RGB lighting or how to set up a party of lights on your pc

How to add a party of lights to your PC in a very simple way

In the past, adding lighting to a PC required serious investigation of components and potentially complex wiring. But thanks to the large number of gaming devices with integrated LEDs that have hit the market, it has never been easier to turn your PC into a light show. If you are taking your first steps in lighting, or simply want to add a touch of subtle color, the best way to start is to opt for the simplest. Most leading PC component manufacturers offer parts with pre-installed RGB LEDs.

There are boxes with built-in lights, like the NZXT Noctis 450 ROG, motherboards like Gigabyte Aorus, Asus ROG Strix, and MSI Gaming Pro that also include built-in LEDs and accompanying control apps. It is the same story with the latest GPUs. You can even find heat sinks and RAM modules with lights, like G. Skill's Trident Z RGB series. Getting started with these extremely simple components, since you only need to install them, download the drivers application and start creating your color designs.

Of course, when selecting components from different manufacturers, coordinating all those flashing LEDs, across multiple applications, can be a challenge, but thankfully there are signs of collaboration. Asus' Aura Sync app offers API support, allowing third-party components to sync up with integrated LEDs. MSI's Mystic Light Sync has partnerships with Corsair, G.Skill, Bitfenix, Phanteks, and others.

Take it to the next level with RGB LED strips and a controller

If you want to go a step further than the above, affordable, modular LED strip lights are the way to go. They can be placed around the inside of the PC case, using removable or magnetic adhesive strips. Usually they will connect to a USB header on the motherboard, with power support and software control. You should be on the lookout for new motherboards with dedicated RGB LED headers, which allow for easier installation and don't take up that USB header you might need for your front panel ports. You can get single-color or multi-color LED strips from a variety of manufacturers.

If you're upgrading an existing PC with LED lights, powering and syncing multiple components is made a lot easier with a dedicated lighting controller. Just like a fan controller regulates the power and spin speed of your box's fans, a lighting controller manages the timing and power of the LED lights.

An example of these kits is the famous Asus ROG Aura Terminal, which is offered in a pack containing the controller along with two RGB LED strips, two extender cables, a power supply and a good number of cables and adapters to increase the maximum the possibilities of use. With this, we have the ingredients to build a vibrant and saturated color desktop PC that deserves a place in the best battle stations.

In total the bundle includes:

One Asus ROG AURA terminal controller Three extension cables of 120 cm2 RGB LED strips of 30cm with 15 LEDs each 1 RGB LED strip of 60 cm RGB strips with 30 LEDs One microUSB cable to USB 2.0 header One microUSB cable to USB 2.0 type AUn adapter 45W current One 4-pin DC-in to Molex cable Quick start guide Two ROG clamps One sticker with Asus ROG logo

Earlier we mentioned that LED lighting uses the USB header of the motherboard. If you're already using those headers, for example to control an all-in-one refrigerator, you may need a solution. Many manufacturers offer us internal USB hubs that are a neat solution. These hubs connect to a spare USB 2.0 header and provide several additional USBs.

Installing the Asus ROG AURA terminal lighting controller is pretty easy. The mysterious black box is similar in size to a 2.5-inch SSD, and in the box you'll find a bracket that allows installation on an available SSD mounting plate in your chassis. On the back of the controller, you will see four ports. From left to right, there is a 5V DC power input, a Micro-USB port, and two four-pin connectors, which are used to connect the lights.

If you can, it is best to connect the cables to the controller before mounting it to the chassis, as reaching the back of the box to secure the cables can be tricky once the controller is installed.

First, connect one end of the supplied power cable to the 5V DC input, and connect the other end to a Molex connector that runs from your PC's power source. Next, it's the turn of the micro-USB cable. You'll notice that this cable has a regular Micro-USB connector on one end, and a female connector block designed for a nine-pin USB header at the other. This connects to the motherboard or USB hub, if necessary. The good thing about these connectors is that they only fit one way, making it relatively easy to slide the connector onto the legs.

Finally, we come to the LED strips themselves, as they help you with the extenders if you need more length to place them wherever you want. Put the strips where you want them, and then run an extension cord from the first port on the controller to the closest LED strip connector. Continue routing the extension cords between the LED strips until they are all connected.

All the lighting management of this party of lights is done through the popular Asus Aura Sync application, which offers us a very clear and intuitive interface to make it very easy to use. This application allows you to configure up to 16.8 million colors, as well as various light effects. Its custom mode makes it possible to customize the lighting of each of the diodes of the strips, so the options are maximum.