Why Gamers Like RGB: The Pros, Cons & Alternatives

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If you are a gamer, or if you know anything about the community, you would have seen a lot of RGB lighting. It is actually so normal to have it now that even console gamers are starting to kit out their setups with the lighting. Why though? Why do gamers love RGB lighting so much? Let’s find out.

RGB lighting allows gamers to add their own sense of individuality to their setups. Without the lighting, our setups will all look the same or at least very similar. It is also because RGB lighting can be very aesthetically pleasing, especially if customized by someone creative.

Are you considering kitting your setup out with some RGB goodness? Well, you have landed on the right page. I am going to take an in-depth deep dive into the subject. Hopefully, by the end of the article, you will have all your questions answered and will be able to decide if RGB is for you or not.

Why do gamers like RGB lights?

While a lot of PCs look great on the inside, from the outside, they can seem pretty mundane, and they can all seem pretty much the same. It might just look like a few components in a box.

It is true that we can customize our PCs with things like stickers, FunkoPops, spray paint, and things like that. With RGB, though, it gives us an extra level of customization. It allows us to make the PCs our own with our personalities and flares.

You might be thinking, “if everyone has RGB, then it isn’t really an individual thing anymore.” That is actually a good point that gets brought up a lot. It is not true, though. RGB has a lot of different colors, effects, and they can be different on every device and peripheral.

We will jump into exactly what RGB lighting is later in the article. For now, I just to give you an idea of the level of customization available.

RGB has 16,777,216 colors, and every LED light can be changed individually on the high-end strips.

What is the point of RGB

I think it’s pretty simple. Not only does RGB look pretty cool, but it turns our gaming rigs into something just a little bit more special than a black or white box with some stickers.

Is RGB Lighting worth it

RGB lighting is definitely worth it, in my opinion. The better quality the lighting is, the more “worth it” it becomes. Better RGB lights normally have a wider range of colors, and they have more customization available.

All of that being said, the more creative you are, and the more time you spend in your gaming room/corner, the more “worth it” it is. We know some gamers spend a lot of time with their setups.

RGB lights are not that expensive, to be honest, which makes it even more worth it, especially if you think maybe your computer looks a little bit boring. Again, if it looks, it is just a black or white box sitting on your desk.

Does RGB make you a better gamer

Didn’t you know? RGB lighting makes you a better gamer. I’m just joking; it doesn’t actually make you a better gamer unless you allow it to via some kind of mental trickery. In all seriousness, RGB lighting could, in fact, make you feel better about gaming, and in turn, it might make a difference.

For now, though, it’s an old joke that RGB makes you a better gamer. So, if somebody has said it to you in the past, they were most probably just pulling your leg.

In my experience, some peripherals can make you better, such as more accurate sounding headsets, a good quality gaming mouse, and a good quality keyboard. Actually, even a good monitor can make you better or at least give you a better experience. What about something like RGB, though? No, it should not make you a better gamer, except if it is a mental thing.

Is RGB overrated

Is RGB overrated? I think that is a little bit subjective. For some people, RGB lighting makes their entire setup. They go as far as putting RGB lights on their walls in their gaming rooms.

For some people, they don’t like it. They prefer to have a clean and minimal setup. There is nothing wrong with that. Some people can make anything look good just by the way they set everything up.

If you had to ask these two types of people if RGB lighting is overrated, you would get two completely different answers. People like what they like, it is hard to change that, and you shouldn’t try to change it.

I could give you my opinion, and that opinion would be that RGB lighting is not overrated. I actually think it might be underrated because it really does look pretty cool, especially if you are a creative person who can customize the lighting to a good aesthetic level. Everyone is different, though.

Does RGB RAM use more power

In terms of electricity, yes, it does use more power, but the power that the RGB on the RAM uses is negligible. Not just RGB RAM; in general, RGB is pretty efficient in terms of energy usage.

In terms of the actual RAM itself, RGB does not use up any RAM, so feel free to go out and get a ram stick with the biggest RGB head you’ve ever seen. It will not make a difference, but that leads to our next question.

Does RGB affect performance

RGB has nothing to do with the performance of a computer. It simply just uses some of the electricity that passes through the PC to light up. And as we discussed, the amount of electricity it uses is almost negligible.

There is another old joke in gaming that says RGB makes a computer run faster and that if you don’t have RGB, your computer won’t be able to reach a high FPS. This is so far from true, but it is actually pretty funny.

What does RGB stand for in gaming: And what does it do?

RGB stands for Red Green and Blue. These three colors are manipulated and added together to create a wider spectrum of colors. As we discussed before, these three colors can be manipulated to display a spectrum of 16,777,216 colors.

For a gaming PC, the RGB lights can be built into certain components like a motherboard, RAM, hard drives, and so on. They can also be bought as individual strips then connected to a power supply or your motherboard and then placed into your PC separately.

RGB lighting can also come on your peripherals such as your keyboard, mouse, headsets, even mousepads, and believe it or not, on your monitor. This is generally at the back of the monitors so that it lights up your wall.

Gamers also have LED RGB lighting pads on their walls. This not only allows them to customize their gaming setup but allows them to customize their gaming room.

RGB lighting does nothing for performance. The power draw is also negligible. All it does is make gaming setups and rooms look pretty cool.

Does RGB increase heat

Anything that draws electricity will produce heat, but you have to consider that RGB LEDs only draw a small fraction of a watt. So, the heat that they generate is negligible, much like I said regarding the power consumption in the RAM section.

Does RGB lighting affect airflow

The massive companies like Corsair have spent millions of dollars on research and development. So while it is true that older fans that had RGB lighting did in fact affect the airflow of a PC, they don’t really anymore. I should rather say they don’t affect the airflow to the point where it is noticeable.

Obviously, if you go too crazy with RGB strips and just leave them hanging in your tower, that would affect airflow. Also, if you have, you should also be careful not to cover any vents in your chassis as this will affect airflow.

Can RGB make white

The three RGB colors, Red, Green, and Blue, can be manipulated to make a white color. This can be done regardless of the component or peripheral that the lights are attached to.

Can RGB lights die

Okay, so I’m going to give you a shocking piece of information that might actually help persuade you into buying some RGB goodness for your PC. RGB light can last for up to over 40 years. That is insane, right?

Obviously this changes depending on circumstance and situation. In general, though,l RGB lights can last between 25 to 45 years. Unfortunately, that does not mean that RGB lights don’t die; in fact, they can if you have a defect or a bad light.

Getting a bad RGB LED light is very rare. If you do buy some lights and you have a defect, the supplier will normally exchange it for you. So, this is something that you should not be too concerned with. Just go out there and get your lights and know that there’s a 99.99% chance that you won’t have a defective light.

Is RGB lighting bad?

No, RGB lighting is not bad. You might come across a couple of forum threads and threads on steam that has people who are completely against using RGB. Do these people have a good point though? Let’s find out.

We have to look at it from their perspective. From what I have gathered, they generally feel that RGB lighting on components drives up the prices. When you consider that because they don’t use RGB or they don’t like it, they feel that it is unfair that they have to pay the extra cost.

When I think about it like that from their perspective, I kind of understand. It is very important to look at things from other persons and perspectives if they have something negative to say because understanding why they don’t like something is better than just ridiculing them for believing it.

In my experience, RGB lighting is not bad. Think about it; we discussed how and why they don’t affect performance. We also discussed how they do not actually generate that much heat, consume power, and that the amount they do consume and generate is negligible.

As for the cost, in my experience, they don’t cost that much, and you can still find components that don’t have RGB on them if you don’t want it to be. You can pick up some RGB lighting strips for as low as $15 on Amazon, and it is enough to light your whole room.

People also might suggest that airflow gets restricted or interfered with because of RGB lighting, but as we discussed above, they are using old components to push that narrative.

In most sports, hobbies, and interests, you get what is known as “purists.” They prefer things to be as minimal as possible with as little customization as possible. There is nothing wrong with that, but we need to understand that times change, and not everyone thinks the same way. Some people like customization and the way RGB looks.

RGB for consoles

So, you are not a PC gamer, you are a console gamer, and you have seen a lot of gaming setups of people who have RGB lighting. If you think it is cool and have been wondering whether or not you can get a similar setup if you are on a console. Let’s take a quick look and see if it is possible.

You can, in fact, have an RGB setup for consoles. You might just have to go about it in different ways. For example, you can’t put RGB lighting in your console, but you can definitely put it around your console.

You can get RGB lighting for your wall and I actually know somebody who has done this. They have put RGB lighting behind their monitor and they have put it in corners of the room. So, the entire room is lit up with RGB. Personally I feel that it was a little bit excessive but it looks cool.

You can also have peripherals that use RGB. You can have it in your headset, and as more and more people start to use mouse and keyboard on consoles, well, that’s another way of having an RGB setup.

With all of that being said, I know that it might not seem so obvious at first, but you can, in fact, have an RGB setup even if you’re on a console. One thing that I forgot to mention was, you could even have RGB’s at the back of your TV. This would be in your lounge but don’t worry; you can switch them on when you are gaming and switch them off when the family is using the lounge.

My Final Notes

Gamers like RGB because of the customization and how they can make their setups look. If you are someone who does not like RGB, you should not criticize those who do. At the end of the day, it is all down to personal preference.

Console gamers can also have RGB setups; you just have to find creative ways of doing it. Peripherals that have RGB is a good place to start.

RGB is not bad for your machine, nor does it increase or decrease performance. If you have heard this before, it was probably a joke.

David Sacks

I have worked in the IT industry since 2011 and have been an avid gamer my whole life. My first consoles were the sega genesis and the Nintendo SNES. I play both console and PC games, I love both. I decided to become combine my passion for gaming with my passion for writing.

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