How to go about a motherboard's Addressable RGB LED limit?

Question

I am planning a new build and wanted to add some Addressable RGB flare to my setup. However, according to the Asus product specs, the mobo may have a limit on how many addressable LED I can connect to the ADD RGB connector, which is 3A or 60 LEDs. 😭

Someone in some forum said that it's just a protection limit to avoid damage or loss of quality, and the board/software has no way of knowing how many LEDs there are, which is good news.

My question is, if there is a 3A limit on that 5v ARGB port, what happens if I want to connect more Addressable LEDs? Is there a way to provide extra power like a hub or power splitter? Any suggestion would be GREATLY appreciated.

In case you're wondering, here's the list of RGB parts that will utilize the ADD RGB port on this board, potentially over 164 LEDs:

• 2 x Strips
• 5 x Fans that use separate LED/RGB cable
• GPU bracket
• Case that has 2 more strips builtin

Answer 1

I don't recommend surpassing rated amperage limits on computer hardware. Any device that pulls power from some other source, (PSU or Fan Header) doesn't count towards that limit. Those LED headers on the MB are usually only used for the strips. You have 4 strips and that should be fine.

Just use a different power source for the other components.

Answer 2

Their 'Aura Sync' software FAQ (pg10) indicates the max is 120*. I think this was designed for limited (a few) options since it draws power from your mobo. It sounds like your requirements are pushing you to a dedicated LED controller which I imagine has more expand-ability (never used). LED controller I believe is a box: drawing power directly from PSU, connects to USB headers on your mobo (SW interface, how it controls LED's), & the LED/RGB items plug into said box.

Some notes on the Asus option:

• Their 'ROG Addressable LED Strip' has a 3-pin connector that goes to a 5V ADD_HEADER on motherboard & is not compatible with the 4-pin RGB_HEADER 12V connector. Their product page details which motherboards are compatible
• The specs of that stripe page indicate 5V & longer 60cm module uses 9W, according to a volt/amp/watt calculator on the internet that means it uses 1.8A (two of the smaller 30cm would use same amperage)

*You could reach out to Asus to confirm since they'll know best. Also might want to tell them their official FAQ link is broken on this page