New
#21
I agree with what Fumz is stating -- but one thing is kind of missing in the whole thing with this good air cooling solutions vs the H50: the size of the heat sink.
Prior to my purchase, I did do some research. However, I bought the H50 some time ago, at a time when the research results I found showed that the H50 was neck-to-neck with the best air coolers and in some cases, better than the best air coolers.
These companies don't sit on their laurels; they are always refining their product and looking for better ways to rid the processor of heat.
So, back to my main point: size. A lot of the very good air coolers are good because of the fact that because of the size of the heat sink, there is an incredible amount of surface area for the moving air to remove the heat. But, being so tall, some of those same air coolers will not fit in mid-tower pc's and definitely not any small form factor chassis.
This post is subjective: for me, the H50 cooled my processor a great deal over the air cooler I had. Yes, springing a leak poses a little worry--but very little for me. For the cooling it does do and the minuscule worry I have about a leak, the H50 relieves me of other worries associated with full-blown water cooling solutions: bubbles, algae, and the fact that I have to change the coolant every so often.
My 2 1/2 cents. :)