There are many programs that are used to monitor all or almost all of the hardware parameters that we have installed on the PC, and among them there are two unified software from the manufacturers that stand out above the rest; It is about Corsair iCUE and NZXT Cam , and in this article we are going to compare both to try to discern which of the two is more recommended.
Both programs allow us to control and configure the hardware of each of them, and of course, if you have Corsair fans, you will not be able to configure their color in NZXT Cam and vice versa. However, in this comparison we are going to focus not on its specific functionality for their own hardware, but we will see its generic utility even thinking of users who do not have hardware from either manufacturer, since in both cases it is of free software that we all have access to.
Corsair iCUE vs NZXT Cam, which one gives more information and clearer?
Let’s start by looking at the Corsair software, in whose “Panel” section we can see the monitoring of all the hardware we want (we can select what we want to see and what not), with graphics and everything, and at a single glance.
iCUE allows us to “play” with all these graphics and information, being able to move them, resize them (always respecting a grid), removing and setting individual values, and in general being able to configure everything to our liking without the slightest problem.
For its part, NZXT Cam shows us a summary information of both CPU and GPU, RAM, Network, storage and even the processes that are consuming the most resources at all times. The bad part here is that to know more details we will have to click on each of the sections, where by the way graphs are also shown.
In this case, we have to say that Cam is less compatible with generic hardware than iCUE and that takes away points, but unlike Corsair software, with NZXT Cam we can create an overlay that will allow us to see the status of the hardware even while we are playing, and in the end this is a feature that many gamers look for, being able to control the temperature and other parameters while they play without having to leave the game to see it.
So, as to which one is more complete, we must give the Corsair iCUE the winner, but in terms of clarity and functionality, the clear winner is the NZXT Cam, thanks to that useful overlay.
Resource consumption, which program is heavier?
Many gamers have the problem that if we have hardware and peripherals from different brands, in the end we have to have many applications installed to be able to configure and control everything. A unified application “weighs” little, but if you have to have a lot and also with monitoring software as is the case, the sum of all this can penalize performance.
In this case, Corsair iCUE is much heavier than NZXT Cam, and in many cases iCUE consumes 10% of the CPU time of a Core i7-8700K, and that is not a small thing. Overall, Cam is significantly lighter and has much less impact on system performance, so it is the clear winner in this regard.
Which of the two offers more options?
Of course, when you install software like the Corsair iCUE or NZXT Cam it is because, as a general rule, you have brand hardware and you want to take advantage of everything it offers you. However, each of them will only admit configuration on its own hardware in this regard, but which of the two offers more and better options?
In the case of iCUE, you can do just about anything you want… from setting macros or keyboard lighting to changing the operating mode of the power supply from one rail to multiple rails, all at the click of a mouse. You can also modify the curve of the fans, create custom profiles and a very long etcetera.
For its part, in NZXT Cam you can do practically the same thing, although the list of hardware from this manufacturer is much more limited. However, it does allow you to do things that you cannot do in iCUE, such as overclocking the GPU, and we must say that although profiles are missed in the rest of the software, here you can create custom profiles for it. graphics card operation.
As in the first section, we are facing a situation in which Corsair’s software is more complete than NZXT’s, but NZXT’s has a single function that makes it stand out from the other (at first it was the overlay, and now the ability to OC the GPU).
Corsair iCUE or NZXT Cam, which is better?
As a summary of what we have seen, we would tell you that at the level of which is more complete, the winner is Corsair iCUE, although it is at the cost of being a much heavier program and that has a greater impact on PC performance.
NZXT Cam, for its part, may be less complete and in fact more limited, but it is much lighter and has interesting features such as overlay to be able to monitor while playing or the possibility of Overclocking the graphics card directly from here , without having to install other additional programs.
Obviously, we would recommend each of them to the hardware owners of each brand, but if you are one of those who do not have one or the other and want to try them, we would recommend NZXT Cam if you do not want to complicate your life and Corsair iCUE if you are looking for one. much more complete monitoring, at the cost of a heavier program. Which is better? Each one is in his own way and for a different type of user, neither more nor less, but what is clear is that both work quite well.