So this one is not really abandoned (yet) but I think it is a typical example of what OpenPleb could improve for consumers.
I have a NZXT Kraken x73 AIO. The problems?
1)It does have an AIO connector for the motherboard, however it only has the pins for RPM reading, the pump speed is only controllable via USB and a dedicated software (NZXT CAM or other dedicated 3rd party software made by community)
2)NZXT is blocking fan control based on liquid temperature for this model (you have to pay a premium AIO to get this “function”).
There is no technical reason for the hardware to not be able to do so, there is temperature sensor for liquid however this one is not readable by most third party fan control software.
3)NZXT Software is just crap. I am not gonna detail how many errors I got but it goes from RAM leakage to sensor failure, and windows crashes during updates. Updates that are forced and can’t be rolled back to a previous working version.
Even though it is technically “working” I wish I could have the choice on how to use my product and make sure I can still use after the warranty period…
The hardware is there, you just don’t have the means to access it. That’s the same problem I’ve got on Corsair under Linux … but it doesn’t matter what OS or who makes the hardware.
This stuff should follow some standard so that anyone can write software that talks to it. As simple or as complex as you want to make it, with server features, gamer features, scripting or not, whatever you want to do.
And if they can’t implement one standard (seriously, why can’t they?), the least they could do is document how their hardware works so 3rd party devs can pick up the slack.
On Windows, MSI AfterBurner is an essential tool because it doesn’t care who made your GPU. Anybody could produce that for lights, fans, and coolers … and it wouldn’t matter because you could buy the fans, coolers, and lights you wanted in your system.
Not all hardware is there, there should be 4 wires connected to the motherboard. Most MB have a dedicated AIO header and it is already standardised to be controlled with BIOS. So whatever OS you’re using you should be able to control the pump speed.
But NZXT (and apparently Corsair too?) decided to connect only 2 wires (for speed reading) so you have to use their crappy software they don’t want to support on linux…
Moreover I’m not a software programmer, so even if the documentation was public I would still be waiting after 3rd party software to support my expensive component, just because they choose not to go the “standard way” in the first place.
Typical case of anti-consumer over-engineering in my opinion…(and unnecessary data collection device)
You might be able to control most NZXT AIOs with liquitctl at least. But yes, neither of these companies give programming specs to the projects that develop this software for Linux.
