The new iCUE LINK system has been grabbing attention as a way to massively simplify the building experience. While the idea may seem simple, it can be hard to appreciate the usefulness of a reversable, bidirectional connection until you really get hands on with it. With our CORSAIR cases in particular, you’ll find that the opportunity to link fans up are all over the place. Whether you're looking at a compact 2000D or a roomy 5000D, iCUE LINK can help simplify your build and make upgrading easier.
Starting with the 2000D, it might not seem like a lot to do but what little options you do have are enhanced greatly by the LINK system. By simplifying the cabling, builds in the 2000D are much cleaner and easier to set up. With 3 front intake fans and an AIO cooler, you can saturate the 7 limit capacity on a single port and create an extremely clean look.
Once we start looking into the 3000, 4000, and 5000 series cases things start to get interesting. The much more standardized box shape allows these cases to have similar configurations. A basic set up would include a set of fans in the front with an AIO mounted on top highlights the unique simplicity of the LINK system. A single LINK cable can connect the devices at the top right and then be returned back to the hub, typically through a cable at the bottom of the front fans.
Adding a rear fan in the 3000 and 4000 series cases is even simpler. Since these cases can only support 2 fans at the top, the front fans and the AIO with 2 fans will total up to 6 devices. That means you don’t need to worry about hitting the device limit. Adding a fan is as simple as mounting it and connecting it to the open link port on the nearby radiator or fan.
With a 5000 series case, you can add a lot more devices, which means more room for RGB, but more complexity. Thankfully, this is still well within the limits of the LINK system’s capabilities. Even with a maxed out system with 3 fans in front, 3 fans on the side, an AIO on the top, and a fan on the back, the total comes to 11 devices. And with the flexibility of the iCUE LINK to simplify upgrades, you don’t have to commit to the whole build at once.
Starting off similarly to the previous build, a simple set of front fans and a full sized 360mm AIO would be connected by one LINK cable at the top right of the case. With the larger radiator adding an extra fan on top, your total devices is already up to 7. So the difference while upgrading in this case is that you’ll more than likely have to deal with theLINK Hub’s limitation of 7 devices per port.
Let’s say you add 3 side fans and 1 in the rear, bringing your total number of devices up to 11. With the LINK system, the amount of reorganizing is minimal. Removing the 2 existing cables should be fairly unobstructed. Then, after mounting the new fans, we just have to figure out how to we want to wire it.
Start by connecting the outer most devices to the next closest component. Once you get towards the center of the case, route a cable to the back of your system and plug it into the LINK hub. Because the cables are bidirectional and reversable you don’t need to worry about certain ports being inputs or which way the cable naturally wants to bend. As long are two devices are connected, they can transfer both power and data.
We designed the iCUE LINK system to make things easier whether you’re simplifying a minimal system or upgrading to maximum potential. When combining this with our own cases that already provide plenty of opportunities to route cables and mount fans, the building experience is massively improved.
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