H100i
- Thread starter Minibiker
- Start date
Quick google suggests the case has 2x120mm fans spaces at the top. Looking at the motherboard tray I would suggest there should be enough clearance:
http://www.aerocool.us/pgs/pgs-b/x3white.htm
http://www.aerocool.us/pgs/pgs-b/x3white.htm
Thats great thanks mate, Would this be a good option for cooling?
They're good but they have a shelf life. I had mine for just over 2 years (about 2.5) and ended up replacing it with one of these as the water had started evaporating and it wasn't very effective. Load temps in BF4 were 88c on a 4790k @ 4.5 which was a little too warm for my liking. The air cooler was much better with temps down to 65c after 4 hours gaming.
So yes, they look nice and they're good for a time but you will inevitably have to replace it at some point.
All In Ones are a bit of a compromise. As a gross generalisation they aren't as good as a custom loop. Probably the main reason for this is the massive price difference - they're much cheaper. The main bonus is they're easy; you just screw them in and you're done.
I'm not sure whether the Corsair H100i is particularly good or bad - I haven't got one. They all seem to be something that you hear as many glowing reports and tales of horror.
I'm running a small AIO on a home server to help it cope with being shut under the stairs. It's not pushed other than hot environment but I've had no problems with it.
You will need some sort of thermal paste. The cooler may come with some. Separate paste will be bether but unless you're planning to overclock, the difference is likely to be a few degrees at most.
I'm not sure whether the Corsair H100i is particularly good or bad - I haven't got one. They all seem to be something that you hear as many glowing reports and tales of horror.
I'm running a small AIO on a home server to help it cope with being shut under the stairs. It's not pushed other than hot environment but I've had no problems with it.
You will need some sort of thermal paste. The cooler may come with some. Separate paste will be bether but unless you're planning to overclock, the difference is likely to be a few degrees at most.
You haven't answered the important question, why do you feel you need one?
High temps? Unstability at load?
very small /compact case/bad airflow?
AIO's can help to some degree with these issues, but then again a good case/good case airflow and a good air cooler can do exactly the same thing.
Personally my main rig is custom water cooled, but then I find it interesting to tweak my machine and appeals to the engineer in me.
Its all about what do you need it for
High temps? Unstability at load?
very small /compact case/bad airflow?
AIO's can help to some degree with these issues, but then again a good case/good case airflow and a good air cooler can do exactly the same thing.
Personally my main rig is custom water cooled, but then I find it interesting to tweak my machine and appeals to the engineer in me.
Its all about what do you need it for
I don't think you'll see that much of a difference. If you have the space, save the potential risk and pain and get an air cooler - temps aren't that much better to be honest and I've had 2 performance air coolers and a H100i. They're good for aesthetics if that's what you're worried about.
VKleita is mostly correct (sorry). If you tell us what you're trying to achieve, we can tell you if this is a good way to do it. It could be that you just want to take a first, small step towards watercooling. That's where VKleita isn't entirely correct: a lot of the stuff people here buy/build/want isn't, strictly-speaking, necessary but if they want it or it looks cool, why not? If it makes you happy, why not.
AIOs aren't the most impressive coolers you're going to find. In fact, some of the more advanced air coolers may even beat them. Ultimately, watercooling gives you the best cooling for the amount of noise produced (excluding the silly stuff like liquid nitrogen
) but only with the higher end stuff. If you want this as a first-step that isn't too scary, it's probably a good way to go - as long as you accept that it may not last for 10 years and isn't going to be as good as it gets. If you've got other reasons, tell us what they are and we'll try to help.
AIOs aren't the most impressive coolers you're going to find. In fact, some of the more advanced air coolers may even beat them. Ultimately, watercooling gives you the best cooling for the amount of noise produced (excluding the silly stuff like liquid nitrogen
) but only with the higher end stuff. If you want this as a first-step that isn't too scary, it's probably a good way to go - as long as you accept that it may not last for 10 years and isn't going to be as good as it gets. If you've got other reasons, tell us what they are and we'll try to help.VKleita is mostly correct (sorry). If you tell us what you're trying to achieve, we can tell you if this is a good way to do it. It could be that you just want to take a first, small step towards watercooling. That's where VKleita isn't entirely correct: a lot of the stuff people here buy/build/want isn't, strictly-speaking, necessary but if they want it or it looks cool, why not? If it makes you happy, why not.
AIOs aren't the most impressive coolers you're going to find. In fact, some of the more advanced air coolers may even beat them. Ultimately, watercooling gives you the best cooling for the amount of noise produced (excluding the silly stuff like liquid nitrogen
The main reason is for extra cooling but i also love the look of all the pipes and space inside the case... I would love a fully water cooled PC but that will take time to get funds
If you want it for the looks, go for it. There are far worse reasons! 
It'll also give you a taste of the full works - hopefully a good taste! VKleita and Snips are right that a low-end watercooling setup will be beaten by a high-end air-cooled setup in terms of cooling. It's definitely going to be a step up from a stock Intel heatsink though!
I can't tell you what the Corsair offering is like but at £100, it's not a cheap option. Here's a quick comparison to a custom loop of similar spec.
£45 Pump/Res combo
£35 Rad
£25 Fans if you have a controller - too noisy otherwise
£21 Fittings (6 x £3.50 Black available but out of stock)
£40 CPU block
£9 Coolant
£3 Tubing (2x £1.40)
£178
or
£22 Quieter fans if you don't have a controller.
You may also want some tube cutters to get a straight cut.
It'll also give you a taste of the full works - hopefully a good taste! VKleita and Snips are right that a low-end watercooling setup will be beaten by a high-end air-cooled setup in terms of cooling. It's definitely going to be a step up from a stock Intel heatsink though!I can't tell you what the Corsair offering is like but at £100, it's not a cheap option. Here's a quick comparison to a custom loop of similar spec.
£45 Pump/Res combo
£35 Rad
£25 Fans if you have a controller - too noisy otherwise
£21 Fittings (6 x £3.50 Black available but out of stock)
£40 CPU block
£9 Coolant
£3 Tubing (2x £1.40)
£178
or
£22 Quieter fans if you don't have a controller.
You may also want some tube cutters to get a straight cut.
Looks like there are two knob and each has three fan headers on. So you can attach both rad fans to one knob and have the other for case fans.
Bear in mind that a custom loop isn't just screw it in and off you go. It's not massively complicated but you may have to adapt things to the situation - like where to mount the res/combo.
There are variations on the parts. For example, there are red and white res/pump combos or the CPU block is available with a clear top. I prefer the clear tops because you can see what's going on and see that there's no gunk blocking it up. They are a bit more expensive though.
Bear in mind that a custom loop isn't just screw it in and off you go. It's not massively complicated but you may have to adapt things to the situation - like where to mount the res/combo.
There are variations on the parts. For example, there are red and white res/pump combos or the CPU block is available with a clear top. I prefer the clear tops because you can see what's going on and see that there's no gunk blocking it up. They are a bit more expensive though.
You'll want the 3-pin version of those fans for your controller: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...essure-dual-pack-co-9050008-ww-fg-008-cs.html
Yup, that case will be able to support H100i cooler. And there's no need to get thermal past separate, the cooler has TIM pre-applied already.