Antec Kühler Vs. Corsair Hydro: Sealed Liquid CPU Coolers Compared

Name: Antec Kühler H₂O 620 - Antec Kühler Vs. Corsair Hydro: Sealed Liquid CPU Coolers Compared
Author: Thomas Soderstrom

by Thomas Soderstrom December 4, 2011 at 10:00 PM

102 Comments

Antec Kühler H₂O 620

In a partnership announced way back in January, Antec delivers the latest versions of Asetek’s LCLC cooling technologies in a retail package. The H₂O 620 represents its most-basic single-fan 1.1”-thick radiator version, intended for the rear panel of most performance-oriented ATX cases. Hoses are kept short to facilitate this installation cleanly.

AMD and Intel mounting kits are both included, though the version we received did not yet include the new LGA 2011 mounting screws previously seen in our PNY liquid-cooled GeForce GTX 580-based build.

Different holes in the socket support plate fit LGA 775, 1156/1155, and 1366 mounting holes. Plastic inserts in the top plate achieve the same purpose, while AMD gets its own support plates.

Factory-applied thermal compound covers the center of a finely machined copper cold plate beneath the H₂O 620’s pump. Tabs surrounding the pump body allow it to be installed in nearly any orientation.

A thin profile provides optimal installation space around the Kühler H₂O 620, even allowing access to our motherboard’s eight-pin EPS12V power connector. A lead on the pump facilitates automatic fan speed control, but this low-cost unit does not allow users to set a target temperature. Overclockers can achieve their best results by instead connecting the fan to a motherboard fan header.

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About the author

Thomas Soderstrom @hardware_tom

Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.

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compton

You would have a hard time convincing me that my Noctua NH-U12P SE2 was anything but quiet and effective, but I know that many prefer sealed water solutions. My opinion is that for 1155 SB processors, even overclocked ones, you're better off with a high end air cooler.
soccerdocks

comptonYou would have a hard time convincing me that my Noctua NH-U12P SE2 was anything but quiet and effective, but I know that many prefer sealed water solutions. My opinion is that for 1155 SB processors, even overclocked ones, you're better off with a high end air cooler.

I completely agree. Pretty much the only reason to go with these sealed water coolers is to say that you water cooled your PC.
gmcizzle

Yes for SB processors, air is fine because they don't really get that hot. Now SBE, on the other hand, gets extremely hot and you need the best cooling you can get.
cmcghee358

soccerdocksI completely agree. Pretty much the only reason to go with these sealed water coolers is to say that you water cooled your PC.

I agree 100%. And I do, in fact have an H70. And when I'm at work describing the epic beast of computers I build, and I show off some pics of mine; I always point to the H70 and go "Theres the radiator for the water cooler" /gasp!
joytech22

I still have my H50 so reading this bummed me out a little. Haha.
drumsrule786

High end air is probably better than most sealed liquid coolers except for the H100. My H50 is alright but not nearly as good as I thought it was going to be when I first got it. Next build im definitely gonna go full custom water cooling though
aznshinobi

These coolers are terrible cooling/value, it's sad that consumers see "Water-cooling" (IMO this is "fake" water cooling in that it's all in a closed loop) and they think it'll cool the best. However the temps speak for itself, a $50 air cooler can practically, if not beat, a $80 closed-loop WC solution with the dBA being similar. Sad.
Lutfij

did anyone else notice that the author as well as manufacturer's of these pseudo WC loops rerfer to the cpu contact plate as a cold plate...last time i checked a cold plate is what is used in a Peltier unit...:/
compton

cmcghee358I agree 100%. And I do, in fact have an H70. And when I'm at work describing the epic beast of computers I build, and I show off some pics of mine; I always point to the H70 and go "Theres the radiator for the water cooler" /gasp!

I think that's a perfectly good reason to buy any product. I like that I have a choice. But Noctua's tower coolers look pretty sexy too.
Darkerson

Was thinking about getting the 620 for a future SB/IB build, but now Im not so sure. Anyway, thanks for the reviews!
spunkyddog

Oh god - My heart jumped when I saw this article pop-up on Tom's. I just bought my first build since 2005 and decided to go I7-3930K (expected arrival of all parts to be later today). With it, since intel did not strap a cooler to the proc this time around, and the proc was expected to be pretty hot, I went for the H80 rather than Intel's thinking that company had a better understanding of us and cooling expectations. Needless to say, after reading this article, I can sleep the rest of tonight knowing I made a good choice and am looking to possibly OC my system when the parts arrive. I'm really looking forward to spitting out faster render times for my Autodesk Maya projects. Thanks Thomas!
fourzeronine

I just put an H100 in a fresh build. Fan controller died within a couple days, I have to RMA it. I also have another H100 NIB that im putting in another build in about a week. I hope I don't have to RMA both of them... The pump is still working so I plugged the fans directly into the mobo fan headers. Damn it's loud, but hey I can use my new computer at least until the replacement comes in. X)
Reynod

Nice one crash.

Remember these are easy to install closed loop water colling setups too guys.

They are not half inch or bigger professional units designed to keep your massively overclocked sub-critical mass uber rig cool as ice and quiet too.

You need a decent pump, a large or two smaller radiators, a tank, and a lot more hose ... and some more time.

http://www.swiftech.com/

Corsair, Asetech, Antec, Thermaltake ... these are all low end units ... not enthusiast's water cooling gear like Swiftech.

Good value for money though ... I am not knocking them.
BrightCandle

It would be nice to also see a custom water cooling kit that is specified on a water delta of 10C or less compared directly in these reviews. For an overclocked SB it would be either a thick 120.2 or a slim 120.3 radiator combined with some Gentle Typhoon fans. For blocks a HK 3, llang ddc 3 pump with XSPC head and 1/2" piping throughout. Sure it costs a lot more but it also cools a lot better than these prebuilt systems.
lashabane

Super good write up. I've been on the fence for awhile now when it comes to my next cooling solution. I'll have to take another look at these when it comes time to build my next system.
jemm

Excellent article!
lothdk

Once again you do a comparison against an inferior air cooler, so your conclusion does not hold much weight with me.

Why do you not include the Noctua NH-D14 or a Thermalright Silver Arrow, both which cost about the same as your WC loops (or a bit less) yet are delivering better performance (and noise levels) with the Antec H100 at max speed as the exception. The H100 is comparable to the air coolers.
cmcghee358

comptonI think that's a perfectly good reason to buy any product. I like that I have a choice. But Noctua's tower coolers look pretty sexy too.

Oh I'd rather have a Noctua NH-D14 with a 3rd NH-12 fan, but I traded an old crappy PSU for this H70 brand new. So I takes what I can gets!
Crashman

LothDKOnce again you do a comparison against an inferior air cooler...

Conspiracy theories aside, the air cooler was picked because it was 120mm and had a similar-sized radiator. After all, it IS one of the top coolers its size.

Furthermore you say "Once again..." even though the air cooler won the last time this editor wrote this type of comparison. Look it up, "Small water versus Big Air", I'm sure Google can help.

cmcghee358Oh I'd rather have a Noctua NH-D14 with a 3rd NH-12 fan, but I traded an old crappy PSU for this H70 brand new. So I takes what I can gets!

I probably would too, but Intel would prefer you don't. It's going sealed liquid in its LGA 2011 configurations to reduce weight on the board. It even designed BTX with CPU cooler support built in (for the same reason), though builders rejected BTX. Heck, even AMD has pushed small liquid on reviewers in its AM3+ test kit, just take a look at the lead photo!
lothdk

8708 said:

Conspiracy theories aside, the air cooler was picked because it was 120mm and had a similar-sized radiator. After all, it IS one of the top coolers its size. Furthermore you say "Once again..." even though the air cooler won the last time this editor wrote this type of comparison. Look it up, "Small water versus Big Air", I'm sure Google can help.

I read your last article as well, like I do most articles on the site.

The problem I have with this article is your intro where you mention noise and cooling performance, yet you chose an air cooler that is cheaper than the WC loops you are testing.
Had you chosen a comparable air cooler price wise (the Ncotua NH-D14 or Thermalright Silver Arrow), all of the WC loops would have performed worse than the air cooler, the H100 would have been the exception, but it would have to run at max speed, thus negating the noise level performance.
Crashman

LothDKI read your last article as well, like I do most articles on the site.The problem I have with this article is your intro where you mention noise and cooling performance, yet you chose an air cooler that is cheaper than the WC loops you are testing.Had you chosen a comparable air cooler price wise (the Ncotua NH-D14 or Thermalright Silver Arrow), all of the WC loops would have performed worse than the air cooler, the H100 would have been the exception, but it would have to run at max speed, thus negating the noise level performance.

In what way are those dual-radiator coolers comparable to the 620 or H80? Price? If you're going by price use the chart on the last page.

I'll take back part of what I said to someone else, I'd probably use a BIG air cooler personally but NOT THAT big. I've taken the "spring" out of LGA pins before using a heavy cooler.

The article was supposed to have been set up like the previous articles, with a single "standard fan" as the "equalizer", but that plan was cancelled when the H100 arrived with a 2-fan requirement. That also explains why the original plan dictated a single-fan 120mm air cooler as the competitor, though I'm fairly certain all this information is in the article (sorry if it's spread out in bits and pieces).
gti88

Now look, Tom's, how an article about cooling systems should look like:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/corsair-h80_3.html#sect1

In the test by Xbit-Labs, Corsair h80@1600RPM is equal to Archon with one (!) fan @800RPM.
gti88

Yeah, and even $40 HR-02 Macho is more preferable than Corsair H80:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/picture/?src=/images/coolers/thermalright-hr-02-macho/zchart_diagr_big.png
lothdk

8708 said:

In what way are those dual-radiator coolers comparable to the 620 or H80? Price? If you're going by price use the chart on the last page.

Quote from that price list on the last page

Quote:

Thus, a value chart like the one above doesn't really matter to the high-end buyers willing to spend big bucks on hardware, since it’s so heavily skewed by price. A look at the previous page’s cooling and acoustic efficiency charts give us the most useful information. And clearly, power users who simply want the best low-maintenance solution will take the closed-loop liquid route.

And this is exactly where the problem arise with the inferior air cooler you chose.
Had you chosen to use a comparable (price wise) cooler, you would have come to a different conclusion, namely that the air cooler would be the best price/performance/noise level choice.