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Comparison Coolers, Testing Results & Conclusion
We utilize data from previous CPU cooling reviews to provide standardized results for comparison. We will be comparing the Corsair H150i Pro against the Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB 360 TT Premium Edition, EVGA CLC 280, NZXT Kraken X61, and Alphacool Eisbaer 360 CPU in a shootout of large footprint liquid coolers.
Right away we see that the H150i Pro doesn’t quite keep up in terms of overall thermal load testing. It turns in the highest temperatures of the testing group. Its cooling of motherboard voltage regulators and nearby components suffers a similar fate at both full and half fan speeds, although the results are still respectable. Given that the large 360 radiator has plenty of surface area, are we seeing airflow as a possible culprit?
Interestingly enough, the Corsair H150i Pro doesn’t turn in the slowest fan speeds, but its numbers are on the lower end of the scale. While fan RPM is only one value when it comes to airflow, it does seem to indicate that Corsair likely valued lower noise levels rather than outright performance to preserve balance with a cooler using three 120mm fans.
Our noise level results gives us more insight to support our fan speed theory. The H150i Pro turns in low registered sound values, only bested by the Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB 360, which also uses the slowest fans of the testing group.
Evaluating cooling performance alongside noise levels allows the Corsair H150i Pro to catch up a bit, but it still struggles to overcome the initial higher load temperatures (compared to its peers) in our acoustic efficiency evaluation.
In our overall performance value equation, all units begin to scale back at full fan speeds as unit price is evaluated against the efficiency ratings. The Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB 360's price premium over the Corsiar H150i Pro closes the overall gap while the lower cost of the EVGA CLC 280 and NZXT Kraken X61 helps the average pricing budget for the group.
Overall, the Corsiar H150i Pro performs well under considerable thermal loads while also being simple to install and control. Using custom color control only for the pump itself, the Corsair H150i Pro has fewer RGB bells and whistles than the Thermaltake Flow Riing RGB 360. But the H150i is also $30 lower in price.
The Corsair LINK software provides a great deal of value that represents a set of intangibles around system monitoring, performance curves, and control. It provides a one-stop shop from simple, one-click adjustments to granular, independent configurations that includes dashboard information not only from the H150i Pro itself, but motherboard, processor, storage, graphics and memory as well.
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