iCUE ecosystem noob questions for building 2 new systems for/with kids.

Hi All,

I've got all the parts building 2 new rigs for my kids. All I'm waiting is zen3 CPUs and GPUs later. The kids will build them with me (something we can do together/bonding time ; and I don't want to look like a total idiot / loser dad :o::eek:)

The components are:

MSI Tomahawk x570 mobo (since msi mystic is not supported it will be turned off in BIOS)

h100i AIO with 2 LL120 fans

32gb 4x8GB Dominator Platinum RGB RAM

3 x LL120 case fans which came with fan hub / lightning node pro. I'm planning to control them via mobo fan Pmw connectors via BIOS (to avoid MSI's bloatware installation)

I have few questions on what is the best way to hook up everything.

I will be doing a fresh install of just released win10 Oct. After I will install the latest version of iCUE software.

1) What is better/preferred way to hook up AIO's two included LL120 fans RGB cables to the AIO or to lightning node pro along with 3 additional LL120 fans?

I'm not sure how RGB integration between AIO pump RGB and 5 x LL120 RGB fans (2 on AIO and 3 case) and RAM RGB will work best.

2) Is the latest iCUE 3.34.161 ver safe to install? I see a lot of unhappy peeps. Is there an older more stable version?

3) My kids use logitech keyboard/mouse and use G-HUB software for RGB lights. Is there a potential conflict between G-HUB and iCUE software?

4) Will Asus GPU RGB control work with iCUE on non-Asus mobo (MSI)?

5) Does Wallpaper Engine (Steam Edition) iCUE SDK built-in plugin works fine with the rest of iCUE ecosystem?

6) Does iCUE software conflicts with MSI Afterburner (I display CPU/GPU info and to control GPU's fan curve)?

7) First I wanted to buy 3 x QL120s fans (due to nicer dual side RGB control). However I figured it would be more complex to mix / control LL120s on AIO with QL120s in case. Also I believe 120LLs are tad better than QL120s in the airflow department. Do you think it would look better with QL120s? I guess AIO would control LL120 RBG and 3 x QL120 case fans would be controlled by included hub with them? Would iCUE software be smart enough to synchronize all RGB effects between AIO (pump RGB) 2 x LL120 RGB + 3 x QL120s + Dominator RGB RAM? i.e. if I want to start with any particular sequence. i.e. QL120 (case fan 1) -> LL120 ( fan 1 on AIO) -> LL120 (fan2 on AIO) -> QL120 (case fan 2) -> QL120 (case fan 3)?

I do apologize if my questions are stupid in advance.

Any help would be much appreciated.;): thx

1) Most people will prefer to connect the two LL120s from the AIO into the Lighting Node Pro (LNP) with the other fans. That will make all 5 LL fans act like 1 lighting group. Putting the two on the AIO RGB controller would give a group of 2 + 3. The RGB controller on the Platinum is useful for people with no other RGB fans and it lets them get started with the AIO alone.

2) 3.34 is not unstable. There are always people with individual issues and it becomes difficult to separate a specific software issue from problems with total system integration. Most people wrongly assume everything else in the case is standardized and thus there can be only one fault. Currently on 3.34 the only universal issue I am aware of is a problem with macros triggered on key hold only. This is probably only an issue for your kids if they like to cheat at games and/or spend time bot farming in game items. It is a hold over from a larger macro issue in 3.33. I don't recommend going backward when doing this stuff. It can get very complicated with profile mechanics and with hardware integration. 3.34 also has reduced CPU usage, something people have been pining for. One possible issue you may have is x570/B550 MBs seem to have issues with USB detection of Corsair devices. Many AMD owners are using an intermediary USB 2 hub as a go between. This is also something many people need anyway with most devices needing a USB 2 connection and most MBs having 2 internal ports only.

3) Not that I know of and there certainly are people using both. I would expect long complaint threads if there was an issue. I previously used both, but the Logi Hub software has entered into a new form since then.

4) No. CUE control over MB zonal lighting is for Asus MBs only. Regardless, you can run Mystic Light at the same time without issue. I am forced to for my GPU lighting. You set it and leave it running as a service in the background. They may also find the MB lighting to be of less importance. The fans, RAM, and other lighting elements tend to drown out the board. I can't tell if my Asus is on or off half the time.

5) Yes, but I have seen occasional reported issues. I don't use Wallpaper Engine and will leave this to someone else.

6) Absolutely not. We all use that one.

7) If you were having a straight up purchase discussion of QL vs LL, I would push you toward QL. Typically they sell for nearly the same price and a QL is just a double sided LL. There will be no meaningful airflow differences between them. Same blade. The only difference is the back of the frame is modified for the rear light ring. QL get more preset lighting effects than the LL. However, in your situation it is not as clear cut. You are getting 2 LL on H100i Platinum SE (white). Mixing QL and LL together is possible, but not what I would recommend and not for first time users. It becomes a math game of programming the fans to get everything covered and really complicates learning to program your own effects. I also assume you are getting more white LL120s to match the AIO and while I would always take a black QL over a black LL, it's not as much of a difference in white. They reflect the light around a lot more and every time I would see pictures of someone else's white LL layout, I was stunned how much better it looked than the backside of my black LLs. If the case is white on the interior, you will get a lot of light throw and the LLs may be perfect. Needing to buy an extra 2xQL120 may not be so compelling.

7b) You cannot control the sequence of dynamic effects across the lighting controller, other than by ordering them in the hub 1-6. Simple enough when they are all the same type with the same LED count. However, when you start to mix fans this is a problem. You must designate a fan type and number. So "LL fans x 4". This then generates the lighting in 16 LEDs units (per fan) 16-16-16-16. If you mix in a 34 LED QL (that is really a 16 base duplicated front/back), you would get 34-16-16-34-34. You would have to tell it "QL x 4" and those middle LL fans would effectively act like 1 QL, doing simultaneous effects. If a user if up for this and working out the mathematical differences for each profile, often needing to create their own, then OK. However, for simple plug and play preset effects, it makes things difficult and many presets will appear disjointed or non-uniform.

Wow... Thank you very much for an excellent detailed reply. I think I have everything I need to get me going. I will report back. I will stick with LL120s to simplify my life.

BTW... this is how LL120s and AIO will look like in my case. Someone has already build with almost identical components. I wish the bottom fans were QLs as I would turn off LEDs shining on PSU. However the bottom front RGB intake fan would still lit up the PSU.

Let me partially amend 7b and the general options for mixing fans. I was mostly focusing on things as a whole.

Because you have the Platinum AIO, you can add in QL fans, run them from their Lighting Node Core, leave the 2 LL fans on the AIO RGB controller and have the intended lighting control over each. The AIO would act like one unit (pump + 2 LL fans). The remaining QL fans would be a separate unit. That requires you input a color pattern for each and this makes little difference for 90% of effects. However, the one thing you still cannot do is make it go 1-2-3 front QL, then hop to the top LL, then go back to the QL for moving dynamic patterns like pong, color wave, infinity, etc. The QL fans have a lot of those. The only way to do that is put them on the same controller, but then you have the LED count issue with the base 16 LL vs (2x16) QL.

Thanks again for your valuable feedback.

The QL120 x 3 pack white is out of stock at the moment.

The 3 intake fronts are Li Lan's RGB fans and they would be running of its built-in case RGB controller at the front of the case. Therefore the 3 front 1-2-3 intakes are running outside of iCUE.

Adding 2 QL120 to the bottom of the case to help to cool off GPU would help aesthetics a bit. i could turn off the bottom RGB ring and I would get more uniform light. However this would introduce like you said another RGB channel. So my options are:

Original:

- 1-2-3 fronts Lian Li RGB fans running on its builtin RGB (front case button controlled)

- 1-2-3-4-5 AIO (2 LLs) + 1 LL rear + 2 LLs bottoms on single LNP

LL/QL mix:

- 1-2-3 fronts Lian Li RGB fans running on its builtin RGB (front case button controlled)

- 1-2 AIO controlled 2 LLs

- 1-2-3 - 1 QL rear + 2 QLs bottoms on a LNC

Do you think LL/QL mix would look nicer and it is worth hassle to return / wait and order QL fans? Like you said it will be harder to synchronize them.

The best would be to buy replace all fans (including Lian's Li 3 front intakes) with 8 QL fans. However this is a little too $$$.

What do you think? :confused:

Stupid question, but would it be possible to control AIO Pump and both fans speed using MSI Mystic software? and use iCUE only for RGB effects?

No. It needs to be controlled by iCUE.

The side cut view of the QL is noticeably different than the LL. If the case picture above is representative of what you are doing, I am not sure the QL would really look that much better or offer much more. I think the white LL offer a lot of light throw. As you mentioned 8 QL would be great, but it is a major expense.

It also would introduce a control problem I did not initial recognize. As the front fans are something else and not part of this, adding 2xQL to the bottom puts you in a controller bind. You would be forced to run either 1 or all 3 LL fans from the QL controller. With only 1 LL in the rear slot (and the triple pack returned), you no longer have a separate RGB controller. The one on the Platinum is for 2 fans only. With the triple LL120 pack, you now have a another controller that can handle all 5 LL fans giving you a much more manageable 'front half/back half' kind of lighting. The front can show off one thing, while the internal fans show off another. Managing 3 separate lighting zones for fans in addition to the all the other stuff like RAM, KB, mouse it really pilling on a bit.

If you are looking for an argument in favor of the QL, the actual lighting programming is far more simple with the LNC controlling QL-QL-LL. You can tell it three QL, it will do all the normal QL effects 1-2-3 and then the "extra rear ring" of light for the LL in the rear doesn't show. This requires no extra or tricky programming maneuvers like some other mixed sequences. However, once they see the QL can do more effects than the LL, it isn't going to be long until they are wanting QL for the rest of the case.

No. It needs to be controlled by iCUE.

Thanks :-)

Thanks so much... Yes this is exactly the same case and fans configuration I'll be using (5 x LL120s + 3 Lian Li RGB fans for front). Except I will have Dominator RAM. I wish though that I had that 3080 FE GPU :p:

Yes, I'm sticking with 5 LL120s to simplify controls and some $$$. Also who knows due to pandemic the QL120 will be in stock.

I just hope and pray I won't have issues some other users are having.

As you pointed out I might run into issue with x570 chipset and I will have to buy internal usb hub. Also I hope iCUE won't interfere with MSI Dragon Center if I install it to control my case fans speeds. :bigeyes::sigh!:

The side cut view of the QL is noticeably different than the LL. If the case picture above is representative of what you are doing, I am not sure the QL would really look that much better or offer much more. I think the white LL offer a lot of light throw. As you mentioned 8 QL would be great, but it is a major expense.

 

It also would introduce a control problem I did not initial recognize. As the front fans are something else and not part of this, adding 2xQL to the bottom puts you in a controller bind. You would be forced to run either 1 or all 3 LL fans from the QL controller. With only 1 LL in the rear slot (and the triple pack returned), you no longer have a separate RGB controller. The one on the Platinum is for 2 fans only. With the triple LL120 pack, you now have a another controller that can handle all 5 LL fans giving you a much more manageable 'front half/back half' kind of lighting. The front can show off one thing, while the internal fans show off another. Managing 3 separate lighting zones for fans in addition to the all the other stuff like RAM, KB, mouse it really pilling on a bit.

 

If you are looking for an argument in favor of the QL, the actual lighting programming is far more simple with the LNC controlling QL-QL-LL. You can tell it three QL, it will do all the normal QL effects 1-2-3 and then the "extra rear ring" of light for the LL in the rear doesn't show. This requires no extra or tricky programming maneuvers like some other mixed sequences. However, once they see the QL can do more effects than the LL, it isn't going to be long until they are wanting QL for the rest of the case.