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Compatibility with motherboard lighting software


Riekopo

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There is one huge problem with the RGB market and that is extreme incompatibility. There are a couple new videos from gaming YouTube channels talking about it. Each gaming motherboard manufacturer has RGB lighting software. Some of them are better than others. There is Asus Aura, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic, etc.

 

Motherboard lighting software allows you to synchronize and control all the RGB products in your case, theoretically. The problem is that very few RGB case fans and other products are actually compatible with motherboard lighting software. This is a highly fractured market with no serious compatibility standards.

 

This forces people to install and run multiple lighting programs from different manufacturers in a vain attempt to get them all to work together. It's nearly impossible and eats up too many CPU resources and man hours.

 

I love the Thermaltake Riing Premium and Corsair ML140 RGB fans I have in my case. However, they don't work with my Asus Aura software. Thermaltake's new Riing Plus RGB fans and other Riing Plus products are compatible with motherboard lighting software, but I don't like how those products look.

 

Most RGB products are way overdone, immature, and tacky looking in my opinion. Most have that goofy "teenage gamer" aesthetic. The best look is a classy and understated look I think. The Thermaltake Riing and Riing Premium fans are the best looking in the market in my view and I wish Corsair would release something just like them.

 

The interesting part is the way Thermaltake made them compatible. They released a physical controller box called the TT Sync Controller for $25 which allows you to plug in their Riing Plus products into it and then plug the controller into the motherboard.

 

This is a great idea and it's very affordable. I personally asked them to make all their future RGB products compatible with it and to update their old products for compatibility as well.

 

I strongly think that Corsair should do the same thing. If all of Corsair's RGB products became fully compatible with motherboard lighting software that would be a huge selling point.

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Hey, hey!

 

You're certainly correct, it is the Wild Wild West for the RGB market and anyone building their first RGB machine, will have some investigating to do and find out how they want to make use of it.

 

As a consumer, I do want to see more options that don't force me to get locked into a particular brand of accessories if I have a particular motherboard and want to control it via the motherboard software. What options did I have back then? Well, only two fan controllers by two companies of which did not impress me enough to spend the money on buying their fans just for RGB Aura syncing, and 3x fans that worked with Aura Sync, but were loud and buzz-like. Those eventually got replaced by Corsair LL120 fans. I lost syncing via Aura Sync, but I gained in quality and overall silence.

 

From my side, I won't be able to make use of any all-in-one controller box if a 5v Addressable RGB Header is required because I have an Asus z270 and not a z370. If I had a z370 would I consider an all-in-one that used the Addressable RGB Header? You betcha! Again though, it pushes me out of range as a customer base because of the choice to put it on a 5v compared to the other two supplied 12v.

 

It is one of the most asked about questions when designing a new PC with RGB accessories because of the motherboard software used to control the lighting. Some fans only work with this motherboard software, if you love that fan, it works with this motherboard brand only. Oh, don't have 5v Addressable Header? Sorry. Yeah, it's crazy nuts.

 

BUT let us look at the PRO of the controller you mention.

 

Now that such a controller is available for syncing with those three motherboard manufacturers, the market shifts as the word gets out and builders who like to control fans and lighting strips via their motherboard software lean toward that product. So what to do?

 

If you're Corsair, you make your own all-in-one controller too, and they only work with your products. The choice then becomes, do you connect your controller to a 12v RGB Header or a 5v RGB Addressable Header. It also makes your motherboard choice less hectic knowing you can buy a Corsair RGB fan, lighting strips, etc., and get a Gigabyte, Asus or MSI and control Corsair products via the motherboard software.

 

Corsair makes great products, so I gather it is only a matter of time before it happens with them too. Already Sync-it has been shown off but that is from the software side of things, I have no idea if there is going to be a new Commander Pro Elite edition that offers connectivity to Gigabyte and Asus because so far, Sync-it was shown on an MSI board. I truly hope it is not exclusive to MSI.

 

The heart of my system is Asus with Aura Sync powering CPU Cooler, RAM, GFX and case lighting with 2 lighting strips Aura Sync supports.

 

Corsair LINK and CUE2 power 3x LL140, 3x LL120, 4x Corsair LED strips, K95, Sabre, Headstand and Void USB.

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