A high-quality PC case goes a long way to making your desktop looking the part, but if you want to personalize it and make it look a little different to others with the same chassis, you'll want to consider adding some light. An RGB lighting kit will include mostly what you need to achieve this. We've rounded up some of other favorites, including the excellent NZXT HUE 2.
Best Overall: HUE 2 RGB Lighting Kit
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What makes Hue 2 worth the price is how easy it is to use and the overall experience installing it. Dishing out a full $60 will reward you with a controller module, two LED light strips, and all necessary extras to get the unit installed and running. The strips are great because not only can they be attached with double-sided tape but they have built-in magnets. That means you don't need to use the tape and can simply attach them to the case.
The controller module itself isn't just a white box with an ugly label. It's a stylish black box with angled sides and looks great when showcased. If you'd rather not leave it out for everyone to see, it's small enough to be hidden. As for the strips themselves, thanks to the magnets, it's easy to tuck the lighting away from sight and enjoy a strong color range without being blinded by LEDs.
The only downside we came up with was the molex connector. This is the norm for lighting setups that only need the PSU for power, but it is a bummer when you're rocking SATA drives and don't require molex cabling. Luckily, it's possible to pick up a SATA-to-molex adapter for next to nothing. Overall, it's a fantastic investment and makes the job simple.
Runner-up: Thermaltake Pacific Lumi Plus
Thermaltake's first solution to take on NZXT wasn't up to par since you needed physical access to the control module to manipulate the lighting effects, but the company's latest iteration is much better. You get software access, though it's not as good (and stable) as CAM, and plenty of options to switch between.
Still, if you're already rocking a Thermaltake case or have its excellent Riing fans, you'll want to pick up the Lumi Plus to take your connected lighting to a whole new level. As a bonus, Thermaltake's hub works with Razer Chroma.
Best Budget: DeepCool RGB350
When your available budget for case modding is tight, the RGB350 kit from DeepCool is what you'll want to consider. Not only can you hook this hub and its connected LED strips to a motherboard, but also to the included remote, allowing you to quickly change effects and colors with but a click of a button.
It's not quite as advanced as our other picks, reflected in the price difference, but for most PC owners, this kit will brighten up their rig without paying out for premium lighting. You won't be able to choose from numerous effects and fully customize everything using software, unless you have RGB addressable headers on your motherboard.
Bottom line
There are numerous products available that will add some form of lighting to your PC, but when it comes to kits we feel our selection here covers the ones you'd want to consider. They can be inexpensive yet lack certain features, or they can cost a bomb but allow for incredible levels of customization. It all comes down to what you want and how much you're willing to spend.
NZXT's Hue V2 lighting setup isn't cheap, but it is a great package with full support for the company's CAM software. You also get everything you need inside the kit, including the controller, high-quality RGB strips, and cables. The only downside is you'll need a spare Molex connector from your PSU.
