Lots of reviews around on the H50, thought I would throw my 2 cents in.
I have always used big air coolers and this time around wanted to try something different. My simple upgrade turned into pretty much a new build and the H50 fit more into my budget. Total cost was 67 shipped and I reused 2 120mm fans I had on hand. Cost for a WC CPU loop was on the high side of 200 dollars.
I read a lot of reviews that talked about the H50 being on par with the top air coolers and I would agree with this. The cooler it replaced was a Xigmatek S1283, which granted is not nearly in the top air bracket, but was a decent cooler. The H50 cools much better than the Xig, but what I am liking the most is the space it saves.
I have big hands and hate trying to work around a big cooler. The biggest that I have personally owned was the tuniq tower and that was a nightmare to work around. With the H50 I can get anywhere around the CPU socket with ease. If you have to take it off for any reason, you can get right to the screws and pop it off. No worrying about bending fins or hitting something on the MB by accident. You also do not have to worry about all the dust buildup between the fins. I keep my PC pretty clean but would always get a lot of dust built up in my heatsink.
As far as direction of airflow, I tried it first with air flowing out in a push pull configuration. I ran it for a couple of days like that and was not too happy with the temps. I then reversed the fans to intake air and the temps dropped 12 degrees. This is in a Lancool k62, so your results may vary. On the Lancool I have 1 fan and the radiator inside and 1 fan outside. This seems to be the best configuration for this case.
I am very happy with the purchase of the H50. Install was easier than any air cooler I have set up. It is as quiet or quieter than the air coolers I have used. The small footprint on the MB for me makes up any degree difference between the H50 and a top air cooler. I do not think I will be going back to air. My next upgrade will be a full WC setup, but for right now this does the trick.
The H50 is cooling a 1055t at 4Ghz 1.47v and max temp around 54c degrees. It idles around 25c degrees. I do keep my room pretty cold and have great airflow through out my case.
Here is a before shot with the Xig. Different MB, but it will still give you an idea of how much space the H50 saves. If you are looking into an H50 and can find a deal on one, which doesn't seem very hard to do, go for it. So what if it is not "real" water cooling. It gets the job done without a huge hunk of metal hanging off of your MB.
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With the H50
I have always used big air coolers and this time around wanted to try something different. My simple upgrade turned into pretty much a new build and the H50 fit more into my budget. Total cost was 67 shipped and I reused 2 120mm fans I had on hand. Cost for a WC CPU loop was on the high side of 200 dollars.
I read a lot of reviews that talked about the H50 being on par with the top air coolers and I would agree with this. The cooler it replaced was a Xigmatek S1283, which granted is not nearly in the top air bracket, but was a decent cooler. The H50 cools much better than the Xig, but what I am liking the most is the space it saves.
I have big hands and hate trying to work around a big cooler. The biggest that I have personally owned was the tuniq tower and that was a nightmare to work around. With the H50 I can get anywhere around the CPU socket with ease. If you have to take it off for any reason, you can get right to the screws and pop it off. No worrying about bending fins or hitting something on the MB by accident. You also do not have to worry about all the dust buildup between the fins. I keep my PC pretty clean but would always get a lot of dust built up in my heatsink.
As far as direction of airflow, I tried it first with air flowing out in a push pull configuration. I ran it for a couple of days like that and was not too happy with the temps. I then reversed the fans to intake air and the temps dropped 12 degrees. This is in a Lancool k62, so your results may vary. On the Lancool I have 1 fan and the radiator inside and 1 fan outside. This seems to be the best configuration for this case.
I am very happy with the purchase of the H50. Install was easier than any air cooler I have set up. It is as quiet or quieter than the air coolers I have used. The small footprint on the MB for me makes up any degree difference between the H50 and a top air cooler. I do not think I will be going back to air. My next upgrade will be a full WC setup, but for right now this does the trick.
The H50 is cooling a 1055t at 4Ghz 1.47v and max temp around 54c degrees. It idles around 25c degrees. I do keep my room pretty cold and have great airflow through out my case.
Here is a before shot with the Xig. Different MB, but it will still give you an idea of how much space the H50 saves. If you are looking into an H50 and can find a deal on one, which doesn't seem very hard to do, go for it. So what if it is not "real" water cooling. It gets the job done without a huge hunk of metal hanging off of your MB.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
With the H50
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