Antec Kühler H2O 950 Review

Performance Analysis

In the past we've had a few issues with the software Antec has provided but apart from a small hiccup on our LGA2011 system that simply needed to grab an updated USB driver from Windows update, things went smoothly. Sadly, the Kühler H20 950 wasn't as good as its predecessor on our LGA1155 test system with its delta T of 41°C in extreme mode being 3°C warmer than the Kühler H20 920. However, it was just 1°C warmer than Corsair's H80i and H75, both of which managed 40°C. The larger dual 120mm and dual 140mm-fan radiator coolers were also noticeably better.


Switching to silent mode saw the delta T rise to 46°C. This was admittedly super-quiet - in fact the fans were unnoticeable outside the case. However, it was 2°C warmer than the H80i on its quiet profile and good air coolers such as SilverStone's Argon AR01 were just as good here too. The noise of the pump became quite noticeable too - it's not particularly loud but it's certainly noisier than many more powerful pumps from Laing, for example.


Switching to our LGA2011 test system, the delta T here of 47°C was just 1°C warmer than the Kühler H20 920 and enough to match the similarly-priced Corsair H75. The H80i, however, was a couple of degrees cooler, with its maximum profile proving to be a little less ear-destroying too. The Silent Profile saw the delta T rise to 51°C - again matching the H75 (this time in its PWM mode), but the Kühler H20 950 was much quieter here. It also bettered the H80i by 4°C too.

Conclusion

Antec had some big shoes to fill with the Kühler H20 950, and while it hasn't quite bettered the awesome Kühler H20 920, the new model does match the similarly-priced H75 while also offering software fan control, and it keeps within reach of the H80i too. The software is excellent and we'd recommend finding a balance between the silent mode and extreme mode to get the best out of the cooler.

Installation was fiddly but you'll only have to do this once. The only other issue is pump noise; with a few other all-in-ones laying around, we deduced that the Kühler H20 950 was fairly noisy here compared to others. This is only likely to be an issue if you try to keep noise to a minimum. On anything other than the silent profile, the fans drown the pump out anyway. So, is this the single 120mm-fan radiator all-in-one liquid cooler to get? It's certainly in the top three, but Corsair's H80i is still our favourite; it edges it in terms of cooling, is a little quieter and only costs a few pounds more.