2nd Build, Need opinions and Help

[Try Hard Sammy]

So, technically this is my second build, but I had a lot of help with compatibility/troubleshooting from a family member on the PC I have now. I have a good general knowledge of the process and have tried my best to do my research on this whole build, but I'd really like some input from others.

Also, I'm having difficulty figuring out my RGB fan situation. In total this build will have 8 fans, 6 mounted corsair LL 120's and 2 on the AIO. Both of the packs of 3 LL120's come with a lighting node pro. Would I even be able to make use of all 8 fans and/or the 2 lighting node pros? I'll also be investing in a Corsair Commander Pro.

Lastly, the compatibility checker on Pcpartpicker shows that the motherboard M.2 slot #1 shares bandwidth with SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports. When the M.2 slot is populated, two SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports are disabled. I'm sure I could refer to the mobo's manual and just avoid populating the two disabled SATA ports, or just avoid using the M.2 slot #1 entirely. just want a second opinion.

I'm pretty set on all these parts aside from the motherboard, so any suggestions on a different one are welcome.

Full Builder here: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Tryhardsammy/saved/

Any and all information and opinions are very much appreciated!

 

[sswilson]

Also, I'm having difficulty figuring out my RGB fan situation. In total this build will have 8 fans, 6 mounted corsair LL 120's and 2 on the AIO. Both of the packs of 3 LL120's come with a lighting node pro. Would I even be able to make use of all 8 fans and/or the 2 lighting node pros? I'll also be investing in a Corsair Commander Pro.

I'm assuming you're picking up 2X3 sets of the LL120s? If so, I just confirmed that mine came with a 6 port RGB hub that all of your LL's can be plugged into, and then that hub would be plugged into one of the two RGB channels of the commander pro. Likewise, I'm assuming that the AIO fans are probably HD or MLs? If so, they'll both plug into a separate 6 port RGB hub (different models need their own hub) witch will then plug into the second channel of your commander pro.

In this config, you won't need to use either of your Lighting node pros (they're essentially stand-alone units that provide 2 RGB channels similar to what your commander pro will provide).

Depending on how you want to rig up your fans you may or may not want to invest in a fan hub... the commander pro will accommodate the 6 LLs, but that would fill all of the fan ports leaving you to connect your AIO directly to the motherboard header. If you go with separate fan hub(s) you can gang "like" fans together (as in... 3X front intake + 3X top exhaust, etc.... ) and then connect those hubs to your commander pro which will then control all of the ganged fans as if they were a single unit.

 

[Try Hard Sammy]

Depending on how you want to rig up your fans you may or may not want to invest in a fan hub... the commander pro will accommodate the 6 LLs, but that would fill all of the fan ports leaving you to connect your AIO directly to the motherboard header. If you go with separate fan hub(s) you can gang "like" fans together (as in... 3X front intake + 3X top exhaust, etc.... ) and then connect those hubs to your commander pro which will then control all of the ganged fans as if they were a single unit.

So, if I plug in the AIO into the mobo header I won't be able to control fan speeds but ill be able to control the Lighting as separate units, and if I group them in hubs ill have to treat each group as a single unit eliminating some lighting effects such as wave effects or any that have a delay from fan to fan. Am I correct in this thought process?

 

[sswilson]

So, if I plug in the AIO into the mobo header I won't be able to control fan speeds but ill be able to control the Lighting as separate units, and if I group them in hubs ill have to treat each group as a single unit eliminating some lighting effects such as wave effects or any that have a delay from fan to fan. Am I correct in this thought process?

No, completely separate your thinking when it comes to controlling RGB and fan speeds. They're two different control cables.

If you plug the AIO fans into your motherboard, the fan speeds would be controlled by the motherboard as opposed to by the commander pro. If you get a fan (speed) hub for some or all of your LLs you'd have an open fan (speed) port for your AIO fans (There are 6 on the commander pro).

As far as the 6 port RGB hub goes when it comes to things like "wave" lighting effects, you need all of your fans on the same RGB hub in order to be able to do full addressable RGB functions. Everything on the same "channel" (where your 6 port will be plugged into) will have full control... it's once you start mixing channels that you can't get stuff to play exactly the same game, but in your case you're going to be dealing with different model fans which can't populate the same channel anyways.

 

[Try Hard Sammy]

As far as the 6 port RGB hub goes when it comes to things like "wave" lighting effects, you need all of your fans on the same RGB hub in order to be able to do full addressable RGB functions. Everything on the same "channel" (where your 6 port will be plugged into) will have full control... it's once you start mixing channels that you can't get stuff to play exactly the same game, but in your case you're going to be dealing with different model fans which can't populate the same channel anyways.

I believe the AIO fans are LL’s as well. I’m understanding most of what you’re explaining. In your opinion, what would be the best solution in order to achieve full ARGB as well as full control over my fan speeds?

 

[sswilson]

Personally, I'd grab a fan (speed) hub to plug your case fans into and then plug that as well as the AIO into the commander pro for fan speed. This would give you fan control through the commander pro and free up a few extra fan (speed) ports if you ever needed them.

The RGB aspect is going to be a bit trickier as you can only get 6 fans onto a single channel for sequential operations. Depending on your case layout the most likely config would be to have all 6 case fans on one channel and then the two AIO fans on the second channel. There are a few threads about this over on the corsair forums so you might want to do a bit more research, but a quick check suggests that there isn't' a way to get all 8 fans to operate in a sequential pattern.

 

[MARSTG]

I would scale down to 6 fans instead of 8 seems the simplest solution.