If you're a little bored of fan controllers, NZXT's latest product might be of interest: designed to fit in a 5.25in drive bay, the Hue is an LED lighting controller.
Built for use with the company's range of sleeved LED lighting systems - 2M flexible circuits containing 24 RGB LEDs - the Hue, as the name suggests, provides control of the LEDs' red, green and blue channels for colour mixing and fading. The result, NZXT claims, is a near-infinite combination of colours with which to decorate the inside of a custom case.
The plastic front with steel-mesh backing holds three knobs, each of which has two functions: turn the knobs and the red, green or blue channels can be adjusted to change the colour of the RGB LED sleeve; push the knobs and you can switch the lighting on and off, adjust the brightness to one of five pre-set levels, or activate five pre-programmed lighting modes comprised of normal solidly-lit, fading, flashing, colour fading and colour flashing.
Power for both the controller itself and the connected LED sleeve is provided by a single SATA connector, while the controller takes up a single 5.25in drive bay.
Sadly for those with cramped cases, the Hue is a single-purpose device: rather than combine the LED control with a fan controller, NZXT has chosen to do one job and do it well. That's laudable from a design perspective, but it does mean that users wanting both fan and colour control over their rig will need to find room for two 5.25in controllers.
NZXT's Hue is available in the US now priced at $33 (around £21 excluding taxes,) with no confirmed price for the UK yet available.
Built for use with the company's range of sleeved LED lighting systems - 2M flexible circuits containing 24 RGB LEDs - the Hue, as the name suggests, provides control of the LEDs' red, green and blue channels for colour mixing and fading. The result, NZXT claims, is a near-infinite combination of colours with which to decorate the inside of a custom case.
The plastic front with steel-mesh backing holds three knobs, each of which has two functions: turn the knobs and the red, green or blue channels can be adjusted to change the colour of the RGB LED sleeve; push the knobs and you can switch the lighting on and off, adjust the brightness to one of five pre-set levels, or activate five pre-programmed lighting modes comprised of normal solidly-lit, fading, flashing, colour fading and colour flashing.
Power for both the controller itself and the connected LED sleeve is provided by a single SATA connector, while the controller takes up a single 5.25in drive bay.
Sadly for those with cramped cases, the Hue is a single-purpose device: rather than combine the LED control with a fan controller, NZXT has chosen to do one job and do it well. That's laudable from a design perspective, but it does mean that users wanting both fan and colour control over their rig will need to find room for two 5.25in controllers.
NZXT's Hue is available in the US now priced at $33 (around £21 excluding taxes,) with no confirmed price for the UK yet available.
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