Waterblock Corsair iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid:
This isn’t the first time we’ve had a Corsair waterblock model in our hands, and we’ve generally been very pleased with the performance/price ratio. We’ll see what happens today with the performance we’ll get from replacing the cooling system on our NVIDIA RTX 4080 Founders Edition. But first, let’s see what the Corsair iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid packaging has in store for us. For the record, over two years ago we tested a Corsair Hydro X XG7 RGB 3080 waterblock on a ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity graphics card.
Unboxing our Corsair iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid :
Faithful to its packaging, Corsair keeps its dress code with this iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid waterblock . We’re faced here with the yellow and black box that Corsair has been sporting on most of its components for several years now. The front panel features a photo of the waterblock, showing the backlighting of the central fan. A QR Code is also available to check which graphics cards are compatible. Simply enter your GPU reference. Corsair currently offers three models: 4070/4070Ti – 4080/4090 – RX 7900XT/7900XTX.
The rear of the iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid features all the latest innovations and highlights. Corsair also highlights its almost universal compatibility with RTX and RX graphics cards. When we open the box, we can identify a QR Code that will give us access to the quick installation instructions. It’s worth taking a look, especially to identify our waterblock ‘s input and output ports. Here’s the link to the quick installation guide. Corsair is therefore committed to saving paper, even if there’s still the warranty document, which in our opinion must be included with the product.
Next, we discover a cardboard sleeve containing the warranty rules. As a reminder, this waterblock comes with a 2-year warranty. Also included in the bundle is a 600 mm iCUE Link 90° cable. More on this below.
As you can see from the photos, the waterblock is perfectly protected by the plastic shell. There are also screws and bolts for installing the block. Let’s now take a closer look at the design of this iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid.
A rather special Hybrid design:
As we said in the introduction, this Corsair iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid waterblock is unlike any other. It bears the “Hybrid” designation because it will use your liquid cooling loop to keep the graphics chip and memory chips cool. The 65 mm fan is responsible for blowing air over the power stages of your graphics card’s PCB, in our case, the NVIDIA RTX 4080 Founders Edition. This fan features 18 individually adjustable RGB LEDs that illuminate the blades and outer ring. RGB backlighting is set via Corsair iCUE software.
We have to admit we’re very curious to see the cooling performance of such a solution. All current waterblocks use either thermal buffers or a radiator to keep the VRMs cool. The advantage of a solution of this type is also the waterblock’s fairly compact size.
As you’ll see from this photo, the liquid only circulates inside the base, keeping the cold copper plate in contact with the graphics and memory chips cool via pre-installed thermal pads. Note also that the waterblock base already has a pre-applied layer of thermal paste. The advantage of this solution is that it should guarantee quick and easy assembly! Finally, you can see the iCUE Link connector, which we’ll come back to in a moment.
The inner workings of the iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid :
At the time of writing, we haven’t yet disassembled the waterblock to reveal its inner workings. This is because we have yet to test it with the entire Corsair component cooling loop, and we want to maintain “out-of-the-box” conditions, so as not to risk distorting performance.
The Corsair HUB iCUE Link:
To manage your iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid waterblock, you’ll need an iCUE Link HUB (not supplied). This can be purchased on the Corsair website for $59.99 or 57.70 euros. This is an additional cost, as it will be essential for managing your waterblock and communicating with the iCUE software.
The advantage of this HUB is that you’ll be able to connect the various elements of your cooling loop to avoid too many cables. We’ll come back to this in more detail when we design the complete Corsair cooling loop.
