The company started selling L2 cache modules for OEMs, but today Corsair sells a wide variety of components and peripherals. Corsair 5000X case and CX750M power supplyCooling has also long been a staple in the company’s lineup.recently tested Corsair’s iCUE H100i Elite 240mm Equipped with Intel’s i9-12900K.
But with Raptor Lake raising the bar on how difficult it is to cool, Corsair sent us the most powerful AIO to date, the 420mm iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT. Tame Intel’s 13900K, our best aio cooler list? It definitely has a size advantage and a high MSRP of $309.99, but we’ll have to do some testing to find out how it performs.
cooler specs
| cooler | Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer’s suggested retail price | $309.99 USD |
| Radiator dimensions | 457×140×27mm |
| Radiator material | aluminum |
| pump speed | Up to 2700RPM |
| Socket compatibility | Intel: LGA 1700, 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2066 |
| AMD: AM5, AM4, AM3, sTRX4, sTR4 | |
| base | copper |
| Maximum TDP (our test) | ~325W |
| guarantee | 5 years |
Packing and inclusions
420mm isn’t small, and the Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT arrives in a package roughly the length of my arm.
Package includes:
- 420mm radiator
- CPU block with 2.1-inch IPS display
- 3x 140mm fans
- Mount for all modern CPU sockets (including AM5 and LGA1700)
- Safety and warranty information
- Hardware lighting and PWM hub
- Pre-applied thermal paste
install
Installing Corsair’s AIO is very easy.
1. Secure the backplate.
2. Secure the standoffs.
3. Secure the radiator and fan to the top of the case.
4. Secure the CPU block to the standoffs.
5. Secure the fan control hub and connect the CPU block and fan.
Features of Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT
2.1 inch 480×480 IPS display
Above the CPU block is a vibrant 480×480 IPS display that can display sensor readings of your choice in a variety of display themes, load custom backgrounds and animated GIFs of your choice, and more.
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Full copper CPU plate
Corsair’s iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT’s CPU contact plate is made of copper and comes pre-installed with thermal paste.
Hardware RGB & PWM Hub
The H170i Elite comes with a hardware RGB & PWM hub and can support up to 3 additional fans (6 devices supported in total), not including the one that comes with the cooler.
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420mm radiator with 27mm thickness
The S36 Prisma features a 420 mm radiator with a thickness of 27 mm (1.06 inches). It’s not the thickest (or thinnest) radiator we’ve seen so far, but it should be compatible with all cases that support 420mm AIO.
3x AF RGB Elite PWM 140mm Fans
Coolers are more than just heatsinks and radiators. Bundled fans have a big impact on cooling and noise levels. The iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT includes three 140mm AF RGB Elite fans. The version of these fans included with the cooler is slightly more powerful than the standard AF RGB Elite fans, with a maximum speed of 1700 RPM compared to 1600 RPM on the standard model. Corsair advertises strong airflow, peak airflow up to 89 CFM, low noise rating (10-33.8 dBA), and durability with fluid dynamic bearings. Fan specifications are as follows:
| model | AF RGB Elite PWM |
| size | 140×140×25mm |
| fan rotation speed | 500 to 1,700 RPM |
| air flow | Up to 89 CFM |
| air pressure | 2.00mmH2O |
| Bearing type | Fluid dynamic bearing |
| lighting | RGB |
Fan curve is related to AIO coolant temperature, not CPU temperature.
The iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT’s pump and fan curves are based on CPU coolant temperature, not CPU. There are pros and cons to this, but many will appreciate the way it reduces noise levels under typical loads and eliminates bursty fan behavior.
The drawback of this method is that a semi-intensive but sustained workload will drive the cooler as loudly as a fully unrestrained workload. Also, once the workload is complete, the fans spin at high speed for a moderate amount of time instead of immediately returning to low speed. This happens because the AIO takes some time to cool down the coolant temperature after a sustained workload.
Comprehensive software suite
Corsair’s iCUE software offers comprehensive customization of coolers, components and peripherals. I was pleasantly surprised to find that her RGB options on the motherboard were detected by the software and easily controlled for all system RGB functions. This is due to the cooperation between the two companies at the time. First announced in 2020 (opens in new tab)Other motherboard brands are not currently supported by iCue.
This software gives you detailed control over the cooler’s LEDs. You can change the settings of individual LEDs on the included AF RGB Elite fan.
You can also change what is displayed on the small screen of the CPU block through software. It can be set to display time, coolant temperature, or another sensor of your choice. You can change the background from a variety of customizable presets or upload an image or GIF file.
test method
With previous generation CPU coolers, it was fairly easy to keep flagship i9 processors well below TJ max (the maximum temperature a CPU can sustain without throttling) under heavy workloads, but current generation CPUs ( and 13900K especially) without extreme cooling (or with power capping enabled).
Peak CPU temperatures have been a source of concern in the past, but enthusiasts should learn to accept high temperatures as ‘normal’ while running demanding workloads on Raptor Lake and Ryzen 7000 CPUs. there is. The latest AMD and Intel CPUs are designed to run fairly hot without problems, up to 95 degrees Celsius for AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs and up to 100 degrees Celsius for Intel’s Core i9-13900K. Similar behavior has been the norm in laptops for years due to cooling limitations in tight spaces.
Additionally, Intel’s Core i9-13900K supports Adaptive Boost Technology (ABT), which allows Core i9 processors to dynamically boost to higher all-core frequencies based on available thermal headroom and electrical conditions. can. This allows multi-core loads to run up to 5.5 GHz with the required amount of heat dissipation. This feature works in an aggressive hot-seeking manner. If the chip detects that it is operating below the 100°C threshold, it will increase performance and power consumption until it hits the safe 100°C limit, maintaining higher clocks (which provides better performance). increase).
The increased cooling challenges with Raptor Lake meant that we had to change some of the ways we test coolers. Some coolers were able to pass the Cinebench R23 multi-core test with Intel’s 12th Gen i9-12900K when the power cap was lifted (although only the most powerful models were able to pass that test ). Most liquid coolers and all air coolers I’ve tested “failed” that test because the CPU hits its TJ max in this scenario.
On Raptor Lake’s 13900K, not a single cooler was able to keep the CPU below its max TJ in this test. For these heavy loads, we test performance by comparing total wattage cooled and noise level.
Asus’ TUF Gaming Z690 Gaming Plus WIFI motherboard and Cooler Master’s HAF 700 Berserker PC case are used to test Intel’s i9-13900K CPU. Case fans are limited to 35% speed. The motherboard’s default fan curve is used for the CPU cooler fan.
In addition to testing Cinebench with no power cap applied, we also show the results of limiting the CPU power consumption to a more reasonable 200W. We also show the results at 125W for those who prefer very quiet cooling at the expense of some performance. For both of these results, we show the traditional delta result versus ambient temperature.
Sound level measurements recorded using a PSPL25 sound meter are provided for all three power levels tested to compare the noise produced by each cooler in different scenarios. Most coolers are quiet at 125W is expected to work.
LGA1700 socket bend
Keep in mind that besides the CPU cooler, there are many other factors that affect cooling performance, such as the case you use and the fans attached to the case. Your system’s motherboard can also affect this. Especially if the motherboard is bent, the cooler will have poor contact with the CPU.
To prevent bending from affecting the cooling results, Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame was attached to the test rig. If the motherboard is subject to bending, the thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected by this issue. We tested the Raptor Lake CPUs on two motherboards. One of them showed a significant thermal improvement after installing his Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, while the other motherboard had no difference in temperature at all!For more information see the contact frame review Please look.
test configuration
| CPU | Intel Core i9-13900K |
| Tested comparison air cooler | cougar forza 50 |
| Deep Cool AG400 | |
| Deep Cool AG620 | |
| Iceberg Thermal IceSLEET G6 Stealth | |
| SilverStone Hydrogon D120 ARGB | |
| Thermal Light Assassin X 120 R SE | |
| Thermal light AXP120-X67 | |
| Compare tested AIO coolers | Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 |
| Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT | |
| Deep Cool LT720 | |
| Enermax Aquafusion ADV 360 | |
| Fractal Celsius + S36 Prisma | |
| MSI MAG Core Liquid P360 | |
| SilverStone VIDA 240 Slim | |
| motherboard | Asus TUF Gaming Z690 Plus Wi-Fi DDR5 |
| RAM | Kingston Fury DDR5-6000 |
| GPUs | Intel ARC A770 LE |
| case | Cooler Master HAF 700 Berserker |
| monitor | LG45GR95QE |
| PSUs | Cooler Master XG Plus 850 Platinum PSU |
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