Legit Reviews

Recently got one of these for my Rig upgrade to Sandybridge. Took some pics but they came out horrible so screen caps will have to do. Rig used in in the signature.

Notes:
The install guide is pictoral only, it didn't do me much good. The backplate has four sliding grommets to make it adjustable for various socket types but is difficult to get to fit right. I finally got it mounted by going one grommet at a time. Could just be me but this could have been easier.
Corsair put up an installation video that helps clarify installation somewhat but it was still harder than it needed to be.
I also watched a review on vortez I think that was much more helpful. Corsair recommends mounting the rad first and then mounting the fans to the rad. Had I done this in my case I would have had to pull the rad back out. The second video the fans were mounted first then the rad was mounted in the case, that's what I did and it worked like a charm. All in all it was well worth the effort though!

Pros:
- Looks good in the case.
- Leaves lots of room around the CPU and RAM slot area.
- Speed adjustable (3 stages; Quiet, Balanced, & Performance)
- Cools quite well.
- Compatible with Corsair Link.
- Can add two fans for a push pull config.
- Self contained, no maintenance.

Cons:
- Install guide is pretty useless (at least for me it was)
- Big! Make sure it will fit your case.
- Back plate was not as easy to install as it initially appeared.
- Pretty loud in Performance mode.

Test runs with Prime95 In-place large FFT:

Idle mode - Quiet: Load mode - Quiet: Idle mode - Performance:

Load mode - Performance:
While there is a considerable difference in temps between Quiet and Performance (and Balanced is right in the middle) it does come at a distinct cost to the ears (not horrible but not pleasant if you like quiet).

I have opted for Quiet mode with a 4.6 ghz overclock for day to day use. This cooler has plenty of headroom!

EDIT - A couple of other notes:
- The fans are controlled from the CPU block/pump assembly by default. The only issue with this is that fan speed doesn't start ramping up until the coolant temp reaches the cutoff (60c I think). So for an initial run temps will rise for a few minutes then drop back down a bit and settle once the fans speed up.
- The Antec Kuhler collers come with fan control software to tweak the fans. Corsair will be releasing Corsair Link ($99 USD I believe). The cooler only cost me $101.99 USD so I can't see spending that much to control the fans.

The pictorial install guide for the Hydro Series is one of the better ones out there, and I have looked at A LOT of install guides.

I have found for the sliding nuts on backing plates is first get the mount lined up to the board, then putting a strip of tape on it to hold it still while putting the stand offs for the in-between sockets.

The fans used on the H80 can get annoying on High as well, the Antec 920 is by far the worst.

Shoulda' called you Bubba ! I didn't think of tape, that would've made it easier.

My biggest issue was getting it all lined up though. No matter how I tried to adjust the sliders I could not get all four to line up at the same time.

Finally solved by doing the first loosely then adjusting the next and so forth till all four were in the right spot.

Maybe just my lack of mechanical competence but it was a bear to say the least. Also the cutout in the Sniper wasn't in the right spot for this mobo so I had to pull the mobo.

I'm happier than I thought I would be with the upgraded rig!

Ah you were fighting it in a case ta-boot... yeah, if you cant get to all the holes cleanly just yank the board. saves on the stress 10 minutes to pull a board, put the bracket on and put it back in the case vs 20-30 minutes trying to hold your mouth right and not drop something.

I've gotten to the point I can look at the coolers accessories bag and know how big of a pain something is going to be to install.