Final Thoughts
While I do find myself more often searching for the highest performing cooling solution I can find I must admit there are times and situations where that’s not always possible. For a lot of enthusiasts their case will simply not accept some of the larger radiators found in the top performing AIO coolers today. And that is precisely where the H80i GT will step in. This cooler has the footprint of a 120mm cooler but boasts the performance that I always desired that the original H80 had and then some. Thanks to the super thick radiator we find this unit to have enough surface area to at least be in contention with some of the bigger radiators. In addition to performance this AIO has the same clean styling of the more expensive Corsair coolers as well as the same adjustability thanks to the Corsair Link software.
The only way I would judge this cooler negatively would be on the installation side. My first complaint really can’t be held against the H80i GT or Corsair for that matter. However I must point out that installing the radiator can be a bit of trick. Trying to line up the radiator, sandwiched fan and screw all at once is not easy. There really is not easy fix for this and is a side effect of using a second fan in push/pull. Now my second complaint is one I have mentioned with a previous cooler from Corsair. The new pump design is not conducive to getting a nice clean pump mount. Due to the over sized tubing and the lack of a vertical swivel fitting on the pump, you really have to fight the tubing to get the pump lined up and then struggle with one hand to secure it with the thumb screws.
Pricing for the H80i GT is neither good nor bad. At $99 from my favorite online retailer, it’s not terribly expensive and is in fact a little bit cheaper than some of it’s rivals. However I do feel that a cooler of this size and performance level would be better priced just a little bit lower.
Overall ThinkComputers would like to award the H80i GT with a 9 out of 10 score!
Pros:
– Performance for it’s size is great
– Top level fit and finish
– Great new aesthetics
Cons:
– Installation can be difficult