ARGB for older motherboards?

[Troika]

So, I want to get a kit of 4 ARGB fans an a strip for a build I'm working on because it'll look pretty nice but older motherboards that predate the ARGB era (a Gigabyte Z97 G1 Sniper in this case) don't have any headers for them. I know there's basic RGB kits out there that have remotes and pre-programed patterns n' such but I want something that's higher quality and has the ability to let me control the fan speed via pwm. Is there anything like a usb 2.0 header to 3 pin 5v or something like that out there? I haven't been able to find anything yet except some weird cable that goes from 3 pin 5v to 3 pin fan header.

[GuiltySpark_]

Corsair, NZXT, Cooler Master, Lian Li just to name a few rely on their own controller for ARGB and all support PWM fans. 

[Troika]

2 hours ago, rickeo said:

Corsair, NZXT, Cooler Master, Lian Li just to name a few rely on their own controller for ARGB and all support PWM fans. 

And they don't have to be plugged into the motherboard with a rgb 5v/12v cable to function?

[GuiltySpark_]

2 minutes ago, Troika said:

And they don't have to be plugged into the motherboard with a rgb 5v/12v cable to function?

Nope, just an internal USB2 header. It's a fully self contained system that doesn't rely on the motherboard or motherboards RGB software to function. 

[Troika]

Just now, rickeo said:

Nope, just an internal USB2 header. It's a fully self contained system that doesn't rely on the motherboard or motherboards RGB software to function. 

Awesome! Any in particular that are a good balance between performance and looks. I'd say price but most things with eye candy tend to be priced higher than performance fans.

[GuiltySpark_]

3 minutes ago, Troika said:

Awesome! Any in particular that are a good balance between performance and looks. I'd say price but most things with eye candy tend to be priced higher than performance fans.

RGB is in a weird spot. On one hand, you have the totally open standard ARGB (5v, 3pin) stuff then certain companies like the ones I mentioned do their own thing with proprietary connectors and software. 

 

The big decision you have to make is if you want to jump into an ecosystem and just use all of their products since it'll all work flawlessly together.  Some can be adapted to work with other systems (ARGB stuff with Corsair with the right adapter) and some can't. 

 

If I had started all over and I had the budget, I would just go all corsair. So many products and a couple lines of fans are quite high quality.

 

Another thing to look out for is there will always be people who complain about every companies software suite while other use it just fine. I never really had any problems with Corsairs iCUE in the past but some absolutely despise it. 

[Troika]

1 hour ago, rickeo said:

RGB is in a weird spot. On one hand, you have the totally open standard ARGB (5v, 3pin) stuff then certain companies like the ones I mentioned do their own thing with proprietary connectors and software. 

 

The big decision you have to make is if you want to jump into an ecosystem and just use all of their products since it'll all work flawlessly together.  Some can be adapted to work with other systems (ARGB stuff with Corsair with the right adapter) and some can't. 

 

If I had started all over and I had the budget, I would just go all corsair. So many products and a couple lines of fans are quite high quality.

 

Another thing to look out for is there will always be people who complain about every companies software suite while other use it just fine. I never really had any problems with Corsairs iCUE in the past but some absolutely despise it. 

Yeah, we use icue a lot at work with Corsair fans and we don't like it. Sometimes it doesn't work and we get a lot of DOA Commander pros and its really annoying. Not that there's all that many options that are less painless that we handle. Our inhouse rgb fans aren't great either. I'll probably do some more research and find some that have a good balance of the things I want. Good airflow is a priority, ease of installation would also be a big plus but once the fans are in, as long as they don't suddenly stop working, they're staying there.

[thrasher_565]

5 hours ago, Troika said:

Yeah, we use icue a lot at work with Corsair fans and we don't like it. Sometimes it doesn't work and we get a lot of DOA Commander pros and its really annoying. Not that there's all that many options that are less painless that we handle. Our inhouse rgb fans aren't great either. I'll probably do some more research and find some that have a good balance of the things I want. Good airflow is a priority, ease of installation would also be a big plus but once the fans are in, as long as they don't suddenly stop working, they're staying there.

corsair seem to have the best custem options. aqua computer dose to i think but both are proprietary. ek is in bata but i have not looked at what they have now and dont own one yet. i dont no about lianli. thermaltake is more simple but proprietary. ied stay away form coolermaster... razer es meh sould work well with there eco system. nzxt is confusing imo. aso to who offers the best performance rgb fan that i dont no. if you want performance get a rgb grill.

 

side note nice to hear some one that deals with this stuff on the inside.

 

Odds and Sods Argb Rgb Links

Corsair Lian Li Bykski Barrow thermaltake nzxt aquacomputer 5v argb pin out guide + argb info

Edited June 4, 2021 by thrasher_565