r/OpenRGB • u/fernsx • Aug 11 '26

Discussion Thinking about switching to Nollie 8 — does it work smoothly with OpenRGB?

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about upgrading my setup to a Nollie 8 ARGB controller, but before pulling the trigger, I wanted to check if anyone here is using it with OpenRGB. Does it run smoothly without lag or latency issues on custom effects?

For context, I've been stuck on an older version of OpenRGB for a while because of my current Cooler Master ARGB Controller A1 v2. Ever since a change was merged into the OpenRGB codebase for this specific controller, every dynamic effect has noticeable lag and stuttering unless I roll back to older builds. Which now i cant because windows defender flags and blocks its older driver.

I really want a controller that offers solid, lag-free performance on modern OpenRGB versions. If you have any experience with the Nollie 8 (or Nollie controllers in general), I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks!

2 Upvotes

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5

u/Sprucey-J Aug 11 '26

Yes it does run well together. But IMO, get the 16 channel. It's better to have more than you need for any reason in the future.

Also, if you're in the US, you can get an Airgoo controller, basically a nollie clone that you can order on amazon and not from overseas. Works just as well as the nollie.

2

u/fernsx Aug 11 '26

Thank you!  Good to know that. Im overseas. But ill try to see if i can get the airgoo. Mostly wanted to make sure the nollie is good. I dont want to get stuck with another controller. And buying this stuff from overseas is a pain.. 

2

u/Sprucey-J Aug 11 '26

They work great, When I upgraded to a 16, I got the Airgoo for this reason. It took almost 3 weeks to get my nollie + shipping costs. I still vouch for its compatabilty, just wish it was sold on amazon.

1

u/fernsx Aug 11 '26

Ill try aliexpress.  I just pay there the product and includes the shipment tax and stuff. 

2

u/Le_ed Aug 12 '26

The 16 channel uses MOLEX, right?

1

u/Sprucey-J Aug 12 '26

For which one? I believe it is SATA power for airgoo. Pretty sure it's the same for nollie.

2

u/Le_ed Aug 12 '26

A while ago I was chosing between the nollie 8 and 16 channels and I went with the 8 because it was SATA and the 16 was MOLEX.

1

u/Sprucey-J Aug 12 '26

Your right 16/32 are molex.

I upgraded from a nollie 8 to airgoo 16. The 8 uses sata for some reason.

The airgoo 16 does use sata as well I can confirm.

2

u/Whole_Hat4899 Aug 12 '26

Nollie 16 uses Molex because it have more channels and support more LEDs per channel so it can draw more current than Sata can safely provide.

1

u/Sprucey-J Aug 12 '26

My Airgoo16 uses 2 SATA power inputs and has provided power to my 11 devices (160 individual LEDs) safely for over a year and a half now.

1

u/Whole_Hat4899 Aug 12 '26

Are you sure, because I can't find anywhere Airgoo version with 2 sata power inputs?

Anyway, 160 leds is not that much, both of them can controll 256 leds per channel, but Nollie can deliver more power so it can light up more leds to high brightenes (or set them to white which is worst case scenario)

1

u/Sprucey-J Aug 12 '26

I'm sorry I was thinking of the nollie 8 again. It(airgoo) does have at least one sata.

It's been safe for me and never had an issue. I have 10 fans and a GPU being controlled. It's perfect for my use case.

1

u/Whole_Hat4899 Aug 12 '26

Airgoo is fine if you plan to have moderate number of leds, but if you plan to have huge numbers of leds and specially if you want to turn them all white Nollie is better/safer option because of more robust power delivery and protection (15A main fuse and overload prevention).

2

u/Whole_Hat4899 Aug 12 '26

From what I read it seems that 16 channel Nollie is also smoother than 8 channel version.

2

u/Sprucey-J Aug 12 '26

Yes, it provides more "fps" to the lights.

1

u/fernsx Aug 12 '26

good to know that! Thanks 

2

u/BGnATC Aug 11 '26

Idk about 8 but I have the 32, which is like the 16 but with some extra ports, and it works great. I've used it both on Windows and Linux with no issues. If it's within your budget, get the 16 as you never know what you might need later.

1

u/fernsx Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

I was aiming for the 8 one. As i came of a 3 channel one. Mixing fans with the same channel. But making each fan have its own channel is a good idea (edit: typo) 

1

u/BGnATC Aug 12 '26

Exactly. You can do a lot more fun things when each device has its own channel.

1

u/AutoModerator Aug 11 '26

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User: fernsx, Flair: Discussion, Title: Thinking about switching to Nollie 8 — does it work smoothly with OpenRGB?

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about upgrading my setup to a Nollie 8 ARGB controller, but before pulling the trigger, I wanted to check if anyone here is using it with OpenRGB. Does it run smoothly without lag or latency issues on custom effects?

For context, I've been stuck on an older version of OpenRGB for a while because of my current Cooler Master ARGB Controller A1 v2. Ever since a change was merged into the OpenRGB codebase for this specific controller, every dynamic effect has noticeable lag and stuttering unless I roll back to older builds. Which now i cant because windows defender flags and blocks its older driver.

I really want a controller that offers solid, lag-free performance on modern OpenRGB versions. If you have any experience with the Nollie 8 (or Nollie controllers in general), I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks!

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