My Corsair H100 review in a nutshell: Disappointed

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RedShark

[H]ard|Gawd
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I'm not going to write a lot -- I just want to communicate the major points. If you have questions, I'd be happy to provide more information.

Details - the good:

- It cools my 3930K at 4.4Ghz / 1.36V fine. This is the main positive point. Load temps (Prime95 or Intel Burn Test) are around 70-75C depending on ambient temperature. I'm using AS5 compound because I had to replace the motherboard and re-mount the water block. This overclock is relatively modest -- I use my machine for actual work so place a premium on stability.
- I run the fans at 40% normally via motherboard headers, and at that speed, they are quiet. At 100% they are quite loud but I don't feel like upgrading to Gentle Typhoons or similar at this time.
- The pump, when running normally, is effectively silent, leaving only the fan noise.

Details - the bad:

- The pump makes extremely irritating noises unless you: (a) screw around repeatedly trying to ensure that any air in the lines is not in the pump itself, e.g. by running the machine on its side or similar, and (b) ensure the voltage supplied to the pump is 12.0V or less -- 12.2V induces the noise. You read that right. This noise is very noticeable, distracting, and unacceptable. It has a very different character from fan noise and is easily noticeable across a room.
- The molex connector that one uses to power the pump is extremely cheap and flimsy. Every time I unplug/replug it, I have to screw around re-inserting the wires since they are easily dislodged.
- The waterblock does not fit socket 2011 motherboards very well. On my Sabertooth X79, it was necessary to impart considerable force to line up all the holes with their associated standoffs.

In a nutshell:

I'm disappointed. The pump noise issue is the most irksome. It comes and goes. I'm hoping I have it resolved now that I'm powering the pump via one of the motherboard's fan headers, but what a pain in the ass. I hope I don't have to RMA it -- I have only 1 day left to replace it via Amazon.

Threads providing more detail:
- Pump noise: http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=97733
- Cheap molex connector: http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=103839
- Poor socket 2011 fit: http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=101113

So, am I satisfied? I guess. But I can't provide an unqualified endorsement of this product given this combination of issues. :(
 
I have the H100 and I can't attest to your other problems, but the pump noise is definitely not normal as mine runs whisper quiet. I would rather RMA it than live with that noise.
 
Aggreed. RMA it. The pump noise is not normal. Mine will do it at random but all I do is turn off my system and turn it back on and it goes away.

- The molex connector is very cheap, aggreed.

Other than that Im pretty happy. Set it up in push pull if you have the room. Its well worth the price of the other two fans and plug them all into the H100.
 
sai_dee said:
I have the H100 and I can't attest to your other problems, but the pump noise is definitely not normal as mine runs whisper quiet. I would rather RMA it than live with that noise.
Click to expand...

This.

If the pump is cavitating after several days, something is wrong with the loop/pump.
 
What kind of power supply are you using that feeds 12.2v on the 12 line? That's no good.
 
12.2v is well within ATX specs, nothing to worry about.
 
Send it in for RMA, they're really nice and will practically send you out a new unit if your having pump problems in no time.
 
Wow, I just installed an H80 on my 2011 setup and it went perfectly smooth, fit like a glove. I see 75c under load at 4.5ghz, 1.39v. That's with medium speed fans plugged into the pump. Plus my pump is basically silent. Def rma it
 
I could RMA it via Amazon today with minimum fuss, but my return window closes tomorrow. It sounds like Corsair's service is pretty good, but at least with Amazon, I'd not have to pay return shipping. The pump has been silent since I last fucked with it, which was yesterday morning.

I will hold off on the RMA. I don't want to fuck with it unless I'm certain that everything I've tried to resolve the issue has failed. Since the pump is OK now, I'd not feel right RMA'ing it. If the issue returns, I will do an advance RMA through Corsair. I hope it does not come to that. I already had to re-seat it once because my original motherboard was faulty (bad sound chip) and don't want to deal with it again. Heh.

Regarding the question about the 12.2V and the PSU, it's a Corsair HX650 ironically enough :p
 
I have an H-70 and 2 H-60s. I've put them on Socket 775, AM3 and 1155. Never had any problems with any of them and they are so quiet you cannot hear the pumps at all. I'd probably RMA it and get a new one.
 
Your correct over 12v pump makes a grinding noise.
I have soldered a diode in series like the cosair forum thread to give a 0.5v drop 50p fix.
It is now silent.very happy with temps if i had rma it- it would have been the same- as alot of people. Have tried!
Pump rpms are controlled by voltage - if voltage to high makes noise fact
 
Indeed, I'm hoping that running the pump via the motherboard fan header will do the job. I've got it set to "95%" power (I don't know what voltage that is) but it corresponds to about a 6% drop in the RPM's reported by the pump as compared to 100%. If it does the grinding bullshit one more time, though, it's getting RMA'd.
 
Mine is running at 1732 rpm and goes up to 1795max
Its been fine for 3 weeks. As everyone is saying it is related to
Voltage. Corsair wont admit there's a problem and would
rather send you unit after unit.
Anyone reading this it does work
I'm so glad I actually did it

The pump gets power from the molex.
The fan header is only for fan speed so
Altering fanspeed on Mobo will do nothing.
Using a fan controller to molex to h100 will also work.
 
colemanuk said:
The pump gets power from the molex.
The fan header is only for fan speed so
Altering fanspeed on Mobo will do nothing.
Using a fan controller to molex to h100 will also work.
Click to expand...

I know -- I'm using a 3-pin to molex converter. I have the pump plugged into the CHA_FAN4 header via the converter, and the 3-pin pump (RPM-only) connected to the CPU_FAN header. I have both the radiator fans plugged in via a splitter to a third header (CHA_FAN3 actually). One nice thing about this motherboard is that it has a ton of fan headers :)
 
The fact that you have to run it to a fan controller or header sucks. I'm glad my replacement's replacement doesn't have the problem, yet. When it does, I'll do what you guys do and just connect it to a cpu fan header.
 
With XSPC RS240 kit costing only a few bucks more, I really don't think H100 is a good investment, excluding Corsair's warranty that you won't screw your rig up, which should not worry 99% of us:p
 
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