What’s the RGB Header on My Motherboard for?

If you happen to’re like me, you need to examine each millimeter of each new gadget you purchase. Motherboards, with all these totally different connectors and headers, are sensory overload heaven. Whereas connecting your followers to the motherboard, you would possibly come throughout a peculiar-looking header labeled “RGB” or “LED.”

The RGB header in your motherboard is used to energy and management the colourful LEDs on laptop components. It seems to be rather a lot like a 4-pin laptop fan header at first, however do not be fooled; RGB connectors are barely bigger and haven’t got the small plastic alignment tab current on all fan connectors. As a facet be aware, do not ever attempt to join a PC fan to the RGB header. You will not have the ability to do it, and even when you bent the pins to attach the fan, it would not work.

Here is an instance of what an RGB header seems to be like:

This one is labeled as “LED_CPU,” however you will come throughout every kind of names relying on the make and mannequin. They’re all variations of “RGB” or “LED,” so that they’re straightforward to distinguish from fan headers. Increased-end motherboards usually have a number of headers separated into totally different channels, so you will see one thing like “LED_C1” for channel 1. You could find them under the CPU, on the very backside, or on the proper facet of the entrance of the motherboard.

Because the identify signifies, this one is designed for the RGB lights on the CPU fan, totally on inventory AMD and aftermarket coolers. But it surely would not matter what the label says—so long as the pins are appropriate, you possibly can join any RGB part to it, which incorporates issues like case followers, LED strips, GPU backplates, and RGB controllers.

RGB headers on motherboards have largely been standardized, however you will nonetheless come throughout two totally different variations: 3-pin 5V addressable RGB (ARGB) and 12V RGB. These are incompatible with each other, as they use the connectors in fully other ways.

3-pin ARGB headers appear like they’ve 4 pins, however the “third” one is definitely lacking. The primary pin is for the 5V voltage widespread collector (VCC) pin, the second is labeled “D” for knowledge, and the final one is for a floor connection, both labeled with “GND” or a ⏚ (floor image). You may additionally come throughout “VDG” headers that solely have 3 pins on older Gigabyte motherboards. Since they operate identically to common ARGB headers, you should utilize them with any ARGB machine by connecting them by means of an adapter.

The explanation they’re known as “addressable” is as a result of you possibly can management every particular person LED, because of the information pin. That is what permits for flowing and dancing gentle reveals that the older 12V RGB headers cannot do.

As for 12V RGB headers, you in all probability already know that “RGB” stands for “crimson, inexperienced, and blue.” However on computer systems, they’re really in a barely totally different order: 12VGRB. Once more, the primary pin is to energy the lights, and the opposite three pins management the respectable colours. These aren’t individually addressable, which implies all lights in your LED strip or fan work in unison and alter colours concurrently.

Are your RGB goodies incompatible together with your motherboard? I hear you. If in case you have ARGB elements, your cash is finest spent on an addressable RGB controller. Make your life simpler by shopping for one which’s from a model you already use, resembling Corsair or Razer.

However don’t fret when you’re nonetheless caught on 12V RGB components like me. You may get a appropriate controller that plugs into an old style USB port in your PC or a Molex/SATA connector out of your energy provide. You will not get fancy Christmas light-like results, however you should utilize a battery-powered distant or perhaps a smartphone app for a contemporary strategy to management the lights.