CORSAIR iCUE LINK XD5 RGB Elite: Everything you need to know

With the introduction of iCUE LINK the majority of the Hydro X Series line-up has also gotten the LINK treatment which lets you build cleaner, smarter water cooling loops. One of the key devices of this line-up is the XD5 RGB Elite Pump/Reservoir Combo.

The XD5 RGB Elite might use the same well known pump as it's predecessor but the similarities stop there.

In this article we will run you through why the XD5 RGB Elite is our most advanced Pump/Reservoir combo yet and why we are incredibly excited about it.

The XD5 RGB Elite comes in two colors: Gray and white.

Major visual changes from the previous generation includes:

• Full aluminum cover, giving the unit a unifying look
• Built-in temperature sensor
• Single cable design

Let's dive into some of the other features that makes the XC7 RGB Elite the most advanced CORSAIR CPU Water Block to date:

In the box you will find:

• 1x XD5 RGB Elite Pump/Reservoir Combo
• 1x fan mounting plate adapter
• 1x 140mm mount
• 1x 120mm mount
• 1x PSU Jumper
• 3x G1/4" stop plugs
• 1x stop plug tool
• 1x 60cm iCUE LINK 180 degree to 90 degree cable
• Various mounting screws

So what port is inlet on the XD5 RGB Elite, and what is outlet? While the XD5 RGB Elite has multiple options for how to connect your inlet and return tubes, you have to use the assigned outlet as shown in the above pictures.

You will also need to be careful not to use the fill port as an inlet as this will cause splashing, and the potential for air to constantly be sucked into the pump due to the fill port not having an inlet tube (as you will see on the top inlet port).

You can also utilize one of the two bottom inlet ports as a drain port.

The Xylem D5 pump motor has been the go-to pump for water cooling enthusiasts for years, and is widely used across multiple brands. We have included this pump in such a way that you no longer need a 4-pin molex cable, or PWM cable to control it, but just a single iCUE LINK cable instead.

One of the most interesting features of the XD5 RGB Elite is the single cable design. Anyone who has ever worked with custom cooling previously knows the struggles of handling the abundance of wires in such a system. Not only that, but the traditional 4-pin Molex cable on the D5 pump motors are almost the only PC component left that uses this plug, meaning that if you want to go down the custom-cooling route you need to put an extra cable with 3-4 molex connectors into your PSU for this one component. Up until now that is.

The previous XD5 pump/reservoir units had five different cables going to, and from it:

1. 4-pin Molex for power
2. 4-pin PWM for speed control
3. 2-pin temperature sensor cable
4. 3-pin RGB in
5. 3-pin RGB out (for chaining)

The XD5 RGB Elite does away with all of these and replaces them with a single unified cable which easily delivers enough power to the unit while retaining the data capabilities to monitor the temperature sensor and control the pump speed and RGB lighting. Building a custom cooled loop has never been easier.

We have also managed to fit even more RGB LED's into the XD5 RGB Elite for a more even spread of lighting effects. All of course programmable, and auto recognized in iCUE. The XD5 RGB Elite now features 22 individually addressable RGB LED's where the previous generation XD5's had just 10.

The XD5 RGB Elite comes with everything you need to mount it in your system. No need to worry about having to buy "accessory" brackets to mount your pump/reservoir combo to a fan, or radiator—it is all in the box.

With the XD5 RGB Elite you can mount the pump/reservoir on both 120mm and 140mm fans/radiators, or directly on a flat surface.