Overclocking and noise
After raising core voltage to 1.42V, our H70-cooled Core i7 980X managed to maintain stability at 4.31GHz.
At almost 1GHz above reference speeds, the cooler is pushed but manages to keep load temperature under 80°C.
We're certain more adventurous types will go further, and if the H50 was anything to go by, the modding community is going to enjoy eking out every last megahertz of performance.
The noise factor
Corsair's H70 arrives with a number of design improvements, yet the one that's likely to have had the biggest impact is the inclusion of two high-speed 120mm fans.
Operating at speeds of up to 2,000rpm, the fans provide massive airflow but do so at the expense of noise.
During use, we found that our test system was noisiest when configured with Intel's reference fan, followed closely by the H70 set to full speed.
Lowering the speed of Corsair's fans to 1,600rpm helps, but the cooler remains clearly audible. In comparison, both Noctua's NH-D14 and Prolimatech's Megahalems are quieter; the latter being the pick of the bunch when configured with Akasa Apache fans.
