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The Noctua NH D14 has been the highest performing ‘mainstream' enthusiast level cooler now for around a year. None of the liquid coolers or flagship heatsinks have managed to oust it from the top spot and we were beginning to wonder if it was possible. Until today.
The Corsair H100 is without question the highest performing all in one cooler on the market, outperforming the D14 by around a single degree under full, overclocked load. Obviously some test results might vary a little, but the only way to test these coolers is to crank then to the limit with the hottest running CPU on the market today – Intel's Core i7 990X.
First impressions of the bundle are almost faultless. Two quality fans are bundled, as well as instructions for both AMD and Intel platforms. High quality thermal paste is preapplied and the fitting is as painless as we have experienced. With the Asus Rampage III Black Edition motherboard already installed in a case, we fitted the H100 in around 5 minutes.
Noise levels are also very impressive, because Corsair haven't decided to cut corners by including sub standard fans, an issue we always raise when testing Thermaltake coolers. There is no excuse for it, and Corsair earn bonus for taking the high road.
Performance is the main selling point, because if you want to overclock then this product should be your first choice. It is easy to fit, is built to the highest standards and will allow your system to reach new heights. After the review was completed, we managed to get our 990x to 5.1ghz @ 1.53 volts and the temperatures peaked at around 81c when fully loaded.
Pricing in the UK right now is around £80 inc vat, which makes it around £15 more expensive than the Noctua NH D14. Remember however that the D14 takes up a lot of physical space around the CPU socket and may block high profile memory.
Pros:
- claims top spot as the best mainstream cooler on the market.
- built to the highest standards.
- two quality fans included.
- demands much less physical room around the CPU socket than leading air cooling designs.
Cons:
- Check your chassis will accept the giant radiator.
- It is expensive.
Kitguru says: The new king of coolers.
Wow I never even knew this was out. wicked !
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?
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.
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.
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
Excellent. Another great product from corsair
They are my favourite company for a reason. No other organisation improve products so fast. Their last xoolers were great too…
This isnt asektek, its coolit designed
The dual rad performs great, but it limits case fitting…..
All the corsair cases support it. which I would expect anyway!
Ordered one today, cant wait.
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.
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).
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.