Introduction and First Impressions

Corsair’s signature 240/120mm liquid coolers get a refresh.

Corsair's venerable single and double-width liquid CPU coolers based on 120mm fans have been refreshed with added style and a new underlying design. How do they perform? We're about to find out!

Introduction

There isn't much left to say about all-in-one (AIO) liquid CPU coolers these days, other than they are often better performing and more expensive than traditional air coolers. A good design gives an AIO liquid cooler a distinct advantage with overclocking headroom, and often in noise output as well (at higher levels of performance). This is not to dismiss air cooling as massive dual-tower coolers from Noctua and others certainly have the potential to out-perform all but the very best AIO liquid coolers, though not every enclosure will have the room for such a cooler. Thus, a good AIO liquid CPU cooler can offer not only space savings but potentially outstanding cooling performance as well. But this is a road we have traveled many times, with cost often the deciding factor even in the face of compelling evidence in favor of what are often very expensive solutions. Has that changed in 2015?

Corsair has done as much as any manufacturer to make AIO liquid CPU cooling mainstream, and their original H100 cemented the AIO's place as an enthusiast-level cooler and not simply a shortcut to traditional water cooling. The 240mm H100 and corresponding 120mm H80 have been refined a couple of times since their introduction, and though other variants such as the H105 and H75 (at the same 240/120mm sizes) have been released and crowded the market further, the H100/H80 series still occupy an important position.

These new coolers are both Asetek designs, and while the 280mm H110i GT (a CoolIT design) has been released as a powerful alternative, the new iterations of the H100 and H80 point to their status as flagship coolers for Corsair and offer greater compatibility accross existing enclosures that may not have dual 140mm fan mounts. But all of this is academic unless they perform well, so let's take a closer look at these new coolers and then check out some benchmarks!


Hydro Series H100i GTX Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Socket Support: AMD: AM2, AM3, FM1, FM2, Intel LGA: 1150, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2011-3
Cold plate material: Copper
Tubing: Large-diameter, low permeability
Radiator Material: Aluminum
Radiator dimensions: 276mm x 125mm x 30mm
Fan specification: 120mm (x2)
Fan dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Fan speed: 2435 +/- 10% RPM
Fan airflow: 70.69 CFM
Fan static pressure: 4.65 mmH2O
Warranty: Five years

Hydro Series H80i GT High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Socket Support: AMD: AM2, AM3, FM1, FM2, Intel LGA: 1150, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2011-3
Cold plate material: Copper
Tubing: Large-diameter, low permeability
Radiator Material: Aluminum
Radiator dimensions: 154mm x 123mm x 49mm
Fan specification: 120mm (x2)
Fan dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Fan speed: 2435 +/- 10% RPM
Fan airflow: 70.69 CFM
Fan static pressure: 4.65 mmH2O
Warranty: Five years


Our thanks to Corsair for providing the H100i GTX and H80i GT for this review!

First Impressions

Typical for Corsair both coolers arrive in attractive packaging, and inside we see a densely packed box with everything safely held in place.

Corsair's excellent mounting hardware package (identical for each cooler)

The pump design is new for these coolers, and the silver trim matches the new accent on the side of both radiators. Also worth noting are the slightly larger hoses with the new design, which are covered with a nice looking braided material.

The corsair logo lights up with customizable RGB colors

There is quite a bit of difference in the thickness of these radiators, with the H100i GTX at 30mm and the H80i GT at a hefty 49mm.

And here's a look at the aluminum radiator fins:

And we can't forget the pair of SP120L PWM fans included with both coolers.

Next we'll see how these new coolers performed!

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