We evaluated the Corsair H150i Elite Capellix with other 360mm performance AIO coolers, the NXZT Kraken Z73, Cougar Helor 360 and Cooler Master Master Liquid ML360R RGB. Each of these has seen hours of working on our Intel Core i7 5930K running at 4.20ghz and 1.20v on an MSI X99S XPower AC motherboard, 16GB of Crucial Ballistix memory, 1200w be quiet! Dark Power Pro power supply, Gigabyte GTX 1050Ti and Corsair Graphite 760T chassis.
Note that we have assembled the parts for a new cooling testbed with a Core i9-10850K, and you can expect testing on that platform going forward. But for now, the overclocked 140W-TDP Intel Core i7 5930K still taxes modern coolers quite substantially despite being six years old at this point.
The Corsair H150i Elite Capellix performs within mere decimal points of some of the best 360mm AIO coolers we’ve tested. This bodes well for users seeking performance liquid coolers, as there are some great options, each of which provide a bit different feature set and price point.
Fan speeds vary somewhat for each of the coolers in the testing group, while pump RPM is a bit more consistent.
Fan RPM often dictates relative noise levels and we see the Corsair H150i Elite Capellix edges past the others in the testing group in terms of recorded decibels.
Evaluation of thermal performance and noise levels provides us with a chart that determines how effective a cooler performs as a function of acoustic efficiency. A combination of good thermal performance and noisy fans can negatively impact effectiveness just as much as a quietly operating cooler might exhibit while experiencing higher thermal load temperatures.
Performance value takes unit pricing into consideration while maintaining the previous acoustic efficiency rating. Priced at $180 at release, the Corsair H150i Elite Capellix is actually a solid value in the 360mm performance segment when compared to some of its peers. While this comparison between coolers of the testing group might be attractive as-is, don’t forget the added usefulness of the Commander CORE management module and the ability to manage fan curves and RGB lighting for three additional fans or devices supporting Corsair iCUE.
Looking at the Corsair H150i Elite Capellix with our FLIR ONE Pro thermal imaging camera, we can see some slight thermal load differences in the tubing and lateral channels of the 360mm radiator between 50% and 100% fan speed. Compare this with the CPU thermal load differences at the same speeds and it’s evident that the H150i Elite Capellix easily can operate at lower fan speeds with a balanced performance curve to better manage decibel levels.
The H150i Elite Capellix itself is no cooling slouch, as the Corsair performance AIO easily keeps pace with some of our best-rated 360mm coolers. Toss in the added benefit of having the Commander CORE unit to manage pump speed, PWM fan curves, logging, alerting and monitoring as well as RGB lighting and you have an excellent liquid cooler setup in the H150i Elite Capellix plus the ability to manage a few extra Corsair case fans.
While this does nudge users to expand their PC horizons by utilizing the Corsair iCUE and RGB ecosystem, it still makes a compelling argument by providing centralized management of the H150i Elite Capellix cooler as well as additional components. Power users want full control of their systems, and the ability to have a simplified, centralized setup with granular administrative control is always an appealing option.