Lian Li + 9 rgb fans

Hey guys so I desperately needed to post here to make sure I've got my facts straight before I order parts for my new PC.

I'm wanting to power and control the 9 fans and ideally I did want the corsair led strips but don't think I have enough sata ports to power everything.

 

My main question is, do I definitely need the commander pro for this?

 

My parts in question

- H150i Pro +3 ML120RGB fans that come with it

- 6 LL120RGB fans (2 packs of 3x fans with the node pro)

- Asus Prime Z390 mobo

- Lian-Li PC 011DW case

- Optional corsair led strips (lighting node pro)

 

I've checked Zotty's diagrams and basically think I HAVE to purchase the commander pro so that I've got enough fan headers and sata ports to power them everything.

I'm pretty sure the Z390prime only has 6 sata ports so they would all be occupied by the following:

2x rgbled controllers

1x commander pro

1x H150i Pro

1x 2TB HDD

1x 240gb SSD

 

So is that correct? and if so that means I can't fit the led strips right? :(

 

Next question sorry.

The fan headers I can only seem to count 4.

1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)

1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)

2 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (2 x 4 -pin)

I wasn't sure if I can count the

1 x EXT_Fan header

1 x M.2 Fan Header?

So with the 6 LL120 fans I wouldn't have enough fan headers to power them unless I bought the commander pro right?

 

Honestly if someone could clear that up for me I would be over the moon thank you.

The EXT (external fan) header is for a separate fan "card" Asus sells. It's basically a fan hub that slaves 3 more fans to one header. There usually are some limitations, but it varies between board models. I suspect you can run another fan from the m.2 slot and not just some little 40mm model, but you won't need to. Yes, I do think you should get a Commander Pro for all this. It simplifies a few things, provides fan control for 6, 2 more USB 2.0 ports, and will put fan control on the desktop in the iCUE app, instead of the BIOS.

 

The Commander Pro will cover all your fans. The 3 ML-Quiet that come with the H150i can go on the cooler's fan controller and will be controllable in iCUE. The 6 LL then go on the 6 ports of the C-Pro. That's all 9 fans, software controllable with the same or different variables on a per fan basis. You will also be able to jack the H150i USB into the C-Pro and another Lighting Node Pro if needed. That should cover it. If you don't get a C-Pro, you have something of a dilemma. The CPU and OPT headers are mirrors of each other and only do CPU temp control. You don't want case fans running off CPU temp. The H150i will plug into CPU fan, but only to prevent boot error and provide a BIOS speed signal. That makes OPT worthless. You then have two chassis fan headers for 6 fans. At 0.30A each, using 3 on a splitter is a bit risky with a 1.0A header limit. I don't recommend it. Given the total expense of everything involved, getting the Commander Pro solves a lot of problems for a relatively low cost.

 

The SATA cables in question for the RGB stuff are of the power variety, like what supplies power to your HDD/SSDs, not the data transmission 6GB/s kind that goes into the motherboard. You should have plenty of those, although you will surely need another 3 SATA ribbon coming off your power supply. The C-Pro, LNP, H150i, and the LL's RGB Lighting Hub all require their own SATA power connector. They do not need to be on the same connector. This is power supply only.

As usual, c-attack is dead on. There is, however, I'd like to add a little more detail about the Commander Pro. As c-attack mentioned, CPU temp isn't a good control variable for case fans, especially when you are using liquid cooling. The Commander Pro comes with 4 thermistors that, sadly, too many people just ignore. Don't. You can use these to measure your case's internal temperature and base your case fans off of that. It's super-useful.

Wow can't thank you guys enough for your input on my questions. I'll definitely pick up the commander pro to simplify everything. Lol I also was going to be one of those people who doesn't use the thermistors but I will instead put them to use.

Cheers guys, much appreciate it

Oh ... and if you are doing liquid cooling, having a thermistor in the radiator exhaust stream is a good proxy for the coolant temperature. ;)