HowardB Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Overall very impressed so I hope these suggestions for possible improvements are seen in that light: 1. Instructions: Happy for somebody to set me straight but I think that there are 2 different sets of 4 bracket retaining screws provided. One set of which was not thread compatible with the backplate bushes because they are slightly larger. If I am right about this no mention of it is found in the instructions? 2. Those little threaded bushes that push into the backplate (Part H) have a tendency to pop out which means you cannot tighten the bracket retaining screws because they just turn with the screw. If this happens, as it did to me, you have to take the motherboard out to fix it. It would be nice if the holes they were pushed into in the backplate had some sort of springy plastic lip so once they were pushed in they were retained. 3. Finally it would be nice to have some sort of indication of activity with respect to the unit perhaps a power led and possibly some sort of fluid flow indicator. The installation was pretty straight forward for me and I am quite happy with the cooling effect. The Corsair H50 cools the overclocked i7 920 in my rig at approx 8 - 10 deg C cooler than my previous Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 air cooler under similar load conditions and it takes up a LOT less room Anyone else want to chip in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanG Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 On number 1 ans 2,thats why I used the old style brackets cause its more straight forward and less little parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardB Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 hehe thx for the reply Sean but by the amount of interest generated judging by the replies it looks like everybody else thinks the product is perfect :P, must all be Corsair employees ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heliman41 Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 No, I myself also was totally confused by the larger thred screws luckly tho I was missing 2 of them so I used the smaller thread by pre testing them first. I agree while the plans are great they are missing a tad bit of info, like say exactly what the larger threads are for. Stating to use only the Corsair backplate THEN stating is ok to use the larger screws for the original I/O plate is a bit of a contradiction yes? What manufacturers NEED to do is have someone who has never ever seen a unit asemble one then these simple things come to view. Wish I had a $20 for evey time ive said that statement.......................people are not mind readers & dont like surprises or after thought mindgames.... However in behalf of Corsair I will say mine is working fine. I run Asus probe to monitor CPU temps constantly because if the pump fails there is no way to know temps are skyrocketing otherwise except a CPU meltdown, yea its a lil scary. A CPU cooler of any type can quit at any time however, so again its a gamble evertime you turn on the PC no matter what cooler it has. I dont loose any sleep over it. It is sorta funny how much confusion the extra screws have given, a BIG stickey here on this site is in order me thinks oR an additional paper with the unit explaining them woould be a fair addition & not a lot of extra trouble for future users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanG Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I asked about the larger threaded screws and nobody seems to know what thier for including corsair.Theres no mention of them in the instructions and theres nothing they fit except for the radiator.Why they fit the radiator is beyond me because you cant mount a fan with them because thier too short and you cant mount the radiator to the case with them because thier too long.The only thing I can think of is maybe they fit the original intel backplate,but I cant test because I dont have one.I can confirm they dont fit the original AMD backplate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlysir Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I asked about the larger threaded screws and nobody seems to know what thier for including corsair.Theres no mention of them in the instructions and theres nothing they fit except for the radiator.Why they fit the radiator is beyond me because you cant mount a fan with them because thier too short and you cant mount the radiator to the case with them because thier too long.The only thing I can think of is maybe they fit the original intel backplate,but I cant test because I dont have one.I can confirm they dont fit the original AMD backplate. Interesting! as they do fit my original AMD backplate on an Asus motherboard. They are 6 X 32 screws which are the same as the radiator. I did not use them as I much prefer the original AMD bracket that you had to buy separately and is made of plastic. But I had previously checked and then doubled checked today before I replied to make sure that they do fit the Asus AMD bracket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanG Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Hmm,I could of sworn I checked and they didnt fit my AMD asus backplate even tho I did use the original backplate with the old plastic AMD H50 bracket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardB Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 No, However in behalf of Corsair I will say mine is working fine. I run Asus probe to monitor CPU temps constantly because if the pump fails there is no way to know temps are skyrocketing otherwise except a CPU meltdown, yea its a lil scary. A CPU cooler of any type can quit at any time however, so again its a gamble evertime you turn on the PC no matter what cooler it has. I dont loose any sleep over it. First glad this has generated some interest. SeanG I accept what you say about the risks with any cooling system and I have CPU thermal protection cutout set in my BIOS so providing it works no worries, dont intend to test it tho :laughing: With fans and windows cutouts you can pretty much see or hear when they are not working, no way to see that with the H50. I suppose you could argue an external LED somewhere easily visible on the unit indicating fluid flow is a comfort thing but I bet quite a few users would be willing to pay a little bit extra for such a feature. In terms of the idiot tester who has never installed a water cooled system, you are talking to him :D: I have a lot of PC build experience but never used water cooling just a confidence thing I guess plus I tend to support the idea that water and electrics are uneasy bedfellows. Prebuilt sealed systems provided a tipping point where I thought ok I will give it a go. Incidentally you didnt comment on items 2 and 3 in my list? would be interested to hear any views supporting or otherwise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fohacidal Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 After using the H50 for a few day I must say I am COMPLETELY pleased with the cooler. I am using it on an i7 860 overclocked to first 4.2 and then down to 4ghz and it kept all max load temps under 55 degrees Celsius. However I do have some suggestions towards a new h50 model that I would buy in a heartbeat. The first two also are related to howards original list in that the threaded bushes did tend to pop out a bit of one of the sides which damaged the backplate a bit and made installation quite a pain for a few minutes, I fixed it though by holding it in place with a hammer I had from the other side of my case. I also think a revision should come with some definite sort of led or screen indicator on the cooler itself to let the user know the pump is actually functioning and water is flowing well through the system. Third I think corsair should pursue both 120mm and 140mm radiator models, just for more flexibility and to give consumers more options, a 140mm radiator wouldve allowed me to attach it at the top and more efficiently bring the heat to the radiator and then out of my case. And lastly I think corsair should come up with a tubing system that remains closed but allows you to extend and detract the tubes for added or shortened length, Atm i got it fit snug in my case but had to wrestle with it to fit in front of a 120mm fan without it actually getting in the fan, the option to have shorter tubes wouldve been cool and I guess for users with bigger cases longer tubes would be just as useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonDa5 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 It's a great cooler. I like the size as well. I'm sure it could be improved. Things that I think would lead to greater performance in no particular order of importance. 1. Improved pump unit for longer life span. Improved flow rate. Lower power requirements. 2. Improved larger tubing for more effective flow. Stronger material to prevent possible leaks. 3. Improved Fan. More effective static pressure. Less voltage. Quieter. Better CFM. 4. Improved Copper Heat sink surface for better heat transfer. Lapped and flat. 5. Improved Radiator for better cooling and flow. Same size is great as long as it works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heliman41 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 It's a great cooler. I like the size as well. I'm sure it could be improved. Things that I think would lead to greater performance in no particular order of importance. 1. Improved pump unit for longer life span. Improved flow rate. Lower power requirements. 2. Improved larger tubing for more effective flow. Stronger material to prevent possible leaks. 3. Improved Fan. More effective static pressure. Less voltage. Quieter. Better CFM. 4. Improved Copper Heat sink surface for better heat transfer. Lapped and flat. 5. Improved Radiator for better cooling and flow. Same size is great as long as it works great. 6. Add a water inlet at the top & one at the bottom on opposite sides on the radiator for forced water flow thru all the cooling lines. In reality this would probably place a lot of back pressure on the pump causing probs or early failure. Im thinking thats why it wasnt implemented in the first place, was probably tried then dumped as a non option otherwise it would be setup this way. But, perhaps larger flow tubes in the radiator inside itself to lower the backpressure ............There is always a different way to skin a cat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1badmojoe Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Interesting, I would think there would be less back pressure in the radiator as to the fact of the expansion area of the radiator and all the tubes water runs thru that should reduce ventri pressure, if (top)inlet was on caticorner of outlet (bottom) any back presure I could see is at the pump trying to push/pull water thru cpu block interface. Most likely few radiators are made w/top-bottom inlets most are most are made with inlet/outlet on same side and the evil cost design factor in which radiator is used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJinZ Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 2 sets of screws, one for the AMD backplate, one for the Intel. Same with the bushings and bracket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timj37 Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 What do you guys think about the fan directional flow. I'm sort of against the way it is done in the install vid. Just because I can't see pulling air in from the back, Across the radiator and expelling the heated air into my case. Sure, I have a front 120mm case fan as well. But I have always hooked up my fans to bring cool air in from the front lower and expel from the back upper. It has just always seemed more efficient to me to expel the heated air from the top as it rises anyway. I suppose it could be done in the reverse. Drawing from the top back and expeling from the bottom front. But there is usualy a cover on the front of the case that may not allow the heated air to be expeled efficiently from that position. Anyway, What do you guys think? I would think a way to improve it would be to allow the choice of expeling air in the direction that you see fit while still allowing the fan to push through the radiator. Basicly a way to install it in reverse of what the vid shows. I'm kind of wary of only this one aspect of what seems like a great little cooler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potoroo Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 What do you guys think about the fan directional flow Sucking air into the case through the rear fan port is insane. Cases are designed for front air intake and rear air exhaust. PSUs exhaust hot air out the back of the case, as do those video cards with exhaust systems, and so forth. Passively cooled chipset arrangements typically place the heatsink between the CPU mount and the rear exhaust fan mount precisely so the rear exhaust fan will draw the hot air directly out the back. Since the Corsair engineers must know this I can only speculate about their state of mind in designing the H50's radiator the way they did. The consensus from other users across various forums, including this one, seems to be you'll get the best performance by ignoring Corsair's instructions and mounting 2 high quality fans in a push-pull exhaust configuration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giskard Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Add my list of possible improvements to the H50: 1. Clearer and more correct instructions, because: there's no mention of the two sets of 4 screws with different threads (they all look the same unless you're working in bright light and have good vision) and unluckily I ended up using one of the coarse threaded screws and wrecking the mounting plate. Corsair have since sent me a replacement Intel mounting kit (took about 2 weeks to arrive to me in the UK). the advice on the order in which to tighten the retention screws is complete crap and if followed to the letter, you're more likely to cause damage. The screws should be tightened in an x-formation, not the one-side first as per the instructions. 2. Supply countersunk mounting screws. I can't install the H50's rad without having to mod the side panel as the cap-head screws interfere with the lip of the side-panels rear edge and so I can't close my case (a P193). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJinZ Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Add my list of possible improvements to the H50: 1. Clearer and more correct instructions, because: there's no mention of the two sets of 4 screws with different threads (they all look the same unless you're working in bright light and have good vision) and unluckily I ended up using one of the coarse threaded screws and wrecking the mounting plate. Corsair have since sent me a replacement Intel mounting kit (took about 2 weeks to arrive to me in the UK). the advice on the order in which to tighten the retention screws is complete crap and if followed to the letter, you're more likely to cause damage. The screws should be tightened in an x-formation, not the one-side first as per the instructions. 2. Supply countersunk mounting screws. I can't install the H50's rad without having to mod the side panel as the cap-head screws interfere with the lip of the side-panels rear edge and so I can't close my case (a P193). Hmmm which revision of the H50 are you using? There are 2 sizes of threaded screws as you are now aware. When I prepped my bracket, I tried one of the thicker screws and could not get it to thread through (which are for the AMD brackets), so I stopped trying and looked carefully at the screws. I think the install video covers this but I'm fairly sure the included instruction sheets do not, which are pretty worthless. Also, I didn't realize there is directions for tightening the screws but yes, common sense should rule in most cases. You must thread each screw first and tighten in a criss-cross fashion in incrementally increasing torque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giskard Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Hmmm which revision of the H50 are you using? I purchased my H50 before Christmas last year - it's the one with the plastic mounting plate that you stick to the mobo's underside and provides mounting for Intel 775, 1336 and 1156 CPUs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJinZ Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I purchased my H50 before Happy Holidays! last year - it's the one with the plastic mounting plate that you stick to the mobo's underside and provides mounting for Intel 775, 1336 and 1156 CPUs Yes, all H50s have plastic backplates. The new revisions have metal mounting brackets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardB Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 Havent revisited this thread in a while but certainly one improvement I would ask is that Corsair switch from using bolts that have threads based on the imperial system e.g. 32TPI to bolts that utilise european metric threads at least in units sold outside of the USA. This would make a lot of their customers very happy since currently if you want to source another set of bolts to attach a second fan in a push pull config they are virtually impossible to find outside the USA Even Corsair admit they have trouble sourcing the bolts they currently use to attach the fan to the radiator, so it really would makes sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJinZ Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Havent revisited this thread in a while but certainly one improvement I would ask is that Corsair switch from using bolts that have threads based on the imperial system e.g. 32TPI to bolts that utilise european metric threads at least in units sold outside of the USA. This would make a lot of their customers very happy since currently if you want to cource another set of bolts to attach a second fan in a push pull config they are virtually impossible to find outside the USA Even Corsair admit they have trouble sourcing the bolts they currently use to attach the fan to the radiator, so it really would makes sense Yea, that sucks. Home Depots and just about any hardware store here carry them in all lengths though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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