Light up your PC with the Antec Prizm Kit
View(s):If you’re a tech enthusiast or a member of the PCMR (PC Master Race), then the term RGB is not new to you. To those whom this sounds foreign, the RGB color model or Red, Green, Blue color model is one where red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. While this may sound more appropriate for an artist, RGB has also played its part in shedding new light (literally) on PC components and peripherals.
The Antec Prizm 120 RGBV has alll you need to light up your system on a whole new level (Image Credits: Vortez)
We’ve seen customizable lighting added to everything from Motherboards, RAM, Graphics Cards, PC Chassis to keyboards, mice, mouse mats and even speakers. This ability to create an almost endless spectrum of colors has also seen a steady increase over the years. Manufacturers are also adding more and more unique ways to sell RGB lighting to their products. Antec, a brand well known for their PC chassis and PSUs has also delved into the world of RGB and ARGB with the Antec Prizm RGB kit.
You’re probably wondering about RGB and ARGB. Simply put, the “A” in ARGB stands for “Addressable”. In comparison to non-addressable RGB, Addressable RGB can display a different colour and intensity than its neighbouring LED. This means that each individual LED can be lit in a different color. This usually incurs a higher cost and is also more complex, but also yields a wider variety of effects and transitions.
The beauty of the Antec Prizm RGB kit is that it can be used to add custom lighting to both newer systems that have a dedicated RGB header on their PC’s motherboard as well as systems that do not have this header as well.
Right off the bat, the Antec Prizm RGB kit doesn’t beat around the bush. The kit consists of 3 120mm ARGB Fans, 2 ARGB LED strips and a Control dock. The dock can be used to control the lighting aspects of the fans and the LED strip if your PC’s motherboard doesn’t already have an RGB or ARGB header. If you are not sure if your PC motherboard has such a header, you can always consult the user manual or refer to Google to help you out.
Each of the 120mm fans consists of two headers. One is a standard 4 pin PWM header used for power and to control fan speed. The other header is for the ARGB. If you have a motherboard that has PWM headers, or a separate fan controller, you can hook up the fans to it and control the speed. You can also connect both headers to the Control dock that comes with the Antec Prizm kit. Each of the connectors are labelled making installation a breeze (no pun intended). The controller is powered via a SATA power connector.
The 3x120mm ARGB fans not only look good, but also blow out some serious air
The design of the fans themselves are quite robust. Each fan has a max RPM (revolutions per minute) of 2000 and can move some serious air. Seriously, these fans will blow you away (again, no pun intended). They can be used either as Chassis fans or mounted to a Radiator or Tower Cooler that supports 120mm fans. A ring on either side of the fan ensures that you can show off the cool lighting effects regardless of how the fan is mounted to your system. Speaking of mounting, the fans also come with a set of mounting screws making installation easier.
The ARGB LED Strips are also equally simple to install. The strips are magnetic, which means they can easily stick to any metallic surface. If that doesn’t work out, there’s also a layer of 3M double-sided tape you can use. Similar to the ARGB fans, the LED strips are also addressable via the controller. Once both the Fans and Strips are hooked up, you can choose from a number of different lighting effects. The effects range from a simple fade-in/fade-out to chasing lights and everything in-between. I spent a fair portion of my time playing around with the effects just because they were so cool.
One thing to note is that since the controller requires a SATA power connector, keeping it outside the PC might not be possible if you want to close up the PC. But fret not. If your PC chassis has a Reset button, you can connect the header of the Reset cable to the controller. That way, you can control lighting effects by just pressing the Reset button. On the plus side, you also won’t accidentally restart your PC if you do this.
Is it worth it, though?
For a selling price of LKR 15,000/-, the Antec Prizm ARGB Kit is not a cheap addition to your PC. But given the build quality and features that you get from the kit, it’s definitely worth a look at if you’re looking to build a new PC and add that extra touch of bling. It can also be an attractive purchase if you’re looking to spruce up your existing PC with some ARGB goodness.
It’s definitely catering to a niche market and provides no actual performance increase (contrary to the belief that RGB increases a system’s gaming performance). But if you have the cash to splash and you’re looking for a way to make your system stand out, whether it be old or new, the Antec Prizm ARGB kit ticks all the boxes needed to do so.
The Antec Prizm ARGB kit is available at Redline Technologies priced at LKR 15,000/- (MA)
Mounting the fans to your PC casing is a breeze (no pun intended) with the included screws
The Antec Prizm kit in all its glory, running on an RLG PC
The Controller included with the Antec Prizm is easy to use and has all the required instructions to get the kit up and running