INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   RGB lighting may not offer anything more than improved looks wherever it's used but there's no denying that it has helped boost sales especially into the PC gaming peripherals and even hardware components market. AIO liquid CPU coolers in particular have risen in popularity lately because of RGB lighting so it's no surprise that manufacturers keep improving that specific aspect of their products. For example CORSAIR has released quite a few such AIO models but with limited RGB lighting (pump only) and although that didn't seem to hinder their sales we always asked for more (more specifically we always recommended also adding RGB fans to the mix). Well the time has finally come for consumers to get exactly that since today CORSAIR released the Hydro Series H100i and H115i Platinum RGB Extreme Performance AIO Liquid CPU Coolers the former of which landed in our lab roughly 2 weeks ago.

   Founded in 1994, CORSAIR supplies high-performance products purchased primarily by PC gaming enthusiasts who build their own PCs or buy pre-assembled customized systems. The company's award-winning products include DDR3 and DDR4 memory upgrades, computer cases, PC cooling products, gaming headsets, gaming keyboards, gaming mice, power supply units, USB flash drives, solid-state drives and system monitoring and control devices.

   The Hydro H100i Platinum RGB is the 2nd RGB illuminated AIO by CORSAIR in their H100i line after the award winning H100i Pro RGB released earlier this year (review here). The most important difference between the H100i Platinum RGB and the H100i Pro RGB is the use of their newest high-speed ML120 RGB magnetic levitation fans along with new dynamic multi-zone RGB LEDs (16 in total) placed at the top of the pump. Since high-performance is always the end goal CORSAIR chose to use two custom ML120 RGB fans (these feature the same performance numbers as the normal ML120 fans - 2400RPM/75CFM/4.2mmH2O/37dBA) instead of their best looking RGB fans to date (for us that's the LL120 RGB fans - visible comparison here). The end result however is still impressive and basically places the H100i Platinum RGB (and the H115i Platinum RGB) at the top of the entire CORSAIR AIO product line in terms of looks. As for the both the radiator and high-performance pump these seem pretty much identical to those used with the Pro RGB model (more on those in the following pages). Just like with previous AIO models by CORSAIR the H100i Platinum RGB is covered by a 5 year limited warranty and via the iCUE software you can control most aspects of the unit (performance/looks).

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with previous AIO models released by CORSAIR the box of the H100i Platinum RGB has a large product picture at the front along with the company logo and the main product features in 2 languages.

 

 

The three main product features are also listed on the left side of the box right over yet another product picture.

 

 

A few words about the iCUE software by CORSAIR are located at the bottom of the box right next to a list with the contents in 6 languages.

 

 

The product features and specifications are printed at the rear in 6 languages (a product drawing showcases the measurements of the radiator).

 

 

The pieces of the bundle are wrapped in plastic bags (the mounting hardware is wrapped in soft synthetic fabric bags) and placed in a thick formed piece of cardboard.

 

 

Inside the box CORSAIR has placed the main body of the H100i Platinum RGB along with its two ML120 RGB fans, micro USB to mainboard header cable for CORSAIR LINK™ and iCUE Integration, fan and radiator mounting screws, quick start guide, warranty information papers 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 compatible mainboards.

 

 

THE HYDRO H100I PLATINUM RGB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main body of the H100i Platinum RGB is almost identical to that of the H100i Pro RGB.

 

 

One tiny difference is the size of the radiator which is roughly 0.5mm thicker than the one used in the Pro RGB model.

 

 

FPI count also seems to be just a tad different since the Platinum RGB has 20 fins per inch (one less compared to the Pro RGB model).

 

 

Once again the radiator is connected to the pump/waterblock piece via two 350mm long black sleeved low permeability tubes.

 

 

The company name and logo are both placed ontop of the pump underneath which lie the 16 multi-zone RGB LEDs (it's worth pointing out that the pump/waterblock combo is quite thicker compared to that of the Pro RGB model - different pump used?).

 

 

A drain/fill port and the micro USB port via which you can control the H100i Platinum RGB with the iCUE software are both located at the front of the pump/waterblock combo.

 

 

Both tubes used with the H100i Platinum RGB can rotate from the base.

 

 

The all copper base (larger coldplate compared to that of the Pro RGB) comes ready with a thin layer of thermal conductive material on it.

 

 

After removing the "stock" paste we can see that the coldplate has almost no visible machine marks on it.

 

 

In terms of connectors the H100i Platinum RGB has two four-pin (PWM) fan connectors, one SATA power connector, three-pin fan connector for the pump and two 4-pin RGB headers for the fans.

 

 

Using two ML120 magnetic levitation 120mm fans (2400RPM/75CFM/4.2mmH2O/37dBA) from their RGB line was exactly what we were hoping CORSAIR would do (these fans also feature anti-vibration rubber pads).

 

 

With both fans mounted onto the radiator its thickness increases to roughly 52mm.

 

 

ICUE SOFTWARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can download the latest version of the iCUE control software from the official CORSAIR page seen above.

 

 

Just like with many other devices we've received by CORSAIR lately once you launch the iCUE software it will detect all compatible devices and list them on the right.

 

 

If your H100i Platinum RGB AIO is in need of a firmware update a popup will appear on the lower left corner as seen above.

 

 

CORSAIR gives you a total of 20 RGB modes to choose from in the iCUE software (you can of course choose your very own colors as well).

 

 

There are 4 performance presets in total you can choose from quiet, balanced, extreme and Zero-RPM (in Zero-RPM the fans don't start spinning until temperature reaches 40 degrees).

 

 

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

 

 

As with other CORSAIR products the dashboard drop-down menu allows you to monitor both your system and the AIO from the iCUE software.

 

 

The instant lighting drop-down menu allows you to quickly switch between RGB colors for both the fans and pump.

 

 

We were surprised to see that the RGB brightness bar was placed in the settings menu instead of the lighting effects tab).

 

 

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. When testing complete water cooling kits we use the Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste. 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   When CORSAIR announced the H100i Platinum RGB to the media roughly 1 month ago we thought that the ML120 RGB fans would probably offer reduced performance numbers compared to the regular ones (LED fans tend to produce inferior performance in many cases) so after wrapping up all our tests we’re happy that this isn’t the case. Of course the H100i Platinum RGB has some differences with its predecessor the Pro RGB including a thicker pump (we recorded higher numbers compared to the pump of the Pro RGB but that could had been due to the -+10% range we see with pumps), larger coldplate and a slightly thicker radiator (yet with a lower fin count by 1). Now whether or not these are the reason as to why the Platinum RGB seems to outperform the Pro RGB or if our results are well within the margin of error doesn’t matter much, what does matter is that thanks to the ML120 RGB fans the H100i Platinum RGB AIO (and the H115i Platinum RGB of course) is without doubt the best looking model currently in CORSAIR’s lineup. Unfortunately just like the Pro RGB the Platinum RGB is far from silent when extreme mode is chosen but you can always choose balanced mode to hit the sweet spot between performance and noise (although I seriously doubt gamers and enthusiasts alike would take that path).

   With a current price tag set at USD159.99 inside the USA (Amazon) and at 142Euros inside the EU (Scan UK) the Hydro H100i Platinum RGB AIO by CORSAIR is set roughly 20% over the Pro RGB model and although we feel that its looks alone justify that we expect some consumers will disagree. Long story short the brand new H100i Platinum RGB AIO may not be the highest performance 240mm model in the market (nor the most silent one) but it just might be the best looking one and that combined with its high build quality, overall performance and CORSAIR’s iCUE software are more than enough to secure our Golden Award.

PROS

- High Build Quality
- Very Good Cooling Efficiency (Extreme Mode)
- Looks (ML120 RGB Fans / 16 Multi Zone RGB LEDs On The Pump)
- iCUE Software
- Dual 120mm Radiator (Compatibility)
- Up To Four 120mm Fans In Push & Pull
- 350mm Long Sleeved Tubes

CONS

- Noise Levels (Extreme Mode)
- Price (For Some)