Reviews - Corsair Hydro Series H60 CPU cooler review

[HEXUS]

The latest Hydro Series cooler put to the test.

Read more.

[miniyazz]

Interesting review. I suspect a lot of people would benefit from a GPU-style table pseudo-officially documenting noise levels between all coolers at idle/load though, as it would be good to know noise differences between all coolers and not just H60 vs stock!

Also,

The 120mm x 25mm blower is said to be custom designed to offer higher static pressure, allowing for sufficient air to flow through the radiator's dense array of fans, while keeping noise levels down to a minimum.

The fan's seven blades spin at speeds of up to 1,700RPM and are capable of providing an airflow of 74.4CFM. In contrast, the fan bundled with the Hydro H50 ran at the same speeds but could muster an airflow of only 59.05CFM. All the signs suggest better-than-H50 performance.

I find it somewhat odd that you talk about the fan's high static pressure but then move onto CFM ratings. I wouldn't go so far as to say they're totally unrelated, but you certainly can't draw any static pressure conclusions from them. Some fans with a high rated CFM will have a very poor actual CFM when you introduce resistance (i.e. a radiator) whereas others with lower-rated CFMs will nearly maintain those CFMs once resistance is added and so offer greater performance through a radiator. It's the difference between case fans and radiator/HS fans really - one you want to shift lots of air against minimal resistance (case fans, with high CFM) and the other you want to shift significant air against resistance, for which you need high static pressure but CFM is much less important.

Granted, you might not know the static pressure rating, but it's a bit odd nonetheless!

[Brewster0101]

Wonder how noisy that small pump is.

To be honest a comparison with a simple custom water loop would be also be benificial. Its well known that these pre-made kits are not usually any where near as good a seperate water kit. I understand they can work out a little cheaper and offer a no hassle approach as no assembly is required, but seeing a comparison would be good.

[ehhhhhhh]

To be honest a comparison with a simple custom water loop would be also be benificial. Its well known that these pre-made kits are not usually any where near as good a seperate water kit. I understand they can work out a little cheaper and offer a no hassle approach as no assembly is required, but seeing a comparison would be good.

I'm interested in this too, but reviewers might think that the huge price difference makes the comparison a bit pointless.

You can only get a CPU block for the price of the H60.

it would be nice to see articles and reviews on proper watercooling hardware on the site though

[Brewster0101]

You can pick up a water block for £30, pump for about £25 and 120mm radiator for £25. Add £15 for tubing and liquid , so £100 ish. So on on hand the H60 looks like a good option, but on the other hand you can't add any more blocks for video card.

[miniyazz]

The prices for pump/water block seem quite cheap - are you talking new prices?

Also, good luck cooling a GPU as well as a CPU with a single 120mm rad

[Brewster0101]

The prices for pump/water block seem quite cheap - are you talking new prices?

http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...-pid-9976.html

http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...-pid-8492.html

Also, good luck cooling a GPU as well as a CPU with a single 120mm rad

Never said you could.

[Tattysnuc]

Hmmmmm. Food for thought indeed. Looks like a good alternative to an air cooler. Be great if they did these with drip free quick release fittings so that you could mount the radiator externally, or even upgrade it. there again, that becomes an unsealed system doesn't it....

Could be a REALLY cheap way to get into watercooling. Cut off the Rad, upgrade it, then add a reservoir et voila!

Certainly cheaper than buying the kit separately.... and means you can get it to handle greater loads...?

[miniyazz]

http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...-pid-9976.html

http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...-pid-8492.html

Fair enough. Doubt they'd be up to much but hey, cheep and cheerful lol.

Never said you could.

but on the other hand you can't add any more blocks for video card.

Hmmmmm. Food for thought indeed. Looks like a good alternative to an air cooler. Be great if they did these with drip free quick release fittings so that you could mount the radiator externally, or even upgrade it. there again, that becomes an unsealed system doesn't it....

Could be a REALLY cheap way to get into watercooling. Cut off the Rad, upgrade it, then add a reservoir et voila!

Certainly cheaper than buying the kit separately.... and means you can get it to handle greater loads...?

Using quick release fittings while great in principle adds a significant amount to the flow resistance to the loop. Resistance through a tube is proportional to 1/(r^4) so a segment that narrows the radius from say 6mm down to ~1mm or less is multiplying the resistance of that section by well over 1000 times - and that's before turbulent flow is taken into account. Slowed my loop down to a trickle 'til I took them out

Call me fussy/etc but botching together some mismatched parts and hoping they'll work together isn't a good way to get into watercooling. Ideally you should understand what you're doing and choose parts that work well together for your intended priorities - e.g. high head pressure pump with lots of waterblocks, wide fin spacing with lower-pressure fans for less noise. Playing with a dismantled H60 to find its capabilities is great if it's as a hobby/experimenting, but not as a budget watercooling attempt - you'll likely do better to leave as is or with an alternative product. The next step up, IMO, is doing it properly with cheaper parts.

[jim]

Enter the Hydro H60, a new addition to Corsair's liquid-cooled range that surprisingly isn't a result of the manufacturer's close relationship with Asetek

I thought we knew months ago that Corsair and Asetek had parted company, hence the Antec partnership?

[Sim0n]

Regarding the custom loop being discussed. The quoted pump doesnt contain barbs, so theres a few extra quid.

Plus theres the whole argument that the cheapest loop you could build.. would probably be pants compared to any Antec/Corsair/etc pre-build. Then you would have people complaining that the loop is rubbish coz xxx block wasnt used, or 3/8 tubing over 1/2.

Its not really realistic to compare a prebuild to a watercooling loop. The kind of people they are both aimed at are really at different experience levels, or abilities.

Finally theres the whole size thing, no custom-loop could compete for the footprint.

[Rob_B]

I'd always fancied a H50, could consider a H60 but want to see how the 212 I've just ordered fares on sound. For that sort of money though the H60 sounds very appealing to me

[Terbinator]

I love the 'woosh' sound when i hear my H50 kick in. That warrants buying into W/C alone.

[sam3]

Thanks for the review, still using my old h50 and was looking for something to keep my 1090t a bit cooler. The h60 doesnt really seem worth the upgrade - but im tempted to get the h70 (or maybe even build my own custom loop).