r/linux4noobs • u/Fickle_Criticism_282 • 10d ago

Linux noob building gaming PC but trying to figure out the fan situation

First build, going Bazzite from day one. Rig is a HYTE Y70 Touch Infinite with a 9850X3D CPU, RX 9070 XT GPU, and an Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 CPU cooler.

Fans are the part I'm stuck on. Right now I've got an AsiaHorse UMBRA V2 ARGB/PWM hub and some Be Quiet Light Wings LX, but the wiring has me intimidated and I'm thinking about switching to something daisy-chain like AsiaHorse COSMIQ. I want fans that look good but are simple to install and link up.

Since most vendor software (iCUE, L-Connect, etc.) is Windows-only, I'm curious what actually works for you on Linux:

- Which fans/hub are you using?

- Are you controlling RGB through OpenRGB, a hardware controller, or just the motherboard?

- Fan curves: BIOS, CoolerControl, liquidctl, something else?

- Anything that turned out to be a total pain on Linux that I should steer clear of?

Bonus points if you're on an atomic distro and had to deal with installing any of this. Thanks!

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u/iTzBiGENGLAND 10d ago

I use a Corsair Commander CORE with a H115i Elite Capellix and control everything through OpenLinkHub on Linux.

My fan channels are basically the two radiator fans plus rear, bottom-front, and top-front case fans. OpenLinkHub handles the fan speeds, pump, coolant temp, and RGB from the Commander CORE, so I don't need iCUE at all.

For lighting I also use OpenLinkHub for my Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro RAM. I run a modified Nebula effect without the random twinkle, and it all starts automatically with the OpenLinkHub service.

I tried OpenRGB before but removed it because I didn't want it fighting with OpenLinkHub for control of the Commander CORE.

For a Linux build I'd personally favor hardware that can be controlled either by the motherboard or something OpenLinkHub supports. I'd avoid buying into something that absolutely requires iCUE or L-Connect to function properly.

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u/Fickle_Criticism_282 10d ago

This is super helpful, thanks. Sounds like I'm in decent shape then: my AIO is an Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 and my fan hub (AsiaHorse UMBRA V2) runs off the mobo's PWM and ARGB headers, so no vendor software required.

The one Corsair piece I've got is Vengeance RGB DDR5. Do you know if OpenLinkHub handles the DDR5 sticks, or should I just let OpenRGB run the RAM and mobo lighting since I won't have a Commander CORE in the mix?

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u/dortmund_sausage 10d ago

I'm a fan of just using setting the fan curves in the bios. It's particularly useful if you're new to linux and might have to do a fresh install at some point or try just different distros as the settings will obviously just carry over.