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Explaining Lighting Types for CORSAIR RGB Fans

CORSAIR RGB fans have evolved considerably since their first introduction with the original SP RGB and HD RGB fans back in 2016. At the time, they launched with the capability of being controlled by a simple 3-button lighting controller, which quickly gave way to full software support in CORSAIR LINK 4 through the Lighting Node PRO and Commander PRO before being brought into the fold with the first release of iCUE, unlocking even more possibilities to customize and even fully synchronize the lighting of your system.

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Legacy iCUE RGB Fans

Legacy iCUE RGB fans can be identified by having two fixed cables, one for DC/PWM fan control and the other for RGB lighting. These must be plugged into compatible controller hardware to operate.

Example control configurations:

Fans
CORSAIR iCUE COMMANDER CORE XT Smart RGB Lighting and Fan Speed Controller

iCUE LINK RGB Fans

iCUE LINK RGB fans can be identified by having iCUE LINK ports in the frame and require a single iCUE LINK connection which can be daisy-chained to other iCUE LINK fans (and other iCUE LINK devices) or connect directly to an iCUE LINK System Hub.

RX_RGB_Fans_Main_Visual
iCUE_LINK_System_Hub_Main_Visual

Lighting Types Available in CORSAIR iCUE:

Presets – Dynamic lighting effects available to a single group of fans when customizing lighting effects in iCUE. These effects have varying degrees of customization such as animation speed, direction, and color(s).

Lighting Effect Supported Fan Type
Watercolor Spectrum 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Audio Lighting 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Color Pulse 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Color Shift 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Color Warp 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Color Wave 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Marquee 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Rain 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Rainbow 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Rainbow Channel 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Rainbow Wave 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Sequential 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Spiral Rainbow 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Strobing 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Temperature 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Visor 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Infinity 8-LED, QL
Rotary Stack 8-LED, QL, QX, RX
Arc LL, QL
Heartbeat LL, QL, QX, RX
Gate QL
Ping QL
Pong QL

Custom – As the name suggests, these are intended for highly customized lighting profiles, usually involving multiple layers of effects applied to multiple parts of a group of fans.

Lighting Effect Supported Fan Type
Gradient 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Ripple 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Solid 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Static Color 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Wave 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX

Lighting Link – Dynamic lighting effects that are common to the majority of iCUE-compatible RGB devices, selecting one of these effects will apply the same effect to all devices that are capable of it. Certain effects such as color wave, rainbow wave, type lighting, and visor will animate in a set order, jumping from device to device as the animation plays back.

Lighting Effect Supported Fan Type
Watercolor Spectrum 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Color Pulse 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Color Shift 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Color Wave 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Rain 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Rainbow 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Rainbow Wave 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Spiral Rainbow 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Static Color 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Temperature 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Type Lighting 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX
Visor 4-LED, 8-LED, HD, LL, QL, QX, RX

Time Warp is an exclusive feature to iCUE LINK QX Series fans which works by strobing the LEDs in the fan based on the fan RPM to make the fan blades appear still or spinning the opposite direction to the naked eye.

Go Beyond Fan Lighting

iCUE MURALS makes systemwide synchronized lighting more approachable with a simple drag and drop interface, just place the fans on top of the Murals preset or custom effect of your choosing and iCUE will take care of the rest!

iCUE Game Integrations - Select partner game titles feature custom-tailored lighting integrations that take your game to the next level. If enabled, iCUE will automatically switch to these lighting profiles as you play a supported title.

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