Corsair is one of the known names in the market for CPU coolers. So today, we will discuss its latest offering in our Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review.
The original H100 of Corsair was a spark in the community that made all-in-one CPU liquid cooling a hit. Before that, computers with liquid cooling used customised liquid cooling setups/large air-cooled heatsinks. But when the H100 appeared, a significant change started within the PC market.
We will check this new all-in-one CPU cooler in our Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review. For this review, we have the white version of the cooler featuring an IPS screen. You can customise it for aesthetics or display monitoring information about your system.
The cooler also features the iCUE COMMANDER CORE controller for managing up to six fans and ARGB products. Its heatsink features a new copper-cold plate design. It helps optimise the AM5 Ryzen 7000 series processors (AMD) and the LGA1700 Alder Lake and Raptor Lake processors (Intel).
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Packaging
The cooler for our Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review arrived in a typical-looking Corsair package. It sports the current Corsair theme: an overall black colour with hints of yellow here and there.
Its exterior displays the company branding, product image and name, plus details about the cooler. Specifically, these are the tech specs of the H150i Elite and an illustration detailing its dimensions.
If you plan to purchase from a physical shop, you can refer to these details first. It is to ensure the product is fit for your needs.
Everything is secure and well-packed inside the package to avoid damage while in transit. In addition, Corsair included all the necessary items to help you build your system immediately.
Aside from the unit, you will find extra accessories included in the package:
- A mounting kit for the latest CPU sockets
- Radiator and fan mounting screws
- Three AF RGB ELITE PWM 120mm fans
- A USB Y-splitter
- The iCUE COMMANDER CORE fan + RGB controller
- And the pre-applied XTM70 thermal paste
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review – Design and Functionality
As we mentioned, we have the white unit for this review. It looks clean and premium, but you can opt for black-coloured if you are not into white.
The radiator on this cooler is the standard 360mm version with a 20 FPI, which works with most AIOs today. A lower FPI on a sub-16 range means a lesser speed/static pressure-focused fan can perform well. Compare it to a 20 FPI/higher range that often needs a high RPM fan with plenty of static pressure.
Its fittings and sleeved tubing are standard, but these look clean and sleek. We also looked into its tubing while writing our Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review. It measures 450mm, which should be enough to keep the installation process straightforward.
So no matter how unique the system layout or how large the case is, installing the cooler should be easy.
When looking into its pump block design, you can tell it is appealing. It sports an LCD top held in place with magnets and a concealed plug connector underneath. That means you can remove the LCD from the pump for a more convenient installation process.
The design will also help keep wiring out of the way for a cleaner and more organised appearance.
We appreciate Corsair for moving the wiring away from its pump fittings. Why? Because it helps optimise the swivel range. However, it would have been better if Corsair included extra space between them.
Despite that, its pump design is clean, sleek, and aesthetically pleasing.
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT CPU Block and IPS Screen
The copper-based CPU block sports a 2.1-inch IPS LCD screen with a sharp resolution of 480×480. In addition, it can display system monitoring details like graphics, temperatures, and custom GIFs to add charm to your chassis.
If you want something more, its pump head features a ring with 24 individually-addressable RGB LED lights. These encircle the screen to give optimal lighting effects, which you can control via the iCUE app.
Corsair pre-applied the premium XTM70 thermal paste to the block. We appreciate the company for doing it, but we wish Corsair packed extra paste for future use.
The CPU block connects to the radiator via long tubes. The H150i and H170i feature 450mm long tubing, while the H100i only has 400mm.
This setup allows you to set radiators far enough to have better cooling. Also, the radiator of the H150i measures 397 x 120 x 27mm.
AF120 RGB ELITE Series PWM Fans
Corsair integrates the latest AIO kit with its AF120 RGB ELITE Series PWM fans. These feature eight addressable RGB LEDs to create stunning lighting effects.
Additionally, the fans are quiet, thanks to the Fluid Dynamic bearing. Plus, these offer zero RPM mode to prevent any fan noise.
Key Features of the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT
Our Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review will discuss the features of this cooler. Learning more about these will help you decide if this is the right product for your PC.
Top-notch CPU Cooler
This new H150i Elite LCD XT is a new all-in-one cooler from Corsair that can outperform its predecessors. Its improved pump design, new fans, and other upgrades make it one of the best coolers today.
These excellent components allow this cooler to deliver outstanding performance and optimal cooling for the most recent processors.
Premium AIO Cooler with LCD
The H150i Elite LCD XT is a powerful cooler that offers low-noise cooling. In addition, it has a customisable IPS screen to increase the aesthetics of your system. Also, it allows you to track the system’s performance since it can display monitoring information like temperature levels, etc.
Personalise Your LCD Dashboard
Choose from pre-installed screens and lighting profiles or upload images and animated GIFs to personalise the LCD of the cooler. With groundbreaking customisation and lighting options, you can showcase your style.
Brilliant IPS Screen of the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT
The 2.1-inch IPS LCD screen of the H150i Elite LCD XT has a 480×480 resolution. Plus, its backlight has a brightness of 600cd/m².
Efficient Pump Head with RGB LED Ring
With the H150i Elite LCD XT, it is unnecessary to sacrifice performance due to thermal throttling. Instead, its efficient low-noise pump head allows you to maximise the MHz of all compatible processors.
Upgrade and Control with iCUE COMMANDER CORE
The H150i Elite LCD XT features the iCUE COMMANDER CORE that enables adjusting lighting and fan speeds. Aside from the included fans, iCUE COMMANDER CORE controls six other fans.
High-performance RGB Fans
The AF RGB ELITE PWM fans from Corsair feature AirGuide technology, which offers massive airflow. It provides extreme cooling for your CPU while maintaining low noise levels.
Excellent Thermal Paste
This cooler has pre-applied Corsair XTM70 thermal paste, which ensures superior heat transfer from your CPU to the cold plate.
Zero RPM Mode
Set your exact fan speeds via PWM control. With support for zero RPM, the fans can stop spinning at extremely-low temperatures to reduce and eliminate noise.
Extended Tubing and Build-friendly Design
With its extended tubing of 450mm and modular tool-free mounting brackets, Corsair made installing the H150i Elite LCD XT easy. In addition, it is compatible with the latest AMD and Intel motherboard sockets, making it excellent for enthusiasts who often swap components.
Unite Your Entire Setup
Create an immersive ecosystem with Corsair iCUE software. It allows you to manage all compatible gear in a single utility suite.
World-class Support from Corsair
Corsair offers award-winning service when you purchase the H150i Elite LCD XT. With its warranty, you can enjoy your cooler without worries.
Specifications
Our Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review will discuss the product specifications. It is vital to know these to determine if the cooler is compatible with your build. But before we start, know that Corsair included a five-year cooling warranty with this product.
The cooler has an aluminium radiator, 450mm tubing, and a cold plate that is 56x56mm. Also, its black-sleeved tubing uses low-permeation rubber.
We appreciate Corsair for making this cooler iCUE compatible.
The H150i Elite LCD XT sports a 2.1-inch screen with a 480×480 native and max resolution. Moreover, we also like that it has a 30Hz refresh rate available.
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Fans and RGBs
Three AF RGB ELITE fans measure 120x25mm and have 500 to 2100 RPM ±10% of speed. The radiator measures 360mm, and its cooling socket supports the following:
- Intel 2066, 2011, 1700, 1150, 1200, 1155, 1151, 1366, 1156
- AMD AM5, AM3, AM4, sTR4, sTRX4
The IPS screen has a brightness of 600 Nit with 16.7M display colours (8-bit RGB).
The fans have a 13.8 to 65.57 CFM airflow and a static pressure of 0.17 to 2.68mm-H2O.
Hands-on with the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT
We tested the product to discuss its performance results in our Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review. It will help you learn more about how the product works and whether it meets your needs. But before we proceed, we will share our experience when we installed the cooler into our PC build.
Setting up the cooler was a simple process. First, we installed the fans to its radiator before installing it to the CPU retention kit. After that, we installed the CPU block.
We then routed the cables to the COMMANDER CORE, which we plugged into the USB and SATA ports. If you already did this before, it will not take you more than 30 minutes to finish.
Overall, the installation is simple for both AMD and Intel systems and was much easier to install than some other AIO coolers.
The overall thermal performance of this cooler was fantastic, and we did not experience issues during the tests.
When the PC was at stock idle we saw temperatures of around 26 degrees. When the system was put under load the temps sat at 49 degrees.
iCUE worked flawlessly, and it is a must-have to operate the cooler and use its crisp 2.1-inch IPS display. Although the 30Hz is not ideal for gaming monitors, it is still 100% functional. GIFs played smoothly, and integrated animations appeared flawless, which was great.
The IPS display of the H150i Elite LCD XT is one of the best we used. This cooler delivered even and bright colours without glaring individual LEDs because of its ARGB lighting. We also liked that it identified and synced with our motherboard without issues.
We loved its lighting quality, and it is ideal for those who want ARGB-equipped coolers.
Simply put, the H150i Elite LCD XT is an excellent cooler that works effectively for a variety of use. Installing was easy, and it has adequate RGBs, so this product is something we recommend.
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review Summary
The AIO CPU coolers under the H series of Corsair had many changes throughout the years. Because of these frequent updates, the company produced another excellent product, the H150i Elite LCD XT. It has plenty of unique features for superior low-noise cooling, customisation, easy installation, etc.
As expected from Corsair, this new cooler is impressive. It significantly outperformed its predecessors in our tests for this Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT Review. Whether it was cooling performance or noise levels, this cooler performed excellently.
Aside from its cooling and low-noise performance, we enjoyed customising the LCD. iCUE Software is still straightforward after the updates, and we did not have issues configuring the display images and lighting.
This cooler is a superior product with its new cold plate, fans, and other upgrades. Also, it is compatible with the latest CPU sockets, making it ideal for an updated system using the newest components. It is one of the most capable and best-performing CPU coolers we have tested.
We highly recommend the H150i Elite LCD XT from Corsair for those who want a high-performing all-in-one liquid cooler. Its stellar aesthetics, unique features, and chart-topping performance make it worth purchasing. Plus, it has a five-year warranty coverage to give you peace of mind.
Learn more about the H150i Elite LCD XT by visiting the official product page of Corsair.
