A couple of years ago we thought we’d reached peak RGB, until Lian Li released its Strimer – an RGB-illuminated 24-pin ATX extension cable that meant even your cables could have lighting. Now, though, the company has upped the ante further with the Strimer Plus – a full digital RGB version of the Strimer.
There’s now more than just a 24-pin ATX connector too, as Lian Li has added a pair of 8-pin GPU power connectors, as well as 8-pin CPU power connectors, to the equation.
The former can be split to offer 6-pin connectors too, so you can still join the party if your graphics card has 6-pin power sockets. The Strimer Plus isn’t your typical cable extension, though.
It comprises a stack of digital RGB strips sandwiched together, each of which sports numerous individually controllable LEDs. For example, the 24-pin model has over 120 LEDs, which proved to be exceptionally bright, even in a well-lit room – you’ll have no problem drawing a crowd at LAN events.
You’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, though, some of the effects are absolutely stunning. Also, the addition of GPU power cables means that the most visible cables in your case can now become vivid, glowing features rather than eye sores.
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.