facebook rss twitter

Review: Corsair Hydro Series H80 and Hydro Series H100

by Parm Mann on 31 August 2011, 12:00 4.0

Tags: Corsair

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qa6zn

Add to My Vault: x

Hydro Series H100

Ever since the launch of the Hydro Series back in mid-2009, fans of Corsair's closed-loop coolers have been calling for a unit armed with a large 240mm rad. Those calls have now been answered with the Hydro H100.

Priced at Ā£80, the H100 represents the best of the Hydro Series range and claims to deliver "cooling performance that meets the needs of even the most demanding enthusiast".

How it works, as you might have guessed, is pretty self-explanatory. Corsair has essentially taken the Hydro H80 and replaced the double-thick radiator with an elongated version that measures 275mm x 122mm x 27mm. The radiator is bundled with the same pair of 120mm fans, and it connects using the same flexible Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) tubes to a similar low-profile pump.

Similar, but not the same, because the H100 pump incorporates a quartet of four-pin fan connectors, allowing the user to attach a further two fans to the radiator for use in push/pull configuration. Alternatively, the spare connectors can also be used by chassis fans - allowing them to be automatically regulated in line with the coolant temperature.

Both the H80 and H100 offer identical fan profiles - Quiet, Balanced and Performance - and both offer baked-in support for Corsair link. The differentiating factor is the 240mm radiator, and it should make quite a difference. Due to the sizeable increase in surface area over a standard 120mm rad, the H100 should offer noticeably better performance, and it's every bit as easy to fit.

The pump attaches using the same backplate and thumbscrews as the H80, and it features the same two connectors - a four-pin molex power cable and a three-pin fan header that sends RPM information to your motherboard BIOS.

The only proviso here is that the H100 requires a chassis with dual 120mm fan mounts and 15mm spacing for a 240mm radiator. As you'd expect, that includes every Corsair chassis currently on the market, but the H100 isn't as broadly compatible as the single-mount H80 so be sure to check with your chassis manufacturer before you consider a purchase.

There's more than enough room in our pictured Obsidian 800D, and the Hydro H100 removes a lot of clutter from around the CPU socket without sacrificing the chassis' pre-installed 140mm exhaust. The 12in FEP tubes (2in longer than the H80) are ample for a chassis of this size, and Corsair bundles extension cables for the two 120mm fans should you need them.

With the Asetek-produced Hydro H50 and Hydro H70 now discontinued, Corsair's revamped range takes up a three-pronged approach; there's the entry-level Hydro H60, the dual-thickness Hydro H80 and the extended Hydro H100. We've tested them all, so let's see how they compare.