Just wanted to ask you guys this.(This got a little bigger than expected: TL;DR: Vibration hum, do all AIO make it?)
So, I researched a lot before buying the H100i. Long story short, pretty much all reviews are full of crap when it comes to noise, the fans are just laughable for 100€ CPU cooling. I'm not even talking about the full RPM, I'm talking about low RPM, they rattle and are very noisy at 600RPM.
But what really got to me was the pump noise, which I figured out to actually be vibration. As long as the pump is touching any surface (even outside the case), you get an annoying "bzzz" or "humm" which really annoyed me, especially since the loudest thing on my system was my WD Caviar Blue.
Instant RMA on my original pump. Got my second, exactly the same noise. Tried to clear it up on the Corsair forums, tried to clear it up with Corsair Support: "Is this sound normal?" Never got a clear answer. Pretty much the closest one I got was "The pump produces a little hum, but it shouldn't be audible over the fans even at their lowest rpm".
So I agreed in a third unit. This one was actually quieter, but still that hum. Couldn't have my PC on while I was in bed, it was so annoying, so I asked for a refund. Have to say that Corsair support was pretty awesome, never had any issue.
But I tried this question on a few forums, even on that has a "Corsair Hydro Club" and they all claim that the pumps can't be heard, to do firmware updates and to buy new fans (
).So now I found these forums, full of people who really care about silence. So, are all pumps the noisy? Maybe the new generation, with variable pump speeds (like the new ones from swiftech, actually fix this? I have to say that it's really getting to me that no one on the internet seems to acknowledge that the H100i is very noisy.
Meanwhile, I'm going for air. I've now ordered a Scythe Kotetsu, since people loved it here (35€ with shipping, quite cheap). Hope I won't regret it!