Corsair H150i vs Kraken X73

Everybody here was incredibly useful last time I posted, and so I am back for more assistance. I have been wanting to purchase the H150i Pro for a little while now, however, I haven't been able to find it in, due to the coronavirus situation. On Amazon, the Kraken X73 is available, and for cheaper. I have heard that they have similar performance, and I am considering purchasing it. Is there any benefit to purchasing the H150i Pro over the X73? I personally prefer the look of the X73, but it would be nice to have a full Corsair system. I have a commander pro, and I was wondering if I would plug the H150i Pro into it, or directly into the motherboard. Would this give me any advantage over the X73, or is it essentially whichever I prefer? Thanks in advance!

You can plug any USB 2 device into the Commander Pro pass-through ports, including a H150i. A 360mm radiator of similar thickness and density is going to have similar performance. There are not massive leaps in performance and the technology is fairly developed. From end user point, most of your experience will be based on ease of use and management.

 

Don't know what you have planned for fans. Generally speaking fan type does not matter. Corsair RGB fans would still connect back to the RGB Lighting Hub and Commander for control, regardless of where they are attached.

 

In order to use the X73, you will need to run NZXT CAM. It's not something I have used in a long time. You may want to look at their forum for feedback. You are already running iCUE for the Commander and whatever else you have going. It is also one of those all inclusive monitoring/management programs, so there is definitely an overlap.

If I plug the H150i into the motherboard, will I still be able to access all the individual fan speeds for the cooler? I currently have three SP120s along the front, 2 QL140s on top as an intake, and a QL120 as exhaust. I am planning on mounting the radiator on the front, using the case fans, and the ones that come with the radiator to do push-pull. The reviews for NZXT CAM don't look too pleasant, but I will continue to look. Is there any other cooler worth picking up that you have good experiences with, or should I just wait it out?

You will have full fan speed control with the H150i connected to the motherboard via USB 2. Pump lighting as well. The fans will be whatever you put on. The ML-Quiet that come with the H150i Pro are not RGB. You do need to use PWM fans for the cooler, so the SP-RGB are out for that job unless you power/control them elsewhere.

 

If you have SPs and QLs you are in deep already. Running CAM as well seems like a problem waiting to happen, but I have not done this since the CUE 2 and Link days and I have not reviewed the X73. I think we are finally about to see the H150 XT on shelves, but it is really hard to figure out what's going on with stock lately. Obviously things have been massively affected by all of this. You have to be really careful to check prices and make sure you aren't getting gouged by some 3rd party. $300 USD is not the going rate for a 360mm cooler.

So I've looked around and found that the H115i Platinum can mount to the front fans, regardless of the fact that it is a 280mm radiator. I'm not sure if this would look odd, but do you think this would work alright? Also, how would I connect the RGB fans that come on the cooler? All of my slots for my lighting node core are full, is there another way to get them to light up and have control over them? Thanks in advance.

The Platinum series coolers have their own internal lighting controller, so the ML-RGB that come with it will connect to that. No need for another RGB hub. The controls will be through the H115i Plat tab and not with the other fans. As you’ve seen, you can use some longer screws to mount it behind the existing SP120 on the front.