INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The entire concept behind AIO liquid CPU coolers may not have changed much ever since their appearance roughly a decade ago but unlike then today they are the number 1 choice for gamers, professionals and even enthusiasts. Granted they may not look as impressive as some custom water cooling kits (durability in AIO products is more important than looks) and they may also not offer quite the same cooling efficiency but there's simply no comparison in terms of cost. Regular air CPU coolers which are far closer in that regard not only can't really keep up with AIO models in terms of cooling efficiency but high-performance models also require too much space over the CPU (motherboard clearance issues). CORSAIR has a long history of producing high quality and performance AIO liquid CPU coolers and today I’ll be testing their latest iCUE H115i Elite CAPELLIX model.

   Founded in 1994, CORSAIR has grown from pioneering the high-performance DRAM market into one of the world’s leading providers of high-performance gaming and streaming products. CORSAIR offers a complete range of products to equip gamers, enthusiasts, and esports athletes, including mechanical keyboards, precision gaming mice, wireless headsets, premium PC components, and the CORSAIR ONE fully-integrated gaming PC. With a company-wide commitment to quality, innovative design, advanced features and high-performance, CORSAIR products have won thousands of media and industry awards, earning their place in gamers’ hands and PCs following years of development and engineering by a team dedicated to building great products that they themselves would want to use. In 2018 CORSAIR acquired Elgato Gaming, a manufacturer of streaming products. In 2019 CORSAIR acquired Origin Computers, a manufacturer of custom high-performance gaming PCs and laptops, and SCUF Gaming, an innovator and creator of high-performance gaming controllers.

   Just like with previous AIO models by CORSAIR the iCUE H115i Elite CAPELLIX AIO is an updated version of its predecessor, the award winning iCUE H115i RGB Pro XT model (review here) and is of course also manufactured by Asetek. Still CORSAIR hasn't changed that much between models so there are three key differences, the new ML RGB magnetic levitation 140mm fans used (8 individually addressable RGB LEDs in each - in terms of specifications are identical to the plain non RGB ones - 2000RPM/97CFM/3.0mmH2O/36dBA), the new centrifugal pump with its 33 ultra-bright individually addressable CAPELLIX RGB LEDs and the removable top cap (black glossy and transparent white) and the bundled iCUE Commander Core fan/RGB hub. Everything else pretty much remains the same so we find the same 322mm long, 137mm wide and 27mm thick dual-fan aluminum radiator, the same 380mm long sleeved tubings and the same XL surface all-copper base (coldplate). Needless to say, once again both the RPM of the fans and pump and the 49 (total) addressable RGB LEDs can all be easily controller (automatically or manually) through CORSAIR's iCUE software.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again CORSAIR has used the same black and yellow box that has a very large product picture at the front along with the company and iCUE and CAPELLIX logos.

 

 

At the base of the box we find the bundle contents, mainboard compatibility and contact information for CORSAIR.

 

 

Turning the box around we find the product features and specifications printed in 9 languages right next to a product picture and two product drawings.

 

 

The AIO is wrapped inside two plastic bags and is placed inside a formed piece of cardboard.

 

 

Aside the main body of the H115i Elite CAPELLIX along with its two ML140 RGB fans, iCUE Commander Core hub, transparent top cap, Allen key, fan and radiator mounting screws (i was surprised to see that CORSAIR bundles 16 long screws), quick start guide, warranty information paper and all the required bits and pieces to mount the cooler onto Intel LGA1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/sTR4/sTRX4 compatible mainboards (FM1/FM2 are mentioned on the box but not on the product page).

 

 

THE H115I ELITE CAPELLIX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though the main body of the H115i Elite CAPELLIX is nothing we haven't see many times in the past the rather thick pump/waterblock does stand out.

 

 

CORSAIR has used the same 27mm thick aluminum radiator.

 

 

FPI count (find per inch) is also identical at 20.

 

 

Once again, the aluminum radiator is connected to the pump/waterblock combo via two 380mm long black sleeved low permeability tubes.

 

 

This time over CORSAIR has used both a swappable top cap and 33 individually addressable CAPELLIX RGB LEDs right beneath it.

 

 

A fill/drain port is located at the front of the pump.

 

 

As with most AIO models by CORSAIR both tubes can rotate up to 90+ degrees from the base.

 

 

The all copper base comes ready with a thin pre-applied layer of thermal conductive material on it.

 

 

Unlike the H115i RGB Pro XT the brand new H115i Elite CAPELLIX is shipped with two ML140 RGB fans which can spin up to 2000RPM to produce up to 97CFM of airflow and 3.0 mmH2O of air-pressure with just 36dBA of noise.

 

 

The bundled iCUE Commander Core fan/RGB hub can be used with up to 6 fans.

 

 

With both fans mounted the thickness of the radiator jumps from 27mm to just over 52mm.

 

 

ICUE SOFTWARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you launch the iCUE software it will detect all compatible devices and list them at the right top area.

 

 

From the very first tab you can check the speed of the fans and the pump, check the current temperature of the liquid and rename both the fans and the pump.

 

 

The lighting setup tab allows you to either choose which fans you're using or leave it on auto.

 

 

From within the lighting effects tab you can assign one of the 19 available effects (or create your very own) both to the LEDs of the pump and the fans (you can also assign colors and effects to them individually).

 

 

You can do the same in the hardware lighting tab (this saves the preset onto the controller so you don't need iCUE later on) but this time you only have 12 effects to choose from.

 

 

Inside the performance tab you will find 4 performance presets in total which you can choose (in Zero-RPM the fans don't start spinning until temperature reaches 40 degrees) for either the fans or the pump (or both).

 

 

 

Just like the previous models even in Extreme mode the RPM of the fans will not climb over 1000RPM if the system is not at load.

 

 

From the graphing tab you can check the speed reached over time by either the fans or the pump.

 

 

iCUE also allows the end user to set various notifications.

 

 

You can also adjust the brightness levels from the settings menu (among other things).

 

 

Here you can see how both top caps look when attached (the CAPELLIX LEDs are indeed very impressive).

 

 

TEST BED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Testing complete water cooling kits or individual radiators is no different than testing CPU Coolers and since we want all of you to be able to compare similar products, we created new and separate charts (you can still cross-compare results however since we are using the same test rig). So once again single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests complete water cooling kits or radiators with bundled fans are measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. Finally, much like when testing CPU Coolers, it's very important to point out that just because a water cooling kit outperforms another when tested with our test rig (when we test complete water cooling kits) that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures, we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded, we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests (when fans exist in the bundle) are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the radiator. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here, we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

 

 

TEST RESULTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Even though the latest H115i Elite CAPELLIX AIO may not really offer anything new in terms of cooling efficiency compared to its predecessor the H115i RGB Pro XT (0.5 degree difference is well within the margin of error) it does feature a much better RGB lighting courtesy to both the ML140 RGB fans and the CAPELLIX RGB LEDs of the pump (something which I expect will appeal to consumers, gamers especially). On top of that the H115i Elite CAPELLIX also comes with support for a total of 4 fans in push and pull configuration (thanks to the 16 bundled long screws and the iCUE Commander hub) right out of the box and that again is something that may appeal to some people. Unfortunately, noise levels have remained the same and so in extreme mode the H115i Elite CAPELLIX AIO is quite audible.

   The H115i Elite CAPELLIX AIO liquid CPU cooler by CORSAIR already counts roughly 3 months in the market and currently retails for USD169.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 184.66Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). This of course is right on par with what CORSAIR has gotten us used over the years and yes this is once again among the most expensive 280mm AIO models in the market. Price aside however the H115i Elite CAPELLIX has it all, quality, performance and looks which is why it also gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- High Build Quality
- Very Good Cooling Efficiency (Extreme Mode)
- Pump With 33 Individually Addressable CAPELLIX RGB LEDs & 2 Top Caps
- Dual 140mm Radiator (Compatibility)
- Up to Four 140mm Fans in Push & Pull
- iCUE Commander Hub (6 Fans)
- 380mm Long Sleeved Tubes
- iCUE Control Software

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Noise Levels