H100i Pro enough for a 9700k?

ElectroManiac · Dec 17, 2018

As the titles say. Trying to figure out if a H100i pro I have been using on my old i7 930 will be enough to cool my new 9700k or I should upgrade to a bigger rad like a h150i or something like that. My plan is to hit 5ghz with my 9700k.

Been searching online but haven't got a clear answer on this.

identitycrisis · Dec 17, 2018

I've been going between an i7 8700k and a 9700k for my new build. I'm finding that the few reviews of the 9700k say it runs hot especially overclocked. I'd get as much cooling as you can.

It also seems like a quality 280mm AIO is the same or better than the 360mm AIO models, for one reason or another?Most of it comes down to fan the selections and how much the unit is geared towards noise or performance.

I suppose you could try your 240mm AIO, then upgrade if needed? I have an enermax 240mm AIO myself, I don't think its going to be enough for either the 8700 or 9700k CPUS, especially with an overclock.

I've been leaning towards the H115i or H150i, but I have 3 Gentle Typhoons I plan to use if the stock fans aren't good enough.

ElectroManiac · Dec 17, 2018

identitycrisis said:
I've been going between an i7 8700k and a 9700k for my new build. I'm finding that the few reviews of the 9700k say it runs hot especially overclocked. I'd get as much cooling as you can.

It also seems like a quality 280mm AIO is the same or better than the 360mm AIO models, for one reason or another?Most of it comes down to fan the selections and how much the unit is geared towards noise or performance.

I suppose you could try your 240mm AIO, then upgrade if needed? I have an enermax 240mm AIO myself, I don't think its going to be enough for either the 8700 or 9700k CPUS, especially with an overclock.

I've been leaning towards the H115i or H150i, but I have 3 Gentle Typhoons I plan to use if the stock fans aren't good enough.

The thing is I bought this h100i not long ago and is still inside the returning period. If I want to return it I need to do it in the next phew days and my ram hasn't arrive yet so I can't try it on the new system.

identitycrisis · Dec 17, 2018

ElectroManiac said:
The thing is I bought this h100i not long ago and is still inside the returning period. If I want to return it I need to do it in the next phew days and my ram hasn't arrive yet so I can't try it on the new system.

I'd say return it because it seems like the newer 280mm radiators (assuming it fits in your case) perform better. Just pick a cooler in your budget and then google reviews for it, a lot of times, reviewers have a test bed standard they use, and then try the different coolers out and add them to a bar chart so you can compare them. It's not perfect or specific to the CPU you have, but at least it should be "standard" and the results should translate to a different CPU.

Review sites, similar to this:

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/corsair_h115i_platinum_review,10.html

ebduncan · Dec 17, 2018

It will work.

Like others have stated, if you plan to overclock it to the moon, then You will likely want a larger/better cooler. For normal use and moddest overclocking it will work just fine.

ElectroManiac · Dec 17, 2018

identitycrisis said:
I'd say return it because it seems like the newer 280mm radiators (assuming it fits in your case) perform better. Just pick a cooler in your budget and then google reviews for it, a lot of times, reviewers have a test bed standard they use, and then try the different coolers out and add them to a bar chart so you can compare them. It's not perfect or specific to the CPU you have, but at least it should be "standard" and the results should translate to a different CPU.

Review sites, similar to this:

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/corsair_h115i_platinum_review,10.html

I was checking the platinum version but it seems the 280mm rad is more expensive than the 360mm rad of the pro version.

I'm also planing to buy a new case. I'm between the Lian Li PC-011 dynamic, The Phanteks Enthoo Pro M, and Corsair 570x. The 360 rad I think will be better for the 570x and the PC-011, and the 280 rad will be better for the Enthoo. My plan is to put the rad on the front (side on the PC-011) as intake, and kind want to do push/pull for better performance.

ebduncan said:
It will work.

Like others have stated, if you plan to overclock it to the moon, then You will likely want a larger/better cooler. For normal use and moddest overclocking it will work just fine.

Would you consider a 5ghz on the 9700k a modest overclock?

shilka · Dec 17, 2018

Dont buy a CLC cooler if you really want liquid cooling you can buy AIO kits from EK and Swiftech which are far superior to any of that CLC rubbish
https://www.overclock.net/forum/61-.../forum/61-water-cooling/1590547-why-you-should-probably-not-buy-clc-cooler.html

Or you can buy an air cooler which is cheaper more quiet and more reliable than a CLC cooler and almost all of the high end air coolers will beat most of the CLC coolers that are 240mm or smaller
The answer to your question is no a H100i is not good enough as the pump is cheap unreliable junk and it cant keep up

BradleyW · Dec 17, 2018

It's enough, but you won't be overclocking.... And expect very loud fan speeds.

identitycrisis · Dec 17, 2018

ElectroManiac said:
I was checking the platinum version but it seems the 280mm rad is more expensive than the 360mm rad of the pro version.

I'm also planing to buy a new case. I'm between the Lian Li PC-011 dynamic, The Phanteks Enthoo Pro M, and Corsair 570x. The 360 rad I think will be better for the 570x and the PC-011, and the 280 rad will be better for the Enthoo. My plan is to put the rad on the front (side on the PC-011) as intake, and kind want to do push/pull for better performance.

Would you consider a 5ghz on the 9700k a modest overclock?

I'm actually looking at getting the corsair 500D which is very similar to the 570x inside based on reviews i've seen.

I've read that the 360mm performs almost the same as the 280mm Platinum, but this is due to fan speed I believe? They provide slower, quieter fans on the h150i so it compromises cooling and noise.

shilka said:
Dont buy a CLC cooler if you really want liquid cooling you can buy AIO kits from EK and Swiftech which are far superior to any of that CLC rubbish
https://www.overclock.net/forum/61-.../forum/61-water-cooling/1590547-why-you-should-probably-not-buy-clc-cooler.html

Or you can buy an air cooler which is cheaper more quiet and more reliable than a CLC cooler and almost all of the high end air coolers will beat most of the CLC coolers that are 240mm or smaller
The answer to your question is no a H100i is not good enough as the pump is cheap unreliable junk and it cant keep up

Both the EK and the Swiftech kits have leak issues don't they? or at least the original version did? I think one brand actually got pulled for killing peoples systems. How much better do these higher end AIO kits perform compared to CLCs for the significant increase in cost? I have been reading reviews on CLCs, AIOs, and Air coolers for a couple weeks trying to figure out what cooler to buy for my build which will be either a 9700k or an 8700k, I think they all have their merits, and I don't think CLCs are near as bad as you make them out to be. I find the size of the air coolers troubling to be honest, they get in the way of ram slots, or GPU slots, there are height clearance issues, some can be difficult to mount and interfere with changing components. I also don't like the look of them personally and wouldn't want to use one in a case with glass side panels that shows off the system.

I also don't think cooling the 9700k is an easy task for any cooler. I've found very few reviews on it for some reason, and in some of the few reviews, the 9700 and 9900 failed tests due to thermal issues with whatever cooler they're using. It's lead me to select an 8700k as my processor, at least then I can easily delid and re apply the TIM between the die and IHS.

shilka · Dec 17, 2018

The risk of leaks is not that much greater with open liquid coolers compared to the closed one so that pretty much a non issue
As to your question they perform much better as the pump is much better quality and have much higher flow capacity unlike the cheap crappy pumps you get from Asetek

As for air coolers blocking RAM slots not all air coolers do that and those that do have room so you that you can have RAM with tall heatsinks on them so again a non issue, same thing with PCI-E slots

As for use in cases with glass windows do you look at the case when you use your PC or do you look at the monitor? function should matter more than looks when it comes to cooling
Edit: this is my own system and i could not care less what others think about it, the NH-D15 is good cooler that is reliable and quiet and while the fans might not be pretty they do a good job

There are other coolers just as good that looks better or there are coolers almost as good but smaller and all of them beats any CLC cooler that is 240mm or smaller in noise levels and reliability

identitycrisis · Dec 17, 2018

shilka said:
The risk of leaks is not that much greater with open liquid coolers compared to the closed one so that pretty much a non issue
As to your question they perform much better as the pump is much better quality and have much higher flow capacity unlike the cheap crappy pumps you get from Asetek

As for air coolers blocking RAM slots not all air coolers do that and those that do have room so you that you can have RAM with tall heatsinks on them so again a non issue, same thing with PCI-E slots

As for use in cases with glass windows do you look at the case when you use your PC or do you look at the monitor? function should matter more than looks when it comes to cooling
Edit: this is my own system and i could not care less what others think about it, the NH-D15 is good cooler that is reliable and quiet and while the fans might not be pretty they do a good job

I'm pretty sure the EK kits would spring leaks easily. I think that has been resolved with a new rev, but I could be wrong on the manufacturer. Yes you get better performance from some of them, but they cost a lot more as well.

I think the type of air cooler needed to cool a 9700k is going to be up there in company with the Noctua NH-D15 or the Be Quiet dark rock, phanteks or the Cryorig R1 and whatever else, Those ALL can cause the issues mentioned above in some form or another. Yes they don't always, but you know, not all CLCs are going to fail spectacularly and ruin a system, nor do they all perform as bad as you say they do.

@ElectroManiac

Hopefully you have been able to derive some sort of help out of this thread, I would really try to find some reviews of the 9700k, and see what they used for a cooler to cool it, and decide if the temps are acceptable or if you need to step up the performance to something better than what you have, or the h115/h150 will provide. or maybe you decide an air cooler is the way to go. They do offer great performance.

I will note that the H115i pro (not platinum) is on amazon for $120 right now, the h150 is $140 right now. Not sure where you're shopping.

shilka · Dec 17, 2018

Friend of mine had a Corsair H115i and because the pump is so weak and has so poor flow rate it was totally incapable of keeping up and his 5820K he has was hitting 90c under load
He got fed up and bought a Noctua NH-D15 and now he is sitting in the low 60c´s so almost 30c cooler than before

CLC coolers are cheap rubbish they are overrated overhyped overpriced and mediocre coolers and i have had 5 of them myself all of them died within a year and one of them leaked
They are popular because of marketing hype and because they look cool not because they are good coolers

The Pook · Dec 17, 2018

Why would you buy four more after the first one failed?

shilka · Dec 17, 2018

The Pook said:
Why would you buy four more after the first one failed?

I thought that the first one was just bad luck so bought another one and when that failed as well i gave it one last try so you cant say i did not give them a chance
The other two where for systems i built for family so while they where technically not mine i was the one stuck replacing them

All in all a complete waste of time money and effort and a total pain in the butt replacing them
After that i have never bought another one and i never will

ciarlatano · Dec 17, 2018

identitycrisis said:
I'm pretty sure the EK kits would spring leaks easily. I think that has been resolved with a new rev, but I could be wrong on the manufacturer. Yes you get better performance from some of them, but they cost a lot more as well.

EK had a bad shipment of o-rings (obviously corrected). Corsair had to pull the whole first shipment of H110i GTX because they leaked. The H100i Vsomethingsomething got pulled for DOA pumps. It can happen, and has happened, with any brand. Selective memory or lack of info?

Check your pricing. The Swiftech X3 pricing is in line with CLCs that come with RGB and dress up kits like the Corsair Pros and RGB Krakens.

AlphaC · Dec 17, 2018

Shilka is my comedic hero.

After the first Asetek-based kit fails I would have just gotten an air cooler.

Anyway if you want to go watercooling there's AIO kits with copper finned radiators and some have stronger pumps than the Asetek one.

The EK Phoenix MLC is expensive (~$300 normally and ~$200 at Black Friday/Cyber Monday), but Swiftech Drive x3 (240, 360) and the Alphacool Eisbaer LT are rather cheap for they are (~$110-160ish).

Even if it costs you $10-30 more than a Corsair/NZXT AiO and performs relatively the same, you gain expand-ability and ability to maintain it if it does go bad.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/Hydro_Series_H115i_Platinum/6.html
View attachment 239316
^ 240 Eisbaer LT 25mm thickness radiator performing within 1°C of the 280 radiator on H115i Platinum which also has faster fans and 27mm thick radiator

https://www.modders-inc.com/swiftech-h240-x3-all-in-one-cooler-review/5/ --> comparable to custom loop

Essentially you need roughly twice the FPI (fins per inch) or thickness with an aluminum radiator vs a copper one. The reason why aluminum radiators are so much cheaper is due to the cost of materials and the cost to ship it even if brazing/welding costs more on aluminum vs solder on copper with brass tubes or copper with copper tubes. I think the main reason why XSPC was able to make such an improvement with the TX series radiators this year is by the welding of the copper tubes to copper fins as well as 22FPI on part with aluminum radiators. Unlike EKWB's 22FPI SE series though, their performance is fairly good.

shilka · Dec 17, 2018

AlphaC said:
Shilka is my comedic hero.

After the first Asetek-based kit fails I would have just gotten an air cooler.

I was in my early 20´s then and had little idea what i was doing and as i said marketing hype works if you are young and have little idea what you are doing and buying
And i did end up with an NH-U12P SE2 and later an NH-D14 after my H50 and H100 failed me the 3rd and last CLC cooler was in my second PC and that ended up with an NH-U12

ElectroManiac · Dec 17, 2018

The EK units are out of my price range. You need to spend almost $300. For that amount you might as well go with a custom loop.

The Swiftech there is not enough info out there on how they perform. Haven't found a good review that could give me more info about them.

Watching some of the 9700K reviews and the overclocking temps aren't that bad.

TechPowerUp use a 240mm AIO (not sure which one) and manage to keep it at 80c at 5.1ghz. Though no info on what kind load they use
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_9700K/18.html

Tom's Hardware use a H115i V2 and at 5.1ghz non AVX load keep it at 70-74c.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i7-9700k-9th-gen-cpu,5876-2.html

Hexus use a Noctua NH-D15s and at 5.1ghz it manage to keep it at 70-75c, but doesn't said what kind load it use to stress it.
https://hexus.net/tech/reviews/cpu/124283-intel-core-i7-9700k/?page=10

Overclock3d using a H110i GT at 5.2ghz manage to keep it bellow 80c.

https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/intel_i5_9600k_and_i7_9700k_review/18

Though all those testing will vary depending on ambient temp, airflow and other hardware use, but we can see that a 280mm rad or a NH-D15 is enough cooling for a 5ghz OC.

The Pook · Dec 17, 2018

As long as you're not expecting to run 1.4v I'd imagine you'd be fine with a H100.

The only argument against an AIO that really makes any sense is price to performance and points of failure. If you have a loud AIO you have a faulty AIO and you should RMA.

ElectroManiac · Dec 17, 2018

AlphaC said:
Shilka is my comedic hero.

After the first Asetek-based kit fails I would have just gotten an air cooler.

Anyway if you want to go watercooling there's AIO kits with copper finned radiators and some have stronger pumps than the Asetek one.

The EK Phoenix MLC is expensive (~$300 normally and ~$200 at Black Friday/Cyber Monday), but Swiftech Drive x3 (240, 360) and the Alphacool Eisbaer LT are rather cheap for they are (~$110-160ish).

Even if it costs you $10-30 more than a Corsair/NZXT AiO and performs relatively the same, you gain expand-ability and ability to maintain it if it does go bad.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/Hydro_Series_H115i_Platinum/6.html
View attachment 239316
^ 240 Eisbaer LT 25mm thickness radiator performing within 1°C of the 280 radiator on H115i Platinum which also has faster fans and 27mm thick radiator

https://www.modders-inc.com/swiftech-h240-x3-all-in-one-cooler-review/5/ --> comparable to custom loop

Essentially you need roughly twice the FPI (fins per inch) or thickness with an aluminum radiator vs a copper one. The reason why aluminum radiators are so much cheaper is due to the cost of materials and the cost to ship it even if brazing/welding costs more on aluminum vs solder on copper with brass tubes or copper with copper tubes. I think the main reason why XSPC was able to make such an improvement with the TX series radiators this year is by the welding of the copper tubes to copper fins as well as 22FPI on part with aluminum radiators. Unlike EKWB's 22FPI SE series though, their performance is fairly good.

The Eisbaer does look nice. Where can you buy it here on the US? On Amazon and Newegg are way to overpriced because they are sell by third party vendors.

Also checking that TechPowerUp review of the Platinum, the Swiftech and the H150i Pro perform about the same, but I guess the Swiftech has less noise and has the expandable option (I dont think I will expand TBH), but the H150i is around $20 less.

The Fractal Design s24 perform quite well in comparison though. How good are Fractal Design AIOs?

H100i Pro enough for a 9700k?

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