Corsair H100i RGB Platinum Liquid Cooler Review: Powerful And Customizable

Long-time enthusiast will remember the Corsair Hydro H50. It was one of the first closed-loop water coolers on the market and it changed the game. Though the H50 was popular at the time of its release, it was a bit of a head-scratcher, because its performance and installation weren't ideal. Consumers bought it up though, and AIO water coolers were off and running. That was Corsair's first entry into the market, however, and things have gotten considerably better since. It seems as if each new AIO liquid-cooler released by Corsair has improved on their original designs, so much so that closed loop coolers are performing at levels approaching much more expensive custom water cooling loops.

In the decade since the Corsair H50 was first launched, Corsair has released a plethora of AIO water coolers, with the H100i being among the latest and greatest. The only thing missing from the original H100i in the eyes of some enthusiasts, however, was some color, RGB to be specific. It's 2019, and like it or not RGB is everywhere, so to appease enthusiasts craving a bit of additional RGB action, Corsair has released an RGB version of its popular H100i cooler that glows for days and offers strong performance to boot... 

The Corsair H100i RGB Platinum's specifications are listed below. Specifications don't tell the whole story though, which is why we are here today. So strap in and we will decipher all the technical jargon below and see how the H100i performs...

Corsair H100i RGB Platinum CPU Cooler Specifications & Features

The Corsair H100i RGB Platinum comes with installation brackets for all the latest sockets. This means it'll support Intel LGA 115x, 1366, 2011, 2011-3, and 2066 sockets, as well as AMD FM1, FM2, AM2, AM3, AM4, and TR4 sockets -- basically it'll work with any processor you're likely to buy today. We tested the cooler on an AMD AM4 socket with a Ryzen 5 processor. Overall, we found the installation process to be relatively easy for the most part, but when all was said and done, there was quite a bit of pressure being applied to the motherboard, causing it to slightly bend. The reason for this is because Corsair decided to use the stock AM4 retention brackets instead of a custom bracket to secure the cooling block. We suspect Corsair may update their installation hardware at some point for AM4, but for now keep this in mind. 

Along with mounting brackets for all of those sockets, you also get all the screws you need to install the two fans that come with the H100i RGB Platinum, as well as the mounting hardware to secure the radiator to your case.

On the outside the Corsair H100i Platinum looks nearly identical to the H100i Pro -- both have a 240mm radiator, and the same aesthetics, but internally they are entirely different beasts. The H100i Pro was designed for quiet performance in standard computers, while the Platinum series is designed to offer the best performance for high-end desktops. Corsair achieves this by using fans that can push more air than those paired with the Pro model and also by changing the internal structure of the cooling plate. While the Pro model uses an Asetek cooling plate, radiator, and pump the Platinum model is designed by CoolIT Systems. CoolIT was able to increase the overall efficiency with a new split-flow base, which internally reduces sharp turns to improve the flow path of the liquid. With a clearer pathway through the block, the water flow inside the cooler is able to dissipate the heat more expediently.

One of the first things you'll noticed about the Corsair H100i Platinum is the number of cables coming off the cooling block and fans. Previous models had fewer cables, because the only thing that needed power were the fan and pump. Now all of the RGB lights need power and control as well, so there are more cables. This means you'll have to work a little harder at cable management to make that case look clean, but nothing worthwhile comes easy.

The fans included with the H100i RGB are Corsair ML PRO Series RGB magnetic levitation PWM fans. These fans have been tuned to deliver optimal airflow and static pressure for the best cooling in this setup. Each fan has four individual RGB lights on them, while the cooling block ha 16 RGB lights. That means there is a grand total of 24 RGB LEDs that you can control with Corsair iCUE software. The fans operate between 400 and 2400 RPM, so they can either be extremely silent, or relatively audible because they're moving enough air to cool a processor that's running well beyond its stock frequency and voltage levels. As for noise, the fans are rated at 37 dBA. In a typical home or office, fan noise don't really become noticeable until around 25 to 30 dBA, so these fans can be considered relatively quiet, even at full throttle.  

A few pictures can't really do the Corsair H100i Platinum RGB justice, but we think we we've conveyed things well here. Both the cooling block and fans look great in our opinion, regardless of the color settings, and there are a ton of options to chose from.

Now that we have the Corsair H100i RGB Platinum in our system and ready to cool, let's see just what type of performance we can expect from one of Corsair's latest and greatest all-in-ones...