Question RGB Setup for ASUS Prime Z390-A

[badfishv]

So I just recently upgraded after a couple years and decided to go with an RGB setup with my case. I ordered a 3-Pack of upHere 120mm fans, but didn't realize until I received them that they are 5V 3-PIN. Unfortunately my board (ASUS Prime Z390-A) only supports 12V 4-Pin RGB fans. So I am planning on returning them, but I can't seem to find any decent 12V 4-PIN fans that are compatible with ASUS Aura. If you wonderful people have any suggestions for 12v 4-Pin RGB Aura compatible case fans, it would be much appreciated!! Thank you so much in advanced.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Anything listed here should be compatible.

https://www.asus.com/campaign/aura/us/Partners-and-promotions.html

 

[badfishv]

Oh perfect!! This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you very much for your help!!

EDIT Upon looking through the link you posted, all the fans I've looked at are actually 5v 3-PIN fans.

 

[Darkbreeze]

The LEDs are all going to be 5v. The fans themselves, are 12v. These are 12v fans, with 5v ASUS Aura LEDs.

Fractal Design Prisma AL-12 /PWM

There are many others on there as well.

 

[Paperdoc]

Your small confusion is normal. Like similar utilities supplied by other mobo makers, the ASUS Aura Sync tool can be used with both 3-pin (5 VDC ADDR RGB) and 4-pin (12 VDC plain RGB) lighting systems. That's because mobos are made with both type of headers. Is is designed to work with either type of mobo RGB header, so the name of the utility does NOT tell you what type of lighting device you need. You need to match your RGB lighting devices (including those mounted in a fan frame) to the type of header you have available on your mobo. To do that, look carefully at the specs of the fans you consider, and at their photos.

First, specs. RGB fans all come with TWO cables to them - one for the motor, ending in a standard female 3- or 4-pin fan connector, and another ending in a larger female 3- or 4-pin RGB connector. The specs should say clearly that these are either RGB lights or Addressable RGB (aka ADDR RGB or ARGB) lights. They may also specify that they are for either 12 V or 5 V systems: the plain RGB are the 12 V systems with 4-pin RGB connectors, and the ADDR RGB are the 5 V systems with 3-pin connectors. Sometimes the specs also caution you to connect only to the correct type of RGB header. (Although the LED's involved all actually use 5 VDC on their leads, that detail is normally ignored in the specs and you are only told they need either a 12 V or a 5 V connection.)

Secondly, illustrative photos. In a plain (4-pin 12 VDC) system all of the lights in the entire lighting unit (one fan) will be only one colour at any moment, although that can be changed to another later. In the ADDR RGB system, one device can show many different colours along its length at the same time, so you will see photos showing a rainbow of colours around the ring of the fan to emphasize this feature. That can be a big clue, easy to see as you scan though web pages. Using that you can focus in on the type you are looking for and then confirm by examining specs.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's good to know Paperdoc, because unlike most other areas related to cooling, these newer RGB control systems are something I am not specifically well versed in yet. Working on adding that information into my knowledge base, but since I'm not somebody who thinks EVERYTHING needs to be RGB, it's hard to find a lot of enthusiasm for it. I like seeing SOME lighting, so light strips, OR lighted fans, or whatever is all fine in my book, but having everything look like the guy's house at the end of the street that has every available inch of space covered with Christmas lights just gets to be annoying after a while.