Installation

Installing the CORSAIR Hydro XG7 GPU block for your specific GPU begins with removal of the stock cooler. In this case, I had received the PCB only for this water block roundup and it's quite something to behold in person. For those curious, we have a full review of the ASUS RTX 4090 Strix here. The pre-applied thermal pads and thermal paste go a long way in making the process easy on even the first-time enthusiast. Carefully orient the block from the back and place it over the PCB. Flip the assembly over carefully on a box, such that the PCB I/O section hangs past the edge and does not prevent the block from making good contact. We see now that the block is longer than the PCB, with a small cutout for the cables to come out the side. Screw the block first around the GPU core and then follow the instructions in the manual to place and secure the backplate with the other screws. Then connect the RGB cable either directly to a compatible CORSAIR controller or use the adapter cable and connect to a motherboard LED header as seen above.


The finished look is seen above and do be aware of the slightly longer block compared to the PCB itself which CORSAIR says is for increased GPU compatibility. This is still a single-slot cooling solution but that doesn't matter since the GPU itself still has two rows of I/O to make it a 2-slot system. I also observed the block is taller than average which could affect case compatibility slightly even if it is thinner and not as long as the stock cooler. A view from the side shows the gap between the backplate and PCB since we don't get thermal pads here for some reason. I do wish CORSAIR had included some as before since this can otherwise be a heat trap rather than a heat sink. On the plus side, there's plenty of room to access the BIOS switch on the PCB whenever you want!

Lighting

Here's the light show that greets you when the cable is connected and powered on. It is a rainbow wave lighting effect that does a good job of showcasing the individually addressable nature of the 16 RGB LEDs, and we can also see how and where the light comes through the block.


With the provided adapter cable, you can use a compatible motherboard utility for lighting control. Seen above is the CORSAIR first-party solution with iCUE, for which I had a spare CORSAIR Commander Pro. It has two channels, and a drop-down list allows for a generic Hydro XG7 GPU block to be chosen. I did not have anything connected to the pass-through cable, which was thus left blank, and an on-screen render helps visualize the various lighting effects that are immediately reflected on the block.


Here is a look at some of the various lighting options, be it static or dynamic. CORSAIR always impresses with accurate color rendition as evident by the fairly true to color white these LEDs were able to reproduce, and the upward-facing LEDs with the light diffusion from the acrylic and redirection from the aluminium make for smooth lighting without harsh, discrete light sources visible when seen straight through or even at most angles inside a case. As with anything compatible with iCUE, lighting can be configured to match with other products collectively. Note the I/O terminal lighting up as well because of the acrylic base. The 16 LEDs are a big improvement over the 5-10 LEDs in many competitor offerings and allow for a more uniform and brighter lighting for those who prioritize this feature.