Corsair H100i RGB PRO XT Review: Business as Usual

Corsair recently updated its enthusiast-grade H100i Pro liquid cooler with a glossier front face to go along with its minimal RGB lighting and rebirthed the cooler as the H100i RGB PRO XT. While the changes may be minor, the new product continues forward with the tradition of excellent thermal performance dressed in a 240mm AIO package and minimal RGB lighting.  The age-old adage of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” might have been an unofficial mission statement here -- and we’re OK with that. 

Specifications

Features

Corsair provides an impressive list of CPU sockets supported by the H100i RGB PRO XT, including AMD’s Threadripper TR4 and TRX4 processors,but note that this cooler does not support Intel’s aging socket 775.  Pairs of snap-fit mounting brackets allow for simple adjustment for your system build and an Intel backplate is included for 115x boards.  Standard-fare for Corsair H-Series liquid cooling brings the usual Micro-B-USB-to-9-pin (USB 2.0) motherboard header to provide integration of the H100i RGB PRO XT with iCUE software.  

Corsair covers the H100i RGB PRO XT with its standard, 5-year warranty for AIO liquid coolers.

The pump and face of H100i RGB PRO XT looks as if a highly polished pebble was collected and then somehow altered by alien technology.  Multi-zone RGB accents shine through backlit trim and the Corsair logo for the only lighting provided from the factory for the H100i RGB PRO XT--the included fans lack any lighting.  A pair of 90-degree swivel fittings offer flexibility for positioning of the nylon-sleeved tubing during installation. 

The H100i RGB PRO XT ships with a patch of thermal compound pre-applied to the milled-copper cold plate.  As previously mentioned, the snap-fit mounting brackets slip around a groove near the base of the pump unit and can be easily swapped to fit any of the supported motherboard CPU sockets.

Since the pump acts as a centralized cooler hub, A Micro-B USB header graces the left side of the pump module while 4-pin PWM fan headers, 3-pin pump speed and SATA power extend out the top.

Corsair utilizes a 240mm dual-pass aluminum radiator on the H100i RGB PRO XT, while airflow is provided by a pair of 2400 RPM 4-pin PWM fans rated to 75 CFM. While RGB fans have become commonplace on most AIO coolers, these features are notably absent here. 

Both 120mm cooling fans ship with rubberized mounting pads on all four corners to minimize vibration noise.

The set of Phillips-head machine screws used for mounting fans to the H100i’s radiator feature a smaller size than most mounting screws we’ve encountered.  Shown here is a screw from the NZXT Z73 [left] and the Corsair H100i RGB PRO XT [right]. The difference between them is a relatively standard Phillips #2 for the NZXT screw while the Corsair is more of a smaller, Phillips #1 which could mean some frustration if your toolkit lacks a driver to fit the smaller fastener head. 

The Corsair H100i RGB PRO XT installs easily in chassis that support 240mm radiators.  Routing of the Micro-B USB cable to the motherboard 9-pin header might require some planning, but the cable length provides enough clearance to get creative.