At first we would like to thank CORSAIR for offering us their iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX AIO 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."

HIGH-PERFORMANCE RGB PUMP HEAD

The ELITE CAPELLIX cooler pump head houses 33 ultra-bright CAPELLIX RGB LEDs to go along with its RGB fans. When you add powerful, low-noise cooling to the mix, your system will look great and will run even better.

 

SPLIT-FLOW COPPER COLD PLATE

An optimal cold plate design and a high-density stack of 128 micro-skived fins-per-inch provides highly efficient cooling at all loads.

 

LOW-NOISE CENTRIFUGAL PUMP

Delivers a flow rate of up to 0.82L/min while generating less than 20 dBA, for extreme cooling with low noise.

 

CHANGE UP YOUR LOOK

Each ELITE CAPELLIX CPU cooler includes two separate pump caps. The pre-installed pump cap is a stylish, glossy black, while the alternate pump cap is more transparent to let your CAPELLIX LEDs shine through.

 

TURN ANY CASE INTO A SMART CASE

Harness the power of iCUE with the included iCUE Commander CORE to control the fan speed and RGB lighting for the included ML RGB fans, with the potential to control additional CORSAIR RGB fans, up to a total of six.

 

POWERFUL CORSAIR iCUE SOFTWARE

Adjust fan and pump speeds, control and synchronize your cooler's RGB lighting with all iCUE-compatible devices, and monitor CPU and coolant temperatures, all from a single intuitive interface.

 

MAGNETIC LEVITATION RGB FANS

CORSAIR ML RGB Series PWM fans deliver powerful airflow for extreme CPU cooling performance, with eight RGB LEDs per fan.

 

ZERO RPM MODE

Zero RPM cooling profiles in CORSAIR iCUE software allow fans to stop entirely at low temperatures, eliminating fan noise.

 

AVAILABLE IN THREE SIZES AND PERFORMANCE LEVELS

240mm (H100i) for great compatibility, 360mm (H150i) for high cooling performance, and 280mm (H115i) for a great mix of both.

 

EASY TO INSTALL

Modular, tool-free mounting bracket for quick and painless installation on all modern Intel and AMD sockets.

 

Cooling Warranty: Five years

Cold Plate Material: Copper

Radiator Material: Aluminum

PWM: Yes

CORSAIR iCUE Compatibility: Yes

Tubing Length: 380mm

Coldplate Dimensions: 56 x 56mm

Tubing Material: Black Sleeved Low-Permeation Rubber

Radiator: Dimensions 322mm x 137mm x 27mm

Fan Dimensions: 140mm x 25mm

Fan Speed: 2000 RPM

Number of Fans: 2

Cooling Socket Support: Intel 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2066

AMD: AM4, AM3, AM2, sTRX4, sTR4

Lighting: RGB

Radiator Size: 280mm

Fan Model: ML RGB Series

Fan Control Method: PWM

AMD Processors Supported: Ryzen Threadripper, Ryzen, Phenom II, Athlon II, FX, A-Series, Opteron, Sempron, Athlon 64

Intel Processors Supported: Core i9, i7, i5, i3, Pentium, Celeron

Fan Airflow: 97 CFM

Fan Static Pressure: 3.0 mm-H2O

Noise Level: 10 - 36 dBA

 

CORSAIR has recently updated their series of AIOs with the ELITE CAPELLIX models, featuring a redesigned pump which packs no less than 33 ultra-bright CAPELLIX RGB LEDs, ML RGB fans for even more eye candy but also a CORSAIR iCUE Commander CORE unit which simplifies the wire management for the whole setup! The product is available with 240mm radiator (H100i ELITE CAPELLIX), 280mm radiator (H115i ELITE CAPELLIX) but also a 360mm radiator (H150i ELITE CAPELLIX).

 

In our case, we will review the H115i ELITE CAPELLIX which does also include two ML140 RGB 140mm PWM fans, compatible with most sockets and coming with a total warranty of 5 years.

 

Our sample has arrived in a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, highlighting the RGB lighting system of the product right from the top cover:

 

 

 

The CAPELLIX technology is also mentioned here:

 

 

 

On one of the other package sides, we will be informed on the package contents, but also regarding the supported sockets:

 

 

 

 

 

More info can be spotted on the bottom, such as technical details, radiator dimensions but also some of the main product features, in multiple languages:

 

 

 

After lifting the top cover, we will get to see the documentation, but also the Warranty Guide:

 

 

 

The manual includes all the necessary info in order to complete the installation, on all supported sockets:

 

 

 

All the product components are also wrapped inside transparent plastic bags, in order to avoid any issues during transit, but also for a better organization:

 

 

 

Besides the radiator/pump assembly, we will also receive two ML140 RGB fans, the very useful iCUE COMMANDER CORE controller, different screws for mounting, an extra pump cover, an Allen key, while the bundles for different sockets are packaged separately as well:

 

 

 

First, we will remind of the Intel kit, which contains the backplate and the mounting components; the pump adapters are pre-installed on the pump:

 

 

 

The AM4 mounting components are next and they use the preinstalled standard AMD mounting mechanism coming with every motherboard:

 

 

 

The sTR4 mounting components are the last ones:

 

 

 

While the H115i ELITE CAPELLIX pump does come with a black cover, we also get a white replacement one in the package, together with an Allen key in order to remove/reinstall the four screws:

 

 

 

iCUE COMMANDER CORE is meant to simplify the installation and also allows you to control the other fans inside the case from the same controller; here we can connect up to six CORSAIR RGB fans (their RGB connectors but also their 4-pin PWM connectors), attach a thermistor but also connect the AIO pump directly to it via a custom-made connector:

 

 

 

Here is a closer view at the PWM 4-pin ports:

 

 

 

The RGB ports are on the other side:

 

 

 

The custom header for the pump does have an indicator so you won’t install it in the wrong position:

 

 

 

The thermistor port is placed on the opposite side:

 

 

 

The controller will take power from a single PSU SATA port, but will also require connection to a single USB 2.0 header on the motherboard; the previous solutions needed two USB 2.0 headers on the motherboard, which specific motherboards did not have available because it was already occupied by the front panel ports of the computer case:

 

 

 

If you would need to attach the controller to a fixed position, two 3M double coated tapes are also offered in the bundle:

 

 

 

Next, we do have two ML140 RGB fans with magnetic levitation bearing and 8 individually addressable RGB LEDs per fan:

 

 

 

As the other RGB fans, these come with two separate connectors:

 

 

 

These sport 7 blades, a sticker with the CORSAIR logo in the middle, while the rotation speed can go between 400RPM and 2000RPM:

 

 

 

On the back of the fans, we will be able to read their power rating, which is 12V at 0.202A:

 

 

 

A serial number can be also spotted on the side as well:

 

 

 

The pump and radiator assembly are joined by 380mm of black sleeved low-permeation rubber tubing, which is quite flexible:

 

 

 

The radiator sports the following dimensions: 322mm x 137mm x 27mm

 

 

 

On the side we will find a nice chromed CORSAIR logo:

 

 

 

Nearby we will also find a sticker with the product SN, internal code name but also another one with a QR code:

 

 

 

The pump comes with a really catchy look, complemented by the multitude of CAPELLIX LEDs and is taller versus the previous generation; the pump cap is replaceable with a more transparent one:

 

 

 

The back side of the pump is all copper and has the thermal compound pre-applied; the used cold plate has a density stack of 128 micro-skived fins-per-inch for providing efficient cooling:

 

 

 

The pump must be connected to the COMMANDER CORE, but also to the CPU_FAN header for RPM monitoring:

 

 

 

By using the included long screws, the installation of the ML140 fans onto the radiator is a pretty straight-forward process:

 

 

 

Also, for installing the pump onto our AM4 test system, we do only have to remove the Intel adapters and replace them with AMD ones, install the small claws but also the thumbscrews in order to keep the pump tightly fixed onto the stock AM4 mechanism:

 

 

 

After getting all set up, we have noticed that the new pump assembly along with the ML140 RGB fans are a thing of beauty, especially when paired with other CORSAIR RGB items as well:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The iCUE unified utility will detect and display the H115i ELITE CAPELLIX, allowing control over all the other fans connected to the COMMANDER CORE as well:

 

 

 

The main screen will display a photo of the pump highlighting the currently chosen LED lighting effect, the running speed of the connected fans but also the pump and we will also take note of the coolant temperature:

 

 

 

The Lighting Setup menu will detect the currently installed fan types and prompt for RGB configuration, along with the pump:

 

 

 

The Autodetect feature will make the selection for us, but we can also select from the list of compatible CORSAIR fans:

 

 

 

We have found the Temperature lighting effect to be a very handy tool when programming the LED setup, because you will always know which components heat up most when using the computer for different tasks:

 

 

 

We have plenty of other RGB presets we can configure as well; Lighting Link effects will also allow syncing with the other devices:

 

 

 

Rainbow Wave

Spiral Rainbow

Rainbow

Color Shift

 

Color Pulse

Color Wave

Sequential

Strobing

Rain

Visor

Marquee

Arc

Heartbeat

Pong

 

Color Warp

Rotary Stack

Infinity

Gate

Ping

 

Lighting Library allows saving custom presets separately, for use when working with more complex lighting profiles:

 

 

 

Hardware Lighting mode will allow the user to select a mode which will run when iCUE is completely shut down; this chosen effect will be saved to the hardware and will be always enabled without iCUE use, even during computer boot-up!

 

 

 

The Performance tab does allow the user to choose one of the preset fan profiles or choose a custom one by selecting a percent, a fixed RPM value or by defining a custom curve; the pump supports selectable presets as well:

 

 

 

The Graphing section will draw live graphs of the detected RPMs:

 

 

 

Alarms can be also defined when the temperature reaches a defined threshold:

 

 

 

From the main Settings menu, we will be able to choose the brightness level, enable limited software control, run LED port detection or perform firmware updates:

 

 

 

Test Setup:

 

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X Retail

CPU Cooler: CORSAIR H115i ELITE CAPELLIX AIO

Motherboard: ASRock X570 Taichi

RAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB 32GB 3600MHz Kit

Video: XFX Radeon RX 5700 DD Ultra 8GB

Power Supply: CORSAIR RM850 850W PSU

SSD: Crucial MX500 512GB

Case: CORSAIR Graphite 760T

 

We have performed the tests while keeping the pump in the “Balanced Mode” for all coolers and cycled though “Quiet”, “Balanced” and “Extreme” profiles for the included fans in each bundle. For keeping the CPU at maximum load, we did use AIDA64 Stress Test suite, while the temperatures were separately monitored by Ryzen Master utility. The Ryzen 9 3900X has had all settings on Auto, so no manual overclocking was in order. During the time of testing, we have succeeded to keep a steady room temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius.

 

 

The iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX AIO from CORSAIR does offer similar cooling performance versus the previously tested H115i RGB PRO XT model but improvements in terms of the pump lighting effects, a replaceable pump cover in order to fit your setup color scheme bur also the RGB variety of the ML fans (ML140 RGB series). If you do have other RGB fans inside the system from CORSAIR, the installation task is much simplified thanks to the included iCUE Commander CORE, which minimizes the number of cables used, has a port dedicated for the CAPELLIX AIO pump and we will only need a spare USB 2.0 header on the motherboard in order to have full control via iCUE software.

 

While the Quiet and Balanced iCUE presets are still oriented towards silent operation, the Extreme one can ramp up the fans to about 1710 RPM, in order to provide even more efficient heat evacuation via the 280mm radiator. Full control over the fan speeds is offered in software as well (radiator and case fans) thanks to the CORE controller, allowing a single page for configuration in iCUE for all versus the previous generation.

 

The CAPELLIX LEDs can deliver quite a bit of show and are more power efficient versus traditional ones; thanks to the powerful iCUE software, we can create a ton of effects, sync with our favorite compatible peripherals but also upload different profiles available from the community.

 

The iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX AIO is currently available online for about 168 Euros, a price increase understandable due to the inclusion of the Commander CORE in the package.

CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX AIO Liquid CPU Cooler is Recommended for:

 

 

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