Corsair Memory Hydro Series H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler - Liquid Cooling s

The H60 model of cooler served me well for about 4 years. However I started noticing that my CPU temp started to rise past 70c while doing non-tasking things such as browsing. I figured it was dust build-up however there was not a lot of dust. I've not run into cpu paste going bad unless you remove the cooler and try to put it back on with the same paste.I inspected the cooler and noticed a build-up in one corner. Seems that it had been slowly leaking. Not enough to cause a puddle or anything, but enough to finally get to the point where it could not longer cool the processor while doing anything but idling (50 c).I replaced this today with the H100i model. My temps are back down to 30 c while idle. I've not had a chance to get a temp during a stress test.

Slightly challenging installation: nearly zero documentation, missing 4 washers, and extremely large and awkward. Once installed, it performs quite well. I filled in documentation gaps from the web and fabricated the needed non-conductive washers from some handy cardboard. BTW, even with careful measuring before ordering, the unit is so large it almost doesn't fit my case. Be sure to allow for some extra space unless you plan on leaving your hands stuck bolted in underneath the radiator.My results were a bit surprising:i7 960 @ 3.2GHz, Intel Air Cooler: 100C+ @ 40% load, 90C @ 30%; ie. something was grossly wrong with my basic installation as delivered. It couldn't even run 100% load without self-throttling down to under 1.6GHz. This was why I bought the H80 in the first place.i7 960 @ 3.6GHz, H80 Cooler (medium fan): 70C @ 100% load, 50C @ 30%. This is a phenomenal difference far beyond any benchmark report. BTW, this just confirms the poor installation of the Intel cooler. It doesn't say much about the H80 other than it works when installed properly.Noise: at maximum, fan motor noise exceeds airflow noise. At medium and minimum, I can only hear the airflow, which is considerable even on the lowest setting. It's basically "normal" noise for a case fan. "Far too loud" by audiophile standards and "easy to ignore and forget" by anyone else.Here are the things I had to scrounge up from the web and around the house to install the H80:--> Does airflow direction across the radiator matter? No, it doesn't. You can install it either as an exhaust or an intake. The slim docs show intake only, which should provide a little extra CPU cooling at the expense of a hotter case interior. I installed it as an exhaust to match my case design.--> Must you install both 4-pin & 3-pin power connectors? No, only the 4-pin is required by the H80. The 3-pin is there to fool your MB into thinking the CPU fan isn't missing. It won't let you control the H80 via any MB settings for the CPU fan.--> 4 non-conducting washers to prevent the H80 metal stand-offs from contacting traces on the MB next to the mounting holes. Why are the traces so close? Just guessing, but it's likely due to the stock Intel cooler using plastic non-conducting stand-offs rather than metal ones. I cut my washers from some handy cardboard.--> I found this video helpful: [...]Note: the temperatures from my cursory tests are *uncalibrated* values as reported by RealTemp. If you need solid data on H80 performance, this little review is not where you'll find it. Both Tom's Hardware & Anand Tech have nice reviews of the H80.

I purchased the H100 for a new IvyBridge CPU build - my old watercooling solution on a four year old system was a Swiftech setup with 1/2" tubing. What a difference 4 years make.- The H100 is an all in one unit without a separate reservoir. It has two pipes, it is supposed to be care free (eg, coolant does not evaporate over time and sealed).- the two flex hoses are somewhat flexible (not as flexible as the PVC tubing I am used to), and cannot be lengthened (or shortened for that matter). Choices are limited for installation but length is sufficient for top mount or external rear mount.- the radiator is the same size as my Swiftech solution, with two variable speed high pressure fans. The size of the radiator makes the installation very hard if the case isn't designed for this size radiator. Corsair makes cases (such as the model I purchased, a Carbide 500R, specifically supporting the install of the H100). In fact, my old system wasn't designed for a radiator that size, and it took a day or so to figure out a diabolical mounting that would work. The H100 is a snap with the right computer case.The unit comes in the box pre-configured for Intel CPU mounts, although the back bracket didn't fit the hole spacing on my motherboard and it took a while to slide the rubber grommets in place correctly (the process is simple, but getting all four holes aligned is not). Presumably such spacing is common and part of the Intel reference design specs, and the backplate should come in the box preset for Intel, since the rest of the unit is configured for Intel. Also, the instructions are rather poor as to which mounting spacers to use (one is specific to Intel, the other AMD, but they are in the same package, and look very similar while not being labelled). The only help is a graphic on the fold out instruction manual (has no text, all images), and I thought it would be easy to make a mistake there because the parts look so much alike.Installation on the Corsair 500R was simple because the case is setup to receive the radiator and pre-cut for the two cooling pipes.Outside of the struggle with the back-plate, installation was very simple, and much simpler than an air cooler because the CPU block is much smaller.I found that connecting the fan leads into the block was a bit too difficult, because the connector on the fan is three pin, the receptacle on the block is 4 pin, and the connectors are quite small, impossible to attach with the block attached to the motherboard. I connected the fans to the block before mounting the block on the cpu.The block comes preset with thermal grease so that's one less thing to worry about. Professional reviews say it's good quality - all I know, it works. I found the protective plastic cover over the copper base to protect the base and the grease fell off easily during the mounting operation, that's because there is no way to install the radiator without the block dangling. This was fixed by using trusty masking tape to hold it together while the radiator was installed. I also had to watch out for the block hitting components, and in retrospect, the correct order of the build would have been to mount the radiator first, then the motherboard, I did the opposite. It worked, but I would have done it differently after the fact.With the install completed, the product functions really well. It first powers up at high speed, then throttles down, making the system sound a bit more like a vacuum cleaner than a PC. Thankfully, the fans spool down quickly. The block has three speeds via the press of a button on the block - I use the maximum speed because after all, the only reason to go water cooling is to get a good overclock cooling setup.I'd still recommend the Corsair H100 over an air cooler if you have a case that can fit the large radiator, just because there is so much more room around the CPU socket - this helps with airflow and doesn't block memory slots or connectors that may be in and around the CPU. It's also very quiet I found compared to my Swiftech, and maintenance is, well, there is no maintenance needed. Cooling is superb with the H100.I have a 3770K CPU that tends to get very hot when overclocked, and I have not exceeded 79C on any core with the H100 block after several hours of Prime95 and SuperPi with a day to day overclock of 4.7GHz and about 1.3 volts. My ambient temperature is about 27C, and the idle CPU is about 32-35C which is about the temperature reported by the motherboard inside the case. I have the H100 mounted so the air intake is from the top of the case (coolest air). It's possible to mount the fans so the air flow goes from the case to the outside, but I think bringing colder air from the outside of the case is a far better approach. During gaming or regular system use, the cores hardly break 53C.The H100 is a terrific solution compared to my older installation, both in terms of ease of setup, operation and performance. No, it's not nearly the cooling power of my Swiftech (the diameter of the pipes alone tell the story - the pipes on the H100 are 1/3 the size of the Swiftech), but then again, the price is also 1/3 and it took 15 minutes to install the whole thing.The only caveat I see is that you really want a case designed to fit the radiator, just because is simplifies life just so.A terrific little product that.

This was my first purchase of a liquid cooling product. I was reticent based on reviews detailing noise of trapped air in the system on some examples and difficulty in bolting down to the LGA2011 socket but all fitted perfectly and in operation is completely silent (at least, the hydro side is - the air fans are VERY loud - see below).The instructions are good, but lack any information regarding the direction of air movement through the fan. After 50/50 trial and error, turns out air is drawn from the plain (unlabelled) side. Also they state that you need to fit the support bracket to the rear of the motherboard to support the boltdown of the CPU heatsink and pump - you don't, at least not on my ASUS Sabertooth X79. This was good news as I'd already installed everything into the case. You will still need the LGA2011 specific top bracket but unlike some reviewers this fitted precisely over the mounting posts, without resorting to a good reaming.It comes with a healthy slab of thermal joint, so I didn't bother applying any extra compound. Mating faces were good and the thumbscrews pull down evenly and gently as they're fine threaded (don't go too mad tightening them though - the threads still have some way to go in my system even when the CPU is very well clamped).Access might be an issue for some. My Thermaltake Level 10 GT case is huge but even so having the radiator and the 2 fans installed completely blocks access to one bank of DIMM's - it's about 110mm deep fitted with both fans. I left the front fan off and fitted just one between the case and radiator to allow easy access. I plugged the fan into CPU_FAN and the pump's single wire speed sensor into CPU_OPT. Both reported speeds back to the mobo correctly (between 2200 and 2400 RPM).Cooling tests showed that even overclocking my i7-3930K 3.2Ghz to over 4Ghz (ratio=41) gave a maximum run temp of 47 degrees C, even when flat out for 20 minutes (SiSoftware Sandra, full suite). This returned to < 30C in less than 30 seconds. If you want to push you volts and FSB further it's good to know there's room to breath. I have also got that whole extra fan that I haven't installed to grow into. Setting slow, medium or fast on the hydro pump (illuminated button in the centre of the CPU cooler) seemed to make no difference to noise and a very slight difference to the temperature gradient of the water - at my current power levels, anyway. I just leave it on fast as it's got more lights, and is therefore prettier.About those fans - other reviewers are correct, they're loud. I have only one running of the possible two and it's still the loudest thing in the room. Power management utilities seem unable to vary its speed so I'll probably invest in a different fan with speed controllability and hook that up to the CPU_FAN header instead.I've now been running for a week and it hasn't missed a beat. It's clearly well designed and it was surprisingly easy to fit. For the extra £10 over a good stock air cooler I think it's a great alternative, it's neat and tidy when fitted and way smaller than than a fan and heatsink with the same capacity. Just a minor gripe that you can't monitor or manage the hydro pump fully without acquiring software from Corsair (Corsair Digital Link) - I'm assuming it's a chargeable option, as it seems to need an interesting-looking cable to connect to the CPU hydro pump.Highly recommended - if you've got space for the depth of the radiator and (at least) one fan, it's a compelling no-brainer alternative to the usual gigantic Frankenstein's labwork that you need to clamp down on processors nowadays if you want to keep them cool using air alone.

Hello, Well I've owned this for a couple of months, I first added it.. ran some CPU bench marks and was not at all impressed with the temperatures, they were 5c maybe 8c lower than normal.. but being a bit new to this whole thing I forgot about it, Until I upgraded my GPU to a gtx 780 and my cpu was bottle necking my system.. so I OC'D it to 4.2 ghz and thats when i really noticed how HOT my cpu was.. I'm talking on a bench mark test I'd hit 88c... maybe higher. So. I looked online wondering why in the world this device was not doing it's job. Then I noticed a thread about this exact issue.. and it's the back plate. Yep! that back plate.. I removed my h60 to see my cpu getting about 50% coverage.... the thermal paste what is pre-installed on the unit was almost brand new for half of it, So what im saying is.. Be sure to fit the back plate perfectly. I removed it and installed it 3 times until it actually fully covered my cpu. Now.. the temps:Before when it was 50% coveredidle : 40-45cFull load / gaming for 1h more: 88-90c (crazy right..!?)Now when it's all fixed & 100% coverage.idle: 28-35cFull load / gaming for 1h more: 70-72c !Be SURE to check the back plate. It's the only thing in this that is badly designed.Goodluck!

Computer heat has been an obsession for me ever since I started having stability problems from an overheating system many years ago. I also like to play, tweaking and overclocking where I can.Overclocking my i7-3770k to 4.4Ghz and doing things like video encoding and gaming, I noticed that my temperature was hitting nearly 80C on my old cooler. I bought this to put an end to those woes. The headline figure is that I'm now hitting around 65C max with the 'balanced' setting.The system was fairly easy to install as far as CPU coolers go. If you're not installing this in to a new system, beware you need to place a bracket underneath the motherboard. My HAF X case had a slot in which I could just about get it in there, but your mileage may vary.Also note that the radiator needs to be mounted somewhere that allows air to escape. Again, my HAF X has a reasonably good mounting point at the top of the case. I stuck it just below the two top case fans, with all four fans pointing up.Putting it all in was pretty easy. The thermal paste is pre-applied and the mounting bracket easy enough to place.I never thought I'd take the step to go water cooling - mostly because it seems messy and my 'meat hands' aren't suited for this kind of delicate work. I'm pretty sure I'd have a wet, overheating nightmare! With this though, I don't have to worry about all that, I can just shove it in and the results speak for themselves. Very impressed!

Its not a lengthy review, i think the very long review by Philip S is very thorough and there's not too much to add to it.I bought this after buying the Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler.. after receiving the phanteks cooler i was thoroughly disappointed to find out i was definitely going to lose 1 Ram slot either side of the CPU on my Rampage IV Extreme. The Phanteks cooler would also require me to lose the 230mm fan on the side of the Cosmos S case... [the fan that helps keep my X-fired toxic 7970's feed with cool air... so it was a no-go]. On top of that, the fan solution on the phanteks cooler was horrible with some flimsy clips that wouldnt event fit properly because of the height of my Ram... it had to go.I am very satisfied with H100, it took me about 10 mins to fit into a Coolermaster Cosmos S case, but after an hour i decided to replace the 2 x corsair fans with 2 x Sharkoon Silent Eagle 120mm fans, this resulted in a degree lower temp at idle and the fans are so much quieter i cant hear them - by comparison.. the corsair fans sound a bit like somebody using a vacuum cleaner in the next room when they are at full pelt.After fitting the H100, i thought i had to lose one of my three fans on the underside at the top of the case as the H100 raidiator is larger than the width of 2 x 120mm fans, however on the CM Cosmos S, i was able to install the third fan on top of the case instead of the underside and still slide the top cover over it.Coolermaster Cosmos S [6 x 120mm Sharkoon Silent Eagle + 1 x 230mm Side Panel fan]Rampage IV Extremei7 3960X2 x 7970 6gb Toxic Edition GPU'sAmbient temperature in case varies a little with load and clock speeds of course, but put your hand inside the case and it feels like putting your hand in the fridge, you can feel cool air.A good buy for any Cosmos case owners thinking of buying a high end i7, keep your three top of case fans [with 2 attached to the H100 radiator] and dont lose your 230mm side panel fan.Definitely a good purchase and a great price from Amazon even with the Saturday morning delivery option [i was desperate!], after a few days i ordered a second one for my partners pc.. again i have swapped out the stock fans with Silent Eagles for much better results. Now considering buying the Hydro H70 + Sharkoon SE for the Media Center PC in the lounge.

As I recently upgraded my system to something much faster, I decided to opt for the Hydro H-80 cooling system. As for performance, it is certainly a good choice for someone that does not want to go for a full and expensive water cooling kit, but needs something a bit better than a heatsink/air cooler. I saw a significant drop in temperatures, so much so that the radiator itself was actually cool, and almost cold, to the touch. Works extremely well.Unfortunately there were a couple of problems with the item I received that will necessitate returning it.The first is that, simply put, the fans and pump would only run at full speed! making it much noisier than my old system despite now being in a case with sound deadening material throughout the inside!The second problem, which may or may not be applicable to to more than just the specific item I received, is that the two fans that fix to either side of the radiator are done so by eight screws. This wouldn't be a problem except the screws were too long making it impossible to tighten them without damaging the radiator fins. When I say too long, I am talking about 3-5 mm each! Disastrous design as it would mean the entire thing would be flopping around the inside of the case!I hope it was just my particular item that suffered from this problem as it did in fact perform very well. ( I rustled up some thick spacers to attach it and test, in the hopes all I would need to do is replace the screws or trim them down.)Incidentally My system comprises of Intel i7 2600k, Fractal R3 case, Asus p8z68-v Pro mobo, 8gb of Corsair CL8 Vengeance RAM, a 120gb Corsair Force 3 SSD and a seasonic X-660 PSU.