Hydro X Series XR V2 Radiators: Everything You Need to Know

Radiators are the backbone of a custom-cooled PC. They are the part of the loop that actually gets rid of heat to keep your components cool, and using subpar radiators will hamstring the efficacy of your system.

But that scenario can be easily avoided with a reliable, high-quality radiator capable of delivering extreme cooling, such as the new CORSAIR Hydro X Series XR V2 Radiators, which are made with high-quality materials and feature user-friendly options, including compatibility with iCUE LINK fans for simple installation.

All CORSAIR Hydro X Series XR7 V2 radiators feature 25-micron thin cooling fins. These fins maximize the surface area on the radiator for heat exchange within the copper chambers, enabling a more efficient and higher rate of thermal transfer from CPUs and GPUs. Besides performance benefits, most experienced builders agree that thinner cooling fins subtly enhance the aesthetic appeal of custom water-cooled builds. Their sleek design can complement the overall look of the PC, especially when paired with impressive RGB lighting effects.

The rule of thumb for radiators (or any similar radiator) is that the thicker the radiator, the more effective it is at cooling the liquid that carries heat from the CPU and GPU. As coolant flows through the chambers in the radiator, it has a larger volume of metal to transfer heat to, which directly improves the overall cooling performance of the liquid cooling system because of the increased surface area of the radiator.

The Hydro X Series XR V2 radiators offer various options in terms of radiator thickness, configurations, and colorways, providing users with a range of choices that best suit their PC build.

The Hydro X Series XR V2 radiators are coated with high-quality polyurethane for many good reasons. In terms of aesthetics, it provides a smooth finish, giving the radiator a more premium look to match high-end custom water-cooled PCs, especially builds that aim for a more sophisticated vibe.

It is widely used in industrial applications as a protective coating to prevent corrosion, important on radiators where moisture can cause rust and metal degradation.

Previous generations of Hydro X radiators follow standard specifications for the location of inlets and outlets. This made compatibility with iCUE LINK fans problematic as the outlets and inlets conflicted with the connectors on the fans.

We made some adjustments to the Hydro X Series XR V2 radiators by moving the ports inboard (shown above), creating more clearance between the fittings and the iCUE LINK cables coming from the fan.

With the updated port locations, the XR V2 radiators are now fully compatible with iCUE LINK fans on both sides of the radiator, providing a cleaner look and making installation much easier when using multiple fans, especially in a push-pull setup.

If you've built PCs before, especially if you've done it many times, and installed a radiator from either an AIO cooler or a custom water-cooling setup, you might have overtightened a radiator screw at some point. This may not have been intentional, but you could have done it unknowingly, especially when using long radiator screws.