Antony Leather is Custom PC’s modding editor @antonyleatherHandsonwith
LianLi’sStrimerPlus
A coupleofyearsagowethoughtwe’d
reachedpeakRGB,untilLianLi released
itsStrimer– anRGB-illuminated24-pin
ATXextensioncable.Nowthecompany
hasuppedtheantefurtherwiththe
StrimerPlus– a fulldigitalRGBversionof
theStrimer.There’snowmorethanjust
a 24-pinATXconnectortoo,with8-pin
GPUand8-pinCPUpowerconnectors
joiningtheparty.Theformercanbesplit
tooffer6-pinconnectorsaswell.
TheStrimerPlusisn’tyourtypical
cableextension.It comprisesa stack
ofdigital RGB strips sandwiched
together, each of which sports
numerous individually controllable
LEDs. The 24-pin model has over 120
LEDs, which are exceptionally bright.
respectively. One of the latter is even
included in the box, so you can monitor
coolant temperature, and even set your
radiator fans respond to it if you have a
suitable motherboard or fan controller.
The best part of the XD3 RGB, though,
is its flexibility. It comes with the same
120mm and 140mm fan mounting plates
as its larger sibling, allowing you to mount
it on a fan or in a vacant fan mount. It can
sit in series next to a fan, or rotate 90
degrees so that its clear top faces the side
of your case. If you don’t have a fan mount
nearby, which will often be the situation
in smaller cases, then Corsair has also
provided measurements for mounting
the main bracket directly to your case by
drilling mounting holes.
The only downside is the price, both
of the XD3 (£150 inc VAT), and the iCUE
Commander Pro or Lighting Node Pro
RGB controller you’ll need to control the
lighting. The LEDs sit inside the reservoir,
and also around the edge in a ring – it
does look good.
Overall, I think Corsair has a unique
producthere.It’snotthesmallest
pump/rescombounitavailable,but
itsflexibility,goodlooksandfeature
setmakeit idealforinstallingin
smallercases,suchastheCrystal
Series280XRGB.most visible cables in your case can
now become vivid, glowing features
rather than eyesores.
There’s one downside to the Strimer
Plus, though, which is its price. The
GPU and CPU cable extensions aren’t
bundled with the 24-pin extension,
which already costs £45 inc VAT. The
8-pin CPU connector will set you back
a further £36 inc VAT and the GPU
cable another £32 inc VAT.
Admittedly, you can definitely get away
with not using the CPU connector, since
only an inch or two is visible in most cases
anyway if you tidy your cables properly.
Even then, though, you’re still looking at
over £80 for the pair. Unlike many other
RGB components, however, the Strimers
are so eye-popping that they can easily
form the centrepiece of your PC. If lighting
is your thing then they certainly deliver
the goods.The XD3 comes
with the same
120mm and 140mm
fan mounting plates
as its larger sibling,
the XD5The Strimer Plus
isn’t a usual PSU
extension cableThe bundled
controller can
cycle through
various effect
modes, including
a rainbow optionYou’ll find the actual power cables
on the other side of the RGB LED
strips, and they’re all neatly arranged
using cable combs. The trick here is
to position the LEDs so that they’re
pointing upwards, which you’ll need to
consider when routing your cables. The
Strimer Plus units can be controlled
using a bundled controller that can
cycle through various effect modes, as
well as colours, including the option to
have a rainbow effect. Alternatively, you
can hook up the unit to an RGB-capable
motherboard with the integrated 3-pin
digital addressable RGB cable.
I have to say that the vibrancy of the
colours and brightness of the lights are
impressive, but they also dominate
your PC’s interior. While I prefer subtler
lighting, some of the effects are
absolutely stunning. Also, the addition
of GPU power cables means that the