NZXT Releases CAM 4.0 Update: A New Toolbox

This story was written by Damien Gula.

Here are MMORPG.com, we have had our hands on our fair share of products from NZXT. From all-in-one CPU coolers to their iconic PC cases, we have seen it. And with each of these product, controlling that sweet RGB is something that we can’t seem to get enough of, is CAM - NZXT’s controller software.

Over the years, CAM has been met with varying opinion… and NZXT has been listening to all of it: the good, the bad, and our comments section (among others). With all of the criticism in mind, today marks the official release of CAM Version 4.0 - a completely reimagined experience for PCs equipped with NZXT gear!

“Our goal with CAM has always been to make a great piece of software,” says Johnny Hou, founder, and CEO of NZXT. “We have not given CAM the attention that it deserves. With version 4.0, we have dedicated more time and resources to improving NZXT CAM and that will continue to be a focus. We are very excited about the end result and encourage past users to update to version 4.0. Hearing feedback from the community is important to us.”

What’s Different?

With the complete overhaul, CAM 4.0 puts priority on simplicity and control. The layout is much more minimalistic than past iterations with quality of life options like Dark Mode and the option to turn off anonymous data collection. This is probably one of the more notable changes to CAM that has been a source of conflict in the past for many users.

Offering critical system information under the “MY PC,” you will see up-to-date information on CPU and GPU usage, including temperatures, as well as fan- and clock speeds. This tab will also indicate how much RAM is being utilized, network speeds, storage availability, and the top system processes taking utilizing your system’s resources. 

This portion of CAM will also give you a read out on your system build and keep records of game performance. When compatible, CAM will offer a live overlay in-game to give you up-to-date information on system temperatures, FPS, bandwidth usage, and more.

From a system resource standpoint, CAM 4.0 is meant to be a leaner application, taking less system resources to do what it does - providing control and monitoring of your PC for both peace of mind and control.

Hands-on Experience

The new user interface is pretty intuitive. Overall, the design has been cleaned up and the placement of information makes sense… except for power supply information. That information is found underneath the Tuning tab which is where overclocking settings live. Now, that could be because my system is running NZXT’s E-850 PSU.

The update to the games overlay is also a welcome redesign. It was not the most aesthetically pleasing thing before, but its cleaned up look and the option to change the size of the information tray is beautiful. The biggest hitch with the overlay is that it does not work in every gaming situation. Many current titles I tested it with would not play nicely with CAM.

Speaking of aesthetics, editing RGB settings feels a bit more user-friendly than previous iterations, giving users more control over RGB options. While it isn’t an RGB option, it still falls into the vain of aesthetic updates, CAM 4.0’s new dark mode is so simple, but it makes a world of difference to the experience. Maybe it’s just my aging eyes that are glad for the break from glaring windows, but it gives CAM a cleaner look!

Final Thoughts

I have to hand it to NZXT with CAM 4.0. Their commitment to listening to their user base and the Tech community at large will help to continue developing their legacy within the PC components community. Giving users the ability to opt out of data collection is a perfect step in this direction.

When it works, the game overlay gives great on-the-fly system information, but it isn’t quite reliable right now. We would love to see compatibility within more games with the overlay and the performance data collection.

All in all, NZXT is moving CAM 4.0 in the right direction.

If you are interested in checking out CAM 4.0, you can download it for free here.