G A M E T I M E // C O R S A I R H 1 1 5 I R G B P L A T I N U M
GAMING GEAR AWARD
CORSAIR H115I RGB PLATINUM
ERP $169.99 | WEBSITE w w w.corsair.com
O
ver the years, the CORSAIR
Hydro coolers have become
my go to coolers. When
questioned as to which I recommend,
I tend to default to this range despite
the numerous offerings from
competing vendors, many of whom
have more affordable pricing.
Given my inclination towards these
Hydro units, I was expecting
to like the H115i RGB Platinum
and of course that’s exactly what
happened as I put this unit through
its paces. Being partial to an AIO
cooler doesn’t necessarily mean it’s
better than models it replaces or sits
next to. It’s simply personal
preference and as such, I’d rather
focus on how well this model
performs almost in isolation, rather
than against any other AIO outside of
38The OverClocker Issue 46 | 2019
the similarly priced H150i RGB PRO.
In terms of functionality it’s
obviously identical to this model,
but in aesthetics it sits alone where
few if any other AIOs can compare
(mostly due to the RGB ML fans and
pump cap).
Before I go into the good parts,
let me get the annoying bit out the
way and that’s the sheer amount
of cabling required. This may not
necessarily be something CORSAIR
can do anything about, but that
doesn’t mean it’s something to be
ignored and certainly an aspect you
should be aware off.
Since this is an RGB model, it
means each fan has an extra RGB
lead. One additional cable shouldn’t
be an issue yes, but the thing is there
are two fans and tha in a push-pull
configuration would mean four extra
cables just for lighting. On the pump
or main unit if you will, you power is
provided via the usual SATA power
connector but from that lead there’s
three pin fan connector, so you can
monitor pump RPM via software
(UEFI as well if plugged into a board
that has support). Add the USB cable
for unit control (on the opposite
side to where all other cables are
located) and you have a needlessly
large number of cables that will have
to be managed somehow.
If you count all the cables, you can
see why this might be off putting to
some. If there was a way to reduce
the cable numbers, it would certainly
make a stronger case for the unit.
That said, this is literally the
only gripe I have with the H115i