Commander Pro confusion

Hi all,

 

I am looking to purchase the Corsair Commander Pro for my current build but I am slightly confused on something. Do I need to keep the fan hub that came with my crystal 570x case so my fans can utilize the RGB as well as the commander pro? Or can the commander pro take care of all of that and I can remove the fan hub that came with the case?

 

Thanks!

can the commander pro take care of all of that

Hi Buddy

 

You need the Rgb Fan Led Hub buddy... currently the only way to control the LEDS of Corsairs RGB fans,, it supports All of corsairs Rgb series fans but should be noted you cant mix and match fan types on each hub..

 

 

heres an example of installation for the commander... only connections not show are the sata power and motherboard usb connections..

 

 

 

and heres mine thats in a 570x

 

Thanks you guys for the feedback. That helps a lot!

Okay so I'm a bit confused....

The multiple fan kits comes with:

- CORSAIR Lighting Node PRO

- RGB Lighting Hub

 

From the instructions, I see you plug the 6 fans into the lighting hub, then plug the lighting hub into the Lighting Node Pro. At this point do you STILL have to plug the PWM fan portion of the fans into the motherboard or some sort of fan hub, or is plugging the fans into the lighting hub enough? I ask because in the instructions I'm seeing on the web does not indicate you have to plug the fans into an actual PWM fan hub or the motherboard. It is strange that the instructions doesn't indicate you have to figure out something to do with the PWM cable. :(

 

I have a Commander Pro but not a lighting hub and was hoping to just use the Commander Pro, but it looks like i have to get the lighting hub as well.... (sigh)

 

These things are hugely expensive. Buying 1 140mm kit, and 4 140mm fans in Canadian dollars is over $325!!! :(

Each HD, SP-RGB, or LL fan has 2 wires coming out of it. One if for lighting power and goes to the lighting hub. The other is basic fan power and speed control. This goes to the motherboard, pump, or other fan controller. This is how you get 12-16 LEDs not to fry the motherboard headers. Make it get power from elsewhere. So yes, you will need to run the normal fan connector back to the motherboard to make it spin.

 

The Commander Pro and Lighting Node Pro are your interface with the Link program so you can do software control instead of the physical remote. This is highly desirable with the HD fans and opens the door to many more lighting options. Since you already have the Commander Pro, you do not need the Lightning Node Pro (LNP).

 

Everyone has to have the lighting hub that comes with the fans. Each fan type (HD, SP, LL, presumably ML-RGB) needs their own hub. You can't mix and match on there. If you bought a standard triple pack of HD120's, it should have a 6 port lighting hub included. I think the only way to avoid getting one is if you bought 6 singles. Even if you did, you can get one inexpensively from Corsair and elsewhere.

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/corsair-rgb-fan-led-hub

To clarify: If you have the Commander Pro, you don't need a separate Lighting Node Pro. The Commander Pro's LED connectors will do the same job as the Lighting Node Pro. Both the Commander Pro and the Lightning Node Pro will control the LED effects for 2 RGB Fan Hubs or up to 8 lighting strips.

The scenario that Zotty drew out for you has it laid out ... Fan Lighting Hub to the Commander Pro's LED controller. PWM Fan cables to the Commander Pro's Fan controllers. And you'll need 2 SATA power connections (1 for the C-Pro, 1 for the RGB Fan Hub).

To clarify: If you have the Commander Pro, you don't need a separate Lighting Node Pro. The Commander Pro's LED connectors will do the same job as the Lighting Node Pro. Both the Commander Pro and the Lightning Node Pro will control the LED effects for 2 RGB Fan Hubs or up to 8 lighting strips.

The scenario that Zotty drew out for you has it laid out ... Fan Lighting Hub to the Commander Pro's LED controller. PWM Fan cables to the Commander Pro's Fan controllers. And you'll need 2 SATA power connections (1 for the C-Pro, 1 for the RGB Fan Hub).

 

Yeah... I would still need the RGB hub that would go into the Commander Pro LED connector. :( So it is still cheaper/better to get a "kit" and 4 single fans. Then I'd still have one LED header I could add some lights to and such. Still heck of expensive for 6 fans. :(

Yeah... I would still need the RGB hub that would go into the Commander Pro LED connector. :( So it is still cheaper/better to get a "kit" and 4 single fans. Then I'd still have one LED header I could add some lights to and such. Still heck of expensive for 6 fans. :(

Yes. Now, if you get a pack of the LL fans, they will come with a Lighting Node pro. The HD RGB Fans, however, do not.

Considering a two pack of HD RGB fans is $79 and a 2 pack of the LL or ML fans with the hub is $99 it is a good buy considering buying it separately you are paying $59 for the hub itself.

Considering a two pack of HD RGB fans is $79 and a 2 pack of the LL or ML fans with the hub is $99 it is a good buy considering buying it separately you are paying $59 for the hub itself.

Remember ... just one type of RGB fan per fan hub!

Considering a two pack of HD RGB fans is $79 and a 2 pack of the LL or ML fans with the hub is $99 it is a good buy considering buying it separately you are paying $59 for the hub itself.

 

There is one small difference. The LNP in the LL pack does not come with the 4 LED strips like the stand-alone LNP. There is also a separate LED Pro kit with just the strips AND 4 extensions. Those extensions make setting up a larger case child’s play and worth it for me. Since I already had the C-Pro, did not need control over more than 6 fans, I had a spare channel and this was a good combination with the C-Pro. I think I actually like the strips better than the HD fans. And yes, this is expensive. Definitely a luxury purchase.

There is one small difference. The LNP in the LL pack does not come with the 4 LED strips like the stand-alone LNP. There is also a separate LED Pro kit with just the strips AND 4 extensions. Those extensions make setting up a larger case child’s play and worth it for me. Since I already had the C-Pro, did not need control over more than 6 fans, I had a spare channel and this was a good combination with the C-Pro. I think I actually like the strips better than the HD fans. And yes, this is expensive. Definitely a luxury purchase.

 

 

I have a Phanteks Elite case so I'm currently running all 13 fans off of the two 6 fan hubs they have in there. They aren't so bad. If I go this route I could still use one of those hubs and replace the other with the commander pro. so i would buy :

1 140 kit - get two fans, the RGB node and the light hub

4 140 individual fans'

1 4 strips LED RGB lights.

 

With this I could get 6 fans going (the only 6 to be seen), have all 6 fans off the Commander Pro for power and the light hub for RGB and still have another lighting node for the 4 strips.

Yes, that would work.

If the fan hub in the Enthoo Elite is the same one that came in my Enthoo Primo, then it's a PWM to DC converting fan hub.

You'll be able to plug this in to a single fan port on the Commander Pro and control it as a PWM fan. You will not be able to use that hub to control any of the Corsair RGB fans as they are all PWM controlled but I don't think that's an issue. Add a single PWM splitter (for two of the Corsair fans) and you'll be able to control ALL of your fans from Link. Just a thought.

Yes, that would work.

If the fan hub in the Enthoo Elite is the same one that came in my Enthoo Primo, then it's a PWM to DC converting fan hub.

You'll be able to plug this in to a single fan port on the Commander Pro and control it as a PWM fan. You will not be able to use that hub to control any of the Corsair RGB fans as they are all PWM controlled but I don't think that's an issue. Add a single PWM splitter (for two of the Corsair fans) and you'll be able to control ALL of your fans from Link. Just a thought.

 

HMMMM. They are a little snazzier than the Primo hub, and I am able to control using Asus Suite 3 the speeds of all 6 fans together. As a hub you can only control the first fan on the hub and all other fans follow the lead of the first, so I'm not sure if it is PWM to DC. In BIOS I set it to PWM and it works fine.

 

I do like your suggestion tho. I haven't looked at the Commander pro but being able to set each fan (even one connected to a hub) individually would be very beneficial. :)

 

Sadly opening up the back, I'm not sure where I'd put the commander pro. Perhaps maybe behind my reservoirs on the back of the bracket but that is about it. :( The elite is big but in the back there isn't a lot of flat space that isn't taken up or got cables running over it.

I'm not sure if I was clear ... you wouldn't be able to control the fans connected to the Phanteks hub individually; they'd still follow the lead of the first fan. But you could control the entire bunch from Link, rather from Asus AiSuite. Personally, I found AiSuite to be pretty unstable and problematic; I've uninstalled it as it made me angry one too many times. YMMV, of course.

The benefit to controlling your fans from the Commander is the temps that you can use as the control source. Since the Commander comes with 4 temp sensors, you can get pretty specific about your fan speeds based on the temperatures that actually matter. With a liquid cooled system, this will not be the CPU temperature, but the ambient air temperature in different parts of your case. This gives you much better control over the your airflow vs temperature vs noise. I've got my sensors in the lower part of the case, mid-case just above the GPU and below the CPU, radiator intake and radiator exhaust.

I'm not sure if I was clear ... you wouldn't be able to control the fans connected to the Phanteks hub individually; they'd still follow the lead of the first fan. But you could control the entire bunch from Link, rather from Asus AiSuite. Personally, I found AiSuite to be pretty unstable and problematic; I've uninstalled it as it made me angry one too many times. YMMV, of course.

The benefit to controlling your fans from the Commander is the temps that you can use as the control source. Since the Commander comes with 4 temp sensors, you can get pretty specific about your fan speeds based on the temperatures that actually matter. With a liquid cooled system, this will not be the CPU temperature, but the ambient air temperature in different parts of your case. This gives you much better control over the your airflow vs temperature vs noise. I've got my sensors in the lower part of the case, mid-case just above the GPU and below the CPU, radiator intake and radiator exhaust.

 

Hey there. Yeah I understood. All 6 fans would be the same speed, it is the same regardless of whether I use the Phanteks hub or the Corsair one. :) I'm not concerned about the sensors, I have some from the Asus board I have used in the past. For the most part I'm good with just using the fan speeds based off of the GPU/CPU temps. I do use two of the temp probes, one in the bottom of my case and one at the top just to see what the ambient temp is, but when it gets too hot in the summer, I will usually turn down the overclock of my system due to the amount of heat generated. In the winter, it is full speed ahead! Really cuts down on heating. :)

 

I really like the idea of using the Commander Pro. It has been a while since I used the Link software like many, many years and it was really buggy back then.

 

I have an old Corsair Mini that I used as a hub back then. It should work as a fan controller with no issues and even has one LED hub (not that it would work with these fans), but I would only use it as a PWM hub. I would just wonder if it would work in conjunction with the Commander Pro, and have both units report and control the fans properly. I figure if I'm going to go this route i might as well use what I have and not spend anymore money than necessary. Overall it is about a $300 CAD investment for 6 fans. :/ But I would then have 12 ML fans 6 RGB and 6 RED LED. The Red LEDs would be hidden behind radiators and covers so I'm not worried about them clashing.

 

Oh so many decisions. :)

 

EDIT* One final question. One of the reasons that I'm doing this also is to have more light in my case. It is big and radiators get in the way of the LEDs so there are a lot of dark spots. The ML Red LED fans I have the light brightness is based off the RPM/Power so they are dim. With these fans it would be max brightness. I wonder how bright these ML RGB fans are going to be? I know the LL series are brighter due to more LEDs...

EDIT* One final question. One of the reasons that I'm doing this also is to have more light in my case. It is big and radiators get in the way of the LEDs so there are a lot of dark spots. The ML Red LED fans I have the light brightness is based off the RPM/Power so they are dim. With these fans it would be max brightness. I wonder how bright these ML RGB fans are going to be? I know the LL series are brighter due to more LEDs...

 

The ML RGB fans only have 4 LEDs. So I don't think that they are going to be quite as bright as the HD or LL fans. From what I've seen in reviews (as I don't, personally, have one), the LL fans only "shine" to one side. That's why I got the HD fans, which have a clear housing and light up all over. I have a total of 4 HD fans and 8 strips in my Entho Primo ... 1 strip at the bottom, 1 at the top of the main area, 2 on each side and 2 in the very upper top. It's bright. :D:

Here's a quick video when I first booted after moving to the new case and adding all the bling:

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AjLE3OnL_l3kldtuHRXcQN0sbhv2Kg

The ML RGB fans only have 4 LEDs. So I don't think that they are going to be quite as bright as the HD or LL fans. From what I've seen in reviews (as I don't, personally, have one), the LL fans only "shine" to one side. That's why I got the HD fans, which have a clear housing and light up all over. I have a total of 4 HD fans and 8 strips in my Entho Primo ... 1 strip at the bottom, 1 at the top of the main area, 2 on each side and 2 in the very upper top. It's bright. :D:

Here's a quick video when I first booted after moving to the new case and adding all the bling:

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AjLE3OnL_l3kldtuHRXcQN0sbhv2Kg

 

Wow those are bright!! Those are the ones with the controller. Do they now work with an LED Hub so you can run them off of the Link software? :)

 

The reviews I have seen on the LL series is since they still have the difusers you can still see the lights from the other side, even though the lights are facing forward, but on the ML series you get the hot spots, especially from behind.

The HD fans work without a Lighting Node Pro or Commander Pro, but that limits you to 7 colors and some preset patterns. Most importantly it also limits you to 100% brightness with no off switch. That was the killer for me first time around without Link control. It was too bright and the case isn't even on my desk. While not required, if you go HD series, you really want a LNP or C-Pro to interface with Link. I use mine a 1/3 brightness and they are still noticeably brighter than other LED fans. There is also an off and you can put individual fans/strips in the black.

Wow those are bright!! Those are the ones with the controller. Do they now work with an LED Hub so you can run them off of the Link software? :)

 

The reviews I have seen on the LL series is since they still have the difusers you can still see the lights from the other side, even though the lights are facing forward, but on the ML series you get the hot spots, especially from behind.

 

I have the fans connected to the Commander Pro's LED ports and the LED strips connected to a Lighting Node Pro. The USB for that is also connected to the Commander Pro. I could turn the brightness down (to c-attack's point) but that's how I get my Vitamin D. :laughing: And I'll probably get more.

I have the fans connected to the Commander Pro's LED ports and the LED strips connected to a Lighting Node Pro. The USB for that is also connected to the Commander Pro. I could turn the brightness down (to c-attack's point) but that's how I get my Vitamin D. :laughing: And I'll probably get more.

 

So do you think buying a kit with the lighting hub and RGB hub, to use with a commander pro AND a commander Mini would work? I figure while the mini does have one LED header, I don't need it. I would mainly use it to deliver power to the fans, like the Commander Pro. If i can use them both then I could use Link to do ALL my fans. The phanteks ones are indeed PWM to DC. :/ Why offer a hub with a 1000 dollar case that only have three pins per fan???

So do you think buying a kit with the lighting hub and RGB hub, to use with a commander pro AND a commander Mini would work? I figure while the mini does have one LED header, I don't need it. I would mainly use it to deliver power to the fans, like the Commander Pro. If i can use them both then I could use Link to do ALL my fans.

That ... I don't know. It should probably work but I've never played with the Commander Mini so I can't say for sure.

The phanteks ones are indeed PWM to DC. :/ Why offer a hub with a 1000 dollar case that only have three pins per fan???

I know, right? And that hub is also pretty flaky when reporting fan RPMs ... the numbers are all over the place. I'm not particularly impressed with the Phanteks fans, either. They are quiet, I'll give them that, but they don't seem to push much air. Maybe I've been spoiled by the Corsair fans. But that case ... with the white interior and the lighting ... is just flippin' gorgeous. IMHO, of course.

That ... I don't know. It should probably work but I've never played with the Commander Mini so I can't say for sure.

 

I know, right? And that hub is also pretty flaky when reporting fan RPMs ... the numbers are all over the place. I'm not particularly impressed with the Phanteks fans, either. They are quiet, I'll give them that, but they don't seem to push much air. Maybe I've been spoiled by the Corsair fans. But that case ... with the white interior and the lighting ... is just flippin' gorgeous. IMHO, of course.

 

Welp I bit the bullet and got six fans with a LED and RGB hub. I have taken out my Commander Pro and dusted off the Commander Mini. I remember long ago there was a thread about how Corsair Link wouldn't recognize two Commander Minis. This was an issue with some of us who wanted to use two Dominator Platinum Airflows for our RAM and didn't want to buy the LED Pro. The Mini had one LED slot on it, but since Link wouldn't identify two of them, I never got a second one.

 

We did find out tho, you could use the Mini and an even older Corsair fan hub together and Link would recognize them both. So I am hoping this will work. :)

Corsair Commander Pro and Fan Hub, CORSAIR Link whole series of products is most confusing tools launched last 10-15 years on IT Market. One controller for all, RGB Fans x6, RGB LED strips x6, Thermal Sensors x4, software for controll and connection to power. This is insanity, several times I tried to read what I need and what should I need and I gave up, belive me.