At first we would like to thank CORSAIR for offering us their Hydro Series H115i PRO RGB Liquid CPU Cooler for testing and reviewing.

 

About Corsair:

"Founded in 1994, Corsair has grown from pioneering the high-performance DRAM market to one of the world’s leading providers of enthusiast-grade PC components and peripherals. Our groundbreaking technology and innovation can be found in our high-performance memory, ultra-efficient power supplies, PC cases, PC and CPU cooling solutions, and solid-state storage devices. Under the Corsair Gaming brand, launched in 2014, we provide gaming keyboards, mice, headsets and mouse mats to eSports professionals and anybody who is passionate about competitive PC gaming.

 

Corsair hardware is regularly featured in showcase “dream systems,” and we have earned the adulation and respect of the press, professional gamers and overclockers, high-end system integrators, and PC enthusiasts worldwide by delivering leading-edge technology backed by renowned service and support.

 

Corsair has developed a global operations infrastructure with extensive marketing and distribution channel relationships, and our products are available through leading distributors and retailers in over sixty countries worldwide."

Product Features:

 

BE SEEN, NOT HEARD

 

The CORSAIR Hydro Series H115i PRO is an all-in-one RGB liquid CPU cooler with a 280mm radiator built for low-noise cooling and bold styling with an RGB LED pump head.

 

DYNAMIC MULTICOLOR RGB LIGHTING

 

Vibrant RGB LED pump head produces vivid lighting effects to match your build.

 

POWERED BY MAGNETIC LEVITATION

 

Two low-noise 140mm ML Series magnetic levitation PWM fans deliver improved airflow and produce just 20 dBA of noise at full speed.

 

POWERFUL SOFTWARE

 

CORSAIR LINK software allows you to adjust RGB lighting, individual fan speeds, and pump speed while monitoring CPU and coolant temperatures, and more.

 

ZERO RPM MODE

 

Zero RPM cooling profile in CORSAIR LINK software allows fans to stop entirely at low temperatures, eliminating fan noise.

 

PRECISE PUMP CONTROL

 

Advanced pump speed control options to maximize performance or minimize noise.

 

EASY TO INSTALL

 

Modular, tool-free mounting bracket for quick and painless installation on most major CPU sockets.

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

 

The new AIO series from CORSAIR does also include the H115i PRO RGB, which is meant as an upgrade versus the “older” H115i thanks to the new ML fans, updated pump, tubing but also a new “Zero RPM” profile as we have seen with various video card cooling systems nowadays.

The product is shipped in a rather large cardboard enclosure, which sports the usual CORSAIR box art; right from the top cover, we will get to see how the whole system does look like and the manufacturer has also included here some of the product main highlights:

 

 

 

On one of the box sides, we will be able to check the socket compatibility list; the product retains compatibility with most major CPU sockets, including the older FM1/FM2/1150:

 

 

 

Nearby, CORSAIR does remind us the configuration flexibility the H115i PRO RGB does have, thanks to the LINK software technology:

 

 

 

The opposite side does list again some of the H115i PRO RGB main features:

 

 

 

For more in-depth explanation of the included technologies, but also the technical specifications, we need to check out the bottom side of the enclosure:

 

 

 

After lifting the top cover, we will get to see the AIO cooler along with its bundle, in the usual arrangement:

 

 

 

Inside the manual, CORSAIR does show the included bundle components, but also the installation instructions for each socket:

 

 

 

The two 140mm fans are packaged separately, while the rest of tools do reside in a re-sealable plastic bag:

 

 

 

We are getting a plastic backplate which fits multiple Intel sockets, the AMD mounting bracket, screws for fitting the fans to the radiator, screws for fitting the radiator onto the case, but also mounting accessories for both Intel/AMD sockets:

 

 

 

In the box, we will also receive a LINK cable; with this occasion, we did also observe that with the new pump design the manufacturer has switched from Mini-USB to Micro-USB:

 

 

 

 

At first sight, the H115i PRO RGB does look similar to other 280mm coolers on the market:

 

 

 

The radiator does come with a very sleek design, measuring 315 x 143 x 29 mm:

 

 

 

On the laterals, the CORSAIR logo has been also updated with a new design:

 

 

 

Nearby, the manufacturer has also included the stickers with the serial numbers:

 

 

 

As with other high-end CLCs, the tubing is sleeved but also more flexible versus the H115i (non-PRO):

 

 

 

The pump does also come with a new casing, which is meant to favorize RGB lighting; besides the large top CORSAIR logo, the pump does also feature a LED ring right under the metallic grey layer:

 

 

 

 

This new Gen6 Asetek pump design does also imply a smaller, optimized, circular coldplate; thermal compound is pre-applied, making the installation process even faster! The Intel/AMD brackets can be switched in a matter of seconds:

 

 

 

The left side of the pump does also include the USB LINK port:

 

 

 

Travelling from the pump, we will get to see multiple interfaces:

 

-the SATA Power cable, which provides power to the whole assembly;

-a two-pin cable for sending RPM monitoring info to the motherboard (in this case from the pump motor);

-two 4-pin PWM cable connectors for driving the included fans; the fans can be configured separately!

 

 

 

Thanks to the H115i PRO RGB, we do meet with the ML fans again, which are quite known for their silent operating mode, even at high RPMs:

 

 

 

On the black frame, each fan has fitted a serial number:

 

 

 

The back side of the fan does also include an additional sticker with the power rating (12V at 0.259A):

 

 

 

Versus the RGB versions we have tested separately, these have simpler designs for the frame, meaning that we are not getting the additional rubber layers for vibration dampening purposes:

 

 

 

We will install the H115i PRO RGB onto our trusty Ryzen 7 1700 CPU; the mounting process is very simple and makes use of the stock AMD brackets and backplate:

 

 

 

 

After we have powered on the system, we have seen that it fits perfectly with the rest of the CORSAIR ecosystem; right…this is the same case and components we have used in our Commander PRO build!

 

 

 

The updated pump casing really looks good with the RGB lighting; here are some examples with different LED accents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The radiator was mounted in front, along with its two ML fans:

 

 

 

 

The H115i PRO RGB AIO is driven by the well-known CORSAIR LINK ecosystem, from where we can modify the operating parameters:

 

 

 

The fans can be configured independently, so each can operate on a different curve:

 

 

 

We have plenty of presets to choose from; one interesting mode is the Zero RPM mode, in which case the fans will start rotating only when the temperature has exceeded 45 degrees Celsius. This mode is excellent in light office work mode, when the CPU is barely utilized:

 

 

 

The pump parameters can be also modified via different presets:

 

 

 

With the H115i PRO RGB pump, we do also have the Balanced mode introduced:

 

 

 

The RGB lighting on the pump is also fully-configurable, in order to match your preferences:

 

 

 

Here is the list of the modes we can select from:

 

 

 

Blink

Static

Color Pulse

Color Shift

Rainbow

Temperature

 

Test Setup:

 

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1700

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero AM4

CPU Cooler: Corsair H115i PRO RGB

VGA: HIS RX 480 IceQ X2 Roaring Turbo 8GB

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 2666MHz

SSD: Crucial BX300 240GB

PSU: Corsair HX850

Case: Corsair Crystal 570X

 

We did test the CPU cooler while having the pump set to “Performance Mode”, and have recorded temperatures for Quiet, Balanced and Performance modes of the PWM fans. We did choose the same testing modes on the H115i in order to compare the temperatures, while having the Ryzen 7 1700 CPU at stock, but also while overclocked on each core at 3.9GHz (1.3V LLC5 set inside the UEFI interface). For simulating maximum load, we did use the Prime95 29.3 version and enabled the Small FFTs mode. In order to monitor the temperatures, we utilized the HWiNFO64 utility, while the ambient temperature was held at a steady value of 19.5 degrees Celsius:

 

 

Considering the different fans both AIOs come with (the H115i is equipped with 2000RPM fans while the H115i PRO RGB with 1200RPM ones), the performance difference is fully understandable. While the H115i fans did run at 46.2 dBA at Full Load in Quiet Mode, on the PRO we did record about 43.1 dBA; for the Balanced Mode, the difference in noise is even higher (H115i – 50.7 dBA vs H115i PRO – 43.4 dBA) and to conclude we have the Performance mode (H115i – 53.6 dBA vs H115i PRO – 43.7 dBA).

 

By using Asetek’s Gen6 design, a reworked LED lighting system and the highly-awarded ML fans, H115i PRO RGB does succeed to drive stock and overclocked systems, while maintaining considerably lower noise levels than before! The cooler can also function in Zero RPM mode, as we have seen with several newer video cards and is controlled by LINK, from where we can adjust the speed of each fan, choose from one of the three pump operating modes, but also work with the LED lighting system options.

 

The radiator comes with a sleek design and the installation process is very simple on both Intel and AMD sockets thanks to the included brackets. The LINK cable has been updated from Mini-USB to Micro-USB and thermal compound is preinstalled on the coldplate, which is smaller when compared to the previous version models. The tubing on the H115i PRO RGB is sleeved and more flexible than the one we have found with the regular H115i.

 

Again, this product was not designed to break any thermal performance records, but offers an optimal balance between noise and cooling!

 

The product can be purchased online for about 133 Euros.

 

Let’s wrap this up!

 

Pros:

 

-new Asetek Gen6 pump design, inaudible in Quiet and Balanced modes

-ML fans for optimal performance at the lowest noise level possible

-easy installation

-sleek looking casing of the pump, which allows RGB lighting to shine through

-plenty of configuration options inside the LINK software

-Zero RPM mode for light office tasks

 

Cons:

 

-the included ML fans do not feature rubber mounts for vibration dampening purposes

CORSAIR Hydro Series H115i PRO RGB Liquid CPU Cooler is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Corsair for making this review possible!