The Corsair H80i GT and H100i GTX AIO Coolers Review
by E. Fylladitakis on November 16, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- Liquid Cooling
- Corsair Link
Testing Results, Maximum Fan Speed (12 Volts)
We'll start off our testing with our fans running at their maximum fan speed and normal operating voltage (12V).
| Core Temperature, Constant Thermal Load (Max Fan Speed) |
The Corsair H100i GTX is having a field day when the fans and the pump are running at their maximum rated speeds. It displayed the best low load performance of every AIO cooler we have ever tested and heavy load performance comparable to that of the best 280 mm radiator coolers available. Meanwhile the average thermal resistance is just 0.0732 °C/W, which is also the best that we have recorded to this date and outpacing even Cooler Master's super loud 280 mm offering, the Nepton 280L. It can be noticed that the performance difference over the H100i is relatively small, but it is distinctive and enough to place the H100i GTX at the top of our performance charts.
On the other hand, the H80i GT did not fare as well as it displayed middling low power thermal performance. The performance slightly improves as the load increases and eventually it outpaces most of the similarly sized coolers. However, it falls significantly behind the 140 mm Nepton 140 XL and all of the 240/280 mm radiator coolers. For having two powerful 120 mm fans, the H80i GT could fare a little better.
The high performance of the H100i GTX has a significant downside however: noise. That noise does not only come from the two very powerful fans, but from the pump as well, which is making a clearly perceptible whining noise while operating at its maximum speed. It is not the loudest AIO cooler that we have ever tested but 48.7 dB(A) are way above what we consider a comfortable limit.
As the H80i GT is using the same fans and pump, the noise figures were expected to be similar. The H80i GT is actually slightly quieter, but the difference is imperceptible to the human ear. Otherwise it's worth noting that despite the use of two fans, the H80i GT actually is not louder than most other high performance 120 mm radiator fans. But the 140 mm models seem capable of significantly greater thermal performance or similar thermal performance at much lower noise levels.
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Beararam - Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - link
"cause you clearly don't know what inaudible and loud really means""Anything above 20 dBA is rightfully considered loud."
The whispers! Stop the whispers, my ears are bleeding! Oh the pain!
Maybe you need to walk around with earmuffs on.
samsp99 - Wednesday, November 18, 2015 - link
Is undervolting the fans the right approach for pwm based fans? i would have thought that using the control software would be the way to control the rpm for better noise control?This may not work for your standardized tests though.
Bansaku - Wednesday, November 18, 2015 - link
I am a Corsair fanboy, I will admit it with. Every aftermarket components from fans to case to keyboard is Corsair. However, I have never been impressed with their AIO coolers. Every model I have tried over the years have all resulted in NOISY pumps after a few days. In the case of the H115 it literally took one stress test under load for the pump to start clicking.I have been using my Zalman CNPS20LQ for years with my i7 3770K (push/pull with 2x Corsair SP120) and it's performance has remained constant since day one. Pump is whisper quiet, and my own tests put it between the H80 and H100i (which I have purchased to replace the Zalman but ended up returning).
MamiyaOtaru - Thursday, November 19, 2015 - link
CPU watercoolers seem so anachronistic to me (like BTX mobos) now that GPUs are using far more powerHollyDOL - Saturday, November 21, 2015 - link
Personally I switched to watercool due to noise levels back in C2D + 8800GT days... having one pump sitting in a "foam" to cancel vibrations and big passive radiator outside the chasis = computer silent enough to have it crunching numbers over night and sleep just next to it. And I am still completely happy with the solution. Today it cools my i5-2500K and GTX580 and most likely will be cooling next machine when time comes and money allows...6SpeedRobbyG - Saturday, November 21, 2015 - link
Can anyone confirm the H80i GT will fit in my Cooler Master Elite 130?hkuspc40 - Sunday, November 22, 2015 - link
Not that you would have known but the Corsair Link software is a mess. They've done a lot to clean it up but it still has major issues. You can check their forums if you don't believe me. I believe it's also why you can't find their LED lighting kits or commanders anymore. I'm happy with my H100i but was pretty disappointed with the software.