Corsair announces the Link Commander Mini air-flow control unit. The new Corsair Link Commander Mini is a tremendous evolution over the first generation Commander, giving you full voltage control over up to six fans, support for one RGB LED lighting chain, and connectors for up to four thermistors…and that's before you even get into the Corsair Link ecosystem. A single small box connected to an internal USB 2.0 header and powered by a single SATA power lead.

Corsair Link has had a slow but steady progression since its initial rollout. The software, the Corsair Link Dashboard, is your interface with Corsair Link-enabled hardware, and it allows for a level of precision in Windows that you just can't get with conventional motherboard fan control.For starters, the new Commander Mini features fan voltage control in the hardware. While PWM fans are typically preferable, with the Commander Mini, you can now easily control any three-pin fans you plug into the unit. If you need additional fans, our Cooling Node can be connected to the Commander Mini to handle five more, but is PWM only. Hydro Series H80i and H100i coolers with fans connected to their headers are also fully controllable by Corsair Link.

Any Corsair product that features RGB LEDs can also be controlled in the Corsair Link Dashboard, and that includes RGB LED strips plugged directly into the Commander Mini or expanded upon with the Corsair Link Lighting Node. You can set them to change color depending on individual system temperatures, or just have them pulse between two colors. The LEDs in the cap of your H100i can gradually change from blue to red as your CPU heats up, or you can have LED strips in the case brighten or darken as your graphics card heats up.

HXi and AXi series power supplies can also have their loads monitored and Over Current Protection toggled from within Corsair Link, either by connecting to the Commander Mini or plugging directly into a USB 2.0 header on your motherboard.

This is really the tip of the iceberg. Corsair Link has been admittedly rocky in the early going, but the Commander Mini is a substantial hardware revision designed to improve functionality and reliability. Meanwhile, the Corsair Link Dashboard itself continues to see great strides and a renewed focus on development, and there are big plans for the future of the Corsair Link ecosystem.