bigJilm Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Hi all, I am new to PC building so may be a bit of a noob question here. I currently have an H150i PRO RGB installed and am gong to be adding 3 ML120 Pro RGB fans for a push/pull setup (and mainly to add a little flare to the build). I purchased the kit that includes 3 fans and the 2 controllers. I understand I need to plug the fans RGB connection into the included controller and then lighting node to a USB header, but as for the PWM connection, am I plugging those into (3) available fan headers on the mobo? Assuming this is the case will I be able to control the fans from iCue the same as i can with the fans connected to the AIO pump? Any suggestions/advice welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjgodin Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Hi all, I am new to PC building so may be a bit of a noob question here. I currently have an H150i PRO RGB installed and am gong to be adding 3 ML120 Pro RGB fans for a push/pull setup (and mainly to add a little flare to the build). I purchased the kit that includes 3 fans and the 2 controllers. I understand I need to plug the fans RGB connection into the included controller and then lighting node to a USB header, but as for the PWM connection, am I plugging those into (3) available fan headers on the mobo? Assuming this is the case will I be able to control the fans from iCue the same as i can with the fans connected to the AIO pump? Any suggestions/advice welcome Unfortunately, the iCUE software won't control fans connected to the motherboard. The workaround here would be PWM Fan Splitter Cables so you can connect the 3 new fans with the 3 existing. The only caveat here is mixing fans that may have different RPM levels. Ideally, you'd want all ML fans together, if possible. Mixing LL and ML via a splitter cable will likely result in some cap on the RPMs, given they each have different specs. I don't believe adding three fans to the existing three via the splitters will create any power load issue, but I'm sure a few of the more experienced forum users here can chime in with confirmation. Good luck with your upgrade. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJilm Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 Unfortunately, the iCUE software won't control fans connected to the motherboard. The workaround here would be PWM Fan Splitter Cables so you can connect the 3 new fans with the 3 existing. The only caveat here is mixing fans that may have different RPM levels. Ideally, you'd want all ML fans together, if possible. Mixing LL and ML via a splitter cable will likely result in some cap on the RPMs, given they each have different specs. I don't believe adding three fans to the existing three via the splitters will create any power load issue, but I'm sure a few of the more experienced forum users here can chime in with confirmation. Good luck with your upgrade. Tony The fans that come with the h150i Pro are ML so I should be ok then right? Now am i correct that in your work around I would be connecting the splitters to the cable that runs off the pump (and then connecting 2 fans to each)? What are my other options for having iCue control the fans? What if I bought a commander would that work? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjgodin Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 (edited) The fans that come with the h150i Pro are ML so I should be ok then right? Now am i correct that in your work around I would be connecting the splitters to the cable that runs off the pump (and then connecting 2 fans to each)? What are my other options for having iCue control the fans? What if I bought a commander would that work? Thanks Yes, if you are attaching ML's I don't see any issue. Also confirming "would be connecting the splitters to the cable that runs off the pump (and then connecting 2 fans to each)", that is correct. A Commander Pro would also be a good option, just more expensive, but it also gives you flexibility. That is what I use in my setup with an H100i RGB Platinum in push/pull configuration. I left the existing fans hooked up through the AIO and then connected the new fans to the Commander Pro. I used LL fans in the front as I wanted to take advantage of the 16 LEDs that come with each of them vs. the 4 LEDs on the ML RGB fans. Just a personal preference, but should note the MLs are more powerful in terms of max RPMs. You also get 4 temperature monitor wires with the Commander Pro, which I've found extremely useful, in the overall case temp management. Custom fan curves can be applied using them too. If you use the Commander Pro, you won't likely need the Lighting Node Pro that came with the 3 fan kit. You will, however, use the RGB LED hub from the kit. The Commander Pro also gives you two USB ports, so you can connect the Commander Pro to the USB 2.0 Header on the motherboard and then connect the AIO USB cable to the Commander Pro. I only had one USB 2.0 Header on my motherboard, so this was an added solution. Not an issue, if you have 2 USB headers on your motherboard. Tony Edited May 10, 2019 by tjgodin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJilm Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 Yes, if you are attaching ML's I don't see any issue. Also confirming "would be connecting the splitters to the cable that runs off the pump (and then connecting 2 fans to each)", that is correct. A Commander Pro would also be a good option, just more expensive, but it also gives you flexibility. That is what I use in my setup with an H100i RGB Platinum in push/pull configuration. I left the existing fans hooked up through the AIO and then connected the new fans to the Commander Pro. I used LL fans in the front as I wanted to take advantage of the 16 LEDs that come with each of them vs. the 4 LEDs on the ML RGB fans. Just a personal preference, but should note the MLs are more powerful in terms of max RPMs. You also get 4 temperature monitor wires with the Commander Pro, which I've found extremely useful, in the overall case temp management. Custom fan curves can be applied using them too. If you use the Commander Pro, you won't likely need the Lighting Node Pro that came with the 3 fan kit. You will, however, use the RGB LED hub from the kit. The Commander Pro also gives you two USB ports, so you can connect the Commander Pro to the USB 2.0 Header on the motherboard and then connect the AIO USB cable to the Commander Pro. I only had one USB 2.0 Header on my motherboard, so this was an added solution. Not an issue, if you have 2 USB headers on your motherboard. Tony This is awesome...thanks so much for this info. I think i might just go the commander pro route. Again thanks for all your help here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjgodin Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 This is awesome...thanks so much for this info. I think i might just go the commander pro route. Again thanks for all your help here All good, you're welcome. Last thing I'll mention is the new fans through the Commander Pro will be controlled separately and not directly tied to the profile on the AIO tab in iCUE. You can still create a custom fan curve and tie it to the rad temp, but its not the same as using fan splitters, where the fans on the splitter would be tied together. Just a minor point, I wanted to call out. I don't have any issues with my setup and my front fans pretty much follow the AIO fans, after some tweaking. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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