at a glance
Mercury, God of Poetry: Runs cool; performs quietly; installs smoothly; looks snazzy.
Mercury Tracer (1988): Thick tubing may make some installs tricky.
The true successor was worth the wait
When it comes to closed-loop liquid coolers, size does matter. You might not need a CLC at all for a dual-core CPU in an office computer. But if you’re overclocking a chip with four or more cores, bigger is better. A while back, Corsair came out with the Hydro H110, which has a 280mm radiator. But it’s not a “smart” cooler, meaning it doesn’t have its own software to tweak performance and acoustics. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; some people swear by the fan-control software that comes with their motherboard. But when you’re trying to eke out every last drop of performance, sometimes digital feedback can help, or at least give you a lot more information to work with. Now Corsair has delivered the H110i GT, which communicates with your PC via a USB cable, and has several other niceties.
It makes a good first impression. Instead of a plain black radiator with rounded corners, this one is a hard rectangle. Add the chromed decorative plate running the length of the rad and sporting the Corsair logo, and you have an almost retro-futuristic look. The thick tubing is also sheathed in a glossy black braid, and the cooling plate has more chrome and shiny black surfaces. The whole package feels premium, yet understated and classy. The H110i GT is an executive-grade CLC.
The installation method hasn’t changed noticeably, but that’s not cause for complaint. Like most Corsair coolers, this one uses a sturdy metal backplate and a set of metal fasteners that come together intuitively. If you get stuck, the manual has a bunch of large and clear images to provide visual aid. The thick tubing isn’t very flexible, but the tradeoff is a higher volume of liquid getting shuttled back and forth. And the 280mm radiator won’t fit in a lot of cases, so check your measurements before you buy. And sometimes, it can technically fit but still require some maneuvering.
The main advantage of a radiator this large is that you can fit larger fans on it. Bigger fans can move the same amount of air, while generating less noise. This isn’t always the case, but it’s a general rule of thumb. And it’s certainly true for the GT.
With its fans and pump set to “Quiet” mode, we could barely tell it was operating, even when subjected to our torture test. When switched to “Performance,” the GT gets fairly noisy, but nowhere near the racket produced by the standard H100i, which uses 120mm fans instead of 140mm. The H100i’s fans get up to about 2,300rpm when cranked up, while the GT’s hover around 2,000rpm on the same setting. The pump can also switch between these modes, which is something we’re not accustomed to. Usually, pumps have either one speed, or they adjust themselves dynamically according to CPU temperature readings. Having different gears is an interesting change of pace, though we’d prefer an automatic shift over a manual one.
We should note that Corsair issued a partial “channel” recall on this cooler, meaning it asked stores to send it back. When subjected to sub-zero temperatures during shipping, some coolant could leak. If yours didn’t show any signs of leakage, Corsair indicated you didn’t need to do anything. If you haven’t purchased a GT by the time you read this, then the original inventory should’ve been replaced by now. Our review unit showed no leakage in the package or during testing. If you still have doubts, it’s covered by a five-year warranty.
Overall, the H110i GT’s cooling and fan noise were some of the best we’ve ever seen. As you can see from the chart, it does so well in “Quiet” mode that “Performance” arguably isn’t worth the additional noise. Then again, we test at a relatively manageable 4.2GHz, which keeps the playing field level for air coolers. If you’re going for epic overclocks, this CLC will be hard to beat.
$130 (MSRP), www.corsair.com
| Specifications | |
| Radiator Dimensions (H x D x W) | 1.2 x 12.2 x 5.5 inches |
| Weight | 2lb 13oz |
| Stock Fans | 2x 14cm PWM |
| Socket Support | LGA 1150/ 1155/ 1156/ 1366/ 2011; AM2/ AM2+/ AM3/ AM3+/ FM1/ FM2/ FM2+ |
| Additional Fan Support | 2x 14cm |
| Benchmarks | ||||
| Corsair H110i GT Quiet / Performance Mode | NZXT Kraken X61 Quiet / Performance Mode | Cooler Master Nepton 280L Quiet / Performance Mode | Corsair H100i Quiet / Performance Mode | |
| Ambient Air | 24.7 / 23.2 | 23.3 / 22.7 | 22.1 / 22.4 | 20.3 / 20.5 |
| Idle Temperature | 30.8 / 28.2 | 34 / 32.6 | 33.2 / 30 | 30.7 / 29.3 |
| Load Temperature | 65.7 / 62.7 | 75 / 65.3 | 64.5 / 63.3 | 67.1 / 61 |
| Load – Ambient | 41 / 39.5 | 51.7 / 42.6 | 42.4 / 40.9 | 46.8 / 40.5 |
| Price (street) | $130 | $140 | $120 | $100 |
Best scores are bolded. All temperatures in degrees Celsius. All tests performed with an Intel Core i7-3960X at 4.2GHz, on an Asus Rampage IV Extreme motherboard in a Corsair 900D with stock fans set to Standard.
From maximumpc
from http://bit.ly/1PRjALc
