NZXT were the first to invite the step-up to 140mm fans as the standard for the AIO liquid cooling CPU cooler market. They did this using Asetek as their primary OEM supplier. A few weeks later and now Corsair follow suit hot-on-the-heels of NZXT with their equivalent(s) – also made by Asetek. As you might expect, the variations between these units are minimal, coming down to the fans, the logos and LED systems, or lack of. The 140mm radiator and 140mm fan SKU is known under the NZXT Kraken product line as the X40 while Corsair’s equivalent, which we are analysing today, is part of their Hydro Series and is called the H90.
Corsair’s naming of the unit to me comes as quite a strange surprise. The positioning as the “H90” means it falls between the H80i and the H100i. So naturally you would expect it to be priced in between the H80i and H100i and have a performance level in between too. However, the H90 costs the same, if not a little bit less, than the H80i and as I have seen from other people’s testing, it actually performs worse than the H80i. This begs the question why the H90? Why not the H75 or H65? Although, Corsair’s product development team have already made that decision, so I am sure there was a well founded reason behind choosing the H90 moniker.
If you are interested in checking out the specifications and case compatibility with Corsair cases, then you can see all that information below. So without any further ado, let us move onto the review.
Corsair’s H90 comes packaged in a very simple box where you can see the core design of the product, the fact it uses a 140mm fan and its compatibility with Intel & AMD platforms.
On the back you get some extended information on processor and socket compatibility plus a graph giving you an idea of expected performance.
I actually have the Asus P8Z77-V LK and a Cooler Master Storm Scout case. It says the top fan is 140mm so I was wondering if anyone knows if it would fit. I’d hate to buy this cooler and have it not fit.
Unfortunately I do not think it will. It supports a 140mm fan but there isn’t enough clearance for a rad as well. You’d be better off getting a H60 (rev2) or H80i and sticking it on the rear 120mm fan mount. Hope this advice helps, if you need any more assistance just ask here or you can email me at rmartin(at)eteknix(dot)com if you prefer.
Thanks for your speedy reply! I’m looking for some solid cooling without having to have some gigantic air cooler ( a la Noctua). Would the H80i perform a lot better then the H60? Do you think I’d have enough room to use a push/pull config with the H80i?
You can use the H80i in the CM Storm Scout case as push-pull in the rear 120mm fan mount. You will need to have a 120mm (or no fan) installed in the top fan mount for this to work, if you have a 140mm it will have to be taken out. The same applies for the H60. You can see compatibility here: (http://www.overclock.net/t/1144409/h80-h80i-h90-h100-h100i-h110-case-compatibility-thread-page-1-for-full-listings/110) With regards to performance you will get a fair amount more cooling using the H80i rather than the H60, this is because the H80i uses dual 120mm fans and a double thickness rad (54mm) compared to the H60 that uses a single 120mm fan a single thickness rad (27mm). Performance can be seen here: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-H80i-CPU-Cooler-Review/1709/7
Wow thank you for all your help. I’ll keep on the look out for H80i deals. So if I remove the top 140mm fand and take the 120mm fan I have in rear and put it in the top, the H80i will still fit you think?
Yes that is your best option that way you still have a top fan and the H80i comes with push pull so that will still give you good cooling performance. I am almost certain it will fit so I definitely think the H80i is worth the investment. The worst case scenario is that you can’t have a top fan (say for example you get some touching of the fan and H80i) but you won’t need the top fan because you will have more than enough cooling performance from the H80i and this shouldn’t happen because I haven’t seen anyone struggle to put a H80i in a CM Storm Scout!
Amazing, thank you!
anyone know how long the tubes are on this? thanks