If your gaming PC needs a refresh with a little splash of colour – look no further. In this blog post, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about RGB lighting, from different types of RGB to synchronisation and control – all your questions will be answered.
What is RGB Lighting?
RGB stands for red, green, and blue. Products that have RGB LED lighting combine these colours to create over 16 million different colours of light.
What are the Different Types of RGB?
RGB
RGB is the standard LED lighting that can only show one static colour at one time.
ARGB/DRGB
ARGB or DRGB stands for addressable RGB. With aRGB you can now customise all of the individual LEDs to display a variety of colours at the same time. You can create stunning visual displays using lighting effects, such as rainbow wave or breathing. All of which is controlled via software connected to your motherboard or a separate RGB LED controller.
If you are using your motherboard to introduce some RGB into your gaming PC, you need to take into account which RGB headers your motherboard and components have. If you don’t take into account the different headers, you risk short circuiting your motherboard or the LED strip, due to the different voltages. Additionally, you can only control components with the corresponding aRGB LEDs. 3-pin aRGB headers are not compatible with components that use a 4-pin RGB connector.
12V 4-pin header –
A 4-pin header is commonly referred to as a non-addressable RGB connector. This is because it has four pins that are all used for red, green, blue and ground, meaning there is no data stream. The lack of a data stream means you are unable to edit the individual LEDs in your hardware. Every LED will be on the same circuit, therefore the same colour.
5V 3-pin header –
On the other hand, a 5V 3-pin header is needed for aRGB/dRGB. The 3-pin connectors have separate pins for power, data and ground, and there is a data stream that gets sent across the pins. The data stream enables you to individually control each individual LED. Customise the colours, brightness, lighting effects and much more!
Control Software
Most motherboards will include corresponding control software which is used to customise and control your RGB or aRGB hardware. If you are looking to find which software is compatible, the motherboard’s user manual, along with the manufacturer’s websites will detail this information.
The control software acts as a one-stop-shop for you to customise and monitor all the components that you have connected via your motherboard.
What are RGB Controllers Used For?
If your motherboard doesn’t support RGB or aRGB headers, then you can use an RGB controller. These usually require a USB header on the motherboard along with a SATA power connector. RGB controllers allow you to wave goodbye to cable clutter as you can connect multiple RGB components and accessories into one hub. Plus, you can connect more lighting hardware compared to the standard RGB and aRGB pin headers. This means you can truly experiment with your customisation to create stunning, unique displays.
RGB controllers usually have software included and will not use the motherboard’s corresponding control software. However, similar to the pin headers on a motherboard, you need to consider the compatibility of your components. Especially if you are looking to synchronise your entire RGB lighting through one software.
TechForge DRGB Light Boxes
A TechForge DRGB Light Box consists of 90 individual DRGB LEDS (model depending) which are arranged in four channels to intelligently illuminate the interior of your PC case. Compatible with the vast majority of control software, you can synchronise a TechForge Light Box with the rest of your hardware for a dramatic light show.
TechForge DRGB Light Boxes have been designed to be compatible with a selection of popular PC cases, including the Phanteks NV7 and Lian Li O11.
If you want to learn more about TechForge Light Boxes and how you can utilise them in your gaming PC, check out our dedicated blog post!
Our Recommended Products
Overclockers UK has an extensive range of RGB products available. From pre-built PCs, components, to accessories – you can certainly splash some colour into your gaming PC.
Pre-built PCs
OcUK Gaming Calcite
- Pre-built gaming
- Intel i7 14700KF CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti Super
- 32GB DDR5 RAM
- 1TB M.2 SSD
Refract Gaming Celeste
- Pre-built gaming PC
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070
- 32GB DDR5 RAM
- 1TB M.2 SSD
OcUK Eagle
- Configurable gaming PC
- Intel i9 14900KF CPU and Radeon RX 7900 XTX
- 32GB DDR5 RAM
- 1TB M.2 SSD
Components
Cases
Lian-Li O11D
- Mid-Tower case
- Supports up to E-ATX motherboard
- 422mm GPU clearance
- Supports for complex water-cooling configurations
Phanteks NV7
- Mid-tower case
- Compatible with up to E-ATX motherboards
- 450mm GPU clearance
- Integrated RGB lighting
Kolink Unity
- Full aRGB front panel
- Tempered glass side panel
- Designed for e-ATX, ATX, Micro ATX and Mini-ATX motherboards
Motherboards
ASUS ROG Strix B650-E F ATX
- Socket AM5
- B650 chipset
- ATX form factor
- Supports DDR5
ASUS ROG Strix X670E-F ATX
- Socket AM5
- X670 chipset
- ATX form factor
- Compatible with PCIe 5.0
ASUS Prime Z790-A ATX
- LGA 1700 socket
- Z790 chipset
- ATX form factor
- Wi-Fi 6E
RAM
Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16GB
- 16GB capacity
- 2 x 8GB RAM modules
- DDR4 standard
Kingston Fury 32GB
- 32GB capacity
- 2 x 16GB RAM modules
- DDR5 standard
TeamGroup Delta 32GB
- 32GB capacity
- 2 x 16GB RAM modules
- DDR5 standard
CPU Coolers
Lian Li Galahad II LCD AiO Cooler
- AiO CPU cooler
- 280mm
- Compatible with Intel and AMD
ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 AiO Cooler
- AiO CPU cooler
- 360mm
- Supports both AM5 and LGA 1700
Phanteks Glacier One 240D AiO Cooler
- AiO CPU cooler
- 240mm
- Compatible with Intel and AMD
Graphics Cards
Gigabyte RTX 4070 Ti Super
- NVIDIA RTX 40 Series
- Ada Lovelace architecture
- 16GB GDDR6X video memory
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
- NVIDIA RTX 40 Series
- Ada Lovelace architecture
- 16GB GDDR6X video memory
Asrock Radeon RX 7900 XTX
- AMD Radeon RX 7000 Series
- RDNA 3 architecture
- 24GB GDDR6
Fans
Phanteks SK140 White 140mm Triple Pack
- Fan triple pack
- SK140 140mm fans
- Integrated RGB lighting
Corsair iCUE AR120 120mm Triple Pack
- Fan triple pack
- 3 x AR120 120mm fans
Lian Li ST120 aRGB Triple Pack
- Fan triple pack
- 3 x ST120 120mm fans
Accessories
Keyboards
Ducky Project D Tinker 75% Keyboard
- Mechanical gaming keyboard
- 75% form factor
- Cherry MX Blue key switches
Endgame Gear KB65HE 65% Keyboard
- Hall effect gaming keyboard
- 65% form factor
- Gateron KS-37B switches
Glorious GMMK 3 Pro 75% Keyboard
- Mechanical keyboard
- 75% form factor
- Glorious Fox switches
Mice
Glorious Model O USB Mouse
- Lightweight – 67/68g
- Pixart 3360 sensor
- Customisable RGB LEDs
Ducky Feather Black and White USB Mouse
- Optical gaming mouse
- PixArt PMW 3389DM sensor
- USB connectivity
Endgame Gear OP1 RGB White Frost Mouse
- Optical gaming mouse
- USB connectivity
- Kalih GX switches
Headsets
Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless Headset
- Omni-directional detachable microphone
- 20 hours of wireless battery life
- Customisable Corsair iCUE software
ASUS ROG Delta S USB RGB Headset
- ASUS AI noise-cancelling microphone
- Customisable RGB lighting
- Exclusive ASUS Essence drivers
RGB Controllers and Hubs
Lian Li Strimer L-Connect 3 Controller
- ARGB controller
- Compatible with Lian Li Strimer Plus V1 and V2 cables
- Connects via motherboard 5V ARGB and USB 2.0 headers
LEDs strips and RGB LED cables
Lian Li Strimer Plus Triple RGB GPU Extension Cable
- 30cm long
- 162 aRGB LEDs with 77 effects
- Included RGB controller
Kolink Umbra Radiant ARGB LED Strip Kit
- ARGB LED strips
- 32 LEDs per strip
- 5V 3-pin connector
Phanteks Digital RGB LED Strip – Combo Set
- Compatible with ASUS Aura Sync and MSI Mystic Light Sync
- Each strip has 30 RGB LEDs
- Included 2 x 40cm dRGB LED strips
Learn More About Your PC Hardware
Does Your Gaming Set-Up Feature RGB?
Have you utilised RGB to add a splash of colour to your battle station? If so, be sure to show off your set-up by tagging us in a photo on Facebook and Twitter (X).
*Prices correct at time of writing and PC specs are subject to change.
- 8 min read
Ruth Rowley
Author
Ruth has been with Overclockers UK for over a year and has gone on to write about everything ranging from in-depth hardware guides to monthly game releases.
Outside of writing blog posts, she can be found wrapped in a blanket with her black cat, engrossed in a book or playing life-simulation games such as The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
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