Corsair has impressed me with the release of the H150i Elite Capellix. It slaughters every other closed-loop liquid cooler I have reviewed when faced with heavy workloads. In the AIDA 64 FPU OC test, it even manages to convincingly beat out all-copper liquid coolers, like the EK-MLC Phoenix 360, Swiftech H360 X3, and more. Some of the other coolers do get close enough, such as the Lian Li Galahad 240, which fell behind the Corsair unit by 3 °C but is also $60 less. Thus, price to performance isn't this latest cooler's strong suit. But then again, when has the pursuit of the best-possible performance you can get with the least amount of effort ever been affordable.

Now, it is worth keeping in mind that these results are with the Corsair H150i Elite Capellix running at maximum fan RPM, which hit a highly annoying 55 dBA. However, with the noise level reduced to 45 dBA, temperatures only increased by 1 °C. This makes the cooler 10 dBA quieter and still has it rivaling or beating every other tested cooler. In fact, going a step further and dropping the cooler down to 42–43 dBA, which is the same as Noctua's NH-D15 in our tests, resulted in temperatures going up another 1 °C. Keep in mind that the Noctua NH-D15 hit 88 °C vs. the Corsair AIO at 84 °C at the same noise level. That is impressive considering most AIOs struggle to rival top-tier air coolers at similar noise levels.

So yes, the H150i Elite Capellix can be deafeningly loud if necessary for the absolute best performance, but its results are still stellar after noise optimization. Where the high cost comes into play and Corsair tries to massage things is the inclusion of their Capellix LEDs in the pump, which does make for an aesthetically pleasing design. The pump has a nicely even glow with no dim spots or issues. However, the fans do not get the same treatment. Instead, they are their standard ML RGB 120 mm fans. While good fans, if you're going to name the series after the LEDs, make sure all the illuminated parts fit that theme. That having been said, this is a minor complaint all things considered—the cooler as a whole looks fantastic.

When it comes to build quality, the unit is respectable. I noticed a few more bent fins than I would have liked, but those could also be due to the mailman using my package as a football. Still, while bent fins are bent fins, performance was not impacted. I would like to see the warranty printed on the box front and center as it has been previously—it's still five years, which gives buyers some peace of mind.

Other than that, the cooler was easy to install—everything also worked as it should, and even the iCUE software, which I am not a fan of, didn't give me any problems. Zero-RPM fan mode is nice, and Corsair's design has built-in fail-safes for some peace of mind. That said, maybe I'm just too old, but I still prefer motherboard PWM control over more software. The same goes for my ARGB sync; the motherboard software might barely be adequate, but the fact that I can sync all devices without proprietary kits is nice. I will commend Corsair for making the Commander Core and iCUE software work as well as it does, but it is an added cost that jacks up the price for the rest of us. A price that makes the cooler a bit hard to justify.

Overall, the Corsair H150i Elite Capellix is a phenomenal performer that shows what a good design is capable of. Granted, diminishing returns are evident here, but if you are chasing the best performance you can get from a closed-loop liquid cooler without replacing fans or modding it, Corsair's new release is something I can easily recommend.