RANT: Steps forward in RGB quality for fans have been steps back in every other category

Bageland2000

Bageland2000

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 19, 2013
Messages
331
I'm working a new build and I'm on the RGB train. I like pretty colors, whatever, that's me. But I won't sacrifice aesthetics for other conveniences that have already been standardized in the industry.

For example. I'm looking for RGB fans that fit the aesthetics I'm looking for and are ASUS Aura compatible. I found that the Enermax T.B. RGB fans fit the exact aesthetic I'm looking for, and are Aura compatible. Cool! Except wait, PWM--a standard fan control method that's been universal for over a damn decade--is not supported. How difficult would it have been for Enermax to design a single wire to go to a single fan header on the MB for speed control!? I have to imagine that most enthusiasts who are pouring money into aesthetics also want to, I don't know.... control their fans via BIOS fan profiles or via software solutions!

I'm looking for a fan that is RBG, with quality components, aura compatible, and is PWM controllable. How is this so hard to find!? I'm certainly willing to pay for it. Why are there SO MANY options that suck SO BAD.

Cases designed to look like the wet dream of a unicorn have been white-hot in the industry for the better part of a decade now. How are there so many bad solutions!?
 
I feel ya. Personally I opted for Phanteks Halos added to fans I actually want.

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Yeah I would ditto that. The halos work with any fan so you're not stuck with a fan that has pretty lights but shitty performance.
 
So I did a metric crap ton of research and found two things for those interested or in the in the same predicament as me. First, Hardware Canucks did this rant before me.


Secondly, I found this first, but HWC mentions it too. Thermaltake has a nine-device hub that plugs into both the PWM and the ASUS Aurora addressable RGB headers so you can...ya know, control your devices with the....MAINBOARD--The device literally designed to tie in and monitor/control all the other devices in your computer system.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811998162

God, they earned my business. Why anyone would want an RGB control environment separate from their motherboard is beyond me...
 
Part of me is kinda glad the best fans are a weird color combo that drives some people nuts.

I have similar feelings about RGB being tacked on to everything: if the market keeps buying for the primary reason of bling, why should they care more about function? Sucks but thats what it is, and its the same players that have been around for awhile.
 
Aluminum said:
Part of me is kinda glad the best fans are a weird color combo that drives some people nuts.

I have similar feelings about RGB being tacked on to everything: if the market keeps buying for the primary reason of bling, why should they care more about function? Sucks but thats what it is, and its the same players that have been around for awhile.
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Assuming you're referring to Noctuas? I don't know. I love putting together builds that maximize cooling efficiency, I love dialing in overclocks and RAM timing, I love doing in-depth research about flowrates and radiator performance. You know what I also love? Fucking RGB. I know how tacky it can be, but I love it because I like making color schemes, not rainbow explosions.

I don't think it has to be one of the other. Personally, though most people use RGB for rainbow effects, I think it opens up builds to be as unique as you want them to be. That's me though, so I'll spend the premium for sparkly shit. I have a lot of respect for people rocking Noctua fans though too. I actually think they look really cool in their own right.
 
Bageland2000 said:
Assuming you're referring to Noctuas? I don't know. I love putting together builds that maximize cooling efficiency, I love dialing in overclocks and RAM timing, I love doing in-depth research about flowrates and radiator performance. You know what I also love? Fucking RGB. I know how tacky it can be, but I love it because I like making color schemes, not rainbow explosions.

I don't think it has to be one of the other. Personally, though most people use RGB for rainbow effects, I think it opens up builds to be as unique as you want them to be. That's me though, so I'll spend the premium for sparkly shit. I have a lot of respect for people rocking Noctua fans though too. I actually think they look really cool in their own right.
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I dunno. I bet a lot more people use RGB for monochromatic builds or specific color schemes. The only way to convey RGB capabilities in ad copy seems to be unicorn barf, but I don't think most people actually use it that way.

At least most people with any sense of propriety. XD
 
I went to costco a month or so ago and bought myself a 3-pack of rgb motion detecting nightlight + power outage lights. Little did I realize as soon as you plug them in they start cycling thru the rgb spectrum over and over. It drove me any my family fucking nuts! You can disable that and pick one of several static colors to do and I did that to all of them. Downside is after a power outage (happens a lot - I live in a brand new subdivision that is going thru growing pains) I have to go set that static color all over again because the revert back to color cycling. Grrrr!


tl;dr version: I'm not a fan of rgb lights cycling forever.
 
It really is a shame. RGB isn't the demon that the vocal militant make it out to be, but trading good design for a fun one is a shame. There's absolutely no reason we can't have both.
 
ZeqOBpf6 said:
It really is a shame. RGB isn't the demon that the vocal militant make it out to be, but trading good design for a fun one is a shame. There's absolutely no reason we can't have both.
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On one hand, I get it: as you add more variables (RBG, compatibility, air vs SP, styling, etc.) it makes it so you can't have all elements please everyone. You'd have to make several versions of each fan. But on the other, I think that if people are springing $30-$45 per fan, it's reasonable for them to expect quality and compatibility. All RGB makers need to keep one golden rule in mind: The entire point of a motherboard is to unite ALL other devices. This includes fans, and most recent motherboards include controllers for these fans. Either integrate compatibility into the fan hubs like the TT sync, or people shouldn't buy these fans...unless there is some overwhelming reason why you need to buy a fan without some sort of mobo RGB sync and PWM control.
 
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