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.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Compare with similar items
This Item  Corsair Hydro Series H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CWCH100) | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | -32% $74.99 List: $109.99 | -14% $12.00 Typical: $14.00 | $89.90 | $320.84 | $122.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Dec 24 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Dec 14 | Get it as soon as Friday, Dec 20 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Dec 12 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Dec 12 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Amazon.com | thirty-day | be-quiet-official | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| cooling method | Air, Water | Water | Air | Air | Water | Water |
| power connector type | Four-pin Molex | 4-Pin | — | 4-Pin | 4-Pin | — |
| compatible devices | Desktop | Desktop | Desktop, Server | Desktop | Radiator | Desktop |
| max rotational speed | 2600 rpm | 2400 rpm | 2500 rpm | 2000 rpm | 2380 rpm | 1750 rpm |
| noise level | 5 decibels | 37 decibels | 28 decibels | 23.3 decibels | 35 decibels | 12.1 decibels |
| material | Copper | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum, Copper | Aluminum, Copper | — |
| wattage | 3.6 watts | — | 95 watts | 3.36 watts | — | — |
Easy to install, works great
I purchased this along with an MSI Z77A-GD55 and Intel i7-3770k. The instructions that come with the cooler aren't the greatest, but the installation is pretty straightforward if you know how to install an air cooled HSF. The instructions tell you to install it so that the fans are blowing into the case, but I installed it as exhaust since I have several fans on the front of the case pushing inside. From what I read, I may give up a couple degrees of cooling by doing this, but so far it doesn't seem to be a problem at all.When I first installed this and booted up the system, I had some horrible rattling coming from the fan. After saying a few bad words and finding the stock HSF that came with the i7, I calmed down and decided to tinker with it a bit. I noticed that pressing a finger against one corner of the fan stopped the noise, so I slightly loosened and re-tightened the screws and the noise went away - and so far hasn't returned (knocking on wood). I'm running the cooler at the middle speed. As I type this, my case is sitting on a table 7 feet from me, with the side panel off and it's incredibly quiet... in fact, I think I hear one of my front fans over the H80. Once I put my side panel on (after I install my new PSU), I think this is going to be the quietest build I've ever had.My system typically idles between 25-30C. I haven't OC'd (yet) nor have I run a proper stress test, but I have processed a few 1GB images in photoshop and my temps haven't exceeded 37C yet (per CoreTemp). I'll attach a couple photos showing the cooler in my system. It's quite large, but to be honest I've had other air-cooled HSFs that were harder to install. My only beef with the setup is that my 8-pin mobo power connecter sits behind the huge fan. Of course, I installed the fan before connecting power to my motherboard, so I had to adjust a few things to get it plugged in. There's plenty of room for the plug itself, but there's no way to actually plug it in with the fan in place. Lucky for me, my case allows me to remove the other side panel and tilt the motherboard out, so it was an easy fix. I don't know if all motherboards have their 8-pin power connector in the same location, but it's something you may want to check just to save you a few minutes in your build.One more thing... when you install this, you do not plug the fan power connectors into your PSU - instead, you plug them into the unit that is seated over your CPU. The instructions didn't make this completely clear (at least for me) and I had to look online to find the solution.I'll admit that prior to getting this device, I was not a big fan of water cooling. It just seemed like way too much work. But since this is completely self-contained, I decided to give it a try and I'm happy I did.When I do eventually OC and run some stress tests, I'll come back and post my temps here to show how it performs.EDIT- to add... I installed this into a Lian Li PC-A70 case and didn't have to make any changes to the case.
Top reviews from other countries
Carmine (Carminkill3r)
Dissipatore AIO molto efficace ma con qualche difetto
Reviewed in Italy on August 31, 2020
Carmine (Carminkill3r)
Reviewed in Italy on August 31, 2020
PRO +
2 ventole Corsair 120 incluse;
2 ingressi per ventole(4 pin) posizionati direttamente sul dissipatore;
adattatori sia per CPU Intel che AMD inclusi;
pasta termica preapplicata;
silenzioso (almeno all'inizio);
prezzo molto ragionevole;
compatibile anche con la serie Ryzen;
possibile controllarlo dal desktop acquistando un adattatore(Corsair Link) venduto separatamente da Corsair;
è possibile scegliere tra 3 livelli di velocità della pompa;
CONTRO -
accumulo di polvere inevitabile nel radiatore(quindi bisogna pulirlo ogni 3/4 mesi);
con il passare degli anni è diventato leggermente rumoroso;
COLLEGAMENTO
si collega ad una normale ingresso per ventole alla scheda madre (4 pin 5v) oppure ad un molex;
si fissa alla scheda madre tramite dei supporti inclusi;
CONCLUSIONE
un'ottimo dissipatore AIO,molto efficace e compatto,consigliato sia per case grandi che piccoli,unica pecca la rumorosità che aumenta con il passare degli anni.
Images in this review
O.C.K.
Mantiene una media de 65*C para un i7-3770K OverClocked a 4400Mhz y trabajando semanas sin parar a 80-95%
Reviewed in Spain on March 5, 2015Gino
Ottimo, valutazione dopo 1 anno di utilizzo!
Reviewed in Italy on October 23, 2014