How to connect RGB fans to the motherboard

Connecting RGB fans to the motherboard is probably one of the best ways to make your gaming rig visually appealing. However, if you don’t have proper instructions, connecting the RGB fans to your PC can be quite tedious as all the colors of the RGB fans need to be in sync. Not doing this can make your setup cluttered and unattractive. So with that in mind, this article will give you the right guide to connect the fans to the motherboard so that they are all in sync.

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Can i mount RGB fans on my motherboard?

The answer to this question mainly depends on the type of RGB fan you buy. Usually, if you have a motherboard that doesn’t have an RGB connector, the fan will spin, but the RGB may not work. However, some fans have a controller attached to the Molex cable from the power supply. This will supply power to the LED cable. This type of fan does not require a separate RGB connector.

How to connect RGB fans

As the name suggests, static RGB fans contain static RGB lights, which only show one color at a time. Also, plugging in the static RGB fan is often a hassle as the cable end won’t fit into any of the motherboard connectors. You will need an RGB hub / bus / controller with the RGB fan to connect the fan to the motherboard. While you can connect multiple fans to the controller, it will only show one color. Before we get started, here is a list of items you need. All these items are included inside the box when you buy the RGB fan.

• Hub/Bus/Controller RGB
• Power cable (Molex or SATA)
• Microsplitter USB

Connect RGB fan to the controller

First, you need to connect all static RGB fans to the controller. On the controller slots you will see numbers like 1,2,3. The RGB fan cable is connected to these slots. It is advisable to fill in these numbered spaces in ascending order.

Connect the controller to the power supply

After inserting the RGB fans into the controller, connect the controller to one power source . One end of the power cable must be connected to the PSU (power supply unit) and the other to the controller. This cable can be a cable Molex 4-pin or cable SATA and it will power both the fans and the LED lights at the same time.

Connect the controller to the motherboard

Finally, connect the RGB fan controller to the motherboard using the micro-splitter USB .

1. Plug one end of the USB micro-splitter into the connector USB 2.0 in the motherboard.
2. Insert the other end into the micro-USB port on the controller.
3. The 2.0 connector will have nine pins that indicate USB / JUSB1 / JUSB2 sotto i pin.
4. Align the pins of the USB micro-splitter with the USB 2.0 connector and insert them carefully.
5. After everything is plugged in, now is the time to turn on the system to check if the fans are spinning and the lights come on.

Note: USB 2.0 and 3.0 connectors are usually found together on the motherboard. You can also refer to the motherboard manual to locate the USB connectors.

Also read: How to check the battery status of your Windows 10 PC

How to connect ARGB fans to the motherboard

The ARGB fans can direct and dim all the lights inside the fan separately, giving us a wide range of colors. Unlike static RGB fans, the ARGB does not require a separate controller.

ARGB fans will have two cables. One is a 4-wire system fan power connector , which can have 3 or 4 pins. Another is the LED power connector which has 3 wires and a 4 pin.

Some ARGB LED power connectors will have two more ends again, which helps connect more ARGBs using the daisy chain method.

Before connecting the addressable RGB fans, you should know the connectors of the ARGB fan LED power cable they must be linked to a header RGB a 3 pin 5V on the motherboard e not to 12V 4-pin RGB header .

The fan LED will not light up if you connect the ARGB LED power to a 4-pin 12V connector.

Note: if you can’t find the connectors on your motherboard, please refer to your motherboard manufacturer’s user manual.

Locate 3 5V pins on the motherboard

Search the motherboard ADD_HEADER/ JRAINBOW1/ JRAINBOW2 . The pin will also have +5V written under one of the pins.

Fellow worker RGB to 3 pin 5V header

Follow these steps to connect the LED power connector to header a 3 pin to 5 V of the motherboard.

1. Line up the arrow mark from the + 5V connector on the motherboard.
2. Now gently connect these two cables.
3. Connect the fan power cable to the system fan header on the motherboard. The system fan header will be indicated as SYS_FAN1, SYS_FAN2, SYS_FAN3, etc.

ARGB fans are designed in such a way that they can be daisy-chained. The daisy chain allows you to connect one LED to another, which allows them to be synchronized.

• The ARGB power cable will consist of a male and female connector when purchased together. Using this, you can connect all these LED lights to a 3 pin 5V header.
• For the fan power cable, you need to connect them to multiple system fan connectors, for example SYS_FAN1, SYS_FAN2, SYS_FAN3 .
• Once everything is connected, turn on your computer. If you’ve connected everything correctly, your computer setup should light up with RGB colors.
• Once everything is on, you can use a switch or RGB control software to manage the lighting effects of the system.

Also Read: Burnt Motherboard, Symptoms and Causes

How to connect the LED fans

For the uninitiated, there is another type of fan other than RGB. The LED fans only display one color and therefore we cannot use any software to control them. Just like the LED strip, these fans don’t require any RGB headers on the motherboard. You can use a 3-pin DC fan connector, 4-pin PWM, or a Molex connector to provide power.

You can connect the LED fans just like a normal case fan, as the LED fans will only have one cable that supplies power to the fan and the LED. You can follow these steps to connect the LED fans to the motherboard.

Locate the system fan connector

Motherboards will have four to five system fan connectors that power the case fans attached to them. Look for writing on the motherboard like SYS_FAN1, SYS_FAN2 , etc. Indicated by SYS_FAN you can see a 4 pin header.

Connect the LED to the system fan connector

To connect the cable from the LED to the motherboard, simply insert them into the header of the system fan. You can only insert these cables and the header in a certain way. If you have trouble inserting the cable, simply flip the connector over and try again. You can also try aligning the plastic push. However, these pushes on the LED connector can be hard to notice.

Carefully examine the LED connector and the system fan header before inserting them Power on the system to see if the fan and the LED light both turn on.

How to connect multiple fans to the motherboard

Static RGB fans are equipped with a controller that allows you to control the connection of more of them on a single connector on the motherboard, synchronizing them.

Digital RGB or ARGB fans they have two cables that you need to connect to the motherboard.

• FAN power cable
• RGB power cable

The RGB power cable has two ends.

• 3 pin male
• 3-pin female

Follow these processes to connect multiple ARGB fans

1. Connect the 3-pin female to the motherboard
2. Connect the male 3-pin connector to a 3-pin female connector from another ARGB fan.

We can connect two or more ARGB fans via a daisy chain with these two steps.

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Connect the RGB fans to a non-RGB motherboard

You can connect an RGB fan to a non-RGB motherboard with the help of a controller that comes with the RGB fan strip. However, if you want to connect an ARGB fan to a non-RGB motherboard, it can be quite difficult. Since an ARGB fan requires its LED power connector to connect to a 3-pin 5V connector, the manufacturer does not include this connector on a non-RGB motherboard.

Difference between LED fans and RGB fans

LED fans only have one specific color, which we cannot change. This is why the RGB control application will not work on these fans. Unlike LED fans, RGB fans show three different colors, red, green or blue. Although the RGB fans are static, we can use the RGB control application to change their color. However, we cannot change the color of every single LED.