ISSUE389|COMPUTER SHOPPER|JULY2020 107
components,they’renotcompletelygettingridoftheheat
theyproduce,oftenjust redirecting it intothe PC’s main
internal chamber.
Toprevent this build-up of heatfrom causing system
throttling, instability and even permanent damage,you need case
fans to suck in cold air from the front, drag it across the hot
components and blow the resulting hot air out of the chassis.
Adding more fans will therefore help maintain the health of your PC.
HOW?
Installing case fans is incredibly simple: just find an empty fanslot on
your chassis, and use the screws included with the fantosecurely
attach it. From there it’s only amatter of connecting the fantothe
motherboard, either directly to a4-pin fanheader or to acontrol box;
these can act as ahub formultiple fans, sometimes up to eight at
once.Justmake sure the fanisoriented correctly: if adding fans at
the front of the case,theyneedtodraw air in, and if they’re at the
back or in the roof, theyshould blow air outwards.
The Be Quiet! Pure Wings 2isagood, simple 120mm fan, though
you can also add some flair at the same time with an RGB-lit fansuch
as the Cooler Master MasterFan MF120 Halo ARGB.
LIGHTING KITS
WHAT?
PClightingkitscombinestick-onstripsofLEDs
andacontrollerunitthat,unlessit’sasingle-
colourkit,letsyouchangethelightingcoloursand
effects.Some,suchasDeepcool’sbudget-friendly
RGB350kit,includearemotecontrolforinstantly
flickingthroughdifferenthues,whilemore
advancedkitssuchastheCorsairLightingNode
ProuseaddressableRGBlightingthatcanbe
fine-tunedthrough desktop software.WHY?
Not every PC mod needs to have avital
performance or stability benefit. Internal
lighting, especially RGB lighting, is one of the
most eye-catching tools forcustomising the
look of your system, and can produce a
desktop that both looks great and is even
more distinctive than it was before.
Youcan, of course,get asimilar effect
from other light-up components like fans,
and even parts such as motherboards and graphics are commonly
dressed up with integrated lighting. Adedicated lighting kit,
however,gives you more control, as you can choose where exactly
inside your case the LED strips will sit.HOW?
Installation will vary by kit, so always be sure to consult the
instructions, but the Lighting Node Pro is fairly typical of the
general process. With this kit, you’ll first need to connect the
controller (a small box –hide this inside the case when finished)to one of your motherboard’s USB2 headers. These are commonly
found at the bottom of the motherboard.
Next, connect the first LED strip to the controller,peeloffthe
adhesive backing paper and stick it to the inside of the chassis; if the
strip has magnets, you can use these to place the strip and see how
it looks before you use the adhesive to position it permanently.
Repeat forany additional strips and, provided all the cables are
connected properly,the LEDs should turn on automatically the next
time you boot up.Download and install any companion software,
such as Corsair Link, to customise colours and effects.⬆Simply connect the control box toaUSB header and stick the lights tothe inside ofthe chassis➡Somefans add
flair toyour PC
withRGB lighting