Final Thoughts
I’ve always been a fan of companion screens, they provide valuable information and hell they just look cool! Corsair’s implementation for their first real companion device is good, but is definitely not that best I’ve seen. Lets talk about what I like first…
The best thing that the iCUE Nexus has going for it is that it is so easy to setup and get running. You simply plug it into an open USB port on your system, install iCUE and you are good to go. If you are familiar with iCUE you know how easy it is to use so setting up your screens and configuring the iCUE Nexus is very easy. If you happen to have any other Corsair devices iCUE will auto-populate screens and widgets for you based on those devices. So right out of the gate you have screens all setup for you.
Customizing and creating screens is quite easy too. The one thing that is really nice about the iCUE Nexus is that it is more than just a screen. You can create buttons and actually press the screen. This means beyond seeing your PC stats you can do things like open an application, have multimedia controls, switch between RGB modes and more. It is far easier to use the iCUE Nexus to swap between RGB modes for my fans than opening up iCUE. The iCUE NExus would also be super useful for someone that has a smaller keyboard and wanted to program macros into it.
Now when it comes to the screen itself I do have to say that it is rather small. Reading temperatures and speeds is a little hard and the viewing angles are not the best. Because of its size you are really limited to what you can really display on it, and you have to remember it is tied to iCUE so that limits it as well. There are definitely better options out there in the $99 range for a second screen just for monitoring.
Another thing that was a little disappointing is that Corsair really has not setup a community for people to share their screens. In iCUE you have the ability to import and export screens so why not have a place where iCUE users can share their screens? This not only would make it easier for users to populate their iCUE Nexus but also provide a community for iCUE Nexus users.
I think that if you are in the Corsair ecosystem the iCUE Nexus is a solid product and will definitely be useful. Right now it is selling at our favorite online retailer for $99. Overall ThinkComputers gives this Corsair iCUE Nexus an 8 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Easy to setup & configure
– Screen can be pressed
– Works flawlessly with other Corsair devices
– Can be used standalone or on a Corsair keyboard
– Looks awesome!
Cons:
– Screen is a bit small and the viewing angles are not the best
– Limited by iCUE as far as what you want to display
– $99 is a lot for such a small screen
