Corsair has recently launched a new series of AIO coolers on the market. We had the opportunity to test one, here is the review of the Corsair H100i Elite Capellix
The cooling system, like the power supply one, are really two essential parts of a good PC, you can save a few euros on (almost) all the other components but you absolutely cannot do it when it comes to the “well-being” of our computer.
Keeping cool, in style, is the mission of this new all-in-one cooling system signed by the house with outstretched sails. To understand how important it is to have a good cooling system, we decided to compare it H100i Elite Capellix with a stock cooler from AMD. We obviously went with the premium version of the brand and paired it with a processor known to get its temperatures up fast. Let’s see how warm our Ryzen 7 3700X warmed up during our tests.
Let’s discover this liquid cooling system thanks to its data sheet
- Warranty: 5 years
- Contact plate material: copper
- Radiator material: aluminum
- Compatibility: Intel LGA 1200, 1366, 115x, 20xx e AMD AM4, AM3, AM2, sTRX4 e sTR4
- Fan speed: 2400 RPM (X2 fans included)
- Fan size: 2x120mm
Packaging and design | Corsair H100i Elite Capellix review
H100i Elite Capellix looks very attractive. Thanks to the new RGB lighting system with ben 33 LED RGB Capellix, Corsair’s cooler leaves no room for boredom. The two fans (2x120mm), and the radiator size (280mm), allowed us to fit it snugly into the top of our Corsair 4000D.
Thanks to this choice of location, our airflow is significantly improved and also the purely aesthetic side thanks: the rubber tubes do not cross the case and point directly upwards. If all this were not enough to please the eye, Corsair also offers the possibility to change the upper part of the black heatsink to replace it with a transparent one. Thanks to these possibilities, you can choose the customization that suits you best.
Inside the package we find everything (but really everything) you need to mount our heatsink. In fact, in addition to the obvious radiator and the related fans to cool it, we also find an infinite set of screws and washers, two heat sink covers and all the back plates for more or less recent motherboards. A little applause to Corsair also for have also included his Commander Pro in the package which will simplify, and not a little, the connection to the other RGB fans already present in the case.
Installation | Corsair H100i Elite Capellix review
As mentioned earlier, we have decided to install this cooler in the upper part of the case 4000D Corsair. This choice gave us the ability to mount the fans in push configuration in order to push the air out of the case obviously passing first through the radiator.
In order to hook the pump to the CPU, Corsair offers us a rather unique choice. A system of two screws and two hooks that go to anchor to the brackets already present inside our motherboard on socket AM4. A particular choice that allows us not to have to hook a new backplate and to be able to take advantage of the brackets already present in our B550 plus gaming by Asus but which will not be completely intuitive as in other models of heatsinks. As for the Intel solution, however, we have the classic 4-pin system that we have known for some time and that we believe is one of the best solutions.
To get a more complete idea of what has been said, I am attaching the video made available by the company.
Test and Benchmark Build | Corsair H100i Elite Capellix review
For testing within this Corsair H100i Elite Capellix review we used the following build:
- Motherboard: Asus TUF Gaming B550 Plus
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- Case: Corsair 4000D
- Ram: 32 GB Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO
- Video Card: Nvidia GTX 1080 Palit GameRock
We left our Ryzen 7 totally in stock. As is well known, we are faced with a processor that is not famous for its low temperatures.
We obviously used the same type of thermal paste for our tests, specifically one ARCTIC MX-4.
The results that you can read through the graphs below show the average value of the temperatures found in the indicated time range. To monitor these temperatures we have relied on software HWiNFO64.
To avoid untrue results, we opted for a series of the same tests. Furthermore, to guarantee the most complete idea, we have chosen to carry out the following tests in synthetic and non-synthetic mode, this has been our modus operandi: idle, gaming, Cinebench R20 e AIDA64.
Idle
To carry out the test in idle we started Windows, we let it charge completely for 5 minutes, then we started the temperature measurement for 10 minutes in which the PC was completely unused.
Gaming
The game session lasted about 90 minutes. In this period of time we have modified the various graphic settings while maintaining the same resolution of 2K (2560 × 1440). In this way it was possible to simulate different uses and loads of the CPU depending on the potential of your video card.
Cinebench R20
This is certainly the most cleared test within the PC hemisphere.
Comparison and acoustic test | Corsair H100i Elite Capellix review
Our Elite Capellix defends itself just fine at low and medium revs, but if you put stress on the CPU e the temperatures soar the sound becomes quite important.
The newly designed fans specially created by Corsair do their job but, as it is reasonable to guess, as the rpm increases, the noise also increases, reaching around the 50 dB about 30 cm away from the case. The graph just above will be able to remove any doubts about it.
A small note should be added to inform that when you turn on your PC, the heatsink will emit a sound that will be easily recognizable as a liquid in motion. Nothing really annoying also because it will last less than the start of the PC itself, but it seemed right to report it to give all the precise information.
Who should buy this cooler?
In conclusion, the new Corsair dissipation system retains the good things previously presented and is improved with a new lighting system to be discovered. Hardly a package so much complete in terms of CPU dissipation, at least in terms of showmanship. A little noisy at peak performance but not that much.
It is essential to choose the correct size cut (240mm, 280mm, 360mm) according to your need but overall we are faced with an excellent ecosystem. Of course, good things are also expensive, and perhaps the big flaw of this system is the price. By spending less important amounts, you can find equally valid or even better cooling systems (we always talk about one or two degrees to be clear) but we will certainly have to give up the aesthetic aspect.
If you are not interested in the truly spectacular lighting system of this AIO heatsink and, you have no interest in taking advantage of iCUE (which remains one of the few truly solid management software even in the field of dissipation), I would evaluate other cooling systems. Without forgetting that bundled with Corsair H100i Elite Capellix we also find the iCUE Commander Core.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a top solution for dissipation but also for spectacularity, I believe there are no equally valid choices.
Note: All photos in this review were taken with a Panasonic Lumix Dc-G90M.
The eye also wants its part
Points in favor
- Spectacular guaranteed
- A very complete bundle
- Good cooling system
- A little noisy at full throttle
Points against
- Not very comfortable fixing system
- Price