I had my system professionally built by Digital Storm. I did this because I love gaming, but am not a big tech guy. I wanted a gaming PC! Low and behold, right after the 3 year warranty on the system expires, the hard drive fails. So I decided to man up, and learn about the inner workings of my PC. I school myself to replace the hard drive, and I gain some confidence and decide to update the video card as well. SUCCESS! I become more aware of the innards of my system and through sheer curiosity, turn my attention to my CPU(a factory overclocked i5 at 4.4ghz), the one part that has never let me down. And through 3rd party software, I'm heartbroken to find that my current cooler(a generic digital storm closed loop) was failing. My CPU was hitting 90 degrees on a gaming load. I ALMOST went to air with the 212, but I decided to stick with liquid. Boy am I glad I did.
This thing is amazing. The installation was mostly painless. As indicated in the photo, I chose the standard push pull set up in my system's exhaust. Due to their being limited space in my Carbide 300r, I had to contradict the manual and install the pump first. Smooth, painless. And because this case ROCKS(highly recommend that as well. Corsair just kicks ass) I did not need to remove my motherboard to install the back plate. I attached the push fan while the radiator was still loose. And then, as a lot of other reviewers have highlighted, I struggled with it a little to get the pull fan attached to the back of my case and to the radiator. But with smooth breathing, and steady hands, it only took me a matter of minutes and the pain was over.
When I got my PC hooked back up and hit the power button, I gasped audibly almost immediately; because of how QUIET my PC suddenly was. (I will add that I also installed two new LED intake fans in the front while doing the new cooler, and that probably has something to do with it). My old Digital Storm cooling set up was an absolute roar compared to the soft murmur my system now emits. Now I have given it several hours of a gaming load, and I played on mute for the first half hour to see how much louder it got. It got a LITTLE louder. But you will not hear it over an ambient noise coming from your game, or even from your house. The dryer in the other room is drowning it out right now as I type this. Anyone who says it is a loud pump must be spoiled with some super high end cooling loops and if so, I'm not sure why you're slummin it with this thing. I use it at the "Quiet" profile setting provided within the Corsair Link software, and it has not gotten hotter than 50 degrees Celsius throughout a 4 hour session with the Witcher 3.
Speaking of Corsair Link, the damn thing works fine. I'm not as much of a nit picking master race nut case as a lot of the reviewers are, but it does exactly what's advertised and more. It's great. It's an all in one way for me to monitor the health of my entire system. And it allows me to directly control how fast the pump and its associated fans move. If anything changes, I will update my review. But as of this writing, it is absolutely fantastic.
The whole thing is fantastic. My CPU now idles at 20-30 degrees and usually hovers around 40-45 while it's working. I'm a super happy camper and I'm glad I stuck with liquid. If you need a new cooler and even if you're new to liquid, this is the cooler for you!
| Brand | Corsair |
|---|---|
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Cooling Method | Water |
| Compatible Devices | Desktop |
| Noise Level | 37.7 dB |
| Material | Copper |
| Maximum Rotational Speed | 2435 RPM |
| Air Flow Capacity | 70.69 Cubic Feet Per Minute |
| Item model number | CW-9060017-WW |
| Item Weight | 3.97 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 10.7 x 9.1 x 6.1 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 10.7 x 9.1 x 6.1 inches |
| Manufacturer | Corsair |
| ASIN | B00SV7IIDU |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | February 10, 2015 |
