Corsair 100i Intake or Exhaust?

[crb806]

I'm just getting parts in for a new build and was thinking about how to set up my 100i cooler. I see many people using it as exhaust, but in the manual Corsair recommends using intake for their CPU coolers. Every time I've read about someone trying it both ways they always get lower temps when they use it as intake so I'm just wondering why so many use it exhaust. It does make a lot more sense to cool the radiator with cool air from outside rather than blowing warm air from inside the case on the radiator. I'm going to follow the manual and have it as an intake on top since I have a good dust filter. Also using it as intake will lean my case to having positive pressure which will also help with reduce dust build up.

I can see how it would make sense a first glance to use an exhaust setup, but intake seems to make much more sense to me unless you have a GPU that gets really hot or no dust filter. What do you think?

 

[doyll]

In a system where GPU is air cooled it is only logical to use a CLC as exhaust. Using it as intake is pre-heating the air coming into the case. And the number of degrees warmer it is translated to similar increase in GPU temp.

I think Corsair says to use it as intake so their little sailboat cooler gets better results .. but it's at the sacrifice of everything else in the case running hotter.

 

[crb806]

In a system where GPU is air cooled it is only logical to use a CLC as exhaust. Using it as intake is pre-heating the air coming into the case. And the number of degrees warmer it is translated to similar increase in GPU temp.

I think Corsair says to use it as intake so their little sailboat cooler gets better results .. but it's at the sacrifice of everything else in the case running hotter.

Tests that I've seen using intake and exhaust setups had negligible GPU temp changes so that's not really an issue.

 

[doyll]

Air cooled cases ideally have the case air temp as close as possible to room temp. That's logical. I build a good number of systems and have no problems with cooling. But then I don't use CLC coolers. H100i is not as good at cooling at top air coolers, is much noisier, is not as dependable, costs more and if something goes wrong it will most likely be the pump .. which means the system will not be usable until the complete cooler is changed out. Not a cheap proposition.

But a good air cooler only has the fan /s that can fail (which rarely happens), and still works with no fan or with whatever fan is around held on with rubber bands until suitable replacement can be acquired.

If you look around you will seem many people who were sucked in by the CLC sailboat hype are now coming back to good dependable, quiet, lower cost air coolers.

 

[Henri108]

As someone that used the H100i for almost a year, I wouldn't recommend it at all.
It doesn't cool better than a high end air-cooler, it's closed forever (no expandability), mine failed after 1 year,...
My pump failed after exactely 1 year and corsair link said nothing was wrong, with temps reaching 100°C (my local shop gave me back full amount towards another item).

Now I got one of the Alphacool kits, I have much more cooling potential, I can expand it very easily and it is worth the extra price.

If you will not add a graphicscard to your loop, just use a high-end air cooler (or the cheaper 212 EVO, which will only be slightly warmer).

To answer your question, use it as outlet, it changed my GPU temps by 6 degrees.
It's also better to keep your other components cool. (2 intake in front, 2 outlet on top)

 

[MacLeod]

I run mine on top of my 500R with the fans mounted on bottom pulling air thru the rad as intake. Axial fans pull better than they push which is why theyre on the bottom and I tried it as both exhaust and intake ways when I first got my H100 and while running OCCT I was 2-3C cooler running the fans as intake as opposed to exhaust. Temps for my GPU and VRM's were the same either way. Maybe itll work different for your case and equipment so try both ways but for me, intake. My computer room is in my finished basement so the ambient air is always pretty cool so maybe thats why it works better for me. Either way, try it both ways and see what works better for your setup.