H115i Pro RGB vs Platinum RGB

What is actually the difference between the Platinum and Pro H115i? Do they use the same pumps and radiators? Is the only difference the RGB fans or is there other differences as well?

I was looking into these coolers but I'm not sure what the differences are, then I saw the other thread on here with lots of issues on the Platinum. I had a couple H115iV2's stop working, they basically stopped circulating water full speed and I had to RMA it twice. I recently went with another brand over the past year. But now I was looking at new coolers and I have seen in reviews that the new H115i Pro has the 6th gen Asetek pump so I thought maybe I would try that H115i Pro and then I saw the Platinum as well. But if the Platinum is having all these defects not sure I want to touch it. First I would need to understand what the differences in the 2 are if anyone can point point that out please as the specs pages really don't discuss pump brands.

I don't want to get more defective Corsair products, I really loved my H105 and that thing is still going strong in my kids computer 5 years later. The H115iV2's left a bad taste in my mouth.

No argument there and I know what you mean.

H115i Pro - Asetek partnered model, 3 fixed speed pump (1100/2160/2850), ML140 Quiet (non-RGB) fans with an effective 1100 RPM max speed when on the radiator. Pump LED is capable of some basic shift/fade patterns, static colors, waves, and more when used with the Lighting Link feature of other Corsair RGB devices.

H115i Platinum - CoolIT partnered, 2 fixed pump speeds (2400/2900), ML140 High Speed (2000 rpm) RGB fans. Pump is capable of more dramatic or complex RGB patterns, but more significantly can operate as an RGB controller for the pump and two fans within the iCUE lighting system. In effect, someone with no Corsair RGB controllers can buy the Platinum coolers and be up in running in 256 colors without more gear. The Pro coolers still require the LNP/Commander Pro to serve this purpose plus RGB fans themselves. It is also reported there is some improvement in cold plate conductivity on this model, but I don't have one to verify. There are some current concerns. If you look across the front page of the cooling forum, you will find questions regarding pump noise (the lowest pump speed is 2400) and a continuing USB disconnect problem. Most users get around this by setting the pump to a static color, but if you are buying it for the light show, that might be a bit off-putting.

I've had the H115i Pro for more than a year. It has never missed a beat, steady and reliable. It's on a 8700K@5.1GHz these days, so not quite as many watts as my old X99, but nevertheless my coolant delta is about +4-5C with mild LL140s running at 900-1000 rpm. It has made my CPU temps irrelevant. Based on our previous conversations the last time around, I know what I would recommend for you, but I suspect you know which way you want to go already.

Thanks c-attack you are always so helpful and good memory too. :)

The 2nd H115i V2 I got when my first one broke and was sent for RMA is still working on that X99 Rampage V Extreme system, its my wife's computer now. Works great for her photography business with a Vega 64 card for Lightroom.

So I guess 3rd time was a charm with that one. I have the one that came back from RMA in my closet as a spare. Plan to leave it that way and was looking for a new cooler to maybe replace this Alphacool Eswhatever 280 I have.

I think you read my mind though and the H115i Pro is the right choice for me. I don't need a glowing flickering unreliable cooler. I have some RGB stuff on my current Asus Rampage VI Apex board and G.Skill RGB RAM but I don't really care if I have more of it at this point.

I'm guessing I could even buy some of those Corsair RGB fans seperately if I wanted and use the RGB header on my Rampage VI Apex board to control lighting on them I would think right?

 

I'm guessing I could even buy some of those Corsair RGB fans seperately if I wanted and use the RGB header on my Rampage VI Apex board to control lighting on them I would think right?

No. While it has 12v and 5v RGB headers, you still need the Corsair interface device to make this stuff work. That's a Lighting Node Pro or Commander Pro (LNP + fan controller). While that seems like a hindrance, the end result is the Corsair RGB potential is extremely high with multiple, layered, complex effects. Aura is like mid-2000s Alienware control interface. It makes your stuff blink. It is not anywhere near the same level of design or control.

There also is no reason to rush out and get RGB fans for the cooler or anything else unless you are planning a full case switch. If you are still running the all the Riing models, there are some pros and cons to making a change.

H115i Platinum - CoolIT partnered, 2 fixed pump speeds (2400/2900), ML140 High Speed (2000 rpm) RGB fans. Pump is capable of more dramatic or complex RGB patterns, but more significantly can operate as an RGB controller for the pump and two fans within the iCUE lighting system. In effect, someone with no Corsair RGB controllers can buy the Platinum coolers and be up in running in 256 colors without more gear. The Pro coolers still require the LNP/Commander Pro to serve this purpose plus RGB fans themselves. It is also reported there is some improvement in cold plate conductivity on this model, but I don't have one to verify. There are some current concerns. If you look across the front page of the cooling forum, you will find questions regarding pump noise (the lowest pump speed is 2400) and a continuing USB disconnect problem. Most users get around this by setting the pump to a static color, but if you are buying it for the light show, that might be a bit off-putting.

Also, it's fans run up to 2100RPM maximum speed.

Pump noise doesn't seem loud to my ears even at Extreme/3000RPM as it still keeps below my case fan noise (ML-RGB 1200RPM fans always on full blast which I don't find all that loud either). I have heard way louder pumps. Then again, I don't have a super-quiet system as cooling is more important to me than less noise. And it does a good job at cooling.

The big issue, however, is as @c-attack mentioned the USB disconnect problem that apparently stems from iCue software crashing and restarting itself due to an apparent incompatibility with the cooler (probably a conflict between iCue software and cooler firmware). As long as you shut iCue off after setting your profiles and remove it from windows startup the problem isn't happening, though. But then again, you'll be limited to RGB lighting profiles that are supported in hardware among other drawbacks that may or may not be of concern to you. Setting lighting off or to static light may work as well, if you absolutely need to run iCue in the background.

That said, if I could buy my cooler over, I'd go for the Pro, though, and get some higher speed fans for it, just because of the Platinum's iCue crash/USB Disconnect problem which can be mildly annoying up to really frustrating depending on the use case.

Since I own a H115i RGB Platinum, I can add that it actually has 3 pump speeds 2000RPM (Quiet), 2500 RPM (Balanced) and 3000RPM (Extreme), at least with the latest firmware 1.00.33 at this writing (not sure about previous ones, I updated my firmware right away when iCue asked me to).

 

Really? They slipped that under the radar and I haven't seen anyone else mention it. This is why I wish they would post firmware update notes. Well, I think that is welcome change, although I am not sure how much audible difference there is between 2000 and 2400/2500.

Maverick, your prior "H115i (H110i GTX)" models were Asetek and I think scorn was earned. However, they seem to have gotten this one right.