[SOLVED] Is my motherboard compatible with rgb fans?

Jun 26, 2020
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Hey, I have a fairly old mother board. GeForce 6100PM-M2 v7.0.
Is this compatible with any rgb fans? If yes, what ones? If no, what fans are compatible with my motherboard?
 
Solution
That mobo has no header for either of the common RGB lighting systems. If you get lighted parts you will also need a Controller of the correct type to power and control the lights.

There are two very different and incompatible RGB systems dominating now, so be sure to get all your parts for the SAME system. The simpler one is called just plain RGB, and it uses a 4-pin connector that supplies 12 VDC power to the lights, and other Ground control lines. The more complex is the Addressable RGB (or ADDR RGB or ARGB) that uses a 3-pin connector (looks a lot like the 4-pin one, but with one pin missing) and supplies its lights with 5 VDC power and a digital control line. Short-form labels often are 4-pin 12 Volt, and 3-pin 5 Volt.

Do not...

Paperdoc

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That mobo has no header for either of the common RGB lighting systems. If you get lighted parts you will also need a Controller of the correct type to power and control the lights.

There are two very different and incompatible RGB systems dominating now, so be sure to get all your parts for the SAME system. The simpler one is called just plain RGB, and it uses a 4-pin connector that supplies 12 VDC power to the lights, and other Ground control lines. The more complex is the Addressable RGB (or ADDR RGB or ARGB) that uses a 3-pin connector (looks a lot like the 4-pin one, but with one pin missing) and supplies its lights with 5 VDC power and a digital control line. Short-form labels often are 4-pin 12 Volt, and 3-pin 5 Volt.

Do not confuse those two labels with the way FANS are labelled. Older fans with 3 wires from them are usually called 3-pin fans (Voltage Controlled); the new design is 4-pin fans (PWM fans). So FANS are called 3-pin and 4-pin, too, and this has NOTHING to do with the use of those SAME labels for LIGHTS.

Lights may come in strips or several forms. "RGB Fabs" actually are TWO devices in one unit - a FAN, plus LIGHTS in the fan frame. Normally each of those has its own electrical cable, so the RGB Fan has two cables to connect to different places on a mobo . In your case, of course, the RGB Lights cable of a fan would go to the Controller you buy for them.
 
Solution