Is corsair h100 worth it?

[irvinth]

im planning to get a corsair h100 but ive heard good reviews and some bad so im asking if its worth it, i plan to get 2 gtx 680 sli as well so cooling performance is a must
my specs are
Intel core i7 980X 3.33Ghz
GIGABYTE GA X 58 UD3R
KINGSTON HYPER X 6GB RAM
WD CAVIAR BLACK 1.5 TB
ATI RADEON HD 5870
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 CASE
CORSAIR AX 850W

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Cheaper and performs just as well if not a little better.

Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB (Updraft Floating Balance) CPU Cooler $89.99

 

[nekulturny]

Watercooling is dangerous, you should know what you're getting into before you do it. It really isn't necessary to get good overclocks either.

I'd also ask another question. Have you considered GTX 670s? They're $100 cheaper than 680s and perform just about identically.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-review,3200.html

We have every reason to recommend buying a GeForce GTX 670—even as an alternative to the GeForce GTX 680, which is marginally faster, but 25% more expensive.

And then the final nail in the coffin for the GTX 680
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6025/radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition-review-catching-up-to-gtx-680/18

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202001

 

[sarinaide]

A H100 performs much the same as the Noctua DH14 which i sthe best HS/F cooler, nothing radical but its good enough.

I have read a lot about a 670 and 660 matching a 680 but honestly it is only partially true, a GTX 670 needs a rather big overclock to beat the GTX 680 at stock, matching stock v overclock is not a fair reflection, overall the GTX 680 and HD 7970 are roughly 15% faster than the 670 and 7950 throughout. The only thing the GTX 670 has is the price point, it is really well priced and gives 120FPS in BF3 so what more do you really need.

 

[nekulturny]

I have read a lot about a 670 and 660 matching a 680 but honestly it is only partially true, a GTX 670 needs a rather big overclock to beat the GTX 680 at stock,

Did you look at the benches? lol I'm sorry but I wouldn't pay an extra $125 for 2 to 5 more FPS, thats just nuts. But, its not my money.

 

[sarinaide]

I have read a lot about a 670 and 660 matching a 680 but honestly it is only partially true, a GTX 670 needs a rather big overclock to beat the GTX 680 at stock,

Did you look at the benches? lol I'm sorry but I wouldn't pay an extra $125 for 2 to 5 more FPS, thats just nuts. But, its not my money.

Err yes I do agree the 7970 and 680 are un-needed for the price tag, and a lot has to do with games today, most games are ports, but with the new game engines out soon it may start to show the true potential of the high end chips and pull away from the tier down cards, but to date the 670 is at the right price/perfromance point.

 

[nekulturny]

I wouldn't hold my breath lol.. Hey, I was more in favor of the 7970 than the 680 or 670. But, some people are nvidia only, you know how it is lol. Crysis and Metro 2033 aren't ports. at least I don't think.

 

[sarinaide]

Crysis 2 is a port, Metro is very broken.

Truth be told green or red there is no difference, AMD have the advantage in some games, Nvidia in others and the rest is tie, Anandtech, Toms, OCnet and others have shown this with the new catalyst drivers and Ghz Edition cards that AMD sandbagged the initial vanilla releases but cards come down to preferences.

For the point, a HD 6850 can play BF3 maxed at a solid 45FPS, it makes you wonder why you need anything more? The OP should rather save the cash and look at a 670, but a 670 is nowhere near a 680 in true performance.

 

[diellur]

The thread is about the H100, let's stay on-topic.

The H100 will give performance on a par with high end air, but doesn't require a heavy heat sink on your motherboard. Closed loop water cooling is very unlikely to leak, so the term 'dangerous' is mis-leading. The risk, although very small, is still present however.

One thing to note with the H100 is that the pump is 12V. If your PSU outputs 12.3V, then you'll get a rattle...hooking the H100 up to a fan controller resolves this.

 

[nekulturny]

The H100 will give performance on a par with high end air, but doesn't require a heavy heat sink on your motherboard. Closed loop water cooling is very unlikely to leak, so the term 'dangerous' is mis-leading. The risk, although very small, is still present however.

con·den·sa·tion/ˌkändenˈsāSHən/
Noun:

Water that collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.

---

With water cooling, they aren't kidding you have water in close vicinity of electronic parts, a 3 year old knows water and electronics do not mix. I acknowledge that the change of a pipe leaking or bursting is low, but there is still a risk. And in my opinion if a high end air cooler can perform just as well, for less money, the person inquiring needs to be aware of said risk, no matter how low they are. Short answer to the thread title "is it worth it", my answer is no.

 

[beethree]

I have on my older computer a closed loop cooler, pretty much the H60 but it was branded Antec from Cyberpower. My new computer has an H100. And I have never had any problems with either. The older computer is from 2008. No leaks, no condensation, no random explosions.

I like my H100.

 

[Stupido]

The H100 will give performance on a par with high end air, but doesn't require a heavy heat sink on your motherboard. Closed loop water cooling is very unlikely to leak, so the term 'dangerous' is mis-leading. The risk, although very small, is still present however.

con·den·sa·tion/ˌkändenˈsāSHən/
Noun:

Water that collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.

---

With water cooling, they aren't kidding you have water in close vicinity of electronic parts, a 3 year old knows water and electronics do not mix. I acknowledge that the change of a pipe leaking or bursting is low, but there is still a risk. And in my opinion if a high end air cooler can perform just as well, for less money, the person inquiring needs to be aware of said risk, no matter how low they are. Short answer to the thread title "is it worth it", my answer is no.

condensation?!

my dear friend, if you use fridge as a computer case, eventually, maybe... :lol:

 

[azed3000]

i have an H80 water cooler on my i7 950 and i must say its pretty great. Overclocked at 4.5ghz and running on temps below 65 degrees while playing bf3. idles at 20s to 30s. H100 would be even better! And in terms of leaks and it being dangerous, thats very very unlikely, corsair make high quality computer parts, they are like the Lamborghini of computers. If you see linus tech tips videos you see linus waving around the corsair h100 like its a piece of paper, its a pretty solid construction.

 

[diellur]

con·den·sa·tion/ˌkändenˈsāSHən/
Noun:

Water that collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.

I'm afraid this shows your lack of knowledge of how WC works in a PC. The temperature of the water is never less than ambient room temperature, therefore condensation will not occur on WC loop components. If this was the case, then the argument would be just as valid for condensation formation on air coolers which have the same temp performance as the H100.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

I am using the Corsair H100 with my Intel® Core™ i5-3570K. I think it has been solid but loud. I want to try to the Noctua NH-D14 or the Phenteks.

 

[nekulturny]

I'm afraid this shows your lack of knowledge of how WC works in a PC. The temperature of the water is never less than ambient room temperature, therefore condensation will not occur on WC loop components. If this was the case, then the argument would be just as valid for condensation formation on air coolers which have the same temp performance as the H100.

Fair enough, I'll concede the point. However, it still poses an unecessary risk regardless of how small said risk is, especially considering the fact that as stated cheaper air cooling solutions perform identically if not better.

 

[irvinth]

Best answer selected by irvinth.

 

[RedToasty]

However, it still poses an unecessary risk regardless of how small said risk is, especially considering the fact that as stated cheaper air cooling solutions perform identically if not better.

You could squirt deionized water all over your motherboard with a water pistol if you like, it doesn't conduct. I guess you could fall and drown in the puddle?

Depends on the case, you'll kill the airflow over the motherboard sticking a big Noctua in the middle with a lot of smaller cases.

 

[nekulturny]

However, it still poses an unecessary risk regardless of how small said risk is, especially considering the fact that as stated cheaper air cooling solutions perform identically if not better.

You could squirt deionized water all over your motherboard with a water pistol if you like, it doesn't conduct. I guess you could fall and drown in the puddle?

Depends on the case, you'll kill the airflow over the motherboard sticking a big Noctua in the middle with a lot of smaller cases.

Your attempts at insulting sarcasm (the drowning in the puddle comment), while cute, is paired with something that isn't necessarily accurate.

http://www.finishing.com/280/15.shtml

Hi, Edward. Yes you can run electrical devices submerged in very very pure water. But distilled water may not be pure enough. And as soon as you put the PC in the water, salts from soldering fluxes and other sources will start contaminating the water.

Yes a Noctua D14 can cause more harm than good in small cases, however, a behemoth such as that is not likely to fit in most small cases in the first place.

 

[diellur]

I wasn't going to weigh back in, as I respect that some people don't like WC due to the potential for leaks. However, just my £0.02 worth...not trolling, just some food for thought.

Yup, WC loops can leak. But the odds are very, very small. On the other hand, a heavy air cooler could break away from the motherboard if the case is jolted. Again, very small chance...but a possibility nonetheless.

Leaking water can short out your components. A 1kg+ block coming loose can damage your components through physical impact. What's more likely? No idea...just pointing out that a risk is present, whichever way you cut it.

 

[nekulturny]

Fair enough, and then theres the inherent risk in overclocking in the first place. So you're right, theres a risk no matter what.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

^ I'm not concerned about the leakage (especially with a closed loop cooler), It's the cost/performance thing that I don't like.

I agree that a heavy air cooler, if it falls off, can cause just as much damage as a leak can, but neither are very likely to happen.

I just hate the thought of paying a premium for a closed loop cooler, when all it is, is basically a novelty (it works, and works just fine, but especially for the price of a H100, you might as well go with a real loop, or just stick with air cooling and save some money for the same or slightly better performance).

Edit: Reply meant for diellur.

 

[diellur]

@ DJDecibel

An H100 costs about half the price of a basic custom loop (believe me, I looked at both options), so it provides access to WC without the premium or the hassle/maintenance associated with a custom loop. I agree it is expensive, but it fills a niche nicely. It is a shame that the performance isn't a step above high-end air, but I guess we can't get everything!

 

[Curmac76]

Not to hijack or anything but i think the h100 is a nice alternative to the Noctua NH-D14 or the Phenteks when space is an issue. On motherboards like the p9x79 I've read memory has an issue fitting if they have heat syncs on them or aren't low profile. The h100 won't get in the way.