Image: Corsair
One of the hardest parts of building a PC is cable management, keeping all the power and data cables from cluttering up the internals and getting in the way of fans or heating components. It’s gotten a lot better in the last few years — modular power supplies and M.2 storage drives, for example — but getting a clutter-free desktop build is still a ton of work, and it’s not always possible. Two new systems from Corsair and Hyte are hoping to dramatically reduce the amount of cables you have to deal with.
Corsair’s system is called iCue Link. The idea is basically creating a “daisy chain” for power and lighting across all the cooling components in a desktop. So theoretically, a single chain of cables could connect multiple cooling components — single fans, banks of fans connected to each other LEGO-style, and even all-in-one coolers — to a control cluster. You wouldn’t need to connect each individual fan or AIO pump to the motherboard or power supply, and the hub can handle both cooling and lighting duties via software.
Corsair
Corsair
Corsair
iCue Link uses a microcontroller in each fan, pump, reservoir, radiator, etc. to make the system fully modular, allowing you to add or subtract components as necessary. When finally assembled, more or less all of the cables could run along a PC’s case and behind the motherboard to the hub, without the need to cross any other components.
Hyte is working on a similar hub-focused system, but its design is intended to fit into a 2.5-inch HDD drive bay, and work with both its own USB-C-powered components and standardized PWM fans. The NP50 Nexus Portal can connect up to three “Powered By Nexus” components, plus any more that are daisy chained over the USB-C interface, and a standard 3-pin ARGB output, all controllable via the Nexus desktop software.
Hyte
Hyte
Hyte
Corsair’s system is definitely pushing for a more proprietary solution, since pretty much every cooling and lighting component in a PC would need to be connected and compatible with iCue Link in order for it all to work cohesively. Hyte is more open, thanks to USB-C connections and compatibility with third-party hardware (at least on paper), but also requires a bit more legwork for both initial installation and management.
Hyte
Hyte
Hyte
Corsair iCue Link-enabled fans, AIO loops, GPU blocks, and reservoirs — everything you need for a super-fancy cooling system — will go on sale starting in June, along with the System Hub and extra cables. Expect to pay a hefty premium over Corsair’s standard equipment. Hyte’s NP50 Nexus Portal is set to launch in September for $60, along with compatible USB-C lighting products.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
Michael is a former graphic designer who’s been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.
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