icue h150i elite lcd display liquid cpu cooler review free sample

Corsair recently introduced its new iCUE Elite LCD Display Liquid CPU Coolers. All three of these new coolers, the H100i Elite LCD, H150i Elite LCD, and H170i Elite LCD, are equipped with a 2.1-inch IPS screen that can be adjusted to display PC monitoring statistics (such as CPU temps, coolant temps, fan speeds, and system temperatures), as well as photos and animated GIFs, among other things. These coolers also make use of Corsair"s latest ML RGB Elite Series fans, which provide very effective yet silent cooling. Yeah, iCue Elite LCD coolers that are equipped with a 2.1-inch IPS LCD screen for easy viewing of statistics. The screen has a resolution of 480 × 480 pixels and a refresh rate of 30 frames per second. It serves as a useful dashboard for displaying your system"s vital signs. You can, however, personalize it to your satisfaction by including a one-of-a-kind animation or even your favorite meme. The monitor also includes an LED ring with up to 24 ARGB LEDs, which can be controlled using the Corsair iCue software included with the display.

Added into the mix are Corsair ML RGB Elite series fans power the iCue Elite LCD coolers, which provide reduced friction and noise while also providing enhanced performance and durability when compared to ordinary bearings. The ML120 RGB Elite and the ML140 RGB Elite have operational speeds ranging from 450 RPM to 2,000 RPM and 400 RPM to 1,600 RPM, respectively, and are available in two sizes. Eight ARGB LEDs help to distinguish the cooling fans from the rest of the room. The cooling blocks are split-flow copper cold plates based on a high-density design that has 128 micro-skived fins per inch, which allows for more efficient cooling. Pump heads for iCue Elite LCD coolers are powerful, although they produce little noise, according to the manufacturer. According to Corsair"s findings, using a liquid cooler can result in up to 13.6 percent lower processor temperatures when compared to using an air cooler. The tests were carried out on an unidentified processor under a 250W load at an ambient temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, according to the manufacturer. On the iCue Elite LCD coolers, there has no problem with socket compatibility, that"s including Alder Lake support and thus Intel"s LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA115x, LGA2066, and LGA2011 sockets, as well as AMD"s AM4, sTRX4, and TR4 sockets.

Backed by a five-year limited warranty the units do not come cheap though, the H100i Elite LCD and H150i Elite LCD will cost $259.99 and $289.99, respectively, H170i Elite LCD will; cost $309.99. Here"s something to remember though, if you already own one of the brand"s iCue Elite Capellix coolers, you may upgrade the LCD display of your CPU cooler with the iCue Elite CPU cooler LCD display upgrade kit, which costs $99.99.

We test the 360mm radiator, version 150i, which is quite powerful in cooling. It is a cooler series that is easy on the eyes and comes with a relatively tool-free installation. The unit will offer good performance, not exceptional as the key for this release are low noise levels. While we cannot recommend it for reasons we"ll explain later, you could even select an optional 0-DBA mode. As long as the coolant stays under 40 Degrees, C the fans do not spin. So without further ado, let"s have a peek at it and head onwards into the review.

Here at TBG, we have a thing for coolers. We’ve tested well over six dozen at this point, of all types, from low-profile to towers to big liquid models. In fact, we’ve conducted multiple shootouts for each of these categories, which we believe gives our audience a much better understanding of the market than one-off reviews do. But occasionally we’ll still do a single-product review if we think it will build on a recent shootout, and that brings us to Corsair’s H150i Elite LCD.

Back when we tested the Corsair H150i Pro RGB XT, we mentioned that if Corsair could tweak the fans a bit, it might be able to reestablish itself as a true leader in the liquid cooling market that it pioneered. And lo and behold, buried way down on the spec sheet for the Elite LCD are brand-new fans!

That, dear readers, is why we decided to test this cooler, not the snazzy LCD screen on the pump (which we will obviously be showing off). The Elite LCD is in fact the first cooler to feature the new ML120 RGB Elite fans, which are a major revision of the original ML120 and ML120 RGB fans.  While the basic 7-blade design remains, the shape of those blades is slightly different, and more importantly, the frame has been completely redesigned. One other notable update: every Elite LCD includes an Intel Socket 1700 adapter, which will be music to the ears of Intel 12th-Gen early-adopters.

But how does the Elite LCD perform? Only testing will tell us, so let’s jump into it! As always, thanks to Corsair for providing a sample of the Corsair’s H150i Elite LCD for review.

As with all of our reviews going forward, this review appears exclusively on YouTube, which you can see below. Not only do we provide details on what comes in the box and dive into some benchmarks, but we also show you what the Elite LCD looks like in action!

With that said, a few things stand in the way of total domination. First, of course, is the price. If you don’t want the snazzy screen, you probably shouldn’t be paying for it, right? We just hope that Corsair updates it’s other AIO coolers with the improved ML120 fans on the Elite LCD. Even then, the ML120 fan blade design still holds back the cooler slightly versus the best rad-specific fan designs, and the CoolIt pump is not quite as sublime as what Arctic provides (although it’s at least on par with Asetek designs). But the Elite LCD has enough going for it that other manufacturers can’t provide that we’ll give Corsair a pass on all that and bestow it with our recommended award!

As always, for all of our recommended coolers and fans, check out our CPU Cooler and Fan Buyer’s Guide, updated quarterly to bring you the most up-to-date buying advice!

Released just in time for the launch of Intel’s 12th generation CPUs, Corsair’s H150i Elite LCD cooler is the first to come with the fixings for the new LGA Socket 1700.

Compatible with both Intel and AMD CPUs, Corsair’s new cooler is a big beasty. With three 120mm fans and a radiator almost 400mm long it takes up plenty of real estate in your case. It’s so big that I took the plunge and upgraded the test rig case to a Corsair 7000D Airflow with an almost cathedral-like interior space. But if you want to maximise your CPU cooling without going for a bespoke water-cooling solution one of these 360mm AIO coolers are your best bet.

The debate still rages as to which method of consumer CPU cooling is best (ignoring enthusiasts’ water-cooled loops). Some still say that air-cooled is best, I’d tend to agree when up against a 2x120mm AIO. But when you start looking at three 120mm fans and the radiator to match, the line starts to blur.

For starters, an AIO cooler looks tidier in the case than a thumping great lump sitting on the motherboard. Aesthetics aside, the water block/pump unit sits comparatively flush over the CPU and generally allows for better airflow through the case. It could also be argued that an AIO water block puts the motherboard under less stress, not having a large heatsink and fan hanging off it.

The Corsair H150i Elite LCD is essentially the same tried and tested design at their H150i Elite Capellix liquid CPU cooler. They are so similar that the Capellix Socket 1700 upgrade kit fit the H150i Elite LCD review sample that was shipped to me without the standoffs for the new Intel 12th generation Core CPUs.

Opening the box and you are confronted with the huge radiator and RGB water block connected by two 380mm flexible hoses. There’s also a mess of cables, the Commander CORE RGB & PWM Fan Controller, and the three ML120 RGB ELITE PWM fans.

Fortunately, there are plenty of videos, including those on Corsair’s YouTube channel showing how to install the cooler. There’s a quick start guide that can be downloaded from the Corsair website. Also, once you’ve unpacked the box, the components look a lot less overwhelming.

Probably the most important thing to bear in mind with this cooler is the size of the radiator and how you are going to accommodate it. If you have a cute little case or even a moderately-sized mini tower with a stack of hard drives plus a DVD drive, you may be in trouble.

Most cases state that they are compatible with 360mm AIO coolers. Be mindful that the 360mm refers to the 3x120mm fans, and that the H150i radiator is actually 397mm long. The radiator itself is 27mm thick with another 25mm for the fans. You may find yourself having to clear out your hard drive cages and removing your DVD drive to fit it all in.

The LCD is a separate unit, clipped onto the water block. This means that it can be removed and placed out of the way during installation. Also, if it develops a fault, it can be easily replaced.

The fans have two connectors, one a PWM for fan speed and the other for the RGB lighting. These are plugged into the Commander CORE RGB & PWM Fan Controller, which in turn is connected to a SATA power socket and a USB 2.0 header on the motherboard. The pump is also connected to the Commander Core as well as a USB 2.0 header on the motherboard. If you’ve only one USB 2.0 socket on your board, the kit comes with a Y-splitter. There’s also a tacho cable that needs to be connected to the CPU_Fan header on the motherboard.

The Corsair H150i Elite LCD uses Corsair’s universal iCue software for both RGB and LCD control, as well as system monitoring. The iCue software is free and downloadable from the Corsair website. The software also integrates with some other vendors’ equipment allowing synchronisation of RGB lighting displays. My Asus TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WIFI motherboard uses Asus’s proprietary Asus Aura RGB system, of which there is a plugin for enabling it to work with Corsair’s iCue software.

The iCue software has a dashboard displaying temperatures and fan speeds of all the PC’s main components, the CPU, GPU, and, of course, the cooler, itself. The software also allows fan speeds to be adjusted using either one of the default settings: quiet, balanced, extreme, zero, or variable. Alerts can be triggered if the coolant temperature gets hot, triggering RGB LEDs, fan speed and even a PC shutdown should the temperature cross a threshold.

There are many preconfigured RGB lighting designs that can be customised to taste. All the RGB components can be controlled by a single scene setting, synchronising them together, or set individually. The H150i Elite LCD screen can also be customised within the iCue software.

The display can be set to show data from one or two of the many sensors in the PC, such as coolant temperature, CPU package temperatures, GPU temperatures, and CPU load. There’s even a clock. There are a few preset screen displays that can be changed with the click of a button.

The LCD screen can also be customised with an animated gif, either from one of the included files or one of your own. I set up an Xbox gif with a pulsating green RGB display, jokingly branding my PC with Microsoft’s gaming ecosystem.

With the fans set to balanced and the pump set to extreme, the Intel Core i9-12900K CPU package temperature idled at about 30 degrees. This was with a light overclock afforded by the TUF Gaming motherboard’s one-touch AI overclock function. Under 100% load, the CPU maxed out at 86 degrees but averaged about 76 degrees.

The Corsair ML120 RGB Elite fans run from 450 RPM to 2000 RPM and have an airflow of betweeen 14.86-58.10 CFM. Corsair states that each fan has a sound level of 10-30.4 dBA.  The fans during normal use are inaudible when set to balanced. Under load, they are a little bit louder. Set to the extreme setting, the fans are pretty loud, but I’ve heard louder.

Corsair H150i Elite LCD is the ultimate all-in-one cooler. There are bigger AIO coolers, but you’d be hard pushed to find a case larger enough to accommodate one. As a self-contained alternative to messing about with a bespoke liquid-cooling solution, you’ll likely not be able to do much better. What initially appears to be a confusing box of components turns out to be very easy to install, if you have the right case.

The CPU temperatures are kept in check and the fans are not too loud. The customisable RGB lighting sets things off nicely and the LCD screen on the water block adds something special to your PC build. All in all, the Corsair H150i Elite LCD is an easily recommended and very fancy cooling solution for AMD and Intel CPUs.

TheiCUE H150i ELITE LCD CPU Coolerfrom Corsair is a powerful product that delivers excellent customised cooling. And today, we’re focusing on this specific cooler here in our Corsair H150i ELITE LCD CPU Cooler review.

The H150i ELITE is among the priciest AIO liquid coolers we’ve tried. So, we just had to see if its price is right for how it performs and what it offers.

Though we understand why it’s a bit on the pricey side since it sports customisable screens on its waterblock/pump unit. Additionally, the company also included their own Corsair iCUE Commander Core – a combination of a lighting controller and fan.

If you need this cooler or are curious about it, read our Corsair H150i ELITE LCD CPU Cooler review. Here, you will get all the necessary information you need to learn more about it. Plus, you’ll also know how it performed during our tests.

When the cooler arrived in our office, it was packed in a typical-looking cardboard box that sports an all-black theme. It’s a flip-open type so you won’t have a difficult time pulling out the product from it.

The top flip cover has “Super Chilled” written on it, as well as the name of the unit inside. On each side of the box, an image of the cooler is displayed with all of its LEDs shining. Again, you’ll find the product’s name written on the sides.

Together with the cooler, you’ll also find a mounting kit for all current CPU sockets. Then, there are three ML ELITE RGB PWM 120mm fans, fan & radiator mounting screws, and a pre-applied thermal compound.

The H150i ELITE sports a 2.1” IPS screen that you can adjust. Doing this showcases PC monitoring statistics like CPU temps, fan speed, and coolant temps. It also displays animated GIFs and photos, among other things.

We love how the cooler looks, especially with its stealthy black theme. Then, the inclusion of an LCD screen lets you customise your PC further, making the build ultimately yours.

Its LCD has a 480 x 480 resolution while its refresh rate is 30 fps. The LCD screen works as a convenient dashboard to display the vital signs of your system.

When we speak of customising your PC using the LCD screen, you’re allowed to add unique animation to it. If not, you can even use your favourite meme for customisation.

The screen even includes a LED ring that has up to 24 ARGB LED lights. These can be managed via the iCUE software from Corsair which is included with the display.

You’ll find a little mirrored logo of Corsair at the centre of the right and left side of the radiator. It’s a nice and attractive touch to the cooler’s all-black theme.

We like that the right-angled couplers connecting the tubes to the CPU block swing around with ease. And speaking of its tubes, these are flexible enough which is convenient especially when you’re faced with challenging installation scenarios.

The ML RGB ELITE Series fans power this cooler while offering decreased friction and noise. Simultaneously, it even offers optimised performance and durability compared to regular bearings.

The H150i ELITE features a 2.1” LCD screen with an ultra-bright 600cd/m² backlight. Here, you can use pre-installed screens and lighting profiles, or upload animated images.

The low-noise pump of the H150i ELITE ensures you can take advantage of every MHz of compatible CPUs. It prevents thermal throttling to avoid sacrificing your system’s performance.

All Elite LCD coolers come with an iCUE Commander Core hub for controlling fan speeds and lighting your fans. This turns your chassis into a smart case.

Each of the all-new ML RGB ELITE fans features eight RGB LEDs. It uses the AirGuide technology channel airflow to deliver high CPU cooling performance.

The H150i ELITE’s cold plate features an optimal design with a high-density stack of 128 micro-skived fins-per-inch. With this, you can ensure efficient cooling at all loads.

Like other ELITE LCD coolers, the H150i ELITE comes with complete mounting hardware. It’s readily compatible with modern platforms including AMD AM4, Intel LGA 1200, and Intel LGA 1700.

This section of our Corsair H150i ELITE LCD CPU Cooler review is all about the product’s specifications. And for starters, we appreciate Corsair for including a 5-year cooling warranty on the H150i ELITE.

The screen size is 2.1” while native and max resolutions are both 480 x 480. Its refresh rate is 30Hz and its fans dimensions are 120 x 25mm. Additionally, there are a total of three fans here and the model is the ML ELITE Series.

For those wondering about its peak brightness, it’s 600 Nit while display colours are 16.7M or 8-bit RGB. The technology used for its display is IPS and its surface is a glossy display which is really good.

This is the most important part of our Corsair H150i ELITE LCD CPU Cooler review since we’re discussing its performance. We tested the cooler for over a week and we’ll share our experience when we used it.

The Corsair iCUE app is currently in its fourth version. This universal software suite is where you monitor variables like component temperatures and the fans’ RPM. Also, it’s where you can customise RGB lighting, control fan RPM, and adjust other settings.

When selecting LED control, you can program the H150i ELITE’s RGB lit Corsair logo and ring. There are a lot of colours available and effects include static, blink, colour pulse, colour shift, rainbow, and temperature. If you don’t want any of these, you can switch the effects off instead.

Installing the H150i ELITE was quick and easy since it followed most of the standard AIO installation processes. However, it’s good to note that the chosen orientation will slightly alter the installation process.

Though with huge radiators like those measuring 360 or 420mm, the process can get a bit tricky. But with the help of the H150i’s LCD, things got a lot easier, especially with its square design.

In silent and balanced modes, the pump was completely quiet. Like the three ML RGB ELITE fans, it only made a little noise when we ramped up the system load.

AIO coolers like H150i ELITE cost a lot and are designed for high-end custom PCs. This CPU cooler from Corsair is a well-rounded product with a great design and superior performance.

The H150i ELITE may be expensive, but it’s capable of handling the temperatures of enthusiast-grade processors. Throughout our tests for our Corsair H150i ELITE LCD CPU Cooler review, we didn’t see any issues. It delivered excellent cooling even under heavy loads while operating quietly.

Overall, the H150i ELITE is an excellent cooler and we highly recommend it if you want to overclock your processor. It’s also best for power-hungry processors that easily get hot under heavy loads.

Released just in time for the launch of Intel"s 12th generation CPUs, Corsair"s H150i Elite LCD cooler is the first to come with the fixings for the new LGA Socket 1700.

Compatible with both Intel and AMD CPUs, Corsair"s new cooler is a big beasty. With three 120mm fans and a radiator almost 400mm long, it takes up plenty of real estate in your case. It"s so big that I took the plunge and upgraded the test rig case to a Corsair 7000D Airflow with an almost cathedral-like interior space. But if you want to maximise your CPU cooling without going for a bespoke water-cooling solution, one of these 360mm AIO coolers are your best bet.

The Corsair H150i Elite LCD is essentially the same tried and tested design at their H150i Elite Capellix liquid CPU cooler. They are so similar that the Capellix Socket 1700 upgrade kit fit the H150i Elite LCD review sample that was shipped to me without the standoffs for the new Intel 12th generation Core CPUs.

Opening the box, you are confronted with the huge radiator and RGB water block connected by two 380mm flexible hoses. There"s also a mess of cables, the Commander CORE RGB - PWM Fan Controller, and the three ML120 RGB ELITE PWM fans.

Probably the most important thing to bear in mind with this cooler is the size of the radiator and how you are going to accommodate it. If you have a cute little case or even a moderately-sized mini tower with a stack of hard drives plus a DVD drive, you may be in trouble.

Most cases state that they are compatible with 360mm AIO coolers. Be mindful that the 360mm refers to the 3x120mm fans and that the H150i radiator is actually 397mm long. The radiator itself is 27mm thick, with another 25mm for the fans. You may find yourself having to clear out your hard drive cages and removing your DVD drive to fit it all in.

The LCD is a separate unit clipped onto the water block. This means that it can be removed and placed out of the way during installation. Also, if it develops a fault, it can be easily replaced.

The fans have two connectors, one a PWM for fan speed and the other for the RGB lighting. These are plugged into the Commander CORE RGB - PWM Fan Controller, which in turn is connected to a SATA power socket and a USB 2.0 header on the motherboard. The pump is also connected to the Commander Core, as well as a USB 2.0 header on the motherboard. If you"ve only one USB 2.0 socket on your board, the kit comes with a Y-splitter. There"s also a tacho cable that needs to be connected to the CPU_Fan header on the motherboard.

The Corsair H150i Elite LCD uses Corsair"s universal iCue software for both RGB and LCD control, as well as system monitoring. The iCue software is free and downloadable from the Corsair website. The software also integrates with some other vendors" equipment allowing synchronisation of RGB lighting displays. My Asus TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WIFI motherboard uses Asus"s proprietary Asus Aura RGB system, of which there is a plugin for enabling it to work with Corsair"s iCue software.

The iCue software has a dashboard displaying temperatures and fan speeds of all the PC"s main components, the CPU, GPU, and, of course, the cooler itself. The software also allows fan speeds to be adjusted using any of the default settings: quiet, balanced, extreme, zero, or variable. In addition, alerts can be triggered if the coolant temperature gets hot, triggering RGB LEDs, fan speed, and even a PC shutdown should the temperature cross a threshold.

There are many preconfigured RGB lighting designs that can be customised to taste. All the RGB components can be controlled by a single scene-setting, synchronising them together, or set individually. The H150i Elite LCD screen can also be customised within the iCue software. The display can be set to show data such as CPU package temperature, GPU temperature, and CPU load. The LCD screen can also be customised with an animated gif, either from one of the included files or one of your own.

With the fans set to balanced and the pump set to extreme, the Intel Core i9-12900K CPU package temperature idled at about 30 degrees. This was with a light overclock afforded by the TUF Gaming motherboard"s one-touch AI overclock function. Under 100% load, the CPU maxed out at 86 degrees but averaged about 76 degrees.

The Corsair ML120 RGB Elite fans run from 450 RPM to 2000 RPM and have an airflow between 14.86-58.10 CFM. Corsair states that each fan has a sound level of 10-30.4 dBA. During normal use, the fans are inaudible when set to balanced.

Corsair H150i Elite LCD is the ultimate all-in-one cooler. There are bigger AIO coolers, but you"d be hard pushed to find a case larger enough to accommodate one. As a self-contained alternative to messing about with a bespoke liquid-cooling solution, you"ll likely not be able to do much better. What initially appears to be a confusing box of components turns out to be very easy to install if you have the right case.

The CPU temperatures are kept in check, and the fans are not too loud. The customisable RGB lighting sets things off nicely, and the LCD screen on the water block adds something special to your PC build. All in all, the Corsair H150i Elite LCD is an easily recommended and very fancy cooling solution for AMD and Intel CPUs.

Corsair knows a thing or two about making decent all-in-one liquid CPU coolers and the company has launched a new range of iCUE Elite LCD solutions for Intel and AMD processors. Available as the Corsair H100i Elite LCD, H150i Elite LCD, and H170i Elite LCD, today we"re taking a look at the H150i Elite LCD.

Each CPU cooler comes rocking a 2-inch IPS display that can display temperature readings and more. Corsair bundles the latest ML RGB Elite fans (in 120mm and 140mm flavors), creating quite the compelling range of coolers to go up against heated competition from NZXT, ASUS, and other manufacturers.

Starting from $260 for the Corsair H100i Elite LCD, these aren"t affordable solutions to cool your processor. Is the Corsair H150i Elite LCD worthy of a spot in our best CPU coolers collection?

Bottom line: Corsair"s H150i Elite LCD may be seriously expensive, but this AIO cooler is capable of handling even enthusiast-grade processors without breaking a sweat.

Prices for the Corsair iCUE Elite LCD AIO coolers start from $250 for the 240mm H100i Elite LCD. The H150i Elite LCD we"re reviewing today costs $280-290, which is a substantial amount of money for a CPU cooler, even if it"s an AIO with a 360mm radiator and three premium 120mm fans.

There has always been a premium feel for enjoying the luxury of all-in-one liquid cooling performance compared to air coolers. Corsair"s range isn"t priced out of the competition either. When the 360mm NZXT Kraken Z73 originally launched, it was priced at $280. Corsair does offer some advantages with an IPS display and high-end fans.

Corsair includes everything you"ll require to get up and running, including the pump/radiator, three 120mm ML Elite fans, iCUE COMMANDER CORE RGB and fan controller hub, and a bag of mounting accessories. The iCUE COMMANDER CORE is one powerful hub alone, allowing you to hook up to six RGB channels and fans.Corsair"s iCUE H150i Elite LCD AIO looks the part with its gorgeous IPS display.

It"s possible to connect the three ML Elite fans to your motherboard to let it handle curves and the like, but I"d recommend using the iCUE COMMANDER CORE since you"re going to want to install and use the software to manage the IPS display. If you"ve installed and used an AIO cooler before, you"ll know precisely how everything works with the H150i Elite LCD.

Corsair includes mounting accessories for Intel and AMD (including Threadripper) processors. The fans can be attached to the radiator on either side, depending on how you plan to install the AIO inside the best PC case. Interestingly, the plastic shroud with the IPS display can be detached from the main water block to make installation easier.

The Corsair H150i Elite LCD is more than enough for the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X as the chart below shows, making it overkill for a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. You could get away with the smaller H100i Elite LCD for anything below an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPU. A temperature reading of 56 C on an overclocked Ryzen 9 5950X is a solid score.

The pump is silent in both silent and balanced modes, though you will notice some whine when pushing it to full speed. The same goes for the three ML Elite fans that are fairly quiet until you really ramp up the system load on the CPU. When joined by a few more case fans, you"ll not endure any additional noise with a good pair of headphones on.

This is one expensive piece of tech. Corsair threw a lot into the H150 Elite LCD box, including premium ML Elite fans and a fan/RGB controller hub. The pump and fans are excellent in keeping powerful processors cooled, but you"ll want to mess around with the various settings using iCUE software to really make the most of this AIO cooler.

There are numerous liquid coolers available for both Intel and AMD processors. Displays are becoming a more common sight on water blocks too. Corsair has always produced some of the best fans on the market and pairing them up with a radiator and reliable pump is a sure way of creating a powerful AIO cooler.

A close contender for the Corsair Elite LCD series is the Kraken range from NZXT. If you"re after a white AIO cooler, NZXT may have just what you"re searching for, but both solutions are extremely good with the latest processors. The decision largely boils down to personal tastes in design and how much you"re willing to spend.

Whether you should buy the Corsair H150i Elite LCD depends on a few things. Firstly, you need to be comfortable spending $300 on a CPU cooler. Then you need to have a powerful enough processor to take advantage of the 360mm radiator and thermal cooling capacity. Finally, you need to be running an OS that supports Corsair"s iCUE software to manage the IPS display.

While it"s only available in black, the H150i Elite LCD is gorgeous. The 2-inch IPS display is great for displaying temperatures or animated images. The three included 120mm ML Elite fans are incredible too. They"re capable of pushing volumes of air through the radiator and the latest pump from Corsair is quiet yet powerful.

Whether you"re using an overclocked Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, you"re going to have an easy time keeping the processor cooled. Playing games or running synthetic benchmarks and stress tests, the Corsair H150i Elite LCD is more than happy to keep temperatures low enough without making too much noise.

Bottom line: In terms of performance alone, the Corsair H150i Elite LCD is an incredible piece of kit. It will happily keep an overclocked Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 9 5950X cool enough under load.

Corsair has been slowly implementing the CAPELLIX ARGB LED to their products, since its debut in CES 2019. The new iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX AIO CPU Cooler is the latest one to get the visual upgrade.

The H115i ELITE CAPELLIX (CW-9060047-WW) is shipped in a long cardboard box, colored in neon yellow. Technical specifications and features are printed in multiple lists, translated into different languages. All the compatible processors and CPU sockets are clearly listed on the side of the box. “SUPER CHILLED” is the motto for Corsair’s cooling products.

Two ML140 RGB fans are provided for the 280 mm radiator. The cooler can be mounted on most AMD and Intel CPU sockets in both mainstream and HEDT platforms, including LGA1200, LGA2066, AM4 and sTRX4/TR4 (Threadripper). The extra acrylic top plate and small allen key are used to replace the top plate of the CPU pump unit, if you want to show more RGB lighting.

Different from previous AIO models from Corsair, the H115i ELITE CAPELLIX requires the Commander CORE controller in order to function correctly at its full potential, which connects the CPU block and fans to the computer’s iCUE software.

The H115i ELITE CAPELLIX uses the identical CoolIT-designed water pump as the H150i RGB PRO XT. The pump motor spins at around 2200 RPM in our benchmarks, which Corsair claims it to be able to create flow rate up to 0.82 liters per minute.

The octagon-shaped CPU block is slightly taller than previous models, due to the addition of the new CAPELLIX LED module above the pump unit, which is about 1/3 of the total thickness. There are 33 ultra-bright CAPELLIX LEDs on the CPU block alone. The replaceable acrylic top plate allows for the RGB lighting to shine through. No Micro USB port can be found.

The CPU contact base is made out of non-polished and non-nickel-plated copper (56 mm x 56 mm), where you can still see some tiny machine marks on the surface. According to Corsair, the cold plate has up to 128 micro-fins per inch to better transfer heat away from the processor, which are intended to increase the surface area without impeding water/liquid flow. We had replaced the pre-applied thermal paste with Noctua NT-H1 for benchmark consistency.

The H115i ELITE CAPELLIX sports a standard 280 mm thin aluminium radiator, which is 317 mm long, 137 mm wide and 27 mm thick. There are 14 rows of cooling fins, with the fin density at approximately 19 to 20 fins per inch (FPI).

The H115i ELITE CAPELLIX is fitted with two ML140 ARGB fans (RWF0042/31-005995) for cooling. The fan is equipped with a magnetic levitation bearing for reduced friction and extended lifespan. It is rated to run from 400 RPM to 2000 RPM, which can generate up to 63 CFM of airflow and 3.0 mmH2O of air pressure. The RGB lighting is produced via eight regular LEDs around the motor hub, instead of CAPELLIX LEDs. There is no anti-vibration pad on the corners.

There are two cables coming out from the CPU block, which the proprietary 22-pin connector has to plug into the Commander CORE controller. The other 3-pin connector is used to provide extra power to the water pump.

The addressable-RGB lighting on the H115i ELITE CAPELLIX are bright and vibrant. Light is diffused evenly on the CPU block. Changing to the see-through top plate allows the light to shine more. There are a few lighting hotspots around the fan’s motor hub, although having translucent/frosted fan blades. Effects’ transitions are smooth with no noticeable flickering.

To find out how the cooler performs, a total of three benchmarks are included. AIDA64 is used to run a CPU stress test. CPU, FPU and system cache are all stressed to create as much heat output as possible. Also, Cinebench R15 and Cinebench R20 are used to simulate real-world CPU load (like video-editing or rendering). It will be run continuously for three times. Ambient temperature is around 17°C.

Results will be taken at a 50% and 100% fan speed, controlled via the motherboard CPU PWM header. Stress test will run for at least 15 minutes. Once the CPU has reached the equilibrium temperature, we will record both the average and highest temperatures of the CPU package/hottest core with HWiNFO in the next 5 minutes.

The 280 mm radiator of the H115i ELITE CAPELLIX was able to keep the CPU load temperature under 60°C, while the surrounding environment was at around 17°C. Spinning the two fans at 100% speed (~1800 RPM), the CPU averaged at 54°C and topped at 56°C with the hottest core. Lowering the fan speed resulted in a 3°C to 5°C increase. No thermal throttling was observed during the benchmarks.

The H115i ELITE CAPELLIX had no problem beating all of our previously-tested air coolers, including the Noctua NH-D15S. The temperature differences are about 3°C to 5°C lower than the twin-tower cooler.

As expected, the H115i ELITE CAPELLIX kept the CPU temperature cooler than the SilverStone PF240-ARGB, due to the slightly larger radiator (240 mm vs 280 mm). It even managed to closely match the bigger H150i RGB PRO XT’s across the three tests, within 1°C to 2°C and the margins of error in our equipment.

Of course, the H115i ELITE CAPELLIX can be customized through the Corsair’s iCUE software. The user interface remains similar to what we checked out last time. The download size of the software is about 470 MB, and it becomes 1639 MB after installation. You can update the software and firmware versions, and adjust the brightness of the LEDs in the settings menu.

The iCUE software is separated into five sections on the sidebar. The “LIGHTING SETUP” allows you to change the order of your fans. If you have multiple fans connected to the system, each of them will light up a LED in different color to help you distinguish them in the software. The “LIGHTING EFFECTS” section is where you control the RGB lighting. There are 21 total lighting zones on the CPU block and 8 zones on each ML140 fan, which all of them can be individually customized. A number of pre-loaded effects are included, such as rainbow wave, strobing rain and marquee. An additional “HARDWARE LIGHTING” tab can be found, that any changes inside will store into the onboard memory and does not require the iCUE software to run in the background. But it has limited customization options. In “PERFORMANCE”, you can apply and create new RPM profiles for the water pump and fan speeds, based on the computer’s temperatures.

Our first sample unit was not able to be detected by the iCUE software, despite the CPU block was receiving power and pump was running. Corsair quickly arranged a replacement unit to us, and they suspected there may be hardware failure in either the CPU block or Commander CORE controller. We were able to confirm Corsair’s speculation, that we got a defective controller from the original sample. Both the original and replaced H115i ELITE CAPELLIX AIO could be detected by iCUE, when connected to the new controller.

The iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX is another solid AIO cooler from Corsair, with great cooling performance in all benchmarks. Temperatures were kept around 60°C, even if it is an overclocked CPU with about 135 watts of TDP. It easily beat all of our tested large dual-tower air coolers, thanks to the better efficiency of liquid cooling. As always, build quality of both the CPU block and radiator is superb.

The newly-implemented CAPELLIX LEDs, along with the ML140 RGB fans, create truly astonishing lighting effects. The iCUE software contains all functions you would ever need to customize the AIO cooler, from the RGB lighting effects to speed and temperature monitoring. However, it is required to continuously run in the background, as well as having at least 1.6 GB of storage space to install.

The H115i ELITE CAPELLIX is priced at $169.99 USD (MSRP), with a 5-year warranty. This is a premium product in all aspects and includes a Commander CORE controller/fan hub. It is about $30 USD more expensive than the previous generation H115i RGB PRO XT, but costs the same as the H115i RGB PLATINUM. For comparison, the NZXT X63 RGB and Fractal Design Celsius+ S28 Prisma are priced at $179.99 USD (MSRP).

Capable of delivering powerful, low-noise cooling to your CPU, the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060062-WW)’s pump head keeps your system operating at optimised temperatures for enduring quality. The RGB LED ring meanwhile allows users to customise 24 individually addressable RGB LEDs, encircling the LCD screen for a truly eye-catching light show.

Activate the Zero RPM fan mode to enjoy advanced heat dissipation with little to no noise emitted by the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060062-WW). This is an ideal setting for when your system is idle or is under light loads.

Integrating the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD Display Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060062-WW) into your new or existing setup is near effortless with modular, tool-free mounting bracket and elongated tubing for quick and intuitive installation across all modern Intel and AMD sockets, including: LGA 1700, 1200,115X, 2066, and AM4.