H80i GT or something else?

[Tomaszal]

Hello, I'm planning on upgrading from stock CPU cooling to AIO water cooling. I'm using a Node 304 case which has an option of mounting 140mm or 120mm radiator. I've read though, that I'm better of getting 120mm radiator because with 140mm the GPU doesn't fit too well.

 

So from my "research" I've found out that Corsair H80i GT is a good option for price/performance. BUT I've heard that the older H80i has really loud fans, is it still the case with H80i GT or no? And if it is what fans should I get for replacement?

 

I also wonder if there is any better price/performance AIO water cooling solutions with 120mm fans?

 

Thank you!

 

P.S. I also forgot to say that I want the noise to be really low.

[Necrodead]

To get low noise you are probably better off putting your money into air cooling. You could get quieter fans but a single core radiator won't perform any better than an air cooler.

[Sadistic_Potato]

I've heard that the H80i GT is actually worse than the H80i at the same noise level. 

 

120/140mm AIOs are pretty crap anyway...try and get the largest Noctua air cooler that fits. If not, The X41 or something from Cooler Master should be the best choice. 

[Tomaszal]

To get low noise you are probably better off putting your money into air cooling. You could get quieter fans but a single core radiator won't perform any better than an air cooler.

 

I've heard that the H80i GT is actually worse than the H80i at the same noise level. 

 

120/140mm AIOs are pretty crap anyway...try and get the largest Noctua air cooler that fits. If not, The X41 or something from Cooler Master should be the best choice. 

 

In Node 304 air coolers pretty much either don't fit at all or you have to use just 1 fan with really restricted air flow.

There's also a problem that I live in Lithuania and neither Noctua or NZXT products are unavaliable here and shipping costs are just insane. The only good options here are Cooler Master, Corsair and Silverstone.

 

Here's the list of avaliable decent coolers here:

 

What should I pick?

 

Thank you for your answers!

[Sadistic_Potato]

In Node 304 air coolers pretty much either don't fit at all or you have to use just 1 fan with really restricted air flow.

There's also a problem that I live in Lithuania and neither Noctua or NZXT products are unavaliable here and shipping costs are just insane. The only good options here are Cooler Master, Corsair and Silverstone.

 

Here's the list of avaliable decent coolers here:

 

What should I pick?

 

Thank you for your answers!

Whatever seems fit from Cooler Master. Corsair's AIOs are really popular but to be honest I'm not sure why. The software is atrocious, the fans are loud, and it doesn't perform as well as other similarly priced AIOs or even air coolers. 

[Necrodead]

In that case I would go for a Coolermaster sidon, like potato said the corsair ones aren't really better at all. The 140mm would be quieter, but if you have clearence issues you'll have to live with that.

[Tomaszal]

Whatever seems fit from Cooler Master. Corsair's AIOs are really popular but to be honest I'm not sure why. The software is atrocious, the fans are loud, and it doesn't perform as well as other similarly priced AIOs or even air coolers. 

 

 

In that case I would go for a Coolermaster sidon, like potato said the corsair ones aren't really better at all. The 140mm would be quieter, but if you have clearence issues you'll have to live with that.

 

So I have done a little bit more research and it turns out the best ones that fit well with no air flow problems are Cooler Master Seidon 120V or Corsair H80i GT.

The price of H80i GT is double the price of Seidon 120V and people on forums (1, 2, 3) tell that H80i is better.

 

So if H80i GT actually is better, what fans should I buy to replace the stock ones that are loud? I can buy SP120 Performance/Quiet Edition ones ore these Cooler Master ones:

 

Thank you all. I really appreciate your quick answers! Best community ever

 

P.S. I think that Corsair AIO coolers are so popular because of worldwide avaliablity in different form-factors. Aso they look nice. I'm not saying they're better though, because I have no experience with any water coolers.

[Necrodead]

The reason the H80i is better is most likley becasue of the fans they use. They are louder and faster than the ones on the seidon, so if you replace them you could expect similar performance. Another thing to consider in regards to radiators, is that thicker radiators perform better when you use higher rpm fans, when using a lower rpm fan the thinner radiator will actually perform better since there is less restriction for the air. If your goal is quiet and you don't plan on overclocking I would save my money and go for the CM, but the H80i does perform better under load at max rpm, however its rated for 38 decibels and thats double what is considered 'silent'. Just because you said your goal was quiet, so I thought I would explain the difference in radiator thickness.

And the fans on the H80i are the SP 120mm high performance, just without the colored rings, something to keep in mind so you don't buy more of the same fans.

Honestly the CM seidon 120mm with quiet edition SP 120's from corsair is probably your best bet for a balance of quiet and performance, and I wouldn't be surprised if the H80i was the same or worse performing with low RPM fans. The h80i is not a bad choice at all, but I always try to get the best deal for myself and I just don't think it would be worth double the price.

[Tomaszal]

The reason the H80i is better is most likley becasue of the fans they use. They are louder and faster than the ones on the seidon, so if you replace them you could expect similar performance. Another thing to consider in regards to radiators, is that thicker radiators perform better when you use higher rpm fans, when using a lower rpm fan the thinner radiator will actually perform better since there is less restriction for the air. If your goal is quiet and you don't plan on overclocking I would save my money and go for the CM, but the H80i does perform better under load at max rpm, however its rated for 38 decibels and thats double what is considered 'silent'. Just because you said your goal was quiet, so I thought I would explain the difference in radiator thickness.

And the fans on the H80i are the SP 120mm high performance, just without the colored rings, something to keep in mind so you don't buy more of the same fans.

Honestly the CM seidon 120mm with quiet edition SP 120's from corsair is probably your best bet for a balance of quiet and performance, and I wouldn't be surprised if the H80i was the same or worse performing with low RPM fans. The h80i is not a bad choice at all, but I always try to get the best deal for myself and I just don't think it would be worth double the price.

 

Thanks for your detailed answer.

By that information I think I will go with Seidon 120V + SP120 Quiet Edition.

Although I have one more question: you've said that I should choose it if I don't plan on overclocking, which I do. I have bought an i5 4690K which is pretty good at overclocking. I plan to overclock it to 4.7 GHz at 1.3 volts. Could it handle that?

[Necrodead]

A single 120mm rad should be able to handle that, although normally I would only recommend a 240mm or larger radiator for overclocking as 1.3v will be near the limit of those smaller coolers. (and air coolers as well) So I wouldn't plan on going any higher than that. With either radiator you would probably have to increase your fan speed to overclock as well. If you did plan on overclocking any further than that, that is when I would recommend the h80i, but you would have to use the stock 2700rpm fans to get the benifit, and then you have a leafblower in your case.

[Tomaszal]

A single 120mm rad should be able to handle that, although normally I would only recommend a 240mm or larger radiator for overclocking as 1.3v will be near the limit of those smaller coolers. (and air coolers as well) So I wouldn't plan on going any higher than that. With either radiator you would probably have to increase your fan speed to overclock as well. If you did plan on overclocking any further than that, that is when I would recommend the h80i, but you would have to use the stock 2700rpm fans to get the benifit, and then you have a leafblower in your case.

 

Haha, I certainly don't want a leafblower in my room.

I don't plan on overclocking above 1.3v for sure, I don't want problems

 

So I want your final suggestion: Seidon 120V + SP120 (also I'm not sure quiet or performance edition for overclocking at 1.3v max) or H80i?

 

Thanks a lot!

[Necrodead]

The performance editions will be loud. They work great, but 38 decibels will be audible quite far away. I would still go with the seidon and the quiet editions, as a thinner rad works better with slower fans. Also I should note that although the H80i is better at load with max rpm, full 'load' is really only ever reached by benchmarking software. If you just plan on gaming the seidon with quiet fans will be enough even at overclock, and probably quieter all around, espically if you let your computer decide how fast to run the fans.

[Tomaszal]

The performance editions will be loud. They work great, but 38 decibels will be audible quite far away. I would still go with the seidon and the quiet editions, as a thinner rad works better with slower fans. Also I should note that although the H80i is better at load with max rpm, full 'load' is really only ever reached by benchmarking software. If you just plan on gaming the seidon with quiet fans will be enough even at overclock, and probably quieter all around, espically if you let your computer decide how fast to run the fans.

 

Thanks a lot, that's what I'm going with then. Also should I use push/pull, double push or double pull? Or should I just use 1 fan only?

[Necrodead]

Thanks a lot, that's what I'm going with then. Also should I use push/pull, double push or double pull? Or should I just use 1 fan only?

Having one fan on each side (push/pull configuration) will give you the best performance, and the least noise. (since you can turn the fans slightly lower for the same cooling of one fan)

 

Never heard of a double push or pull config, but it may be interesting to test.

 

 

[Tomaszal]

Having one fan on each side (push/pull configuration) will give you the best performance, and the least noise. (since you can turn the fans slightly lower for the same cooling of one fan)

 

Never heard of a double push or pull config, but it may be interesting to test.

 

 

 

Thank you a lot again.