RGB lighting in PC hardware is ubiquitous. It's almost impossible to eliminate it from a new build, unless you're pretty intentional with your component choice. Many PC users love it, while others just consider it a confusing mess. And while it's mostly a tool to enhance your PC's esthetics, RGB can also be put to practical uses. For instance, it helps me use my PC at night, monitor system temps visually, and make gaming more immersive. I like RGB for its esthetic appeal, sure, but these practical uses are a great bonus.

Improved visibility in low light

A small but useful perk

Most of the time I spend on my PC is for work during the day, but once the sun is down, it becomes hard to properly see my keyboard. I've still not mastered touch typing, so I need my keyboard to be illuminated. Besides, without the extra RGB lighting emanating from my PC, staring at the monitor becomes a strain on my eyes. I don't like to turn on the harsh lighting in my room, so all the RGB components come in handy, helping illuminate my setup in an otherwise dark room.

I've made many other visual upgrades to my PC besides RGB lighting, but the latter remains an integral part of my setup. I like to look at my components once in a while, and without RGB, I'd have a hard time doing that. I plan to add more RGB components to my PC, such as cable extensions and additional intake and exhaust fans, as I feel my current lighting setup is half-baked.

Heightened in-game immersion

Looks nice, feels great

Syncing your entire setup's RGB lighting to what's happening on your screen, especially during gaming, is an underrated luxury. This used to be rare before, but with in-game integrations available on many RGB programs, that's no longer the case. I use the Screen Ambience effect in SignalRGB to mirror everything that's displayed on my monitor to my PC and keyboard's RGB lighting. This creates a cohesive setup in general, but during gaming, it becomes more than that — I'm actually more immersed in the action.

SignalRGB's paid plan even includes official gaming integrations that take this to another level. I haven't checked them out yet, but I highly recommend them. This might sound like a mere esthetic choice, but you wouldn't say the same about an ultrawide gaming monitor or noise-canceling headphones, would you? Syncing your PC's RGB lighting to your gaming session achieves the same effect, albeit for free.

Visual system monitoring

Go beyond HWiNFO

Another practical advantage of using RGB lighting beyond esthetics is to turn it into a visual indicator of your PC's temperature or load parameters. While I use this at a very basic level, using one of SignalRGB's sensor-reactive effects to show blue or red for low and high CPU load, respectively, it's still serviceable. The program has more such effects, but they're all paid. I might fork out the cash someday, but I'm good for now.

I need to switch from my usual Screen Ambience effect to the Hot and Cold effect to do this, but I love it when the lighting goes from blue to red, as the CPU load increases during gaming. It's a basic sensor-linked RGB effect, but it's both practical and esthetic at the same time. You can even choose to sync the lighting to memory load, or use one of the paid effects for more such integrations.

RGB beyond eye candy

RGB lighting can impart a bit of flair to your PC setup, but it can also fulfill practical purposes. Monitoring your PC's sensors, increasing gaming immersion, alerting you of incoming emails or messages, and just making it easier to see your setup in low light are some examples. I use only a handful of these perks, but you will find more once you get into it.