Corsair Blog

I had some trepidation over using “A Quiet Revolution” for the title of this post. The term was first used for the period of intense socioeconomic and socio-political changes in Quebec in the 1960s (thanks, Wikipedia!), but since then, I’m sure the play on words has already been used to advertise innumerable vacuum cleaners. However, as clichéd as it might be, it’s an apt description for what we’ve seen with the launch of the Corsair Cooling™ Hydro Series H50 High Performance CPU cooler

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The physics behind the H50’s performance vs. air coolers aren’t revolutionary: anybody who’s stuck a toe in a pool on a summer day knows that liquids absorb heat much more efficiently than air does. It’s what you do with the physics that counts. By letting a nearly silent pump do the work of drawing the liquid across the cold plate attached to the CPU, the only detectable noise is the small, low-speed fan that draws air through the radiator. By comparison, the performance of a fan-based CPU cooler with a liquid-filled heat pipe relies on the fan’s ability to move air. Higher performance from a fan-based cooler requires a larger fan spinning at a higher rate, and unless it’s designed carefully, it’s liable to generate an unacceptable level of noise.

Of course, performance enthusiasts have been outfitting their PCs with modular liquid-cooling systems for years; and we offer components for these systems (the Hydro Series H30 and the Ice Series T30, which boosts performance by adding thermoelectric cooling).

One kind of revolution happens when a technology becomes simple and affordable enough to catch the interest of people who just don’t want to make an extraordinary commitment in order to enjoy its benefits. This is part of most technology curves and you can find lots of examples. Niche car makers and modders have been offering gasoline-electric vehicles for decades, but it took the resources of a few big automobile companies to make hybrids for the masses.

In the land of PC performance, Corsair has been on the forefront of several revolutions. In the 1990s we helped show the world the benefit of high-performance DRAM, and three years ago we raised awareness of the importance of reliable, high-wattage power supplies. And, it’s happened again: buoyed by the rave reviews of customers and the press alike, the Hydro Series H50 has found its way into Best Buy stores in the USA. Best Buy!

If somebody had told you a year ago that you’d soon be able to purchase a liquid-based CPU cooler at Best Buy, would you have believed them?

That’s a quiet revolution.