NZXT HUE RGB LED control (AA-HUE30-01)

PC building has changed over the years. In the beginning computer component manufacturers were satisfied with beige and boring designs, but DIY home builders were not. Over time, the manufacturers learned about this, and gradually began to modify their cases to meet the market demand. Today cases are mostly wild and wooly, with colored fans and plexiglass windows to show off their interiors. But they are still lacking. People want to see the "hot rod" components inside their case, not some vague shadowy outlines, and lighting has always been tricky. For years their has been ccfl, and colored leds, but things were always statatic. BUT if you wanted a really "custom" look, a lot of times, brands like Alienware had abilities to have custom lighting that were just not available to you. You could come close, but not quite replicate it.Now you can.The NZXT Hue+ is the size of a tall 2.5" drive and will fit nicely in a drive bay. The unit is powered by a DC which can be plugged in to the old standard 4 pin molex (just 2 pins used), and has a data link through the USB by plugging directly from a mini USB port on the device to a motherboard USB header with the supplied cable. I imagine that the device would work the same way plugged into an external USB, but uses the header to access the standby power. This power is enough to allow the unit to keep your presets in memory and allow your preset pattern to load on startup.When I first installed the unit (yesterday) and installed the software, the unit began downloading firmware, so it is encouraging that you are getting hardware that has the ability to be updated, and will be supported by firmware updates. While installing the system is no problem for an experienced case builder, I would highly suggest powering up the unit before taping down the strips. The RGB strips are magnetic, which should allow them to "stick" to the case without tape, but since the magnets can move, you might just use the magnets to try out configurations, and then tape them down when you know how you like them.The strips themselves have connectors which must be connected a certain way with an arrow lining up with a black line. I personally found the black line hard to spot, but it is a lot easier just to flip the connector if you have it backwards with the power on. That way, if the strip is powered, then you have it right!Now, people who are unfamiliar with LED's might not understand, but the best way to use these lights is to have them "shine on something." You don't want to look "at the lights." Same concept goes with lamps. That's why they have lamp shades. So, hide them behind a panel...generally the best way to use them is hide them on the frame of the door with the window on the case. That way you can't see them, and they illuminate the entire contents of the case.So, on to the software. The software has a lot of monitoring features, and of course, you can sign in through google plus or facebook if you don't want an account. The monitoring features might seem like bunk to you, but they work with the lights. You can turn on "smart" lights, which works with temperature monitoring of your motherboard or your videocard. For this reason, I don't find the system monitoring aspect of the software intrusive. I don't plan on using this feature, but it is nice to have. There are similar features that can be used during gaming, and I have not tested these.However, I feel most people will be using the custom lighting features. Each channel can be customized, which is based off of the four pin proprietary plugs used in this system. The base unit has 2 plugs, but the software allows for up to 4 channels...so you need accessories to get to this level. I find 2 channels more than enough.The set comes with four strips, and plenty of connectors to connect the strips allowing for plenty of placement options. The software may then be programmed to one of the many modes available which include breathing, pulse, marquee, etc. Most of these modes allow you to go with preset colors, or choose your own custom colors. When you choose your own custom color for that mode, you get a chance to name your custom mode/color, otherwise it will call it custom 1, custom 2, etc. Most modes are single color, while some are bicolor, and some are tricolor, and there is one multicolor cycle. Each mode also allows you to set the speed from 1 of 5 presets (slowest to fastest). When combined with multiple channels, this gives you enough creativity to unlock some interesting lighting patterns for your case. The lights are extremely bright, and give you more than enough illumination for any situation. I find the need to use less bright colors so as to not overdo the lighting.While this software is still not as customizable as the Alienware software which I have used, it is still very nice, and very welcome. The lights themselves perform EXTREMELY well, and the device is easy to install with lots of cabled accessories to fit any requirements. While the price is definitely on the expensive side, I feel that it is justified for the uniqueness of the product you are getting. Stand alone customized lighting is pretty special. The kind of special that makes my customized overclocked rig seem that much more awesome. And I don't mind paying for that.

My review is for the Hue+ Advanced (USB) lighting system.I read a lot of reviews before and after purchasing this product. I will let you know right from the beginning that on a scale of 10 my actual rating would be a 9. The product I received does not feel cheap at all. Extremely easy setup. I had one bad led on one light bar. That is my only reason for knocking it down to a 9. But their customer support team boosted that back up very well.I've been looking for a product like this for a while. Something that would operate without turning knobs or having an ugly controller sticking out of my case. I have contacted some larger gaming keyboard / mouse manufacturers about finding something like this (since they already have the software, all they would need is to manufacture the led strips and controller). I was actually getting to a point where I was going to install a million color interior led kit for a car into my case, when my friend let me know that he had found the perfect product.I did a lot of research before purchasing this. It was more expensive and came with less bars than an automotive kit, but it had one huge advantage- the usb control. But with the cost I had to be sure. So I went to a lot of different big name sites to read reviews. And let me tell you, if you haven't read a lot at this point, NZXT is not noted well for their customer service.I decided since Amazon has such an amazing return policy to just bite the bullet and try it. And it was so worth it.What you'll get in the box is 4 strips, the controller, power adapter, and all the cables you'll need to daisy chain your strips together. You'll also find mounting hardware included for both the strips and the controller. The instructions you'll receive in the box are typical of something you'd find from any international manufacturer. 12 different languages and tiny pictures on a huge sheet of folded up paper. The good news is the setup is quite easy. The only thing I found questionable was which direction to plug each strip in. You can plug them in wrong. I believe that to be my only gripe as far as design goes. But with a little searching I was able to find that there are markers that indicate which direction the strips get plugged in. The controller is light and small enough that it could be mounted in a multitude of places in a larger case. I do believe there was even mention it being mountable in a 3.5" bay. Since I have no HDD bay in my tower, I opted to mount it on the bottom of the case. I mention this because I have seen complaints about the always on white led of the controller. I have a few points to make on this-1. If you don't want the led controller on at all times, you need to change your BIOS settings. The led on top of the controller gets its power from the usb header, so if you have usb charging set to always on, it will always stay on.2. The leds on top of the controller are not THAT bright. I have mine sitting just below the window on my case and can't tell.The led strips themselves are both magnetic (best. feature. ever.) and have adhesive pre-installed. I'm using the magnetic feature for mine, so I can't attest to the quality of the adhesive, but the cover on it says 3M. And 3M has always said quality to me. Overall, this product is amazing. I would say it's going to be a cold cathode killer. If they find a way to integrate it with keyboard / mouse companies so I can have the same lighting throughout my setup- I would probably buy another one just to show my support.Now, normally I don't include customer service issues in my reviews. But since NZXT has gotten hammered for being terrible, I feel I need to set the record straight here. I emailed the company about my single led issue directly from their website (I hate phone calls). I simply filled out a general support ticket and included the best pictures I could of the issue. Let me interject here by saying that no company- not a single one- WANTS you to RMA or exchange an entire product. The chances go up of you returning the product every time you have to talk to customer service, so an RMA increases that likelihood exponentially. That being said, I had a return email from a rep at NZXT (not just the "your request has been submitted" email, but an actual response) within 10 minutes of submitting my ticket. 10. Minutes. That's outstanding to say the least. The rep asked for my invoice number, and, within a day, had shipped me out a replacement light strip. That's not just customer service, that's customer commitment. And I just wanted anyone who had read any negative reviews about them to know what my experience was. And for those of you thinking I was overly rude or did something special to get better service - I didn't. I also sent them a thank you and let them know that the new light strip was working perfectly- and again had a response within a few minutes. So maybe their customer service did have an issue at some point... but they have definitely fixed it.

The NZXT Hue is the precursor to the Hue Plus and in my opinion is much more worth it.First, let's look at the unit. It installs with four included screws in an expansion bay (where you would put a dvd reader) and the front is flush with the outside of my case. On the front it has three ratcheting knobs that are also buttons (what they do is in the product description so I wont go into detail) and are of very high quality from what I can tell. There is a slit on the front that allows light to shine through showing what color is being displayed and making the unit look amazing. The space behind the main unit for cable management was also a good feature.On to the included LED strip. The LED strip attaches to whatever surface using an adhesive as opposed to the superior adhesive/magnet combo that is surfacing in other products. To get it to stick upside-down, I had to use some adhesive mounting supplies that I had laying around the house. The LEDs feature a good color spectrum but with low quality RGB components. If you look directly at the lights you can very easily (my camera, however, does not see it well but I did manage to get a picture that is not as clear as real life) see red green and blue lights. When the light is shining onto something else it is not noticeable but a diffusing layer would have made it look more attractive. This would have made me give a 3.5 if amazon would have let me.All in all it's a good product and a much better value than the hue plus (twice the price for a million features that arent useful and are only there for the sake of having a million features. It's also always out of stock everywhere) and makes for a fantastic lighting solution for a great cost. The build quality isn't too great but it is still a good product.

Made my computer look so niceinstallation was simple, magnets aren't that strong but it does have a double sided tape you can use.the software used to program the lights is garbage but it is what it is. overall do recommend

Al empezar no sabia se coger las Corsair 9011109 CL-WW Lighting Node Pro LED y tengo que decir que soy muy satisfecho de mi compra, he tenido solo algún problemas en la instalación porque no me funcionaban los led, al final buscando por internet vi que las flechas que están en los alargadores tiene que puntar al 5w en los leds. Los colores son caliente y el software CAM Pro es muy fácil de utilizar.

Note. Guys. We get one two led strips of 10 leds on each strip. This doesn't even cover one complete side of the rig. So u got to buy two packs of them.But imagine. Nearly 4500 of just leds. And u got to buy a nzxt hue + controller worth 6k.

Volevo illuminare il mio case Phanteks Enthoo Pro e questo prodotto della NZXT mi ha subito incuriosito.Viene spedito con una led strip di due metri e l'unità di controllo si installa in uno slot da 5.25". La semplicità di installazione della led strip è elementare. Quello che lascia un po' a desiderare è la forza dell'adesivo della strip. Personalmente ho utilizzato del nastro adesivo americano nero che ho messo a rinforzo nei punti dove la strip cedeva, facendo ben attenzione a non coprire i led. C'è un diodo emettitore ogni 5 cm circa lungo la strip.Una volta collegata la striscia di LEDs al controller ed averlo collegato alla alimentazione via SATA, non resta altro da fare che godersi lo spettacolo.I controlli sono molto semplici, ci tre potenziometri. Ognuno controlla la quantità di un colore dello spettro (Rosso, Verde, Blu) per miscelarli a piacere. Ognuno esegue anche una funzione diversa quando premuto. Uno controlla la luminosità generale su 5 livelli, uno accende e spegne interamente la strip, uno fa passare fra i 5 modes disponibili (Fisso, Strobe, Breathe, alternato fra 5 colori, breathe su tutto lo spettro).E' davvero un ottimo strumento per illuminare con gusto il proprio case, la sola possibilità di cambiare colore quando si vuole vale il prezzo. La qualità di costruzione è a mio avviso molto buona.Sinceramente considero questo il prodotto definitivo in materia di illuminazione dei case da PC.Se costasse 35€ sarebbe assolutamente perfetto.

Awesome product..used many other standalone rgb cables but this one comes with a dedicated power unit which creates almost natural colors.Also the cam software is a plus which has some cool presets