Gigabyte Gaming 7 z170 LED's

[Sleepingalex24]

So I have a gigabyte gaming 7 z170 which comes with a rgb led backplate. I want to install rgb led strips into my case. What i would like to do is plug the strips into the port where the backplate plugs in. Then i would plug the back plate into the strips. What type of strips do i need for the connector that it has ? It's the top connector in the picture.

 

[white_tiger]

It's hard to see the 4-pin header from the angle of your image but I also own the Gigabyte Gaming 7 mobo. I understand what you're trying to do but from looking at the manual you're only going to get 5V from the header connection, enough for I/O shield lighting but probably not for your entire case.

I have the Phanteks Enthoo Luxe which has exterior lighting built in to the case. It requires a SATA power connection to the PSU in order to light up both sides of the exterior.

What case are you using? Case manufacturers often release their own LED strips which ensures compatibility however there are 3rd party options out there (which seem to use SATA or their own separate PSU). For illustrative purposes, this (Australian) website has a few options collected together which you can look in to:

https://www.pccasegear.com/category/1354_1356/modding/led-lighting

some 3rd party options:

https://cablemod.com/products/?filter_product-category=86
http://www.phobya.com/eng/phobya.html

 

[Sleepingalex24]

It's hard to see the 4-pin header from the angle of your image but I also own the Gigabyte Gaming 7 mobo. I understand what you're trying to do but from looking at the manual you're only going to get 5V from the header connection, enough for I/O shield lighting but probably not for your entire case.

I have the Phanteks Enthoo Luxe which has exterior lighting built in to the case. It requires a SATA power connection to the PSU in order to light up both sides of the exterior.

What case are you using? Case manufacturers often release their own LED strips which ensures compatibility however there are 3rd party options out there (which seem to use SATA or their own separate PSU). For illustrative purposes, this (Australian) website has a few options collected together which you can look in to:

https://www.pccasegear.com/category/1354_1356/modding/led-lighting

some 3rd party options:

https://cablemod.com/products/?filter_product-category=86
http://www.phobya.com/eng/phobya.html

I'm using an nzxt h440 and i know that there is an led component in the psu shroud and that goes to some hub in the back although there is only one plug which is taken up by the led and its not rgb which is the type of led's i want to get. so would you suggest just getting some third party led's that come with a controller?

 

[Sleepingalex24]

It's hard to see the 4-pin header from the angle of your image but I also own the Gigabyte Gaming 7 mobo. I understand what you're trying to do but from looking at the manual you're only going to get 5V from the header connection, enough for I/O shield lighting but probably not for your entire case.

I have the Phanteks Enthoo Luxe which has exterior lighting built in to the case. It requires a SATA power connection to the PSU in order to light up both sides of the exterior.

What case are you using? Case manufacturers often release their own LED strips which ensures compatibility however there are 3rd party options out there (which seem to use SATA or their own separate PSU). For illustrative purposes, this (Australian) website has a few options collected together which you can look in to:

https://www.pccasegear.com/category/1354_1356/modding/led-lighting

some 3rd party options:

https://cablemod.com/products/?filter_product-category=86
http://www.phobya.com/eng/phobya.html

I'm using an nzxt h440 and i know that there is an led component in the psu shroud and that goes to some hub in the back although there is only one plug which is taken up by the led and its not rgb which is the type of led's i want to get. so would you suggest just getting some third party led's that come with a controller?

 

[white_tiger]

I'm using an nzxt h440 and i know that there is an led component in the psu shroud and that goes to some hub in the back although there is only one plug which is taken up by the led and its not rgb which is the type of led's i want to get. so would you suggest just getting some third party led's that come with a controller?

I'm not familiar with this specific case but from the manual it looks like the LED hub is used for the I/O and NZXT logo lighting.

When it comes to LED lighting strips, I'd base my decision on:

1. whether I like the colour, look and brightness of the lighting strips; and
2. checking that I'm able to provide power the strips.

Personally I'd go with case manufacturer strips as they should be compatible with your case and be a good aesthetic fit. Nothing wrong with 3rd party strips if you prefer their look and functionality over the case manufacturer's offerings.

NZXT do sell lighting strips but they're not RGB, they come fixed colours of blue, red, green and white in either 1m or 2m lengths. They're powered by a Molex (4-pin) cable so check if you're able to connect it to your PSU. The lighting looks to be controlled via an interface that you install on a rear PCI bracket but it doesn't actually plug into your motherboard.

https://www.nzxt.com/products/lighting-kit

The NZXT website has links to all retailers who sell their lighting kit, Amazon of course have them in stock:

1m length - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046Y7OF0
2m length - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046Y1622

If you're not sure which length you need, I used a ball of string and taped it to the area I wanted to cover inside the case. Measure the string afterwards and rounding up to the nearest metre should give you an idea of which length to buy.

If you want a brighter kit or the option for full RGB lighting then you'll want to look into 3rd party lighting kits. I can't recommend any kits as I've never used them before.