RGB Woes - Antec NX400 & Antec Prizm Fans

[Vanjs06]

Hello Carbonite,

So I built my first PC the other day, gathered some parts from fellow Carbies, thanks to them.

So long story short I am having an issue to get the RGB/aRGB all setup and working (I like the RGB vomit although I know many don't ).

Here is a list of the setup:

Antec NX400 case
NX400 is the best ATX Tower PC Case with ARGB Front - Antec

MSI B450 Tomahawk Max

B450 TOMAHAWK MAX | Motherboard | MSI Global

Best AMD AM4 B450 ATX motherboard, Turbo M.2, Extended heatsink, USB 3.2 Gen 2, Mystic Light, MSI MAG

www.msi.com

Antec Prizm 120 fans x2

PRIZM 120 ARGB - Antec

www.antec.com

The rest of the parts aren't really relevant but just FYI:
Corsair Vengeance RGB pro 8GBx2
Ryzen 5 5600G
Crucial m.2 500gb
Raidmax 600w PSU
Seagate HDD
I will probably add a GPU but at a later stage - budget constraints.

Basically, the included fan with the Antec case is powered by a Molex Connector. Whereas the fans I bought separately are running off the board PWM headers. The RGB lighting of the case is connected with a SATA cable for power. The motherboard I have has a RGB header (4 pin) whereas the fans have a aRGB connector (3 pin) - Ideally I want to retain the addressable RGB setup.

Now the problem is I have the 2x fans running but I cant seem to find a way that I am going to get it all connected as RGB with PCs seems a bit messy, I bought the fans assuming it would be compatible and planned to just daisy chain them to the case fan, sadly its not so simple.

The included case fan appears to be connected to the RGB of the case via a JST SM 2 pin connector if I am not mistaken. The case fan included and the case RGB are linked and in sync, as I cannot connect to the motherboard I just want the case and all the fans to work together. There is an open female JST SM 2 pin but I haven't seen anything that will convert this to the other fans. I have seen 3 pin JST SM converters to link to a 3 pin aRGB.

Here's a link to show what I mean about the 2 pin JST.

https://www.digikey.co.za/en/products/detail/jst-sales-america-inc./SMR-02V-B/764265?utm_adgroup=&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Pmax%20Shopping_Product&utm_term=&productid=764265&gclid=CjwKCAjwpuajBhBpEiwA_Ztfhbv1ISHmcnCQ34yKgA2sO9USFtNRn6lZulCOaEl8RDV7Sl5RWvrO1hoCyLsQAvD_BwE

There is an adapter on the market from Deepcool to convert the RGB/aRGB 4 pin/3 pin however you will lose the aRGB functionality to my understanding - Which I would really prefer to keep for the rainbow effects.

Takealot

My goal is just to have the fans and the case to be linked (via motherboard or controller doesn't really matter) but I cannot seem to come to a conclusion as to how to achieve this. The Motherboard LEDs and the RAM LEDs I'm not to worried about and can operate independently. Also note the case has an LED switch to change modes which is perfect for me.

Coolermaster offers a product, which appears to have a connector for the JST SM connector (but I am not sure of this) and also it is a bit pricey.

Addressable RGB LED Controller

The Addressable RGB LED Controlleris a compact size Addressable RGB LED controller that allows you to easily customize your ARGB devices without the need for either an ARGB capable motherboard or software. With different lighting modes, you can have full customization and your PC illumination...

www.coolermaster.com

I also thought of tossing out the included fan and swopping with another Antec Prizm but then I wouldn't have a way to link it to either the MB or the case, retaining the aRGB functionality.

Antec also offers a controller as part of a bundle but I don't really need anymore fans, the controller states it as an option to convert the reset button to an LED controller - not sure if the JST would fit here instead again as I havent found much literature of graphics of the actual connector. But also this is a very pricey option unless I pick up a bundle in the classifieds.

Ideally I want to control the LEDs via the MB or the LED switch - either or.

Its a bit of a budget build that will be used for editing.

Has anyone else faced this dilemma before? Does anyone have any idea of any adapters or controllers that aren't too costly that would help me to achieve what I am going for.

Apologies for the book of a post but I have been going back and forth with this for days on end.

 

[goldfritter]

Firstly, PC RGB is a mess, generally speaking - sometimes lowering your expectations is the best solution.

Let me just clarify: the case doesn't have any RGB "input?" I.e. there is no female 3-pin ARGB or 4-pin RGB connector that comes out of the case's jumble of front panel cables? The only way to control ARGB on the case is with the button?

 

[Vanjs06]

I hear you bud, I should have put in some more research into the RGB world of PCs to be honest as well instead of just assuming.

And that is correct, there is no input that I can see (3 pin / 4 pin). And yes the only method of control is via the case button - This also controls the included fan.

Here is a post I found on the same topic, there is an image on the first comment with a simplistic drawing of how it works. They just forgot the SATA power connector but its not really relevant for this anyway.

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/vql5bc

That's why even if I could just link up all the fans to the existing fan and control via the button so they all in sync I'd be happy. But maybe I am expecting a bit much with what I have.

 

[goldfritter]

Then there is no out-of-the-box way to sync the case (EDIT: or the one fan that came with the case) with any other RGB product. Even the Cooler Master goodie you linked I'm 85% sure won't work, those two-pin connectors are not for ARGB data I think.

You could try get creative with connectors and adapters but there's no guarantee it will work.

As for getting ARGB into your PC at all for the other fans, the controller you linked or the Cooler Master "small ARGB controller" will achieve that goal. I have the "Small" one, it works fine, although you have to buy your own micro-USB cable and connect it to a USB port on the motherboard, and the software is a little bit basic (that's assuming you want to use software and not the RGB effects built into the controller).

 

[Vanjs06]

Thanks for your response @goldfritter, I think what is best is to replace the rear fan with another fan the same as the other fans, maybe move this fan to another location in the case not visible and leave the RGB to a controller like you mentioned above for the fans to be in sync with the MB and hopefully with the RAM too. The case I will just manually match with its independent button.

"sometimes lowering your expectations is the best solution." - This was solid advice thanks. At the end of the day I tend to leave it on one mode anyway - and I quite like the thermal function that shows me the temperature more or less with preset colours (Only the RAM sticks and small LEDs on MB).

Will post an update here when I finally commit just if anyone else might find this useful.