once and forget cooler and I wont live with it anymore

  6. Excellent. Another great product from corsair

  7. They are my favourite company for a reason. No other organisation improve products so fast. Their last xoolers were great too…

  8. This isnt asektek, its coolit designed

  9. The dual rad performs great, but it limits case fitting…..

  10. All the corsair cases support it. which I would expect anyway!

  11. Ordered one today, cant wait.

  12. Thats why I bought a corsair obsidian 800D case.I can fill it with everything I want and
    still have room to store my baseball mitt and bat in it if I want too.

  13. Actually, Corsair recommends INTAKE on all their Hydro series coolers (Intake/Push for the H100). Exhaust is not recommended (although that’s what I use on my case).

    I think a bench comparison would have been far more effective than a custom setup an a case not designed for a dual 120mm rad. Any case that cannot accommodate a rad like this, by definition, cannot be “one of the best chassis on the market”. At least with a bench test everything is equal (such as air flow). A bench test with results posted as deltas would have been much better. This would have been a great home computer setup, but not so great for benchmark comparisons. I also note you mounted the rad with the reservoir on the top. Although generally this will not cause issues, some enthusiasts argue that, if all the air has not been bled out of the system, putting the res on the top may cause the air (if any) to recirculate through the system. However, many builds have mounted the res at the top without any problems while others have said they heard gurgling noises that went away after changing the orientation. (FYI).

  14. I just bought H100 as my H70 was terrible. i7 950 @4ghz, gtx580, 700D case, with H70 idle temps were 51c on hottest core in a room temp of 25c and always went up to 90c on blend prime and high 70’s to 80’s during heavy gaming sessions (BF3)

    Bought H100 and have 2 corsair fans on top and 2 Apache vipers underneath in pull push (intake) and a 140 viper on the back of the case, along with a 200 fan lodged on the inside facing the back panel to circulate air. My temps now on the low setting idle in a 25c room is on hottest core 46c. Highest fan setting on the H100 pump temps go down to 39 again in 25c room. During prime on low fan speed highest temp I got was 73, highest fan speed during prime – hottest core fluctuating between 61c and 62c again in a 25c room.

    I absolutely love this H100.