Here we find all those little extra bits that don’t impact the performance - in some cases, but can help create a cleaner aesthetic for the build.
Fans - Thermaltake RIING PLUS 12 RGB TT PREMIUM EDITION 120mm Fan - Triple pack
Price
£86.99 (Overclockers UK)
$109.67 (Amazon.com)
Now, we understand that these fans are RGB, but the idea with these is to set them to one colour to have them act as an accent light for the internal components, as they aren’t too bright they create a nice glow which should highlight the hardware really nicely. The fans also have some good specs too, they boast a fan speed range of between 500 to 1500RPM, they have a max air pressure of 1.54mm-H2O, max air flow of 48.34 CFM, a noise output of 24.7dB-A and a life expectancy of 40,000hrs. We have reviewed the RIING PREMIUM’s if you would like to see how they perform when they're installed inside a system.
Fans (Cheaper alternative) Corsair SP120 triple fan pack
Price
£52.99 (Overclockers UK)
$62.26 (Newegg.com)
Again like the above, these are RGB fans but like with all the other component selected the RGB is optional and we would again opt for a single colour and have them act as an illumination highlight. The SP120 also have some decent specs too, they have a speed rating of 1400RPM, the airflow rate is 52 CFM, a static pressure of 1.45mm-H2O and a max sound level of 26dB-A. These aren’t PWM fans, which is a bit of a downside but they are quiet which almost makes up for that.
Fans (If you really don’t want RGB ones) - Corsair ML120 twin pack
Price
£24.95 (Overclockers UK)
$26.64 (Amazon.com)
If you really can’t stand the idea of RGB fans at all then the ML120 from Corsair would be ideal, they offer the clean colour scheme of the build and have the benefit of being powerful. They have a speed range of between 400 - 2400RPM, sound level between 16 - 37dB-A, a static pressure of 0.2 - 4.2mm-H20 and an airflow rate of 12 - 75 CFM. Other good alternatives are the Noctua NF-P12 or the be quiet! Silentwings 3. The be quiet! are fairly expensive at £19/$25 per fan, but they are very stealthy and perform well. The Noctua is still plain but may stand out a bit more as they more grey than black. They cost £12.90/$13.90 per fan, but are often the go-to for their impressive performance.
Cable extension kit - Bitfenix Alchemy 2.0
Price
£27.95 (Overclockers UK)
$27.00
Again these aren’t needed to make your build work, but they do add an extra element that can tie a theme together or simply make stock PSU cables look better as some aren’t the prettiest. This kit from Bitfenix costs £28 in the UK and $27 in the US and is available in quite a few different options, plus they come with all the ones you’ll need. There is the main 24-pin, 2x 6+2-pin and a single 1x4+4-pin.
Lighting strip - Bitfenix Alchemy 3.0 Magentic Addressable RGB LED strip
Price
£26.99 (Overclockers UK)
$28.28 (Amazon.com)
RGB LED strips are mainly used to add a bit of lighting flare to your build, and the Alchemy 3.0 from Bitfenix are our pick, the selected ones are 60cm which is plenty long enough for the case we’ve selected plus it has the bonus of working with Asus’s Aura Sync lighting. Again I know it’s another RGB component in the build, but the RGB doesn’t have to be utilised, and you could simply opt for one colour. Also, there are cheaper strips out there that just display one colour, but if your mood ever changes then you are stuck with that one colour, and that is where the benefit of RGB is.
Like with the main components all prices are subject to change, but the ones above are correct as of 29/08/2018.
