Wife caught the RGB bug... HELP!!!

[Kenrou]

I'm half-way through upgrading my rig, so I wanted to take some of the old parts and upgrade wife's aging 4300+1050ti... small problem though, she wants everything (or as much as possible) RGB and i never really built anything of the type, always preferred function to style. So I wanted opinions and ideas from guys that have dabbled and/or done the full light show, are fans+LED strips+RAM enough or should I go with PSU/USB, cables, SSD (if visible) and more ? Also keeping in mind that with the 1070 this is leaning more towards black/red, but she wants Rainbow!!!

What I got to work with so far, any ideas with replacements also welcome :

Case — NZXT s340/CiT Raider Black RGB
CPU — Ryzen 3600
Cooler — NH-C14S with RGB fan or something along the lines of Aerocool Cylon 3 (want to stick with air cooling (kids))
GPU — MSI 1070 Gaming X
PSU — Old Corsair TX750 (needs replacement)

Got a budget of ~£1000 but I think I already have the most expensive, and she doesn't need a monitor.

 

[Aegir]

My main PC has a USB plug-in lightstrip that pulses with different colors, nice and slow, to the same beat as my front fans. I keep it in the right side window, while keeping the actual component area a bit darker.

I've got some more lights inside, but I keep it pretty casual.

However, the difference between ricer and aesthetic is simple: Do you put style over function or synergize with stylistic function?

It's fine to look good as long as the performance is ideal. If you put love, care, and passion into the build as a whole, a few extra lights won't hurt. However, do be sure that there is some level of optimization when placing the lights.

A full-force rainbow-configuration that shines with just one color at a time is likely easier than trying to create a seven color rainbow that moves like a school of those tropical fish, where the colors seem to move in waves through your case or something.

I keep mine simple, but to be honest, you really ought to do whatever is most fun and pleasing to the eye.

There's nothing wrong with a lightshow.

 

[Johan45]

Since you already have the MSI 1070 I would lean toward an MSI mobo with RGB/ARGB headers. Using the mobo software makes it easy to coordinate all the lighting.

Here's a not so good pic of mine. I have one additional LED strip that runs vertically along the front edge of the mobo everything is controlled by ASUS Aura sw

 

[UltraTaco]

I'd pick up a few rolls of these bad boys and start wrapping components. They are standalone from PC and can be enabled with a remote without ever needing to power up any software.

 

[Aegir]

Yeah, I use those LED strips.

My advice is simple: Don't be direct; reflect.

I have the sticky side facing outwards so that it shines against the components, giving off a softer, more eye-friendly light.
Multiple strips can be arranged in parallel and activated with a one second delay between each strip, giving that amazing wave formation, allowing the colors to glide through your case beautifully.

 

[Kenrou]

If at all possible I would like to have all the fans and strips synced with the motherboard/Windows app, and it seems like all the RGB fans I've looked at so far are compatible. Also found these very nice Phanteks strips that have no breaks and apparently we can also sync. Watch from ~4m.

Since you already have the MSI 1070 I would lean toward an MSI mobo with RGB/ARGB headers. Using the mobo software makes it easy to coordinate all the lighting.

Was already thinking about getting a b450 Tomahawk Max, but just saw Hardware Unboxed video with the new x570 Tomahawk, looks so good that I will probably delay the build till it comes out

 

[DeViLzzz2010]

The wife caught the RGB bug. Have you thought of the answer being divorce? : )

 

[Kenrou]

I asked, apparently I'm not allowed one before I finish the build

 

[DeViLzzz2010]

I asked, apparently I'm not allowed one before I finish the build

LOL!

 

[UltraTaco]

RGB bug is not male companion, why would he want divorce? So co fused!

 

[BugFreak]

Just make sure to research what company's RGB works with the others. I built an RGB pc for a friend's son and half the problem was getting everything to sync together. For example G-Skill ram did not work with the Corsair case or ASUS motherboard so everything sync'd except for the ram. The corsair case and fans had a plugin for the ASUS motherboard RGB software but the same did not work for G-Skill. This was a couple months ago so things may have changed but I doubt it because it is an easy way for companies to drive more sales. I would say decide on your primary controller software then confirm everything will work with it properly.

 

[HeatM1ser2k4]

Here are amazing RGB fans I would recommend. Look beautiful and the colors are very vivid. They look and act like theyre brand new, even to this day. I'll try to remember to post a pic of how it looks when I get home later. They work with the Gigabyte RGB software.

 

[NiHaoMike]

WS2812 RGB strips can also be connected to an Arduino and programmed to whatever pattern you want.