Those who were fretting about CPU blocks becoming increasingly socket-specific and expensive still have options! CORSAIR has always prided itself on two things from the inception of its Hydro X business unit: 1) keep things affordable, and 2) keep things user-friendly. I have covered every generation of its Hydro X CPU blocks to date and these two aspects have remained intact even in the face of heavily increasing materials costs and logistics expenses. If anything, the $90 cost for the Hydro XC7 RGB PRO is well under inflation compared to the updates provided to the $80 Hydro XC7 RGB from a few years ago! The cold plate is no longer a modular piece with skived fin inserts, but instead we get more premium CNC machining throughout. The trim cover is also available in three colors now, and the brushed finish looks better in person too. The top otherwise looks to be mostly untouched from last gen down to the use of the 16 addressable RGB LEDs but there are two improvements that I am a fan of.

First, CORSAIR is including an adapter cable allowing users to power and control the LEDs from a more standard 3-pin, 5 V ARGB header on your motherboard. This change came about a couple of months into the life cycle of the previous blocks, following reviewer and customer feedback, and I am glad to see there is no scope for such complaints here. Second, the cold plate has a lot more microfins and channels for increased heat transfer area to make this a more "PRO" unit as the name suggests. It results in increased coolant flow restriction but brings with it improved thermal performance too. These, combined with the relatively lower cost, make the CORSAIR Hydro XC7 RGB PRO a bargain in today's world. The increased CPU compatibility is the icing on top of this cake to where I have no choice but to happily recommend the product for your DIY watercooling needs.