When you first boot up a modern gaming PC, you'll undoubtedly be greeted by a rainbow of lights coming from thekeyboard and other hardware. But unless you're into the unicorn aesthetic, you probably don't want to leave it that way—you’llwant to make it your ownusing your favorite colors and lighting patterns. That's where Auracomes in. Itallowsyou to customize yourRGBLEDsto your heart's content.
Whatis Aura Sync?
Aurais ASUS’ RGB control software.Available on both our laptops and desktop platforms, Aurais a one stop shop for controlling anything RGB on your system. Depending on your platform and accessories,you can useourAura Syncutilityto controlyourkeyboard, monitor, motherboard, GPU,caselights, and even compatible components from other manufacturers.Aurais built intoourArmoury Cratesoftware, which meansit lives alongside other system tools likefan controls and system monitoringon ROG laptops.
RGB gives you almost limitless flexibility to reflect yourpersonality,butcontrolling thoseLEDs has historically been less thansimple.Auraand AuraSyncaredesigned tobepainless.It's easy to set a static color with one click, disable the lighting completely, or go all out for a truly custom look.
How to pair new devices with Aura Sync
If you have anewROGproduct with RGB,you’relikelygood to go—Aura Synchas been around since 2016.Fornon-ASUSproducts, we recommend looking for the “Aura Sync compatible” logoon the product page or packaging. If you see thatbadge, you canbeconfidentyour peripherals willworkbeautifullywith our software.
Once you’re ready toget the disco party started,downloadand installArmoury Crateif it isn’t on your system already.Then, make sure that your peripherals are connected,and thatWindows is up to date.
In order for Armoury Crate to recognize your peripherals, it will need to install the requisite modules. So open Armoury Crate, click the Settings cog in the bottom left corner, and head to the Update Center tab. Check for updates and install every update available to you — if all your devices are plugged in, it will download the plugins for configuring them. Once the updates have finished, you may need to restart your system.
When your system is back up and running, launchArmouryCrateandlook for thetriangularsymbol labeled “Aura Sync”on the left sidebar. It will take youto theSync Devicestabwith all your compatible hardware listed below.On my system,for example,I can see four devices:myROG motherboard and monitor, myG.Skillmemory kit, andanAddressable LED strip, whichis my motherboard’s3-pinaddressable RGB header connected to my PC case.After updating your drivers(if you're asked to do so), you can choose which of these devices you'd like to group together and then move on to the lighting settings themselves.
When planning out a new buildwith anROGmotherboard,notehow many 3-pinaddressableand 4-pin non-addressableRGBheadersthe boardhas. As an example, my CrosshairVIII Formula has two3-pin andtwo 4-pin headers, and in my current configurationI’musingjustone for controlling the RGB on my case.If you planon pairing a lot of internal RGB components—like multiple fans, an AIO cooler, and case lighting—make sure that your motherboardhastheappropriatenumberofheaders.Note also thatsome componentslike the RAM or your GPU will not require a dedicated ARGBheader.
The best Aura Sync lighting effectsto try
In the Aura effects tab,you’ll seeten presets. When I first setupmysystem, every component was strobing with the default rainbowcolorthat you seeonmost components out of the box. While it wasn’t a terrible effect, I saw myself getting distracted by the shifting primary colors in my peripheral vision, so Iquicklybegan to experiment with the other options.
For laptop users with RGB keyboards, I would recommend enabling Static or Breathing as a part of the unboxing and setup process. Whenyou’re gaming at night, thatkeyboard backlighting is essentialfor visibility.
If you have a distinct favorite color or perhaps a specificcolortheme withinyour system, Static can be a great starting point.That allows you to lock in one specific color from anywhere on the color wheel, or select the exact red, green, and blue values for a custom color.If you want something a bit more dynamic, the Breathing preset offers a slight variation by pulsating the lights from 0-100% luminosity in your chosen color.This breathing effect was my choice for a few days, butI’m currently in love withStarryNight, which is similar but randomly pulses different zones rather than the entire setup at once. It keeps the illusion ofbreathing,but with an overalleven average luminosity, keeping me focused on my tasksandshowing a bit of flare.
In addition,Irecommend checking outSmart and Adaptive Color. Smartallows you to choose between CPU temperature or usage,giving youa quick glanceat yoursystem load. By following green to yellow to red as a color guide, you can keep track of your rig’s statuswithout needing any monitoring tools or leaving Task Manager open. For Adaptive Color, you can select an area of the screen that Aura will sample and dynamically adjust to match your RGBlightswith what’s happening on-screen. For example,when I tested thisin afirst-person shooter, I selected the middle lower third of my screenas a sample area.Aura Syncresponded with grey, green and brown effects to match the concrete, foliage and soil that my character was traveling through.Or, when doing desktop work, it’ll match the color scheme of my wallpaper for a perfectly harmonizedaesthetic.If you happen to have Philips Hue lights, Aura canevensync to your entire room lighting setupwith ease.
While setting a fire and forget Aura effect can work in most cases, there are some games and scenarios where having any kind of background lighting could be distracting or detrimental,like when playinghorror games or watching late night movies.In these cases,ArmouryCrate’sScenario Profilesfeature can automatically change your lighting on a per-application basis. You can read more abouthow to use Scenario Profiles here.
Create custom lighting with Aura Creator
While the robust presets available from Aura Sync may satisfymost folks,ROG alsohasanotheroptionfor those who dareto break the mold.Aura Creatoris a standalone utility that allows you tocreate custom effects based on multiple presets, but also controlled for time and on a per-device level. Would you like your motherboard to stay a static color, while each of your four RAM slots follows a unique pattern? Not a problem. Would you like all of the computer components to stay fixed to a rainbow effect while your external peripherals stay astatic color? Can do. What if you want to flip functionality between the two every 60 seconds? Done and done.Aura Creatoroffers endless flexibility to those who are willing to spend a little extra time making a lighting profile unique to their setup and gear.
Some machines, like theZephyrus S17andStrix SCAR series,even allow forper-key RGB lightingthrough Aura Creatorfor ultimate customization.That means you can set custom lighting that highlights the important hotkeys for your favoritegame, orcreate a truly unique pattern that you design from scratch.You can downloadAura Creatorfrom withinArmouryCrate in the Aura Effects menu on the bottom left, and you canread more about Aura Creator’s abilities here.
Seamless integration and infinite personalization
In a PC ecosystemwhereRGBis all butubiquitous, Aura Sync has you covered. Our software can seamlessly integrate with your compatible peripherals to unify your entirelighting scheme, andyoucan toggleiton and off as needed. AuraCreator adds another layer of depth for those in search of more granular control and unique settings. If you haven’t already, downloadArmoury Cratetoday and brighten up your life.
