Review: Corsair iCue H170i Elite Capellix

by Parm Mann on 29 June 2021, 17:01

Tags: Corsair

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Conclusion

...there's no getting around the fact that rivals offer 420mm cooling credentials at almost half the cost.

Corsair has turned the dial on its all-in-one cooling portfolio up to 420. The firm's largest radiator, previously exclusive to the custom Hydro X range, becomes available to a wider range of enthusiasts in the form of the iCue H170i Elite Capellix.

Priced at an eye-watering £200, this top-end, closed-loop unit carries across the modernised pump, vivid Capellix LEDs and iCue customisation of its existing siblings and attaches a trio of 140mm RGB fans to an expansive 450mm x 140mm x 27mm radiator.

The end result, inevitably, is the best cooling performance we've seen from a Corsair all-in-one to date, but there are a few niggles to be aware of. Visible screw heads continue to detract from the CPU block's otherwise sleek aesthetic, there's still no spare thermal paste included in the bundle, and there's no getting around the fact that rivals offer 420mm cooling credentials at almost half the cost.

Bottom line: Corsair's biggest and best all-in-one does exactly what it says on the tin, but £200 feels a hefty price to pay.

The Good
  
The Bad
Top-end AIO cooling performance
Bright RGB with iCue customisation
Easy installation, if you have room
Five-year warranty
  
£200 price tag
No spare thermal paste
Visible screw heads spoil the aesthetic



Corsair iCue H170i Elite Capellix

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The Corsair iCue H170i Elite Capellix liquid cooler will be available to purchase from Scan Computers.

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At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.



*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.


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HEXUS Forums :: 9 Comments

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Posted by philehidiot - Tue 29 Jun 2021 17:36
I'd be very interested to see how the alphacool eisbaer extreme 280 fits in to your charts. The reviews I've seen show it to be far superior to these kinds of AIOs which all appear to come out of the same factory. Difference is the alphacool is effective a prebuilt custom loop, with standard fittings for expansion, replaceable pump and a copper radiator. It would be very interesting to see how an expensive 280 lines up against these monster aluminium coolers you're testing.
Posted by [GSV]Trig - Tue 29 Jun 2021 22:17
Can you flip the CPU block cover so its the right way up if you have this mounted in the top of a case?
If not, that and the visible screws really ruin the aesthetic, which on a £200 unit, really, someone wasn't paying attention when they designed this thing…
Posted by Iota - Wed 30 Jun 2021 08:21
philehidiot
and a copper radiator.

At £200 you would probably expect Corsair to have used a copper radiator, would be very interesting to see how they compare to the aluminium ones.

'[GSV
Trig;4295644']Can you flip the CPU block cover so its the right way up if you have this mounted in the top of a case?

The CPU block cover is the right way up in the pictures, with this mounted in the top of the case?

I'm also not sure what this is meant to be cooling exactly (CPU obviously), as a decent 280 in a well ventilated case doesn't seem to be overly troubled? For example my 9900KF which probably draws more power than the 5950X runs cooler under load with my Corsair Hydro H115i RGB Platinum than any of the benchmarks show here? I'd be very interested to see if changing the thermal paste makes that much of a difference (I cleaned the pre-applied gunk off to switch for Artic Silver compound)
Posted by [GSV]Trig - Wed 30 Jun 2021 10:04
Sorry, I meant with it ‘not’ mounted in the top of the case, I've seen many a windowed build with the logo on the block being the wrong way around.
Posted by Iota - Wed 30 Jun 2021 17:06
'[GSV
Trig;4295657']Sorry, I meant with it ‘not’ mounted in the top of the case, I've seen many a windowed build with the logo on the block being the wrong way around.

I'm guessing with the pump cap being screw mounted it can be rotated 90/180 degrees if needs be, at least that's what the pump cap diagram on the Corsair website makes it look like you can do.

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