FEATURES and TESTING GUIDE: October 13, 2010
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CWCH70 - Corsair Hydro Series H70
Advanced technology for cooling the world’s fastest CPUs
If you’re serious about high-performance computing and overclocking, you already know that
you’ve got to keep your PC’s processor cool. In order to do this you need a CPU cooler that not
only outperforms your current heatsink, but also does it quietly.
The Hydro Series H70 has been designed to deliver exceptional levels of cooling performance, and
to provide significant headroom for overclocking your processor, quietly and reliably.
The Hydro Series H70 is an evolution of the award-winning Hydro Series H50, with several
significant upgrades that enable it to deliver even greater cooling performance. These upgrades
include a thicker 120mm radiator unit (50mm) with a higher heat-exchanging capacity, and a more
efficient, low-profile pump/cold-plate unit that can soak up more heat and provide even lower
CPU temperatures. The Hydro Series H70 also features two speed-switchable 120mm cooling fans
in a push-pull configuration to provide powerful cooling airflow at low noise levels.
The Hydro Series H70 is compatible with all current CPU socket designs, including Intel LGA775,
LGA1156 and LGA1366, and AMD Socket AM2 and Socket AM3.
Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H70 Specifications
Radiator
Dimensions
Fan Dimensions
Fan Speeds
Air Flow
Static Pressure
Noise Level
Corsair Hydro Series H70
120 x 50mm
120 x 25mm (per fan)
1600 or 2000 RPM
50.35 – 61.2 CFM (per fan)
1.8 – 2.3mm H2O (per fan)
26 – 31.5 dBA (per fan)
120mm Radiator (50mm thickness)
Dual 120mm fans in Push-Pull
AMD AM2/AM3, Intel 775, 1156, 1366
Low profile pump & copper cold plate
Sealed and pre-filled. No maintenance.
©2010 Corsair Memory, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Document Number: 49-00087
FEATURES and TESTING GUIDE: October 13, 2010
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CWCH70 - Corsair Hydro Series H70
Key Features
120 x 50mm Radiator
The Hydro Series H70 uses a high-quality 120mm radiator unit that is
double the thickness of the radiator used in the Hydro Series H50.
The increased thickness of the radiator unit, compared to the H50,
equates to a larger internal volume and hence higher coolant
capacity. The total surface area of cooling fins is also vastly
increased. Both of these upgrades contribute to significantly higher
cooling capacity compared to the H50 and other high-end HSFs.
High Performance Copper Cold Plate
The Hydro Series H70 utilizes an improved copper cold
plate, which is directly integrated into the pump unit.
The high-quality cold plate soaks ups heat from the
CPU and dissipates it into the coolant via copper
micro-channels. This provides significantly higher
cooling capacity compared to the Hydro H50 and
traditional heatpipe-based HSFs.
Low Profile Pump Unit
The Corsair Hydro Series H70 utilizes a low-profile
pump / cold-plate unit. This compact, highperformance pump unit not only allows the H70 to
be used in a wide range of systems / chassis, where
the size of many premium HSFs would be prohibitive,
but it also places no stress on the motherboard for
better overall system reliability.
Push-Pull 120mm Fans
The Hydro Series H70 utilizes two high-quality 120mm cooling fans in a push-pull configuration.
The fans are speed-switchable between 2000rpm for maximum cooling performance and
overclocking flexibility, for enthusiasts who want to push their CPUs to the limit, and 1600rpm for
those who want a balance between powerful cooling performance and low sound levels.
©2010 Corsair Memory, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Document Number: 49-00087
FEATURES and TESTING GUIDE: October 13, 2010
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CWCH70 - Corsair Hydro Series H70
Corsair Hydro Series H70 Product Positioning
Corsair has several CPU cooling products, positioned for different end-user needs and
preferences. The Hydro Series H70 has been designed to provide class-leading cooling
performance for enthusiasts who want to overclock their CPUs to high frequencies while
maintaining low noise levels and reliable CPU temperatures.
Compared to other premium coolers, the Corsair H70 has several key advantages:
Higher performance – higher overclocks at lower CPU temperatures
Low Noise – two fans in push-pull allows for high airflow without high fan noise
Greater value - includes two high-performance fans, whereas many premium HSFs lack fans
Lower weight and bulk – puts minimal stress on the motherboard and makes it easier to fit
Compact cooling block – more flexible installs; doesn’t impede other components, such as RAM
The Corsair Hydro H70 offers higher cooling performance, lower noise and better overall system
reliability compared to competing premium CPU cooling solutions.
Corsair Hydro H70 Advantages:
Better performance; lower noise; easier and safer installation; wider chassis support
©2010 Corsair Memory, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Document Number: 49-00087
FEATURES and TESTING GUIDE: October 13, 2010
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CWCH70 - Corsair Hydro Series H70
Installation Tips – Airflow Direction
There are two options for configuring the airflow of the Corsair Hydro Series H70 when you install
it into your chassis. The approach recommended by Corsair is to install the fans so that they draw
in cool air from outside the chassis. This ensures that the delta between the air temperature and
the temperature of the radiator is maximized, which increases cooling performance according to
Newton’s Law of Cooling. This method of installation requires that you adjust the airflow inside the
chassis to ensure that there are sufficient fans exhausting the hotter air inside the case.
Direction of Airflow
Fan Airflow Direction
The arrows on the frame of
the 120mm cooling fans
denote the airflow direction
and direction of fan rotation
©2010 Corsair Memory, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Document Number: 49-00087
FEATURES and TESTING GUIDE: October 13, 2010
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CWCH70 - Corsair Hydro Series H70
The conventional method is to install the fans to exhaust air from the chassis. This method of
installation requires no re-adjustment of the chassis cooling setup, but results in warmer air being
used to cool the H70’s radiator unit. In chassis with poorer airflow this will result in sub-optimal
cooling performance, compared to Corsair’s recommended approach.
Performance Testing
To assess the performance of the Hydro Series H70 compared to other CPU coolers, we need to
perform a CPU stress test in order generate the maximum amount of heat, and then accurately
measure the CPU temperature. The following information is our suggestion of how to perform this
testing process.
For the most consistent results, it’s advisable to test the Hydro Series H70, and any other coolers
used for comparisons, in an air-conditioned / temperature-controlled environment. Failing this,
testing all the coolers on the same day, to ensure the environmental conditions are the same, will
result in the most accurate results.
In situations where the ambient temperature is not fully controlled, we suggest quoting “Delta T”
values, rather than absolute temperatures. The Delta T is the difference between the average CPU
temperature and the ambient temperature. Ambient temperature should be measured with a
separate thermometer placed in a fixed location.
It is also important to test the Hydro Series H70 and other CPU coolers inside a chassis so as to
provide a “real world” assessment of their performance.
CPU stress testing software
Prime 95
Prime95 stresses the CPU by running Fast Fourier Transformations (FFTs), causing the CPU to
operate at its maximum power. Both versions below are multi-threaded, to guarantee all
cores/threads of the CPU are tested.
64-bit and 32-bit versions of Prime95, for Windows, Linux and MacOS platforms, can be
downloaded from here: http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/
Temperature-logging software
Everest Ultimate
Everest Ultimate includes the facility to log the temperatures of each CPU core in your processor.
A free trial version is available at http://www.lavalys.com/
©2010 Corsair Memory, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Document Number: 49-00087
FEATURES and TESTING GUIDE: October 13, 2010
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CWCH70 - Corsair Hydro Series H70
For Intel processors, RealTemp is also a good choice, as it reads the DTS (Digital Thermal Sensor)
inside Intel CPUs to provide highly accurate results. It also provides a logging facility.
http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/
Running a Test
1. Start Everest Ultimate Edition and ensure that the temperature sensor data is being saved.
This can be done by going to the FILE menu, choosing PREFERENCES and then LOGGING
in the list to the left. Click “Log Sensor Readings to HTML log file” and choose a location
where you want to save the files. Next, select the CPU # / Core # options for each of your
CPU cores from the checkmark list and Hit OK.
Logging CPU temperature data using Everest Ultimate Edition
2. Use a stand-alone thermometer or other temperature measuring device to log room
temperature. This is the AMBIENT temperature (tAM).
©2010 Corsair Memory, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Document Number: 49-00087
FEATURES and TESTING GUIDE: October 13, 2010
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CWCH70 - Corsair Hydro Series H70
3. Boot the test PC and leave it idle in Windows for a minimum of 30 minutes, making sure to
record room temperature during this time. This is IDLE temperature.
4. Start Prime95 and select OPTIONS and then
TORTUE TEST from the menu. Select the “In
Place Large FFTs” option and click “Okay”.
5. Allow the CPU to heat up for 60 minutes or until the CPU Core temperatures have reached
a steady value for at least 5 minutes. You can check that the CPU Core temperatures have
stabilized by looking in the HTML output log file. This is the LOAD temperature.
6. Close Everest and then open the HTML Log file. Copy the results from the last 5 minutes of
the test, during which time the temperatures were steady, into a spreadsheet. Calculate the
average CPU temperature using the function “=average (data range)”. This is tAV
Calculate the Delta T.
a. Calculate the CPU DeltaT using the formula tAV - tAM = DeltaT.
©2010 Corsair Memory, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Document Number: 49-00087
FEATURES and TESTING GUIDE: October 13, 2010
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CWCH70 - Corsair Hydro Series H70
b. Record the DeltaT and repeat the process for additional coolers. Measure
(Tambient), in situations where the room temperature is not well controlled.
c. Compare the DeltaT relative to other coolers tested in the same manner, and at
similar room temperatures.
Performance
The following results are indicative of the level of performance that you should expect to see from
the Corsair Hydro Series H70 CPU cooler at full fan speeds. If your results differ significantly from
those shown in the graph below then please contact your local Corsair representative to discuss
the results before publishing your review.
The tests were performed in the manner described above. All data was gathered at an ambient
temp of 25 Degrees C, or roughly 77 Degrees F, with a minimum log time of 120 minutes per test.
CPU Temperature
H70
H50
H70
H50
50.00
55.00
60.00
65.00
70.00
75.00
80.00
85.00
90.00
The above are absolute temperatures logged using the manner described previously. The H50
deltaT was 60C, while the H70 deltaT was a much lower 46.7C. This difference of 13.3C is largest
at overclocked, fully loaded settings. At lower clock speeds and idle temps, the difference is less
pronounced.
Test system:
Intel Core i7-920 processor overclocked to 3.8GHz (20 x 190MHz, 1.34V vcore), Asus Rampage III Extreme Motherboard,
inside an Obsidian 800D case with default fan configuration.
©2010 Corsair Memory, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Document Number: 49-00087