Inside be quiet!

09.11.2021

With the Pure Base 500DX, the Silent Loop 2 and the brand new Light Wings, be quiet! offers a diverse selection of ARGB products. But what is the best way to combine the shining wonders?

RGB VS ARGB motherboard header

In order to achieve the perfect presentation of ARGB products, it is worthwhile to think in advance about how many connections are needed so that after assembling the new gaming PC everything works as desired. Due to the technical progress of recent years and the large number of illuminated PC accessories, you should first take a look at the mainboard manual to find out which and how many connections are available in general.

Current mainboards offer two kinds of different connectors: 12V RGB header and 5V ARGB header. Depending on the brand of the mainboard, there may be different names for this. MSI for example names their 5V ARGB headers JRAINBOW, while Asus often refers to them as ADD GEN2.

Light Wings ARGB and PWM connector

These connectors can be visually distinguished by the fact that RGB headers have four pins, while ARGB headers have only three of them. Luminous components can be connected to both types, but the range of functions is different. Via 5V ARGB headers, the individual LEDs of the connected device can be addressed (which is why the "A" stands for "addressable"), via 12V RGB headers all LEDs are synchronized. An LED strip that has an RGB connector thus only lights up in one color at a time. An ARGB header can also be used to display advanced effects, such as the popular rainbow effect.

Very important: RGB and ARGB are incompatible. In addition to the voltage, the difference is mainly in the control: The color is regulated via three channels ("R", "G" and "B") for RGB connections, and only via one channel ("Data") for ARGB connections. RGB lighting as featured in the Dark Base 700 for example therefore requires an RGB header. Modern ARGB fans, such as the Light Wings, require an ARGB header. In the long term, ARGB technology could prevail in the high-end sector due to its higher versatility, even if the production costs are higher than the RGB counterparts.

ARGB hub

True RGB enthusiasts often want to install more colored products than headers are available. Although it is possible for example to combine two ARGB fans to an ARGB header by means of an adapter cable connected in series, the output power of the header must be observed closely. In the worst case, the connection can be overloaded and damaged. The ARGB hub provides a solution here. The distributor included in each Triple Pack of Light Wings has an ARGB input and six ARGB outputs. Which means that in addition to the three fans, the lighting of the Pure Base 500DX and the Silent Loop 2 can also be connected to the hub, for example.

As a result, the PC shines in the light setting defined by the controller or mainboard software. Since the connection is ultimately established via a header on the mainboard, the software of the mainboard manufacturer used does not differentiate between the various connected ARGB devices. A predefined comet or rainbow effect therefore appears on all connected components. 

In order for the gaming PC to shine in all colors and effects to work as desired, you should check exactly how many and which ports are available before purchasing new or using old products, in order to avoid hardware damage and prevent incompatibilities. Ideally, you depend entirely on the modern ARGB standard and use a dedicated hub for more than two LED products per available ARGB header.

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