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Asus’s TUF RGB fans, as recommended by reader R. Matlow.

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Consistency Qualms

In his September 2023 Build, Sam mentioned his frustration with connectors. I thought I would share my least favorite, in addition to the case front, which he also lamented over.

First is the USB 3.1 connector, which is often nigh-on impossible to plug into the motherboard. Next comes the 3-pin 5-volt RGB connector. The pins are incredibly fragile, the connector rarely stays put on the motherboard, and more often than not I fall at the first hurdle, as I can’t even get the connector onto the pins.

It would be so lovely if manufacturers could help solve this problem and develop connections that are sturdy, easy to use, and unmistakable.

On the subject of RGB, I’ve been exceedingly frustrated with many RGB fans. The problem is that manufacturers who make wonderful unlit fans can’t seem to manage putting a few lights on those fans and make them work as efficiently. They’re either too loud, don’t have adequate airflow, or both.

However, I finally found a worthy RGB fan—the Asus TUF Gaming TF120 has decent RGB, great airflow, and is reasonably quiet. I just installed them in my case—I didn’t use the included controller; I just hooked them into my RGB system, and I’m controlling them in iCUE. I’ve decided that it works better than SignalRGB, and with the new Murals feature in version 5, you can take any MP4 and turn it into a mural. Pretty snazzy!