Introduction

So here I was finally writing my long-due review of the CORSAIR Hydro XD7 pump, reservoir, and distribution plate combo unit, even explicitly mentioning how surprised I was to see it come out at all given CORSAIR's reluctance to get into distro plates. To be fair, the Hydro XD7 did get around the hardware-specific issue of distro plates and monoblocks by adopting a far more universal form factor, which had me wonder what else CORSAIR would have up its sleeves now that things were more pliable, if you will. As it turns out, the day this article goes live is CORSAIR's Hydro X day—a marketing event to celebrate its burgeoning business unit that has taken market share from other established brands in this niche DIY PC watercooling space like never before. As part of it, the company decided it's opportune time to update its barely mentioned line of watercooling kits.


For those new to PC watercooling, the primary incentive to go with a kit is a generally lower price relative to separately purchasing the various items. A kit also includes most—if not all—items to get going with an expandable starter loop. CORSAIR had announced two kits nearly two years ago in the form of the Hydro X Series iCUE XH303i and XH305i, smack dab in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and the chip shortage when no one was getting new hardware in at a reasonable price—not the best timing necessarily. It is now 2022 and material costs have gone up more than ever before, and the previous challenges are somehow still a thing. But CORSAIR reckons today is a good day to get these updated kits out after all, and these are aptly named the Hydro X Series iCUE XH305i PRO and XH303i RGB PRO. Both kits will be available in black or white, and the former goes with the Hydro XD5 pump and reservoir combo and three QL120 RGB fans to be the most expensive of the lot. I have the Hydro XH303i PRO kit here. It shares a lot with the other kit and has a total of 28 components we will go over in more detail over the course of several pages. Let's thanks CORSAIR for providing TechPowerUp a review sample!