Testing
It’s time to put the H100 into the test rig and really test it out!
Test Setup
Rampage IV Extreme
Intel i7 3960X @ 3.6Ghz @ 1.2V
16GB G.Skill 2133MHz
Coolermaster HAF X
For the first test i left the settings completely at stock, This actually meant the CPU running at 3.6Ghz @ 1.2V, I ran prime95 and took the temps of all 6 cores after 30 minutes, The results are below
[easychart type=”horizbar” height=”200″ title=”3.6Ghz @ 1.2v(100 x 36) High fan settings ” groupnames=”Actual Temperature, Ambient Temperature, Delta Temperature ” groupcolors=”00CC00,0070C0,A3A3A3″ valuenames=”Core 1, Core 2, Core 3, Core 4, Core 5, Core 6″ group1values=”55,54,52,54,54,59″ group2values=”18,18,18,18,18,18″ group3values=”37,36,34,36,36,41″]
Those results are actually beyond impressive, Although there was the downside of the fact the fans were extremely loud, I did have the settings on the fans at high which meant them running at 2500rpm. That being said, The lovely new addition of the button from Corsair meant that i could lower the fan speed, Which i did, I let the computer idle for a while before testing again on low fan settings. I chose not to test it on normal, Because the fan speed and noise level was similar to high settings, So really, The low and high setting is where the difference in temps and noise levels show.
[easychart type=”horizbar” height=”200″ title=”3.6Ghz @ 1.2v(100 x 36) Low fan settings ” groupnames=”Actual Temperature, Ambient Temperature, Delta Temperature ” groupcolors=”00CC00,0070C0,A3A3A3″ valuenames=”Core 1, Core 2, Core 3, Core 4, Core 5, Core 6″ group1values=”61,62,60,61,60,65″ group2values=”18,18,18,18,18,18″ group3values=”43,44,42,43,42,47″]
So with the fans a lot more quite now, The H100 still has some very nice temps, They stayed in the low 60’s which is extremely good performance for the this, Only gaining an around 6 degrees or so. This was quite shocking to see as the fans were so much more quite, It was hard to believe it was still getting such good temps.
I’m going to mix it up a little here and slap on a pair of Noctua NF-F12 fans and test them on out on the H100. This way we can see if the temps go up or down with Noctua’s new Focus flow fans, This will see if the supplied fans by Corsair with the huge dBA are needed to get great temps.
H100 test with Noctua NF-F12 fans
The new focus flow fans from Noctua have been designed specifically to work better with heatsinks and radiators, So let’s test them out and see what results we get using them instead of the supplied fans by Corsair.
Using the exact same settings as the original test, We can stress the CPU to 100% using prime95 and take readings of each core after 30 minutes. This was done the same day as the original test, Just after replacing the fans, The Pump/Heatsink was not reseated and was left on the CPU, so nothing was changed except the fans.
[easychart type=”horizbar” height=”200″ title=”3.6Ghz @ 1.2v(100 x 36) High fan settings(Noctua Fans) ” groupnames=”Actual Temperature, Ambient Temperature, Delta Temperature ” groupcolors=”00CC00,0070C0,A3A3A3″ valuenames=”Core 1, Core 2, Core 3, Core 4, Core 5, Core 6″ group1values=”56,56,52,55,56,60″ group2values=”18,18,18,18,18,18″ group3values=”38,38,34,37,38,42″]
Now you will notice those results are pretty much identical to the Corsair fans at high, There is the best part, The fans were practically silent, In fact they the noise level didn’t seem to rise at all compared to when idle with the Noctua fans.
I was so shocked about how silent the fans were on this at high, I went to check how they were on the low settings. I didn’t notice the noise getting any lower, So i felt there was no point in even testing it at the low settings, The reason why is that if at high settings it gets the same amount of noise as low, There is really no reason to have it at low.
Conclusion
That brings use the conclusion of the H100.
I will be honest, I didn’t expect it to be that good, I have read where people get great temps with it and where some people did not, That is where it probably comes down to the CPU you are using and the air around you. This meant having to sit through around 39dBA of fan noise. To me that is just no good and I wouldn’t be able to stick with it.
That is where Corsair actually did something right. This time with the H100 they added a nice button, The button now allows you to decide if you want high fans with high noise but with low temps, Or low noise with slightly higher temps. There is also a middle choice, But most people will either stick with the high fans and tolerate the noise or just stick with the slight higher temps and prefer less dBA.
The option for the everyone to decide themselves is one of the H100’s best attributes, The fact that it’s so simple.. Okay opening your case isn’t that easy, But at least you can chance it whenever you want. Instead of having to go through fans controllers and such.
The best part however has to be the fact that the H100 actually gets amazing results, Especially on the 3960x. When it comes down to it, The H100 covers most people, The option to change fan speed settings, Keeping in mind that even on high settings, The H100 will still keep quiet at idel or low CPU usage, The only time the fans actually kick in is when it detects alot of heat from the CPU. Which is absolutely fantastic and corsair deserve congrats just for that part.
That not it, They also support third party fans, Not just any fans, But 4 pin fans, Sure you could get adaptors to change your 4 pin header fans to a 3 pin, But Corsair decided that would be too much hassle, So you can connect 4 fans directly to the H100 for a push pull setup and have great temps with either more corsair fans or third-party fans like say the Noctua NF-F12 which we tested and showed that they preform just aswell as the Corsair fans but are much quieter. That’s nothing against Corsair as they made a cooler that can seriously keep temps down.
The really isn’t much more to say about the H100, It’s amazing and it works, Simply put you get great temps, great control and with a great design, with different types of geeks with their different sytle setups in mind. The only downside is that you need to make sure it will fit in your case, With most cases these days, Support for a 240mm is nearly always essential, But best be on the safe side.
If you are in doubt over a real custom water cooling kit, Then save yourself the hassle and pick up the H100, Cost at writing this is around €99 depending where you buy it, So while it is more expensive than say the Noctua NH-D14 that gets similar results, The H100 has the possibility of getting better results at higher overclockers because it’s a liquid based cooler. That being said you can also set it up as a push-pull configuration to get even lower temps at higher volts.
There is not doubt this is a serious cooler, So I no problem giving the H100 the Gold Geek Tech award for great performance, Easy setup and easy adjustments to the fans speeds, The price is a little high, Which is the only downside.
Thanks for reading!
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