At first we would like to thank CORSAIR for offering us their iCUE LT100 Smart Lighting Towers Starter Kit for testing and reviewing.

 

About Corsair:

"Founded in 1994, Corsair has grown from pioneering the high-performance DRAM market to one of the world’s leading providers of enthusiast-grade PC components and peripherals. Our groundbreaking technology and innovation can be found in our high-performance memory, ultra-efficient power supplies, PC cases, PC and CPU cooling solutions, and solid-state storage devices. Under the Corsair Gaming brand, launched in 2014, we provide gaming keyboards, mice, headsets and mouse mats to eSports professionals and anybody who is passionate about competitive PC gaming.

 

Corsair hardware is regularly featured in showcase “dream systems,” and we have earned the adulation and respect of the press, professional gamers and overclockers, high-end system integrators, and PC enthusiasts worldwide by delivering leading-edge technology backed by renowned service and support.

 

Corsair has developed a global operations infrastructure with extensive marketing and distribution channel relationships, and our products are available through leading distributors and retailers in over sixty countries worldwide."

Product Features:

 

Immersive Ambient Lighting: Extend your PC’s RGB lighting, illuminating your environment with diffused colors and intricate lighting effects to create an immersive backdrop of ambient lighting.

Integrate with Games and Media: Synchronize your ambient lighting to dynamically match the on-screen action in games, movies, and videos, or turn your room into a living visualizer for your music.

Everything You Need to Shine: Includes two connected 422mm-tall towers with 46 customizable LEDs each, an external power supply, a 1.5m extension cable, and a removable headset holder.

11 Preset Lighting Profiles: Illuminate your space immediately at the push of a button with 11 profiles available out of the box.

Part of the iCUE Smart Lighting Ecosystem: Powered by CORSAIR iCUE software, enabling fully customized and synchronized RGB lighting across all iCUE-compatible CORSAIR devices in your system and all external iCUE Smart Lighting devices.

Reversible Orientation: Face the LT100 forward for more vivid, intense lighting or backward for more subtle illumination of your space.

Built-In Light Diffusion: LEDs are housed in a sturdy, light-diffusing casing that softens and blends light for a continuous and smooth effect.

Removable Headset Holder: Attaches conveniently to a lighting tower so you can hang your headset within easy reach.

Easily Expandable: Enhance your iCUE Smart Lighting Ecosystem with additional LT100 expansion towers that connect directly to your existing towers.

 

Product Specifications:

 

Starter Kit Dimensions (L x W x H): 422mmx95mmx95mm (without the headset holder), 423mmx95mmx106mm (with headset holder)

AC Adapter: 5V, 1800mm

Max. Towers, RGB LEDs: Up to 4 Towers (Total of 184 RGB LEDs)

Micro USB to USB-A Cable: 1500mm

Reversible Tower 1 (with button): With controller, White diffuser silicone, Aluminum post and base, 46 RGB LEDs

Reversible Tower 2 (without button): No controller, White diffuser silicone, Aluminum post and base, 46 RGB LEDs

Preset Lighting Effects: 11 preset lighting effects with push-button control

Straight RGB Cable: 1500mm

Removable Headset Holder: Plastic

Safety and Agency: FCC, IC DOC, CE, RCM, REACH, CP65, ROHS, WEEE, China RoHS

Warranty: Two years

 

With the launch of the LT100, CORSAIR is adding a novelty element to its already impressive range of RGB products; we are talking about the Smart Lighting Towers, part of the iCUE Smart Lighting Ecosystem, with a total of 92 RGB LEDs. These come in Starter Kits which do contain two towers, the PSU, an USB cable for connecting to the PC but also the RGB cable and these can be extended with up to two more towers, via Expansion Kits (each expansion featuring a single tower).

 

The Starter Kit is shipped inside a cardboard enclosure, with the usual CORSAIR color scheme; right on the top cover we will get to see a photo of both towers in operation:

 

 

 

Also, here, CORSAIR informs us that we are dealing with the Starter Kit:

 

 

 

On the side of the packaging, we will get to see the CORSAIR’s “Light it up” saying:

 

 

 

The bottom area does present itself with the dimensions of the towers but also shows how we can attach the headset holder; the product features are also shown here, in multiple languages:

 

 

 

The iCUE LT100 does feature a modular design, so it was easier to pack in a compact cardboard enclosure; besides the documentation that we can see in the middle, there is also an accessory box on the left, along with the two base components on the right:

 

 

 

The hardware is also further packed in transparent plastic bags, so they won’t get scratched during transit:

 

 

 

We will also receive an User’s Manual, along with a standard Warranty Guide:

 

 

 

The manual describes the product technical specifications, the hardware components and also the operating modes:

 

 

 

Additionally, we are also receiving a power adapter, cables but also the headset stand component:

 

 

 

The power adapter is rated on the output as 5V at 5A:

 

 

 

The 1.8m cable of the adapter ends up with a jack plug:

 

 

 

Let’s take a look at the other cables and the headset adapter in more detail!

 

 

 

The USB cable is of Micro USB to USB-A type, its dimension is 1.5m and will be used if the towers will be controlled by our PC and the iCUE application; the towers can be utilized as well by cycling through some pre-defined modes without the need of a PC at all:

 

 

 

The headset adapter can be attached on top of a tower, transforming it into a stand if we are using the product on our gaming desk:

 

 

 

Some adhesive tape is also supplied with the adapter, for a better mount:

 

 

 

In order for the second tower to receive power and be synced with the main one, an RGB cable must be used as well; the straight RGB cable has a length of 1.5m:

 

 

 

The main base can be easily recognized from the two because it also features a mode cycle button:

 

 

 

In the middle of the base we do have two rows of gold-plated pins but also the holes for fixing the aluminum posts; the posts can be installed facing towards us or towards the wall, for a more subtle effect:

 

 

 

The button for cycling the modes will be used when LT100 is operated without a PC:

 

 

 

In the frontal area of the base we can see the CORSAIR logo; the lower area of the bases do also feature a LED ring with 20 individual bright LEDs, represented by the white plastic layer:

 

 

 

In the back area of the plastic base we do have the DC-IN port, the RGB cable port but also the USB port:

 

 

 

On the laterals of the units there are no additional interfaces:

 

 

 

The bottom layer of the base does feature a large rubber foot and a middle sticker with the product serial number:

 

 

 

The only extra interface the second base does have is the RGB port for power and sync:

 

 

 

The input rating is shown on the second base as well:

 

 

 

The aluminum posts feature the same color scheme as the bases:

 

 

 

On the top, we will find a black plastic cover, where the headset holder would attach:

 

 

 

The bottom area does feature the two adapters for fixing the posts onto the bases, but also the contact points for the gold-plated pins on the base:

 

 

 

The bright LEDs from the post are covered by a sturdy, light-diffusing casing that softens and blends light for a smooth and continuous effect; each post does feature 26 individual LEDs:

 

 

Here is a closer look at the silicone diffuser:

 

 

The installation of the poles onto the bases is pretty straight-forward; the dimensions are 422 x 95 x 95 mm without the headset holder and can be easily placed behind or near the TV/monitor:

 

 

 

Here is how the cabling will look like when using the LT100 without PC connection:

 

 

 

Using the product with PC will add an extra cable (USB) as well:

 

 

 

Even in standalone mode, without control from a PC, the lighting modes are impressive and the light is quite bright; if the lighting is too bright for your work conditions, you can always orientate the posts towards the wall:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we have plugged in the LT100 Starter Kit to our PC and we have updated iCUE to the latest version, it will appear in the list of configurable devices:

 

 

The Lighting Setup area will allow the user to change the order of the RGB effects, depending on how we did install the units near our computer/display/TV:

 

 

As we have seen with many other iCUE products, the Lighting Effects area is quite popular and features plenty of presets we can choose and configure:

 

 

 

Besides Super X, which is a combination of predetermined effects, we can choose any other option:

 

Rainbow Wave

Rainbow

Color Shift

Color Pulse

Color Wave

Sequential

 

Strobing

Rain

Visor

Marquee

Temperature

Color Warp

Static Color

Solid

Gradient

Wave

Ripple

 

Video Lighting does sync the towers with the edges of your display, in order to provide an ambient lighting similar to Philips Ambilight:

 

 

The Audio Lighting transforms the towers in a nice visual EQ:

 

 

Text is another white ambient light preset that will adapt for optimal on-screen reading of content:

 

 

Fireplace

Borealis

Spiral Rainbow

Visor

 

We can also choose one effect which will be enabled as soon as the computer is turned off or the USB connection is no longer available:

 

 

The Device settings area does not offer any other options besides firmware updates:

 

 

 

The LT100 lighting system can be best shown via videos; here we will use three scenarios:

 

iCUE LT100 Standalone Mode (no PC)

 

 

iCUE LT100 Controlled by PC

(iCUE Software)

 

 

iCUE LT100 used in Video Lighting Mode

 

 

The iCUE LT100 can be used in a multitude of environments thanks to the ability to run as a standalone product and offers quite a bit of lighting effects. The included LEDs do support 16.8M colors and the update rate of 25 times per second does make everything move seamless. If you think that the standard setup is too much “in your face”, too bright, you can always rotate the poles for it to face the wall, for a more subtle effect.

 

 

Since we were already familiar with the RGB effects of iCUE from previously tested CORSAIR products, we have found the Video Lighting effect the most interesting by far. This one is like Philips Ambilight, so it will replicate the colors on the edges of the screen for more immersion, as you could see from our video as well. The update rate is in real-time, but this effect also consumes a bit of CPU resources; hopefully in the next iCUE software releases, the CPU resource consumption will be minimized as well.

 

The iCUE LT100 does also support Hardware Lighting, meaning that it will immediately toggle in a default mode which we do select, after USB connection is cut off.

 

Pros:

 

-bright LEDs, easy per-LED configuration via iCUE (46 LEDs per tower)

-well-made Video Lighting and Audio Lighting modes which add more immersion when LT100 components are installed near a monitor/TV screen and a nearby PC

-the Starter Kit can be further expanded with more towers

-great integration with other iCUE-supported peripherals

 

Cons:

 

-quite a bit of wiring is needed when using the product connected to a PC, but also when adding Expansion Kits

-the power adapter is a bit large and may block nearby sockets

-some RGB modes consume more CPU resources

-a bit expensive

 

CORSAIR iCUE LT100 Smart Lighting Towers Starter Kit is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to CORSAIR for making this review possible!