Buying a motherboard with RGB headers opens up some new ways to add some customization to your desktop PC. Vendors including GIGABYTE, MSI and ASUS offer boards with support for RGB accessories, so here are some excellent options for ASUS motherboards with AURA support.
Phanteks
Phanteks not only offers some rather solid Halos fan covers, which allow you to turn any 120mm or 140mm fan inside your case into an RGB touting light source. We took a look at the more affordable plastic covers and found them to be good at adding some color to a PC. The only issue is compatibility, which requires an additional cable for hooking up the fan covers to an ASUS AURA motherboard. Phanteks Lux is the more pricey option, made from aluminum.
- Phanteks Halos (120mm / 140mm) - around $10.
- Phanteks Halos Lux - $17.99.
If fan covers aren't quite up your street, how about some RGB strips? These are magnetic, which makes it easier to get the look you want without much effort. ASUS AURA software can handle everything, or you can pick up the Phanteks hub unit if you wish to manage all the lighting using a physical controller. Just note that the cheaper Halos frames are not compatible with the hub.
Thermaltake
Thermaltake offers some fancy fans under the Riing brand that sport a unique design with integrated RGB LEDs. Not only are they relatively quiet and do an excellent job of forcing air through vents and radiators, they also provide some sound lighting effects that are far from obnoxious. The only issue with the fans themselves is you need to use Thermaltake's controller and software to manage them and the lights or pick up the hub bridge.
Fans are available in 12mm and 140mm variants, starting at around $50.
Notable mentions
Some other options that can be controlled by an ASUS AURA motherboard:
- SilverStone RGB LED strip - from $19.99.
- Airgoo RGB LED strip - from around $14.
- EZDIY RGB RAM heatsinks - $18.99.
