Installation
For installation, you’ll need to keep your AMD backplate, as Corsair doesn’t supply one. If you don’t have one any more, a quick look on eBay should make it easy to find one.
Installing the iCUE Link H170i RGB:
If you’re using an AMD platform, the first thing to do is change the mounting arms. By default, the pump is equipped with those for Intel platforms.
To remove them, all you have to do is pull on them. Once the Intel arms have been removed, it’s time to install the AMD arms. Once again, it’s easy: just insert the corresponding platform’s arms sideways, and you’re done! Grooves around the base allow the arms to slide in easily.
On the Intel side, we start by placing the backplate on the back of the motherboard, then screw the spacers to the four corners of the socket. Of course, you’ll need to be careful which spacers you use, as they differ depending on whether you’re using an LGA-2000, LGA-1700 or LGA-1200/115x board.
On an AMD platform, you’ll need to remove the original mounting arms before screwing in the spacers. There’s no room for error here, since the hardware supplied for AM4/AM5 platforms is the same.
Finally, once everything is ready, the pump can be positioned and screwed on using the four hand nuts provided. If you’ve got enough strength in your fingers, you can tighten by hand, but if not, you can always use a screwdriver!
Connection:
When it comes to connection, the iCUE Link system makes things a lot easier. Use the short cable to connect the fan cluster to the radiator. The radiator is then connected to the iCUE Link hub, which is powered via a six-pin PCIe socket. A final USB cable is required to connect the hub to the motherboard via a USB 2.0 header .
In short, the number of cables is considerably reduced. As a reminder, with previous AIO series, you had to juggle with (at least) a dozen cables for a kit equipped with three fans… Not to mention the Commander Core, which took up a considerable amount of space in an installation. Now it’s much simpler!
