H100i or SB-E SE

Too Tall

Too Tall

Too Tall

Soldato
Joined
21 Jun 2006
Posts
3,692
Location
UK
Hi guys I'd appreciate any feedback on my conundrum.

I'm going to be buying a 4770K with a Z87X-OC to put in a 750D in the coming days, but I can't decide which cooler to get, both are in budget.

I will be overclocking the 4770k, but the looks of the build are important to me too.

I've narrowed it down to either a H100i or SB-E SE but cant make up my mind.

H100i

+ No ram clearance issues.
+ Looks better IMO.
+ Simpler mounting.
- Possible issues if it leaks.
- Cost.

SB-E SE

+ Cheaper
+ Less working parts/less to go wrong
+ Slightly better performance
- Weight
- While it looks good for an air cooler the h100i looks a lot "cleaner"

What do you think fellow OCUK'ers?
 
Get the H100i so it also doesn't have any clearance issues with the top 16x slot that some monster air coolers can have.
 
Silver Arrow SB-E SE, or if you want even better get the SA SB-E Extreme. The TY-143 2500rpm fans give 5-7c more cooling.

Silver Arrow SB-E, SA SB-E Extreme & H100
i7 3820 @4.75GHz
Temperature is delta.

H100 . . . . . . . . . 41c2500rpm . . . . . . . . . 55dBA 2x fans (stock)
SA SB-E . . . . . . . 42c1100rpm & 1300rpm. . 38dBA TY-150 & TY-141 (stock)
SA SB-E Extreme. . 34c2500rpm . . . . . . . . . 56dBA 2x TY-143 (stock)

SA SB-E Extreme is 8c better than SA SB-E, 7c better than H100 and only 1dBA louder than H100.. human ear needs 3-4dBA to hear the difference. ;)

jump in to 3:40 for results

Vortez review shows H100 1.5c cooler.. because air temp going into cooler is hotter in case (H100 uses case to keep heated exhaust separated from cool intake air). If case is setup properly the heated cooler exhaust doesn't mix with cooler intake air. ;) Reviewers need to monitor the air temp going into cooler and not the room temp. :mad: In most cases the cooler intake air temp changes (sometimes dramatically) under load.

Akasa Venom Medusa £63.95 is getting very good reviews too.
http://www.tweak.dk/review/Akasa_Venom_Medusa/1674/3/1
 
With the H100i you got the option of either using the case from inside the air, OR using air from outside the case directly to blow through the rad. You are not dependent on the case airflow at all on top mounted applications.

Also, do not mix the H100 and the H100i.. the i is very much improved compaired to the original, and probably does better against the SB-E.

Go for the H100i, awesome temps, good configurability regarding noise, and does not take much space for top-mounts.
 
Swiftech H220 is both cooler and quieter than H100i, which is cooler / quieter than H100.. and SA SB-E Extreme is still my choice. ;)
 
Swiftech one is indeed better, if you can find it. Also more expensive.

There also have been reported pump issues: http://www.overclock.net/t/1367654/swiftech-h220-h320-owners-club

But hopefully these are fixed by now.

Edit: The zalman in the previous post sucks on reviews. Too expensive for what it is, and you cannot replace the fan if it breaks or wears down.

Corsair ones have a 5 year warranty to back em up.
 
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Pretty sure they solved their pump issues. And notice how quick their customer service is dealing with any problems peps have. Swiftech has great CS.
 
Make said:
Edit: The zalman in the previous post sucks on reviews. Too expensive for what it is, and you cannot replace the fan if it breaks or wears down.
Click to expand...

The Zalman Res3 is doing great on reviews, it's just a lot of people seem to be expecting it to be trading performance with H100's for some reason and that's just not on the cards, it is however great for what it is and able to beat both its direct competition in the H60 and also the larger 140mm H90.

As for the fan, Zalman coolers normally have great reliability on their fans but if it does go then not to worry as the unit is designed so it can be mounted to the case or to a fan (for push/pull).
 
I've decided to go with the H100i to avoid any RAM and PCI-E clearance issues.

4770k, Z87-X OC, 750D and H100i on the way from OCUK :).

Cheers all for your input.
 
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