The RGB lighting fad has officially gotten out of hand.

[Underseer]

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should."
[ent]mdash[/ent]Ian, Jurassic Park

Thankfully, I haven't built a new computer in a long time.

My current home-built desktop has a first generation Core i7 in it (currently, Intel is on generation 8). It was cutting edge when I built it.

So the entire RGB lighting fad passed me by, and I'm thankful for that. The inside of my computer has very few lights, the lights don't change colors, and even that is kind of annoying if you ask me. If I build another computer, the case will probably not have a transparent side. That way, if anything inside the computer insists on lighting up, I won't have to fucking see it.

But this?

This is a new low.

Of all the RGB lighting doohickeys we don't need, surely RGB-lit PSU cables would be at the top of that list. Why not just install a goddamned floodlight inside your computer case and put a spinning thingy in front of it with colored celophane all over it? Why the fuck do people need RGB CPU fans and RGB RAM DIMMs and RGB water cooling parts and godamned RGB PSU cables?

Can we make a rule? If your computer can be used to help airplanes land at an airport, it has too many fucking lights in it.

PS[ent]mdash[/ent]For some reason, I find it hilarious that you need to waste a Molex connector on making your PSU cables light up.

 

[steve_bank]

I can watch LEDs for hours, RGB is just icung on the cake. I am easily entertained.

In technolgy it is a demonstrated fact muli colored indicators adds sales appeal. I worked for a company making high end audio video systems for private jets. The owner had me put as many LEDS on a module as possible. When the planes was gutted for instalation all the modules with lights some blinking got the atention of the customers and potential customers.

In industrial applications multiple colors in one indicator is very useful.

What you can do is wear say red and blue filters so you only see blue.....

 

[bilby]

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1WemnsB98o[/YOUTUBE]

 

[steve_bank]

I can watch LEDs for hours, RGB is just icung on the cake. I am easily entertained.

In technolgy it is a demonstrated fact muli colored indicators adds sales appeal. I worked for a company making high end audio video systems for private jets. The owner had me put as many LEDS on a module as possible. When the planes was gutted for instalation all the modules with lights some blinking got the atention of the customers and potential customers.

In industrial applications multiple colors in one indicator is very useful.

What you can do is wear say red and blue filters so you only see blue.....

red and blue filters so you only see green

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I'm not a fan of the 1000 lumen blue LED light on the front of the computer. Forget the Vegas light show that gaming rigs are sold with.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1WemnsB98o[/YOUTUBE]

Shatner: What's wrong?
Worker: These lights are blinking out of sequence.
Shatner: Well, get them to blink in sequence.

 

[phands]

In industrial applications multiple colors in one indicator is very useful.

In my world, they're a major error prevention tool. While lit PSU cables in a home machine are nothing more than power-wasting gimmicks, RGB LEDS have some utility in data centers.

I worked in global scale data centers, where there can be hundreds of racks of around 40 shelves, holding tens of thousands of servers and hundreds of thousands of disks. When something goes wrong (which is pretty much constantly), getting a technician to replace the correct component in the correct machine is critical to keeping services up, so we add RGB LEDS to the rack front, and use the colours to guide a technician to the right place. While we design for resiliency and fault tolerance, at some point a human has to power off and repair or remove a machine or component. Getting that wrong can bring down services and cost lots of money. The LEDs help reduce human error.

 

[phands]

I can watch LEDs for hours, RGB is just icung on the cake. I am easily entertained.

I agree! One of the things I used to do when running Data Center tours was to switch off all the room lights, and let the audience experience the millions of blinkenlights....never failed to get a gasp of amazement.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

My local computer parts store has lots of fans with LEDs, cables that light up, cases with interior lights and more. So, apparently, there is a market for that sort of thing. What ever turns you on. I can ever get clear plastic cases so I can watch all this stuff, a computer light show.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

My local computer parts store has lots of fans with LEDs, cables that light up, cases with interior lights and more. So, apparently, there is a market for that sort of thing. What ever turns you on. I can ever get clear plastic cases so I can watch all this stuff, a computer light show.

How about someone make a lit fan that only lights up when it's actually spinning? Make it easy to note if a fan has failed.

 

[phands]

How about someone make a lit fan that only lights up when it's actually spinning? Make it easy to note if a fan has failed.

Many fans now come with a tachometer and a third wire which sends back the fan RPM to the motherboard. If the fan rpm drops below a certain threshold, an alarm can be triggered.

 

[Emily Lake]

Ooooh, Shiny!


That's really all that needs to be said, isn't it?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

How about someone make a lit fan that only lights up when it's actually spinning? Make it easy to note if a fan has failed.

Many fans now come with a tachometer and a third wire which sends back the fan RPM to the motherboard. If the fan rpm drops below a certain threshold, an alarm can be triggered.

Yeah, and I have those sensors on the most critical fans. I've got more fans than sensors, though.

 

[KeepTalking]

I was into doing case mods back in the early 00's. Back then I was hosting and attending LAN parties on a regular basis, and showing off a badass case with glowing, spinning lights was part of the fun. I haven't done a LAN party in a decade or so now, and got out of the case modding hobby. I don't even build my own computers any more, and mostly use laptops, so the only lighting I really have is on the keyboard, for those late night gaming sessions with the lights off.

 

[steve_bank]

It would be nice to have some flashing things on the forum.

 

[phands]

It would be nice to have some flashing things on the forum.

Will this make a start?

 

[Underseer]

My local computer parts store has lots of fans with LEDs, cables that light up, cases with interior lights and more. So, apparently, there is a market for that sort of thing. What ever turns you on. I can ever get clear plastic cases so I can watch all this stuff, a computer light show.

How about someone make a lit fan that only lights up when it's actually spinning? Make it easy to note if a fan has failed.

Those RGB things come with hardware controllers and software. Presumably, it should be possible to implement that if you want.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

My local computer parts store has lots of fans with LEDs, cables that light up, cases with interior lights and more. So, apparently, there is a market for that sort of thing. What ever turns you on. I can ever get clear plastic cases so I can watch all this stuff, a computer light show.

How about someone make a lit fan that only lights up when it's actually spinning? Make it easy to note if a fan has failed.

Those RGB things come with hardware controllers and software. Presumably, it should be possible to implement that if you want.

The lights are normally built into the fan, only if the fan implemented it would it do any good.

 

[Underseer]

Those RGB things come with hardware controllers and software. Presumably, it should be possible to implement that if you want.

The lights are normally built into the fan, only if the fan implemented it would it do any good.

Your motherboard knows the RPM of each fan.

The lights on RGB fans can be controlled any which way. That's why they are so popular right now.

 

[fromderinside]

Coming soon at your computer, sound! Actually I'm all in favor of eliminating sound from computers. That stuff just makes me think something is wrong with my fans.


Color? Put your computer under your desk. Walllah, no color.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Those RGB things come with hardware controllers and software. Presumably, it should be possible to implement that if you want.

The lights are normally built into the fan, only if the fan implemented it would it do any good.

Your motherboard knows the RPM of each fan.

The lights on RGB fans can be controlled any which way. That's why they are so popular right now.

Only if your motherboard has enough fan headers for all your fans.