I recently picked up a Thermaltake Core P7 case. I have temporarily installed an i7-3770K CPU and ASUS P8Z77-WS motherboard. It looks alright but it is definitely boring. I'd like to bling it up with some RGB fans and light strips.
The problem I have is that as far as I can tell there is no single unifying standard. A manufacturer's RGB controller can control only their fans/strips. Sometimes even the RGB connector is proprietary so it won't fit literally anywhere else. Corsair is exceptionally complicated as you cannot even mix different fan types (SP vs HD vs LL) on the same fan hub. The motherboard makers aren't much better, with Gigabyte using a special 5-pin connector (for pure white) instead of the standard 4-pin.
What I would like to know is whether or not the manufacturers have announced plans to start making things cross-compatible. I really don't want to run multiple RGB control apps and syncing them together from multiple vendors is starting to look like a nightmare.
As an alternative, is there a single app that is cross-platform and can control all these various RGB products under one console? I can't imagine getting everything to work together otherwise.
Sure I could go with a single manufacturer, but I can't seem to find one that provides everything I want. Thermaltake is close with their Riing Plus series (which includes PSUs), but the software is terrible. Corsair doesn't have a RGB PSU. NZXT fans don't look great but the software is nice.
I do intend on installing watercooling (haven't done that in 12 years and even then it was with a Reservator 1), but I cannot figure out if the RGB waterblocks (GPU and CPU) can be controlled in software at all. I'm rusty enough to consider going AiO on that front, but I am unimpressed with the Kraken G12 mount I would really prefer a full jacket solution for my RX 480 as those VRMs get really hot.
So, am I jumping into RGB too soon or have I overlooked something crucial?
Thanks in advance!
The problem I have is that as far as I can tell there is no single unifying standard. A manufacturer's RGB controller can control only their fans/strips. Sometimes even the RGB connector is proprietary so it won't fit literally anywhere else. Corsair is exceptionally complicated as you cannot even mix different fan types (SP vs HD vs LL) on the same fan hub. The motherboard makers aren't much better, with Gigabyte using a special 5-pin connector (for pure white) instead of the standard 4-pin.
What I would like to know is whether or not the manufacturers have announced plans to start making things cross-compatible. I really don't want to run multiple RGB control apps and syncing them together from multiple vendors is starting to look like a nightmare.
As an alternative, is there a single app that is cross-platform and can control all these various RGB products under one console? I can't imagine getting everything to work together otherwise.
Sure I could go with a single manufacturer, but I can't seem to find one that provides everything I want. Thermaltake is close with their Riing Plus series (which includes PSUs), but the software is terrible. Corsair doesn't have a RGB PSU. NZXT fans don't look great but the software is nice.
I do intend on installing watercooling (haven't done that in 12 years and even then it was with a Reservator 1), but I cannot figure out if the RGB waterblocks (GPU and CPU) can be controlled in software at all. I'm rusty enough to consider going AiO on that front, but I am unimpressed with the Kraken G12 mount I would really prefer a full jacket solution for my RX 480 as those VRMs get really hot.
So, am I jumping into RGB too soon or have I overlooked something crucial?
Thanks in advance!