Introduction

Computex 2023 saw CORSAIR introduce its iCUE Link ecosystem of products that use a USB bus to have more data going back and forth. This allows for more devices to be connected to a single controller hub and also incorporate useful sensors which can be monitored via software and be used to set up performance metrics for fans and cooling solutions alike. We have covered a few examples of the ecosystem already in the form of the iCUE Link XG3 GPU block as well as the iCUE Link H150i RGB CPU cooler, the latter of which uses some interesting fans that merit a closer look all to themselves.


Named the iCUE Link QX120 RGB, these new fans from CORSAIR are the beating heart of the entire iCUE Link ecosystem. Fans tend to be easily the product category used in bulk in PC builds and bring with them a plethora of cables to connect and organize in a clean manner. Knowing also that the typical RGB fan setup has two cables per fan and they tend to be in groups together, you can see why case manufacturers have spent a lot of time and money figuring out cable management, and try to have daisy-chained solutions. CORSAIR's iCUE Link is not a simple daisy-chained model, in having fans be in series and fed from the start to the end. Rather, these fans will be fed to a control unit called the CUE Link system hub which acts as a conduit between your motherboard and the fans themselves. The extra data bandwidth has been used to incorporate temperature sensors in these fans—the first time I've ever seen this—and CORSAIR is also aiming to ensure these fans aren't just for bling, being given more useful features such as a zero RPM mode as well as a new magnetic dome bearing promising low noise. Thanks to CORSAIR for providing review samples to TechPowerUp and let's begin our coverage with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

CORSAIR sent over two iCUE Link QX120 RGB starter kits each of which has three fans inside and everything else needed to get you going. You can also purchase the fans individually as "expansion kits" and they also come in black or white colors to ensure you can have an all-black, all-white, or a black-and-white color scheme going on with your PC build. This starter kit has a thin, long box rather than the usual thick shorter boxes we've seen from others. On the front is the company logo and product name, a render of the fans inside, and salient features listed. More illustrations are seen on the back to go with fan specs and other relevant marketing features. A list of contents is found on the side where we also see seals keeping this two-piece product box intact. Open the lid to see the three fans already connected together and placed ready to go. It's also obvious now that I have the black color version of these fans.


Underneath the fans is where you will find the accompanying accessories which are neatly placed in individual compartments. There is also a QR code at the bottom leading you to online instructions, given CORSAIR seems to be shifting away from printed user manuals now. The iCUE Link system hub comes wrapped in plastic to keep it pristine out of the box and is a square puck in form factor as seen above. It employs a plastic chassis with the CORSAIR logo on the top and has rubber feet on the corner at the bottom in addition to the input and output power ratings. On two of the sides we see an iCUE Link port each with a third side containing 6-pin power in, micro-USB data in, and 2-pin tach out (for CPU coolers to connect to the CPU fan header on your motherboard). We do get some printed paperwork in the form of a warranty guide and safety regulations but more important are the cables themselves. We also get mounting screws, a piece of double-sided tape to install the system hub inside your PC case, and some spare bridge connectors for the fans.


CORSAIR provides a 60 cm iCUE link cable with two male iCUE link connectors on the ends. You can get replacement cables with right-angled connectors or in different lengths too, depending on what works best in your PC build. We also get a 15 cm 6-pin PCIe power cable adapter for power as well as a 30 cm micro-USB to 9-pin internal USB 2.0 adapter cable helping you use the system hub with the fans as we will see on the next page.