I hate cables. I conceal them within the partitions behind my TV, I make them disappear round my desk, and I attempt to eradicate them in all places else in my life. So each time I hear about one thing within the PC constructing group that includes hiding or eradicating cables, I get excited. Over the previous few years, a number of the largest names in PC constructing have been making it simpler to cover cables away and construct a PC that showcases your abilities.
I’ve constructed a variety of PCs over the previous 25 years, and the primary a part of the method I hate essentially the most is cable administration. It usually takes me longer to tidy up cables and route them correctly than it does to place all of the elements of a PC collectively. It’s particularly unhealthy in case you’ve determined to construct a PC with a bunch of RGB followers and an all-in-one (AIO) cooler. There are extra cables to cover and extra lighting to disclose any errors you make. Fortunately, so much has modified in recent times.
Case producer Lian Li helped push the PC constructing {industry} towards daisy-chained RGB followers with its Uni Fan a couple of years in the past. As an alternative of two cables per fan (one for energy and one for lighting), the Uni Followers join collectively, so that you solely must route a single cable for a block of followers. It’s a design that takes away a variety of litter, so naturally it led to many opponents launching their very own variations.
Corsair was certainly one of them with its iCUE Hyperlink system. Launched final yr, it affords daisy-chained RGB followers and AIO coolers that conceal all of the cables away. Corsair has even moved all of the pump AIO cables into the tubes that path to the radiator, so that you don’t have to fret about making an attempt to cover them your self.
I constructed a PC not too long ago with the iCUE Hyperlink system and was stunned at how a lot of my cable complications went away. I’ve 12 iCUE Hyperlink followers in complete, with simply three cables operating to the rear of my Phanteks NV7 case. With out daisy-chained followers, that might be a minimum of 24 cables to cable handle. As an alternative, there are the three cables and just a little hub the place the cables connect on the rear, which then feeds into your CPU fan header, USB, and a PCIe energy connection.
Whereas there are many daisy-chained RGB followers available on the market, I believe Corsair has a very good steadiness of options and efficiency. The iCUE Hyperlink followers have a “Time Warp” mode that makes it seem like the followers aren’t spinning by synchronizing the strobing of the LEDs with the pace of the followers. It’s a gimmick as pointless as RGB itself, however in case you’re spending all this cash on making your PC look fairly, then why not have strobing followers, too.
The primary iCUE app additionally permits you to management particular person lighting and fan speeds, together with studying the temperatures round a fan due to sensors embedded into iCUE Hyperlink followers. The LCD show on the iCUE Hyperlink AIO can be a neat approach to show CPU / GPU temperatures or your favourite GIF.
The one downside to this type of fan system is the value. These are dearer proper now, no matter producer, and because the connectors and followers fluctuate, you’ll doubtless must plan your construct out just a little extra. If you happen to purchase into iCUE Hyperlink, for instance, then you’ll be able to’t simply add a Lian Li fan or Phanteks fan into the combo and have them work collectively in concord as a result of all of them use totally different connectors. I additionally needed to think about which approach to angle Corsair’s connectors and learn how to daisy-chain them as there are limits to what number of can chain on a single cable. However for me, that’s all nonetheless much less of a trouble than routing particular person energy and lighting cables.
All of this improved cable administration didn’t even exist 5 years in the past, and there’s nonetheless room for enchancment. At CES this yr, it seems to be like we could be on the verge of constructing it simpler to cover and route all of the fiddly cables it’s a must to join as much as a motherboard. MSI launched its Undertaking Zero motherboard in October, and now Maingear is partnering with Phanteks to switch its standard NV9 case to cover the motherboard connections and case cables.
This implies the facility provide connections, audio, USB, and entrance panel headers are all accessible on the rear. Many PC case producers nonetheless ship ugly USB connectors and entrance panel cables that wreck a showcase PC construct, so something to cover these away is welcomed. (Additionally, shoutout to Phanteks and others for unifying the entrance panel connectors right into a single block.)
This newest motherboard pattern has been rising over the previous couple of years. Gigabyte additionally collaborated with Maingear in 2022 and launched its personal Undertaking Stealth motherboard to cover the connectors. Asus additionally created a “DIY-APE” set of motherboards that very same yr to attempt to push the {industry} towards higher cable administration. At CES this yr, Asus even unveiled a cable-free “BTF” RTX 4090 with a brand new PCIe-based connector that removes the necessity for a 12VHWPR cable.
The one disappointing a part of this whole motion towards higher cable administration is that all the PC {industry} hasn’t agreed on an ordinary for daisy-chain followers or motherboards and GPUs that conceal the cables away. And that’s all most likely right down to patents, competitors, and a need to lock shoppers into a particular system.
Lian Li filed a lawsuit in opposition to Phanteks and Thermaltake, alleging that each corporations’ fan designs infringe on certainly one of Lian Li’s patents. That lawsuit is ongoing, and the way it performs out will have an effect on daisy-chained followers (see Avid gamers Nexus’ glorious report on the lawsuit). Because the submitting of that lawsuit, Lian Li has additionally launched a model of its Uni Followers which have 1.6-inch LCD shows constructed into them. I’m certain we’ll see opponents flip that right into a pattern, too.
On the motherboard aspect, Maingear additionally owns an “MG-RC” patent on a design for a motherboard and case with hidden inner connectors, nevertheless it has proven it’s keen to companion with PC producers. “Maingear is working to standardize MG-RC amongst PC case and motherboard makers, aiming to drive industry-wide adoption of this expertise to profit OEMs, system builders, and shoppers,” says Maingear in a press launch at CES. By the top of Q1, Phanteks can have a model of its NV9 with cutouts on the rear for MSI’s newest Z790 Undertaking Zero motherboard.
All of those modifications remind me of when energy provides went modular. The facility cables nonetheless aren’t absolutely interoperable, however a minimum of the {industry} improved that aspect of cable administration so it was simpler to swap out energy cables for customized ones. On condition that Corsair’s iCUE Hyperlink system is proprietary and Lian Li is submitting lawsuits in opposition to opponents, it doesn’t seem like an open customary will emerge for daisy-chain followers simply but.
Whereas it’s a multitude of requirements, I’m nonetheless blissful that the PC {industry} has lastly realized cable administration sucks. Daisy-chained followers and new motherboard designs are actually shaking up how one can construct that stunning customized PC you’ve seen your favourite YouTuber or Twitch streamer showcase.
