Corsair Hydro H80 Liquid CPU Cooler Review - PAGE 1

For years, water-cooling has been considered the most efficient method of cooling a CPU, but overly complicated installation and necessary maintenance procedures has limited its appeal among mainstream consumers. Over the last few years however, the Corsair Hydro (H) series has been at the forefront of bringing water-cooling to the masses, and today it is not uncommon to see even first time system builders consider using a Hydro series water cooler to keep CPU temps down for stability and overclocking.

The reason water is considered the most efficient method of cooling components like the CPU is simply because it is the best standard form of cooling that is available. In comparison to a standard metal heatsink, water has a higher heat capacity, the measurement of heat required to change a substance's temperature by a given amount. The heat capacity for water is 4.1813 Jg-1K-1, while even even the most conductive metal such as copper has a rating of just 0.385 Jg-1K-1. In plain English, this means water is far better at taking in the heat produced by processors, and moving it way from the source via tubes. Similarly, water also has a higher thermal conductivity, so the transfer of thermal energy is going to be greater when opting for H2O.

While water has physics on its side, there are challenges in creating a compact, yet efficient H2O cooling solution. This has led to the majority of water-cooling options available being both bulky and expensive. The Hydro series, however, has been able to successfully reduce a full water-cooling loop into an all-in-one closed-loop solution, effectively lowering the cost and frustration typically associated with water-cooled installations.

The latest iteration in the Hydro-series is the Corsair H80, which like its H60 predecessor uses a second generation design. This gives the H80 advanced cooling technologies such as a micro-channel cold plate design with split flow manifold, high static pressure fans, and low-profile cooling block. Where the H80 differs from the H60 though, is that it includes a double thick radiator for improved thermal performance, and a second 120mm high-static pressure fan. In addition, the H80 also supports Corsair Link technology, which gives users control over a range of hardware parameters including the pump speed, coolant temperature and fan speed.