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ITX RGB build questions


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So I've been chasing my tail re: building a system that lives in a single RGB software controlled eco-system. I think tonight from the help of reading through this forum I've finally found what I'm looking for (and left Aura behind me which I'd been too focused on making work in a single ecosystem).

 

Here's what I've pieced together, I have a couple questions below

 

Core i7-8700 - $310

Corsair - cooler - H100i - includes 2 ML PRO RGB fans - $102

Asrock Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac $190

G.Skill Trident RGB 2x16 DDR4 3000 - $230

Samsung 970 M.2 1TB nvme drive - $230

ASUS Geforce GTX 1050Ti 4GB ROG Strix OC Edition HDMI 2.0 DP 1.4 Gaming Graphics Card (STRIX-GTX1050TI-O4G-GAMING) Graphic Cards - Amazon $210 (could reduce this by $50ish going with a different card)

Corsair 280x - $90 with no fans (or $160 with 2 LL120 RGB fans and includes Lightning Node PRO)

Corsair 650W Gold PS (approx $100)

LED strip of some kind (need to research further)

Some kind of lighted keyboard (need to research further)

 

1. Are the ML PRO fans included in the H100i compatible with the LL fans included in the 280x RGB? Ie can they all use the same Lightning Node Pro included in the 280x RGB? Or should I purchase the 280x non-RGB and buy two more ML fans separately?

 

2. Reading further after I started this post, I read that Lightning Node Pro only supports 2 RGB channels. Seems what I really want is a Corsair RGB Fan LED Hub which I read only supports one type of fan, so that might answer question #1.

 

3. If I want to use an LED strip, I also need a Commander Pro? $70 plus the cost of the LED strip seems like it's probably not worth it if I'm correct that a CoPro is needed.

 

So, I think based on all this, I should get the 280x without RGB, order 2 more ML fans ($28/ea) and an Fan LED Hub ($35)?

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1) Which edition of the H100 are you referring to? Only the H100 Platinum comes with RGB fans; the H100i Pro and the H100i V2 do not. The Platinum also has its own RGB controller so you don't need a Fan Hub or Lighting Node Pro (NoPro) for this.

 

2) It's not either-or on the Fan Hub and NoPro. You need the NoPro + the Fan Hub. The Fan hub acts as a power and signal distributor for the fans. It gets the RGB control signal from the NoPro. So you'd need both for the fans.

 

3) You don't need a Commander Pro (CoPro) for LED strips. They also work with just the NoPro (and, in fact, one of the packages comes with a NoPro). However, the CoPro comes with 6 fan controller ports and 2 internal USB ports ... which may be darn handy as these are typically in short supply on an ITX motherboard.

 

The 280X, with the RGB fans, comes with a Fan Hub and a NoPro. The Fan Hub also comes in all of the RGB Fan multipacks.

 

Now ... as for what you need ... that really depends on which edition of the H100 you are planning on getting.

 

If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly recommend taking a look at the RGB FAQ linked in my signature.

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I’ll try to answer in depth when I’m not in my phone but why not get some Corsair RGB ram (I freaking love mine) and some Corsair RGB strips and a Corsair keyboard? Then you truly will be the master of your rgb domain. I have the k70 se and it makes me happy daily.
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Thanks for the thorough and somewhat overwhelming response devbiker :).

 

 

At the end of the day, I Dont really care which h100 I get, I was trying to pick something with rgb and I guess I found bad info about the 100i coming with rgb fans.

 

So trying to decipher everything you wrote, if the 280x rgb comes with a fan hub and no pro... Then I don't need anything else but to buy the 100i (without rgb fans) and 2 more LL rgb fans for the 100i? I did read the faq, it's where I learned about the number of channels and purpose of the myriad controller/hub types.

 

Gutcheck, the G.Skill is $50 cheaper than the corsair memory with the same specs. Only reason I chose it over the corsair.

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Thanks for the thorough and somewhat overwhelming response devbiker :).

Sorry about that. There's just a lot of options. It can be overwhelming. There were fewer options when I started down this RGB path so ... yeah ... I get it.

 

At the end of the day, I Dont really care which h100 I get, I was trying to pick something with rgb and I guess I found bad info about the 100i coming with rgb fans.

 

Only the H100i Platinum comes with RGB fans ... in this case, ML-RGB. Since it has a built-in RGB controller, that has an impact on your hub/NoPro configuration. As for which 100i ... you should care. Get the 100i Pro or Platinum. Take a pass on the H100i V2. That's EOL.

 

So trying to decipher everything you wrote, if the 280x rgb comes with a fan hub and no pro... Then I don't need anything else but to buy the 100i (without rgb fans) and 2 more LL rgb fans for the 100i? I did read the faq, it's where I learned about the number of channels and purpose of the myriad controller/hub types.

And that would be correct, sir. And you'd have a channel to spare for your strips, so you could get the extension pack. In fact, that'd be pretty close to how my 280X is set up.

 

Gutcheck, the G.Skill is $50 cheaper than the corsair memory with the same specs. Only reason I chose it over the corsair.

 

But the Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro is GORGEOUS. Individually controllable LEDs as well. In iCue.

But I get where you are coming from.

 

Now ... one more thing to think about. The cooler will need a USB 2.0 header and the NoPro will need a USB 2.0 header. Does your motherboard have two of them?

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- 1 x USB 2.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)

- 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)

 

Just checking the 280x to see if I need a header for case ports but doesn't look like it has any.

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Right ... so that's gonna be a problem.

 

Fortunately, there are solutions. :)

1) Commander Pro - it will take your 1 USB 2.0 header and provide you with two more. One will be for your cooler. NoPro will not be needed so you'll have one open.

 

2) Internal USB Hub - Several of us have these. They work. But it requires a Molex power connector. Icky.

 

3) Route one of the devices to the rear I/O power using a standard USB cable. It'll work but it'll be ugly.

 

4) Cable hacking - both of these devices consume an entire USB header but actually only need one port. So you can get a single power USB extension to combine then. Now, you'll have to be super-careful to make sure that you get the cables right. This also works and is currently how my H115i Platinum and my HX1200i are connected to my Commander Pro.

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Ah, so it is. Getting late here. Let me digest overnight and update the parts list in the am and make sure I understand as well as find the cheapest combo that contains all the parts I need. Thanks again for all the help.
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I realized laying in bed last night that perhaps the 280x could take a board larger than an ITX and sure enough .... m-ATX is an option. That opens up more possibilities. Perhaps more USB headers, 4 DIMMS. I'm reading up on m-ATX boards this morning and am also open to recommendations for top contenders if some work better than others with a Corsair RGB ecosystem.
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So this is my new parts list based on everything I learned last night. The only outstanding question I have that I'm aware of is

 

H100i Pro + 2 LL120 fans for $190 or H100i Platinum with 2 ML120 fans for $160? Given the fact that the 280x RGB uses LL fans.

 

Given the MB change over to micro-ATX, I went with 4x8G memory instead of 2x16G and the G.Skill priced out the same as the Vengeance Pro so I changed that.

 

Core i7-8700 - $310

Corsair - cooler - H100i Pro - $120 (H100i Plat no good as uses ML fans instead of LL which doesn't match fans on 280x? But does come with own controller, maybe it would work? Would be $160 vs $190 buying separate fans)

Corsair LL120 RGB fans x2 for H100i - $70 (35/ea)

MSI Z370M Gaming Pro AC $162

• 2x USB 2.0 Header

• 2x USB 3.0 Header

• 1x USB 3.1 Gen-2 Header

Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 4x8 DDR4 3000 - $290 (G.Skill is same price)

Samsung 970 M.2 1TB nvme drive - $228

MSI GeForce GTX 1050Ti - $150

Corsair 280x RGB - $160 (includes 2 LL120 RGB fans and Lightning Node PRO and Fan hub)

Corsair 650W Gold PS (approx $100)

CORSAIR RGB LED Lighting PRO Expansion Kit $40

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  • 1 month later...

As promised, here's a video of the completed MicroATX rig my son and I built for his Christmas present. Thanks DevBiker for all the help.

 

Question though about the H100i. I plugged the two fans into the fan hub that came with the 280x. Any reason I'd want to plug them into the H100i instead?

 

Parts list with my notes (prices are with tax and shipping).

Intel Core i7-8700K - $351.61

Corsair - CPU cooler - H100i Platinum - $148.74 (includes 2 ML120 RGB fans and RGB controller)

MSI Z370M Gaming Pro AC $162

Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 4x8 DDR4 3000 - $276.23

MSI Radeon RX570 Armor 8G OC - 161.24 (minus $20 mail in rebate and sold included games for $30) overall cost was around $111.

Corsair 280x RGB case - (includes 2 LL120 RGB fans, Lightning Node PRO and Fan hub) $128.74 (after $20 mail in rebate)

EVGA 120-GP-0750-X1 SuperNOVA 750 G1+, 80 Plus Gold 750W - $56

1TB HP EX920 PCIe NVMe 3D M.2 SSD $156.04

Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM - $58.43

25" LG 25UM58-P 21:9 Ultrawide IPS 2560x1080 $135

Corsair RGB LED Lighting PRO Expansion Kit - $40

Corsair K55 keyboard - $50

Corsair M55 Pro mouse - $32

Corsair MM800 Polaris RGB Mouse Pad - $39.99

Windows 10 Pro - $44.99 (softwarecascade.com)

 

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For the fans, you can plug them into the RGB Fan Hub or the cooler - it doesn't really matter. It's more about control and synchronizing them.

 

Nice looking build, by the way!! I really like that 280x ... really nice to build in, especially for such a small case.

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