Corsair H150i ELITE LCD Review – Colorful and with a display

1 - Einführung und technische Daten 2 - Optik und Haptik 3 - Software 4 - Methodik, Ergebnisse und Fazit

Methodology

A Ryzen 5 3600 has to be cooled at factory settings, joined by 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport (2x8GB) DDR4 memory on an MSI B550 Tomahawk (BIOS 7C91vA3). The Asus ROG Strix GTX 1060 6GB runs in zero-fan mode for the CPU stress tests only and a Fractal Design Ion Gold 750W serves as the power source. The whole thing is housed in the Thermaltake Core P3 as an open benchtable.

All data sets are recorded with HWInfo64 v6.30-4240 – 2000ms logging, the specified temperature results from the sensor CPU Die (Average). The load of Prime95 produces an average of 88 watts of CPU package power. Since I don’t have air conditioning, the values in the graphs are the delta between room temperature and CPU temperature.  This allows all cooling systems to be compared fairly, even if the ambient temperature is different.  The thermal paste included with the cooler or pre-applied is used in each case.

I determine the sound level with a Voltcraft SL-200 meter at a distance of 40cm, which operates in 125ms cycles in Lo mode. The room was measured at 33.4 dB(A), an external sample table helps to break it down.

Note:
Simultaneous operation of iCUE and HWInfo causes the necessary sensor queries to take longer than usual. As a result, about 30% fewer data sets are available for evaluation. However, since temperatures are fairly stable on the whole, this circumstance should not have a negative impact on accuracy.

Benchmarks

In the first test run, the pump was fixed at the highest speed “Extreme” and the fans were set gradually higher.

The next run is done with 60% fan speed and the three available presets for the speed of the pump.

It is interesting here that even the slowest setting still has a comparatively high percentage speed. In the “Extreme” setting, the pump clearly stands out even at high fan speeds. The next test will show whether this additional load on the ears is worth it, in which the fans are set to 60% but the pump runs faster in stages:

And here is the overview of all results as well as comparison to other AiO watercoolers with 360mm radiator:

=> Review NZXT Sick Z73
=> Review EK-AIO Elite 360
=> Review Corsair H150I Elite Capellix
=> Review Sapphire Nitro+ S360-A

Summary and conclusion

Three ML Elite fans can bring in good results, while the H150i Elite LCD doesn’t get as deafeningly loud as previous models, even at higher speeds. Considering the unit price of just under 30€ per fan, this should be expected. I also find the 5-year manufacturer’s warranty only appropriate for such a product.

And since the word price has already come up, I’ll address this one right away. At the time of the review, the price of €279 is already in the range of custom water cooling systems like the Bykski Ice Dragon Kit, which was also tested. This has to be adapted and assembled by the user and does not have a display, but this price range is already considerable for a complete water cooling system. Similar alternatives like the Kraken Z73 are also high-priced, but can still be had for less.

In terms of cooling performance, Corsair can keep up, even if it is not quite at the top. Further selling points are the really great looking screen and seamless integration into iCUE, if it is already in use anyway. A purchase decision is significantly influenced by the existing or planned system and is, of course, again a matter of taste. Visually, the Elite LCD series is top class, but this is also reflected in the price.

The test sample was provided by Corsair without obligation. There was and is no influence on the tests and results. There was also no compensation for expenses and no obligation to publish.