Corsair H50 Self-Contained Liquid CPU Cooler

Overall, Corsair’s H50 is a definite winner in my book. Coming in at $80 USD (Buy.com), it is priced squarely to compete with high-end air solutions. Price vs. performance is solid, and there is little doubt that Corsair has achieved the goals they set out to accomplish when they released this product.

The installation was effortless, and can be carried out in under five minutes with a simple Phillips head screwdriver. The mounting bracket is easy to secure to the backplate, while the fan/radiator assembly is light and easy to handle and manipulate. Even a true novice will have no worries on this install.

The fit and finish is also up to the high standard we’ve come to expect from Corsair. The surface finish of the CPU mating area is quite good, as is the construction and feel of the rest of the unit. The tubing is flexible and has the right balance between being overly stiff or easy to crimp. Even the paint finish is done well, and does not come off with repeated installs.

Noise levels are kept at or below the competition, coming in at 45dB at full song. To put that into proper perspective, the Cooler Master V8 was a fair bit louder at just over 50dB at full tilt. Cooling performance at these sound levels is excellent, and can only get better should you mod your H50 with either more powerful, or additional fans.

As it is, the H50 is an excellent piece, and I’m pleased to award it a 9 out of 10 on our Techgage scale. There were no real downsides to this product, and it performed at and above my expectations. At the current retail price, it is one of the better choices in keeping your CPU nice and cool. Add to this Corsair’s legendary customer service and support, and you are going to be hard-pressed to find a better value.

I should note that this article is the first of a series of cooling reviews to be posted in the near-future. We recently revamped our entire cooling methodology, and we expect future content to be more robust, especially once we get many more coolers tested to add to our charts. Be sure to check back often to look for all future additions to our cooling content. Xigmatek recently sent us a few of their coolers to check out, and Zalman with two of theirs as well. We’ll be putting these through their paces soon, so stay tuned.

Pros
• Liquid-cooling priced right.
• Quality workmanship.
• 24-month warranty.
• Great performance without the noise.

Cons
• A stronger fan would enhance the performance.

Discuss this article in our forums!

Have a comment you wish to make on this article? Recommendations? Criticism? Feel free to head over to our related thread and put your words to our virtual paper! There is no requirement to register in order to respond to these threads, but it sure doesn’t hurt!