Installation

Installing the Corsair iCUE XC7 RGB Elite LCD CPU block is on the easier side of things no matter which platform you are on, and here I am demonstrating it on Intel's LGA 1700 platform. First, make sure the Intel mounting brackets are installed on the CPU block itself. Then orient the threads in the Intel backplate to correspond to LGA 1700, although many motherboards will have two sets of cooler mounting holes anyway. Next, place the backplate on the underside of the motherboard with the spacer between the metal backplate and motherboard such that the four threaded inserts line up with the cooler mounting holes around the CPU. If done correctly, you should observe all four threaded inserts jut out slightly from the surface of the motherboard itself. Assuming you have the factory applied thermal paste still on the cold plate, simply align the pre-installed thumb screws on the mounting bracket with these inserts and then install the CPU block by tightening the posts in a diagonal manner until you simply run out of thread. The process should take no more than a few minutes, although, depending on the motherboard and how much room you have, you may want to plug in the Type-C cable first on the block and then see how to orient the block accordingly. The 5-pin connector then fits into any of the available USB 2.0 headers at the top or bottom—simply have the red wire going in from the left as seen in the diagram above. The G1/4" port nearest to the Type-C port is the preferred inlet port to maximize cooling.

Lighting

The Corsair iCUE XC7 RGB Elite LCD is different from typical CPU blocks in that not only RGB LEDs, but also an LCD screen is integrated in the block. The USB connection offers power and data to both, with the default effect seen above when the block is connected. The coolant temperature is displayed in a large font size with the LEDs going in a circle in matching colors—the light goes through the diffuser section and even the two G1/4" ports.


The benefit of this being a standalone product is you do not need to have an iCUE Link hub to make the most of the block. Simply have the latest version of Corsair iCUE installed and connected. It will take an iCUE restart along with a full system restart before the CPU block is detected and customizable by the software, but after that everything was a piece of cake. The video above goes over the software customization available, including changing the lighting on a per-LED basis as well as simply choosing between several pre-programmed lighting effects. I appreciate the ability to coordinate the lights based on what is on the screen too, this makes for a more cohesive aesthetic in my opinion. There are also hardware settings to customize which are saved onto the device itself, meaning you will not need to have iCUE running for these. The temperature sensor also helps make sure everything is working as expected while also allowing you to force shut down the system in case of a thermal emergency. Then there's the screen customization including several preset displays as well as the ability to add your own image/GIF that gets automatically cropped into a circle.


Here is a look at some of the other lighting and screen options available with the Corsair iCUE XC7 RGB Elite LCD. There are a total of 31 ARGB LEDs and yet the star has to be the 2.1" LCD screen. It's crisp enough with its 480 x 480 pixel resolution and gets quite bright at up to 600 cd/m². The most impressive part for me was the smooth animations with a solid 30 FPS throughout even with complex GIFs. Corsair always impresses with accurate color rendition, as evident by the fairly true to color white these LEDs were able to reproduce, although the underbody lighting is quite subtle. I will also say that the LEDs set to match the screen were not as dark as I expected—take a look at the photo with the TPU logo, for example, with the red logo surrounded by a clearly pink ring.