Wanting to connect 7 RGB LL120 fans to my Corsair 5000D Airflow

[Hwheatley21]

I do apologies in advance if this is the wrong forum to post on.

 

So the RGB hub, lighting node and Commander core XT are starting to baffle my head a bit. I want to be able to connect 7 RGB fans and control each one on Corsair ICUE. (THIS IS MY TAKE ON IT CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!) The 5000D has a 6 fan PWM header which I could connect 6 of my fans too. Then the 6 RGB headers, put them in the RGB HUB then connect that to the lighting node, plug all of it in and boom I have 6 fans working with RGB that I can customize. With my 7th Fan, that's where it's confusing me as I don't want to spend a bunch of money on unnecessary items I do not need. I would be buying 2 packs of the LL120 so I'd have x2 RGB hub and x2 lighting nodes, With the AIO i'm getting the Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX that comes with the Commander Core XT, could I just connect my 7th fan and the RGB to that and then I can control every fan using the ICUE or would I need to connect that last fan to a RGB hub and the PWM header into the Commander Core XT? If there's a much simpler solution please let me know as I feel like I am over-complicating things.

Thank you for any help in advance It's very much appreciated!

[c-attack]

The 7th fan is a bit of problem and complicates the plot.  All Corsair RGB fans have 2 wires -- one for motor power and control and the other for RGB.

 

PWM control - You will get a Commander Core in the Elite AIO kit.  This will take 6 direct PWM connections.  A simple 2 way PWM splitter will accommodate the 7th fan.  No need for individual control on every fans. However, it sounds more like you might be looking at 9-10 fans.  In that case, use the PWM repeater in the back.  It is a powered splitter for 6 fans.  

 

RGB control is the more complex part.  There are 3rd party RGB splitters that will twin two of your fans together.  This works just fine for stationary or static effects.  However, it is less pleasing for dynamic effects that jump from fan to fan.  Two of them will fire off at the same time.  The other option (and the official one), is you need a second RGB controller.  If you are doing more than 7 fans, this will be required.  You then need to break the fans up into 2 groups.  Each group will act like a separate lighting zone, so plan carefully.  If you want the front and the top to run in sequence, they must be on the same controller.  If you are buying LL fans, you need at least 1 "multipack" that will contain a Lighting Node Pro.  This is the second controller.  

[Hwheatley21]

Thank you for the reply!

With my case I'm going to go for 7 fans 3 front 3 on aio and 1 at the back. I was thinking I could maybe connect the front 3 and the back 1 to the PWM connector on the case and the RGB wires to the Lighting node. Then the 3 fans with the AIO connect them to the Commander pro with the AIO itself. So essentially I could control 4 fans from that RGB hub and control the other 3 on my aio from the Commander core XT. Would that work or would I have to get another lighting node and 1 fan splitter to put on my 6 PWM connector then all the fans would be connected to an RGB hub, If I done the first option would save me money having to buy another lighting hub and would have more space in the back. But the second option is obviously what corsair recommend. But if i could do the first option without any problems then that would be perfect as everything comes with the fans and AIO.

[Hwheatley21]

Or like you said. Connect my front 3 and top 3 to one RGB hub and the last one at the back I could just put into the commander core as I wouldn't be seeing that one as much anyway 

[c-attack]

The rear fan is probably the only one in the case where you might want individual speed control. Put either the front 3 or top 3 on the PWM repeater hub and it will use 1 PWM slot on the Com Core. That leaves 5 headers for the 4 remaining fans. 
 

There’s no clear right/wrong way for the RGB. What is preferable will depend on your viewing angle and the kind of effects you like. Some people just love waves and watching them sequence through the system. Those people need to be meticulous in their organization. If you mostly like rainbows, rain, color shifts, and color waves, then all the fans are doing the same thing anyway.