Introduction
The English word “Gelid” comes from the Latin word “gelid us” (very cold, icy). As the name indicates, the GELID Solutions are primarily focused on the thermal solutions as they design and manufacture CPU and VGA coolers, chassis fans, thermal compounds, accessories and other equipment for computers and electronic devices. The company also supplies a range of products for international OEM and ODM clients. They are based in Hong Kong and has multiple manufacturing facilities in Mainland China and Taiwan. The company believes in Quality, Reliability, and Efficiency as the main driving force behind the product ideas and execution.
RGB/A-RGB extension cables are no longer a new concept now. We are seeing many offers in the market in this regard. But one thing which at-least I did not envisage is the EPS extension cable done in A-RGB lighting. GELID Solutions has launched their A-RGB Extension cables named ASTRA. These cables are available in 20cm and 30cm length. The texture pattern on these cables is something new and it does look nice in person.
Here are the salient features of the ASTRA Cables:
- Braided Fiber-Optic Cover
- Dual-Side RGB Lighting
- ARGB Sync
- 24/16 Ultra-Bright LEDs
- 18 AWG Single Sleeved Cabling
- 30cm/20cm Long
| Item Name | Price |
| ASTRA RGB Sleeved Extension Cable 8-Pin CPU | USD 38.99 / Euro 31.99 |
| ASTRA RGB Sleeved Extension Cable Dual 9-Pin GPU | USD 37.99 / Euro 30.99 |
| ASTRA RGB Sleeved Extension Cable 24-Pin ATX | USD 43.99 / Euro 35.99 |
Specifications
Packaging and Unboxing
The RGB sleeved extension cables are shipped inside a paperboard box.
GELID has used a single packing box for all types of the RGB sleeved extension cables. Only difference is that the corresponding name box is ticked with the type of the cable enclosed. The RGB lighting is compatible with:
- GIGABYTE RGB FUSION 2.0
- MSI MYSTIC SYNC LIGHT
- ASUS AURA SYNC
- ASRock PolyChrome Sync
- RAZER CHROMA
The length of the cables along with the features and specifications are printed.
Contents
The following are included in each box:
Each sleeved extension cable and supported material are placed inside transparent containers.
Each box has 4x interconnect pins and A-RGB extension cable.
The above picture shows the A-RGB extension cable.
The A-RGB extension cable has dual 3-pin 5V (standard) A-RGB connectors.
The other ends of the cable are dual proprietary 3-pin connectors.
Closer Look
Let’s take a closer look on the cables.
24-Pin ATX Cable
The overall dimension of the 24-Pin ATX sleeved extension cable is 200x20x50mm (LxHxW). The concept is simple. We have 18 AWG extension cable which is overlapped by the braided flexible fiber-optic cover. The AWG cable carries multilayer single sleeving to provide enhanced reliability, improved heat resistance and better power efficiency. These optical sleeve cables have 24 A-RGB LEDs in them. The optical fiber cover is in translucent white color for some vivid lighting show. The LEDs draw 1.5A on 5V.
There is a woven style texture pattern on the fiber-optic cover. The 24-pin ATX extension cable has a length of 20cm.
The above picture shows the connector side of the extension cable. This side is connected to the motherboard.
The above picture shows the header side of the extension cable. The 24-pin ATX cable coming from the PSU is connected to this header.
The above picture shows the backside of the 24-pin ATX extension cable. We have black color sleeved cables. I was expecting white color sleeve for better A-RGB light diffusion across the length. There is a single transparent comb in the center of the cable.
There is a 3-pin proprietary connector on each side of the cable. The provided A-RGB extension cable can be connected to either side of the sleeved extension cable depending upon the layout of the build.
The cables are flexible enough to meet any situational requirement.
8-pin ATX Cable
The 8-Pin ATX (EPS) cable has a dimension of 300x20x25mm. The length of sleeved extension cable is 30cm. We have a similar layout as is on the 24-pin ATX cable. The Fiber-Optic cover has a same layout and design. This cable has 16 A-RGB LEDs for some vivid and dynamic light effects.
The above picture shows the connector side of the extension cable. This side is connected to the motherboard.
The above picture shows the header side of the extension cable. The 8-pin EPS cable coming from the PSU is connected to this header.
The above picture shows the backside of the 24-pin ATX extension cable. We have black color sleeved cables. I was expecting white color sleeve for better A-RGB light diffusion across the length. There is a single transparent comb in the center of the cable. The fiber-optic cover extends over the dual 4 sleeved wires.
There is a 3-pin proprietary connector on each side of the cable. The provided A-RGB extension cable can be connected to either side of the sleeved extension cable depending upon the layout of the build.
The cables are flexible enough to meet any situational requirement, thanks to their 20mm thickness.
Dual 8-Pin GPU Cable
The Dual 8-Pin PEG cable has a dimension of 300x20x50mm. The length of sleeved extension cable is 30cm. We have a similar layout as is on the 24-pin ATX cable. The Fiber-Optic cover has a same layout and design. This cable has 16 A-RGB LEDs for some vivid and dynamic light effects. GELID has combined dual 8-Pin sleeved cables under a single fiber-optic cover. For users having a single 8-pin connector on their graphics card, this might seem odd.
The fiber-optic cover does not fully cover the sleeved cables as can be seen in the picture.
The above picture shows the connectors side of the extension cable. This side is connected to the graphics card.
The above picture shows the header side of the extension cable. The PEG cables coming from the PSU are connected to this header.
The above picture shows the backside of the 24-pin ATX extension cable. We have black color sleeved cables. I was expecting white color sleeve for better A-RGB light diffusion across the length. There are two transparent combs in the center of the cable.
There is a 3-pin proprietary connector on each side of the cable. The provided A-RGB extension cable can be connected to either side of the sleeved extension cable depending upon the layout of the build.
We have used these cables in a test build for XIGMATEK VENOM X ARCTIC. Despite these cables being flexible, we can see that the fiber-optic cover on the PEG cables exposes the sleeved black color cables. A corner of the fiber-optic cover also dislocates from the housing.
The lighting show on these cables is stunning to say the least. Here are a few pics:
Conclusion
GELID Solutions has taken the RGB show to the next level with the release of ASTRA series A-RGB sleeved extension cables including the EPS cable which is something I have seen for the first time around per my limited knowledge. GELID has released 3x cables in this category which are:
- ASTRA A-RGB Sleeved Extension Cable 8-pin ATX
- ASTRA A-RGB Sleeved Extension Cable 24-pin ATX
- ASTRA A-RGB Sleeved Extension Cable DUAL 8-pin GPU
These cables utilize 18 AWG sleeved extension cables in the black color. The ASTRA cables have flexible fiber-optic cover in woven sleeve texture pattern which looks nice in person. The 24-Pin ATX cable has a length of 20cm and packs 24 A-RGB LEDs dual sided for some brilliant A-RGB light show. The EPS and PEG extension cables have a length of 30cm and they each pack 16 A-RGB LEDs. These LEDs draw 1.5A on 5V.
The thickness of these cables is 20mm giving them enough flexibility to meet any situational requirement. However, we have observed that under certain stretch the fiber-optic cover loses its place and exposes the underneath black color sleeve cables. Also, it was observed that diagonal stretch would make the fiber-optic cover comes out of the frame.
GELID has provided 4x interconnect pins with each box in addition to the A-RGB extension cable. This cable has dual connectors on each end. One end has dual 3-pin 5V (standard) A-RGB connectors and the other end has dual proprietary 3-pin connector. The good design aspect is that each side of ASTRA A-RGB sleeved extension cables has a small length cable with proprietary 3-pin connector. The user has the option to decide the connectivity as per the requirement.
The RGB sleeved extension cable for graphics card is designed such as that dual 8-pin connector cables are combined in a single extension cable. While this may make sense from the costing point of view, it may look a bit odd for the graphics card with only 1x 8-pin power connector.
The lighting is compatible with:
- ASUS AURA SYNC
- GIGABYTE RGB FUSION READY
- MSI MYSTIC LIGHT SYNC
- ASRock PolyChromce SYNC
- RAZER CHROMA
We have tested the cables using MSI MYSTIC SYNC app on MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK motherboard. They were working flawlessly and the overall light diffusion is quite good on these cables. They are not overly done to my personal liking and single color effect looks that good as well. We did not observe any voltage drop during the load stress testing of the build.
The ASTRA series of RGB sleeved extension cables cost from USD 38.99 to USD 43.99 depending upon type of the cable. These cables put up a good light show and come recommended by us should you have the taste of maximizing the A-RGB lighting in your build.
