Until now, connecting Corsair watercooling kits has been a bit of a nightmare. With the Commander Core, the fans and the pump, there were a lot of wires to deal with. Not to mention the fact that each RGB fan had two cables, which quickly made a mess of the PC. Fortunately, the brand’s iCUE Link series makes things easier. For our part, we received the 420 mm model, the iCUE Link H170i RGB, and we’ll take a look at it.
Overview:
The iCUE Link series is available in several models: four in all. These come with 240 mm, 280 mm, 360 mm and 420 mm radiators! So we’ve got classic radiators, and much larger ones for large, power-hungry processors.
As you’ll have gathered, the highlight of the series is the new iCUE Link system. This will enable all the elements of the kit to be connected to each other in series. Then, via a dedicated controller, we connect the whole to the motherboard, and via Corsair’s software, we can take advantage of the lighting and speed management of each element. Of course, the main advantage is the simplicity of connection and the reduction in the number of cables in the system!
Naturally, Corsair boasts about the performance of its kit, achieved thanks to a high-performance pump. The copper base is no stranger to this phenomenon, thanks to its “split flow”. Secondly, by default, Corsair claims to use its in-house thermal paste, the XTM70, which has been heralded as a high performer.
Secondly, the iCUE Link system will greatly simplify assembly. At the same time, having to manage three cables and powering a hub is quite different from having to manage the old system. What’s more, we expect to find the brand’s usual easy-to-use mounting system.
Finally, we learn that the ventilation benefits from a 0 RPM mode for those most sensitive to noise. This means that when your machine is at rest, the ventilation can be switched off, leaving the relay to the pump. In this way, noise pollution is drastically reduced!
Of course, this is an AIO that can count on full management via the iCUE software suite. This enables complete management of pump speed, fans and lighting!
Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: the price. Officially, Corsair is charging €322.90 for this AIO, whereas it costs around €320 online. In short, a particularly hefty bill for this kit.
[nextpage title=”The iCUE Link H170i RGB kit”]
When it comes to packaging, we’re back to Corsair’s usual style. The box comes in yellow and black, with an illustration of the iCUE H170i RGB on the front. On the back, we have a reminder of the kit’s main functions and features!
Inside, we find the classic cardboard mold used to protect the kit’s various components. This time, the plastic bags have been replaced by recycled ones. Incidentally, we had to be careful, as the one containing the screws and bolts arrived torn, so we had washers wandering all over the box.
Radiator:
As with any 420 mm kit, the radiator is really imposing. You’ll need to take a serious look at the compatibility with your housing. In fact, it measures 457 (W) x 140 (D) x 27 (H) mm. Add another 25 mm with the fans, which are pre-installed as standard! Of course, the construction is aluminum-based, and there are 13 channels for liquid circulation.
Otherwise, the special feature of this model lies in the presence of a “block” between the pipes. This is where all connections are made: fans and hub. It features a USB-C socket and two proprietary connectors.
Otherwise, the radiator’s finish is really clean and we’re dealing with a rectangular black model. Once again, there are no visible rivets or screws on the sides. All we have here is a simple Corsair logo on the sides. Once again, it looks great!
Of course, to connect the radiator to the pump, there are two 45 cm long hoses. They’re pretty flexible and can easily be bent. However, unlike the brand’s other AIOs, the sheathing isn’t as pretty, since it will be used to hide two cables at the pump outlet. The finish is therefore similar to that of Arctic’s Liquid Freezer II kits based on the same principle.
Pump block:
The design of the block has obviously changed, and is now covered in glossy translucent plastic with a black tint. On the top, we have the Corsair logo on a black plate. This plate is held in place by a magnetic system, allowing it to be rotated in 90° increments.
In terms of dimensions, this waterblock measures 75 (W) x 75 (D) x XX (H) mm. There’s no memory obstruction here, as the copper base is slightly eccentric on the left. Beneath the block, we find the brushed copper base with dimensions of 56×56 mm. It will easily cover a LGA-1700 or AM5 CPU. It is screwed to the rest of the pump via eight Phillips-head screws.
On the side, there are two 90°-angled end caps, but the finish is very clean. These feature a knurled texture with a Corsair logo. Two small cables can be seen tucked underneath.
Here, there are no connectors coming out of this block. It may sound silly, but the only cables present are at the elbow ends and running along the pipes. Everything is connected to the radiator.
Compatibility:
In terms of compatible platforms, Corsair highlights support for motherboards in :
- Intel: LGA-115x – LGA-1200 – LGA-1700 – LGA-2000
- AMD: AM5 – AM4 – sRX4 – sTR4
Once again, Corsair has announced major compatibility with AMD’s HEDT platforms. However, what about the new one just released?
Fans:
As far as ventilation is concerned, there are three 140 mm QX14 RGB fans. What’s special about these fans is that there are no cables, as they are connected via the frame. In fact, if you remove them from the radiator, you’ll see that the connection is made via a bridge (on the left), while a wedge adds a little stability.
The frame is square, with small rubber washers at the ends. However, double lateral striations are present to diffuse the aRGB lighting they feature. Speaking of RGB, there’s also a double light ring visible from the front and rear of the mill.
As for the blades, these fans have seven of them, which are, after all, relatively thick. They remain translucent to promote aRGB lighting diffusion. However, given the thickness of the frame, their length is rather limited.
Now to the figures. We know that the mills benefit from a PWM-type power supply. Their rotation range is between 400 rpm and 2000 rpm. At full throttle, airflow will be significant, with 82.5 CFM announced. Ditto for static pressure as we reach 3.5 mmH2O.
The bundle:
The accessory part arrives in various small plastic bags. However, the one containing the screws was torn on arrival. Fortunately, there was no loss – it was just lying around in the box. In any case, the accessory part was composed of :
- A warranty guide
- A cable to connect the fans to the radiator
- The iCUE Link hub
- A second cable connecting the radiator to the iCUE Link hub
- A 6-pin PCIe power cord for the hub
- USB cable for connecting hub to motherboard
- Temperature sensor
- Connector bridge and shim (for fans)
- Metal backplate and screws for Intel sockets
- Mounting arms and spacers for TR4 socket
- Mounting arms and spacers for socket AM4/5
- Fan/radiator screws and washers
The accessory section is therefore complete, with everything you need to assemble the kit. However, I’m a little disappointed not to have a thermal paste supplement, especially on a kit priced at over €300.
Roughly speaking:
As always with Corsair, this is a well-presented piece of equipment with attractive finishes. The design of the pump has evolved and is very pleasing to the eye. Last but not least, this new iCUE Link system promises to be very practical to deploy, as we remember the Commander Core-equipped kits of the past generating an incredible quantity of cables. But to find out what it’s all about, go to the next page.
[nextpage title=”Installation”]
For installation, you’ll need to keep your AMD backplate, as Corsair doesn’t supply one. If you don’t have one any more, a quick look on eBay should make it easy to find one.
Installing the iCUE Link H170i RGB:
If you’re using an AMD platform, the first thing to do is change the mounting arms. By default, the pump is equipped with those for Intel platforms.
To remove them, all you have to do is pull on them. Once the Intel arms have been removed, it’s time to install the AMD arms. Once again, it’s easy: just insert the corresponding platform’s arms sideways, and you’re done! Grooves around the base allow the arms to slide in easily.
On the Intel side, we start by placing the backplate on the back of the motherboard, then screw the spacers to the four corners of the socket. Of course, you’ll need to be careful which spacers you use, as they differ depending on whether you’re using an LGA-2000, LGA-1700 or LGA-1200/115x board.
On an AMD platform, you’ll need to remove the original mounting arms before screwing in the spacers. There’s no room for error here, since the hardware supplied for AM4/AM5 platforms is the same.
Finally, once everything is ready, the pump can be positioned and screwed on using the four hand nuts provided. If you’ve got enough strength in your fingers, you can tighten by hand, but if not, you can always use a screwdriver!
Connection:
When it comes to connection, the iCUE Link system makes things a lot easier. Use the short cable to connect the fan cluster to the radiator. The radiator is then connected to the iCUE Link hub, which is powered via a six-pin PCIe socket. A final USB cable is required to connect the hub to the motherboard via a USB 2.0 header .
In short, the number of cables is considerably reduced. As a reminder, with previous AIO series, you had to juggle with (at least) a dozen cables for a kit equipped with three fans… Not to mention the Commander Core, which took up a considerable amount of space in an installation. Now it’s much simpler!
[nextpage title=”Protocol”]
A small update to our test protocol. We’ve changed the software we used to stress our configuration. The same applies to the different profiles.
For test purposes, we’ll be comparing the Pure Loop 2 280 with other models in 240 mm, 280 mm, 360 mm and even 420 mm:
- H170i Elite LCD XT (Corsair)
- iCUE Link H170i RGB (Corsair)
- Kraken 240 RGB (NZXT)
- Kraken Elite 360 (NZXT)
- Liquid Freezer II 240 (Arctic)
- Liquid Freezer II 280 (Arctic)
- Liquid Freezer II 420 (Arctic)
- Ryuo III 240 (Asus)
- Ryuo III 360 (Asus)
- Vida 240 Slim (Silverstone)
[nextpage title=”Speed and noise”]
Fan speed :
We’re starting from scratch with our series of temperature readings. Let’s specify the fan speeds recorded during our readings (for 12V, 8V, 5V):
As far as fan speeds at full throttle are concerned, we find the mills to be rather fast at full throttle. At 2000 rpm, the QX 140 RGB is among the fastest. At mid-range, we measure an average speed of 1300 rpm, while this drops to 700 rpm at low speed.
Note that ventilation can only be controlled via iCUE, so we ran the fans at 33%, 66% and 100% PWM signal.
Noise :
Unfortunately, with Corsairs, things don’t get any better when it comes to noise pollution. If you push the three blowers to their maximum, the noise is immediately very present and exceeds all other kits. At 49 dB, you’d be forgiven for thinking that we’d only run it this way occasionally.
Fortunately, a slight reduction in speed makes the noise more bearable at mid-range.
And when your PC isn’t being used much, you won’t have to worry about noise, as the kit becomes very quiet.
[nextpage title=”Intel CPU temperatures”]
95W processor:
We start with the 95W profile, a fairly average power consumption, especially when you consider the basic consumption of this 13600K. We’re here to simulate the power consumption of small processors with a reasonable number of cores. In theory, everyone should do well!
Thermally, on our Core i5 13600K consuming just 95W, Corsair’s kit does well. At full throttle, we find the CPU running at 50°C, while at low speed it rises to 55°C. In these conditions, it does as well as the Ryuo III 240 from Asus, a high-performance 240 mm kit.
130W processor:
Here, we take our readings on a Core i5 13600K, so power consumption reaches 130W. The P-Core runs at 4.5 GHz, the E-Core at 3.5 GHz and the VCore at 1.270V!
If we push our processor’s power consumption a little to 130W, Corsair’s kit is among the best when the fan is running at full and half speed. However, at low speeds, it seems to be seriously impacted thermally. As it stands, it once again boxes in the same category as Asus’ Ryuo III 240.
130W processor :
Finally, we conclude our series of readings with our Core i5 13600K, which consumes 170W. For this, we push the frequencies a little further, as well as the VCore, which now rises to 1.350V!
With its high power consumption, this is clearly a formidable AIO at full speed, where it outstrips all the competition with its 74°C rating. Even at half speed, it’s still formidable, doing as well as a Ryuo III 360 at full throttle! At low revs, however, its ventilation seems to have trouble keeping up, as at 85°C it finds itself caught between the Liquid Freezer II 280 and the Ryuo III 240.
Summary:
Basically, Corsair’s iCUE Link H170i RGB is a high-performance piece of kit. However, if low-speed ventilation is perfectly inaudible, there is a non-negligible impact on temperatures, which will be on the rise!
[nextpage title=”Intel temperature/noise ratio”]
On these perf/noise ratio graphs, we remind you that it’s best to be positioned as far to the bottom left of the graph as possible. For ease of reading, the leftmost point symbolizes 12V ventilation, the central point 8V ventilation and the rightmost 5V.
In terms of temperature/noise ratio, the iCUE Link H170i RGB is positioned in the middle of a mass of other kit. As it stands, with a CPU consumption of 95W, it doesn’t really stand out from an Elite LCD XT or a Kraken Elite 360.
Higher power consumption gives a better idea of what our Corsair kit of the day is capable of! Indeed, with a power consumption of 130W on our processor, we have an AIO that seriously stands out from the likes of ASUS and NZXT. In the end, its only real rival is the H170i Elite LCD XT!
Finally, at 170W, our kit of the day is in top form and clearly stands out from the competition at full speed. However, at low revs, it lags a little behind, but still has a head start over dual-fan kits!
[nextpage title=”Conclusion”]
We’ve come to the end of this test of Corsair’s iCUE Link H170i RGB. Are we dealing with a successful product? Let’s take a closer look!
At last, a kit with few cables!
The big news with this AIO is the way in which each component is connected. Indeed, with the new iCUE Link system, you’ll only need a few cables to manage the assembly of your kit, plus a hub that won’t take up much space. Compared to the brand’s old AIOs, we’ve gone from a dozen cables to just a few here. In a PC case, assembly will clearly be simpler. An ideal kit for neophytes? Perhaps.
Otherwise, as far as the pump is concerned, there’s no major change to the way it’s mounted on the processor. The components supplied remain large enough to be handled without tools, although the use of a screwdriver to apply pressure to the CPU cannot be ruled out. As for the fans, Corsair makes like Arctic by offering a kit with the fan already assembled!
Otherwise, you’ll appreciate the new design of the brand’s pump, especially as the logo can be rotated in 90° increments. Finally, everything can be managed via the brand’s iCUE software suite. You’ll be able to control lighting, pump and fan speeds, all with just a few cables. And it works like a charm!
What about performance?
As far as performance is concerned, this is another high-performance AIO, especially at full throttle, where it stands out from the competition at high speeds. However, it has a tendency to run out of steam at low revs, the fault of a ventilation system that is either too slow, or not sufficiently efficient in these conditions. In this case, don’t hesitate to turn up the revs a little to regain some color!
Unfortunately, this is a very noisy piece of kit, so only run it in these conditions for a few moments, such as a bench. On a day-to-day basis, this kind of nuisance is hard to bear, and we nearly threw it out of the window during our test sessions ?.
Fortunately, it remains sufficiently powerful at full speed to offer an interesting temperature-to-noise ratio, especially when compared with competitors. On the other hand, at low revs, it’s clearly helped by its very low noise levels!
An affordable bill:
Unfortunately, this new iCUE Link system comes with a hefty price tag, with the kit costing over €300. And that’s a pity, since you’ll need a well-stocked wallet to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, while performance is good, the price/performance ratio takes a hit with such a high price tag. Once again, the prize goes to the very interesting Arctic kits!
Corsair iCUE Link H170i RGB:
We like:
- The radiator finish, as meticulous as ever!
- Attractive pump design.
- The new iCUE Link system, very easy to connect..
- … and requires very few cables.
- Ventilation already fitted as standard.
- Complete management via Corsair’s iCUE suite(RGB, speeds, etc.)
- Temperatures at full speed!
- Controlled noise at low speeds.
- Its temperature/noise ratio on high consumption!
We liked it less:
- Sluggish temperatures at low speeds.
- Noise levels still too high at full throttle!
- The bill, which is still very high.
In the end, we choose to award silver to Corsair’s iCUE Link H170i RGB watercooling kit. While the new connection system offers a number of advantages, you’ll have to contend with a very, very high bill… Especially as at full speed, it promises to be very noisy. Fortunately, temperatures follow suit, offering a temperature-to-noise ratio that’s not bad compared with the competition, but we’ll be keeping an eye on temperatures at low speed!
Many thanks to Corsair!
