Introduction

Time to wrap up the latest GPU water block roundup! There were five other entries thus far from Watercool, Alphacool, CORSAIR, Phanteks, and EKWB, which were originally planned to be all there would be—I had a short turnaround time with the actual loaned GPU. But then CORSAIR decided to launch its iCUE Link products in the custom watercooling category just as I was finishing my testing and this included a hybrid GPU block with increased compatibility and at a lower cost too. How could I say no?


I had first seen the new iCUE Link XG3 GPU blocks at Computex this year where CORSAIR also introduced 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 as well as be used to set up different performance metrics for fans and cooling solutions alike. The iCUE Link XG3 is a hybrid block in that it has a copper cold plate for the GPU core and VRAM modules but then relies on a fan to cool the VRMs. This is a similar concept to universal GPU blocks from years past where you might have, say, a block just for the GPU core and then relying on physical heatsinks for the VRMs and VRAM modules, or even a more hybrid solution that used a blower fan on the side for the non-contacted surfaces. Such blocks tend to be more value oriented and may not always perform as well as full-cover blocks, but CORSAIR says the iCUE Link XG3 has a few tricks up its sleeve that will certainly interest people. Let's examine the block further in our review today which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below. Thanks to CORSAIR for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp!

Specifications