HOW TO

Controlling iCUE LINK Fans vs. Legacy Fans in CORSAIR iCUE

CORSAIR iCUE provides granular control over the cooling performance of your system fans either through an iCUE-compatible fan controller connecting multiple PWM fans or a chain of cooling devices (including fans) within the iCUE LINK ecosystem.

Connecting to Your System

Many system builders have become accustomed to the legacy fan setup involving separate RGB and PWM cables coming from each fan. Within the CORSAIR ecosystem, an iCUE-compatible controller like the COMMANDER CORE XT offers ports to manage both the PWM and RGB signals going to each fan.

Standard CORSAIR PWM RGB fans rely on an iCUE-compatible controller such as a COMMANDER CORE XT to allow for control through iCUE.

iCUE LINK fans do not rely on a traditional controller with separate PWM and RGB outputs, but rather a System Hub using only a single connector type, simplifying the number of cables necessary to control both fan lighting and performance.

iCUE LINK fans may be connected directly to each other with only a single cable connecting to a System Hub

iCUE LINK devices such as fans all connect to a System Hub

Cooling

With a standard cooling setup utilizing CORSAIR PWM fans connected to a single iCUE-compatible cooler or fan and lighting controller, all your connected fans are managed through the host controller within the iCUE interface.

Legacy PWM fans are included under the system's CPU cooler or case fan controller

Fans are listed and numbered by the port they occupy on the controller

With iCUE LINK components, each device type is displayed along with your other iCUE-compatible components and peripherals, rather than being nested under a menu for your cooler or fan controller.

Fans connected via iCUE LINK are listed among other iCUE-compatible devices on the homescreen

Fans of the same type are listed in order of their connection to the iCUE LINK System Hub

Cooling presets work the same across legacy fan controllers and iCUE LINK devices, with a number of basic presets that adjust fan and pump speeds based on your system’s CPU temperature or the option to create a custom preset linked to the temperature readout from a sensor of your choosing.

Lighting

Standard CORSAIR PWM RGB fans connected through an iCUE-compatible controller such as a COMMANDER CORE XT, must be configured using Lighting Setup in order for the LEDs on the fans to be properly addressed. The COMMANDER CORE XT offers an autodetect function to determine what type of fan is connected to a specific RGB port on the controller or you may also manually select the fan type.

The COMMANDER CORE XT will auto-detect the RGB configuration for each fan using the Lighting Setup wizard

iCUE LINK RGB fans connected through an iCUE LINK System Hub will automatically report their fan type to iCUE, letting you quickly move on to setting up your favorite lighting effects.

iCUE LINK fans are automatically detected by iCUE so you can go straight to setting up lighting

Once connected to your system (either through iCUE LINK or a compatible iCUE controller) and configured in iCUE, any CORSAIR RGB fan can take advantage of a wide variety of lighting effects through preset, custom, or advanced system-wide lighting powered by iCUE Murals.