Corsair hydro x review in Spanish (full analysis)

This time, thanks to Corsair, we can offer you our evaluation of the Corsair Hydro X kit with 240 and 360 mm radiator, one block for the AM4 and Intel processor and another block for the Nvidia GTX 2080 Ti graphics card.

For quite some time we have been thinking of bringing you an analysis of a custom liquid cooling kit since few media outlets dare with this type of review.

Will it improve the performance of an AIO kit or a top of the range heatsink? The most expert users already know the answer, but for newer users it will be very helpful.

Unboxing and presentation Corsair Hydro X

The kit has been sent to the media and youtubers around the world in a military-class briefcase so that the components and the tank arrive in perfect condition. Although this will not be the presentation you receive at home, do not worry, the packaging of each product is excellent and you should not have any type of problem.

Now, we are going to break down each component that will be part of our assembly and possibly yours. The main idea is to cool both the processor and the graphics card and thus maintain enviable temperatures.

CPU cooling block

Before mounting liquid cooling, we recommend you go through the Corsair configurator to ensure the compatibility of your system, although we will talk about this in a later section.

In our case we have the Corsair XC7 RGB block that is compatible with both the LGA 1151 platform from Intel and AM4 from AMD. This means that we can refrigerate our beloved Ryzen 2000/3000 ? and also the CPUs of Intel as it will be our case. In the case that we opt for the enthusiastic platform: TR4 or LGA 2066, we will have to choose the Corsair XC9 block. The only thing that changes is that the surface of the block is larger and the installation anchors are different.

This block integrates a plate with 60 high-efficiency micro-cooling fins that will help us maintain very low temperatures. Inside we have a system of 16 LEDs which work in all directions and with the possibility of choosing a multitude of lighting effects, thanks to the iCUE system from Corsair.

As we can see, the block has very good finishes, although we believe that the exterior surface, the decoration, could have been made of metal or aluminum. But the truth is that Corsair has taken great care of the design.

GPU cooling block

At the end of 2017 Corsair signed the ex-leaders of EK Waters Blocks and Mark and Niko's hand shows in these designs. We see a block that is dressed with an acrylic to see its microchannels and a metal cover that gives it a lot of sobriety. Inside the plexi it integrates an RGB LED lighting system made up of 16 addressable LEDs and that offers a real fair inside. In these kits we will not get bored of RGB… the good thing is that we can configure it to our liking and even deactivate it with a single click via software.

Inside the Corsair XG7 we find 50 high-density fins and a nickel-plated copper structure with ten finishes. The first feeling is that we are in front of a super premium product.

Once we open the block for installation, we come across high quality pads (thermalpad) and pre-applied thermal paste. We are going to let her see how they work, at Computex, the Corsair guys confirmed that she brings the same thermal paste as her latest maintenance-free liquid coolers.

We also have a metal backplate that serves to improve the aesthetics of our graphics card. That is, its function is only decorative, it does not improve refrigeration. We believe that including some thermal pads we could make better use of it. It goes without saying that the entire new structure that holds the GPU is made of aluminum.

And is this block compatible with my graphics card? Corsair offers compatibility with RTX 2080 TI, RTX 2080, VEGA 64, RTX 2070, GTX 1080 Ti / 1070, RTX 2060 and some specific ASUS models. Yes, at the moment the catalog is not very wide, but they told us that they want to cover many more models on the market. If you don't have a recent GPU, you have to wait a little bit.

Corsair Hydro X XD5 RGB pump and reservoir

This pack is a key component and has nothing to do with compact refrigeration. The pump is in charge of moving all the liquid inside the circuit and the tank keeps all the liquid inside. It has been shown that having a small tank improves the temperatures of our circuit.

Corsair has played it safe with a classic D5 PWM pump, which regulates itself and allows us to have the best current. For my taste, together with the DDC are the two best pumps that we can buy right now.

This has a capacity of 800L / h at a maximum of 2.1m in height and 4800 RPM. The tank is large enough to hold enough liquid and look great in our setup. Both the block and the pump can be disassembled for proper maintenance.

Inside the tank we find an RGB lighting system and a temperature sensor that will allow us to control different settings from the iCUE application. As we are seeing, Corsair wants to take all its monitoring via software and have control of the entire system at the click of a button. Great, right?

It also includes two supports that we can anchor in our chassis or on top of a fan, all with sizes of 120 or 140 mm, so we cannot complain about the lack of space to install this element. We also have 5 zones to connect fittings and have a circuit to our liking. How Corsair engineers have worked on it!

XR5 and XR7 radiators

All Corsair built radiators are copper, have 25 micron fins and are painted black. That is, the best material for this type of element. Leaving aside the classic aluminum radiator that reduces manufacturing costs and mitigates the performance of custom liquid cooling.

We have two models of radiators: The Corsair XR5 and XR7. The first has a thickness of 30 mm and is available in different sizes: 120, 140, 240, 280, 360 and 480 mm. This means that it offers us enough possibilities to adapt it to our chassis.

While the XR7 radiators have a thickness of 55 mm and are focused on the enthusiastic sector. It is ideal for when we mount a system with a dual graphics card and we also want to cool the processor.

We liked the detail of the insert that prevents over tightening the screws or if we use very long screws from damaging the radiator. These blocks have G1 / 4 ” threads , that is, a standard for finding fittings of this size in any store.

Fittings and adapters

The fittings are one of those products that cost us an eye to the face and many times we buy a low cost fitting that at the same time ends up causing small leaks in our circuit. Corsair has cut short and has told Bitspower to make its own fittings. If someone already does his best, why not ally with him?

Entering with the premise that Bitspower is 100% quality, at least in fittings, we are facing an outstanding kit. We can choose between matt black or chrome. This last color has come to us and its finishes look great.

Among the options that Corsair offers us is a 90/120 degree fitting, rotating Y divider, ball valve, rigid connector, filler neck and compression fitting in two dimensions: 10/13 mm for flexible tubes or 12 / 14 mm for rigid tubes. And the installation is as simple as screwing the male into the mouth of each inlet or outlet of the cooling blocks and then fixing the tube to them with the sleeve. We haven't even used tools to tighten them, and we haven't found a single leak. Betting on quality, you will always be the winner.

Rigid / flexible tubes, liquids and accessories

Currently we can mount any liquid cooling with rigid or soft tubes. If you are new, we recommend that you start with softs which is much more manageable, although if you want to go to the TOP of the TOP you can cheer with the rigid, yes, you will need tools to be able to count and form your own circuit.

As we have previously commented, the soft tube has a single dimension of 10/13 mm, while the rigid tube reaches 12/14 mm. Being a small tube, the soft one can be pinched, but with a little patience we can prepare a very nice circuit with 10 left.

Corsair assures us that both tubes are durable and easy to cut. They are also UV resistant and will not fade or warp. A little standard measurement but enough to have a beautiful system with a brutal aesthetic.

Mounting with soft tubes

While the hard tubes are also transparent and resistant of PMMA. This means that the tubes will not bend or deform due to heat or high pressure. These are easy to cut with a hacksaw with a fine serrated blade that we can find in any hardware store.

The XL Coolant compound is manufactured by Mayhems, for those who do not know them, it is one of the best liquid cooling liquid manufacturers with resident in England. All are translucent and we will have the colors available: transparent, green, red, blue and purple. The currently available capacity is 1 liter.

Corsair will not sell pastel colors at the moment, since they usually leave residues in the block and even collapse it. It will wait a while to guarantee stability and maximum reliability. In any case, you can always buy the compound that interests you most from another manufacturer or assemble it by yourself with distilled water, anti-algae and the color that you like.

In the summer of 2017 we already present the Commander PRO. A controller that with iCUE allows us to monitor and manage temperatures, fan speeds, place probes and even gain an internal USB HUB to connect more devices within our chassis. This is an ideal complement to take maximum control of our system.

Fitting some good fans and that adapt to your radiators is key to having the best temperatures. In the kit we were provided with a kit with 6 Corsair ML120 PRO fans and that need a separate controller to get the most out of it. For us they are the best we can buy today.

Corsair iCUE and Corsair commander Pro software

And of course, with so much lighting everywhere on this Corsair Hydro X, we are going to need a giant controller that is capable of directing the LEDs of the cooling blocks and fans, which in this case will have more than three.

The equipment that has been sent to us is exactly the same that we did the review on in its day, consisting of no less than six 4-pin ports for the PWM control of the RPM of the fans, 4 connectors for temperature probes, the which are included in the bundle and two lighting channels where to connect several nodes. Nor can you miss the double USB connector to connect it to the motherboard and be able to manage it.

And this management will be carried out using Corsair iCUE software, an old acquaintance among us due to the enormous number of times we have used it in the manufacturer's products. In the program we will have several sections available where we can manage, on the one hand, the speed of the fans, and on the other the two lighting channels full of nodes.

The RGB customization system will be the one that almost everyone already knows, selecting each channel, we have the entire list of devices connected to it, in this case there will be several fans and the cooling blocks and pump. We can address all the lamps installed in each element one by one, or create custom animations through layers with which it is possible to synchronize absolutely the entire system. Of course it will be the best games room we can have on a gaming PC at this time.

Configurator for Corsair Hydro X

The Corsair website already has a configurator so that we ourselves can choose the components and accessories we need to configure our custom system. Without a doubt, one of the most important novelties when it comes to a custom refrigeration system, since no other manufacturer offers such a solution.

The setup process is incredibly simple and divided into steps. The process begins with entering the data about the components we want to cool, we will first choose the chassis we will use, of course all compatible Corsair chassis are listed. Next, we must choose the motherboard, CPU and graphics card, and thus indicate to the program which cooling blocks we need.

After this, the program calculates which is the most recommended refrigeration configuration based on what we have chosen. This is how it will give us an initial list of necessary components. But pay attention, because each user will be able to select the elements they deem appropriate in addition to those selected, we are talking about a greater number of fittings, the choice of rigid tubes, or the measurements and thickness of the radiators.

After this, and like any online store, we will be provided with the complete list of items together with the price fully broken down by component. So, after this great scare, we can proceed to order everything from this same place. Corsair's great idea, all the facilities for the user in terms of configuring our own personalized system.

In this sense, it is very important to keep in mind that the program does not place the components exactly in the right place. And it doesn't provide a cooling loop interconnect either, so we'll have to design this ourselves. But it will provide us with a PDF file showing us a generic Corsair Hydro X installation for the chassis we have chosen.

Mounted the Hydro X Series system

Well, for this analysis we have chosen the following components:

• Corsair Crystal 680X RGB ChassisNvidia RTX 2080 Ti Founders EditionCPU Intel Core i9-9900KAsus ROG Maximus XI Formula Motherboard

At the beginning we thought of making a configuration with a double radiator of 360 + 240 mm, but due to the little space that remains between both installed radiators, it was necessary to make a loop with a lot of tube in it, leaving a result that aesthetically we did not seemed the best. For this reason, we have chosen to use only the 360mm radiator in the front area of ​​the chassis.

The 680X is not a good box for a dual radiator setup, the iamgen option is too long and less than aesthetic. And in this configuration we were not looking for this…

Having said this, the loop that we have designed will be as follows (we are going to start from the pump outlet):

• From the pump outlet, we are going to connect with the radiator that will cool the water Once cooled, a tube will connect the radiator with the GPU to start capturing heat The GPU block will go directly connected to the CPU block From the CPU a tube will come out back to the pump to start the circuit again

Think that if we exchanged the pump inlet for the outlet, we would be inverting this circuit so that it would work in reverse, although technically it would be just as efficient.

In our personal opinion, this chassis is not the best for building a dual radiator cooling system. For the simple fact of having the heatsink connections widely separated from each other, requiring a lot of tube for the connection. To this, we add the impossibility of placing the pumping tank in the front area, so it will remain hidden in the wiring area.

The result is spectacular, especially when we have all the lighting activated, which is an essential part of the personality of the whole. In addition, the front allows us to do a push and pull configuration, although we have not opted for it. Similarly, this result can be improved with the use of rigid tubes, but the kit they sent us for the review was not available with this type of tube.

Test of performance

	I9-9900k without delid	RTX 2080 Ti Stock
Stock idle	31 ºC	28 ºC
Stock Full	51 ºC	55 ºC

We have obtained 31 ºC in the processor (it does not have a delid), 51 ºC at maximum power. While the GPU we have had 28 ºC at rest and 55 ºC at maximum load. We believe that it is a good result considering that we have a triple radiator mounted in this demanding configuration.

Final words and conclusion about Corsair Hydro X

As we have seen, the Corsair Hydro X arrives with a strong foothold in the world of liquid cooling. Quality components, a design very pleasing to the eye, collaborations with Bitspower and Mayhem and maximum compatibility with current components.

Riding a custom liquid cooler offers you many benefits: excellent dissipation, aesthetics, and brutal performance . Since we keep our graphics card at ideal temperatures. But it also has small drawbacks: the investment to buy it, greater risk of leaks and you have to do maintenance.

We recommend you read the best liquid refrigerations on the market

In our tests we have seen excellent performance, which would be better if we had mounted the second radiator. But the chosen chassis was not the most suitable for this configuration. Even so, we believe that we have obtained a very beautiful aesthetic. What you think about it? Do you think it's worth it? Tell us about your experience with liquid cooling systems?

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN	- PRICE OF ASSEMBLING A CUSTOM LIQUID REFRIGERATION
+ MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE WITH LOW TEMPERATURES	- POSSIBLE LEAKS IN THE EVENT OF A BAD ASSEMBLY
+ HIGHEST QUALITY COMPONENTS	- MAINTENANCE EVERY 6 OR 12 MONTHS
+ ONLINE CONFIGURATOR TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER
+ SOFTWARE
+ MULTITUDE OF AVAILABLE CONFIGURATIONS

The professional review team awards the platinum medal and recommended product:

Corsai Hydro X

DESIGN - 95%

COMPONENTS - 100%

REFRIGERATION - 99%

COMPATIBILITY - 90%

PRICE - 80%

93%