Corsair finally launches Link Cooling, Lighting Kits

January 11, 2012 | 11:05

Tags: #corsair-link #microcontroller

Companies: #corsair #esa

Corsair has finally released more details of its Corsair Link technology, with the first Corsair Link Kits being made available to purchase following the system's unveiling way back at the Consumer Electronics Show in January last year.

The Corsair Link system is designed to provide monitoring and control of cooling and lighting systems built into a PC, via the use of a microcontroller system dubbed the Corsair Link Commander. While we compared it to Nvidia's abortive Enthusiast Systems Architecture (ESA) technology when we first saw the system, we remained hopeful that Corsair would avoid the pitfalls that did for ESA and release something enthusiasts would find genuinely useful to have in their system.

Unlike ESA, Corsair Link allows users to monitor and control almost any cooling system regardless of manufacturer. Based around Corsair Link Cooling Nodes, each Node provides support for control of five fans, four sensors, and three temperature sensors. A Lighting Node, by contrast, provide two lighting channels with support for up to 33 LED lighting strips each with a claimed 16.7 million colour pallet.

All in all, the system sounded promising. We've had a bit of a wait to find out if it lives up to expectation, though. Despite being unveiled at CES in January 2011 and demonstrated at events including CeBit and Computex throughout the year, Corsair has been silent on when modders and clockers might actually be able to get their hands on the hardware; until now.

The system is now available in two distinct kits: the Corsair Link Cooling Kit comprises a Corsair Link Commander, a single Corsair Link Cooling Node, and the Corsair Link software to tie everything together; the Corsair Link Cooling and Lighting Kit includes all of the aforementioned, plus a Corsair Link Lighting Node and three LED light strips.

In addition, selected Corsair products - such as the Hydro Series H100 Liquid CPU Cooler, to give it its full and proper title - can be connected directly to the Corsair Link system for full control and monitoring, giving those who have invested in the technology a reason to stick with the brand for all their cooling needs.

'Corsair Link is a complete ecosystem of kits and components that offers remarkable control of a system's cooling and lighting customisation,' explained Ruben Mookerjee, vice president and general manager for components at Corsair. 'PC enthusiasts will no longer have to rely on manual adjustments for fan and lighting control. Corsair Link Dashboard is easy to use and offers both instant and automatic control of cooling fans, case lighting, and compatible Corsair products.'

UK pricing has yet to be confirmed, but the Corsair Link Cooling Kit is set to cost $99 and the Cooling and Lighting Kit $139 across the pond.

Are you tempted to get your hands on a Corsair Link system, or do you think you could hack something better together with an Arduino and a bit of Perl? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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