Corsair H115i Pro Liquid CPU Cooler Overview
As mentioned the entirety of the cooler as well as the hardware are all enclosed in plastic. The 140mm fans are enclosed in cardboard sheaths. So you have the cooler, two 140mm fans, a bag of hardware, two pieces of warranty literature, and finally the installation guide.
The included fans are all black, stripped down ML series fans. ML stands for magnetic levitation meaning they levitate in favor of depending on a lubricated bearing design in the drive system. The result should be a low oppertational noise as well as an increased lifespan and efficiency. By the specs you should have a max of 20.4 dBA of noise at the fan’s maximum speed of 1200rpm. This gets you 55.4 CFM of airflow and 1.27 mm-H20 of static pressure. While the low noise rating is fantastic, the top performance specs are rather low, especially the static pressure. These fans are four pin PWM allowing for software control of their speed.
Checking out the bag of hardware we find all the parts needed for all modern sockets for both AMD and Intel. Additionally you will find a micro USB to USB header cable. This cable allows you to connect the cooler to Corsair Link via your motherboard.
On to the main event, the cooler itself. While the squared radiator and sleeved tubing are the same as those found in the previous versions of this cooler the pump and housing are new for this generation. The Asetek designed pump is the smallest we’ve seen to date and still packs an RGB light diffusing ring in both the top and side of the housing.
Two sides of the pump have some unique features. On the left side of the short housing Corsair has located the micro USB port for the data connection. Opposite you will find the inlet/outlet ports as well as three long sets of wires. Thick tubing connects to plastic swivel fittings that connect straight to the pump and are bisected by the group of wiring.
At the business end of the wiring we find a Sata power connector to deliver all the power the pump and fans could need direct from the power supply. Additionally you get two fan connectors supplied and controlled through the pump and finally a 3-pin connector for the motherboard header.
From the factory the pump will ship with TIM installed on the base in a perfectly even layer. The TIM and pump base is then protected by a snug fitting plastic cup. Many times these don’t fit tightly and make handling the unit a bit of a hassle. Corsair made sure that wasn’t an issue with this unit which is nice to see. Once you remove the cup we find the same B grade finish that is found on most all Corsair AiOs.
While most all AiO coolers support both AMD and Intel they almost all ship with the Intel bracket installed. Until now this would mean busting out a screw driver to change to the AMD bracket. With this new series of coolers Corsair has designed the bracket to simply twist and pull away. It works so well it makes you wonder what took so long for a company to come up with a design like this.
Earlier we mentioned the sleeved tubing. You’ve heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” well this is that. The black sleeving over low permeation flexible tubing that Corsair has been using for years is great. Looks nice, has lots of flow, and doesn’t break.
At the other end of the black double rainbow of tubing is our radiator. 240mm and 29mm thick it’s the same aluminum core that we’ve seen for several generations now. The squared look is still quite nice, as is the chrome Corsair logo on both sides. We measured it at 22 fins per inch which combined with the 29mm thickness make it more ideal for a high air flow fan and lower static pressure. The 140mm ML fan specs are somewhere in-between so it should be interesting to see how they do.
