What has changed is that motherboard-makers have finally gotten 'round to integrating standardised RGB connectors and controllers into their motherboards, providing a central hub for all RGB components, and-with the help of software-a way to sync them all together for all manner of flashy visual effects. There are proprietary standards like Corsair Cue, wacky connectors like those on Phanteks' RGB strips, and components that require special breakout boxes in order to function, like Thermaltake's eye-catching Riing fans. Until recently, however, getting all those RGB components to work together has been a slog. Indeed, alongside the inclusion of tempered glass side panels, RBG lighting has been the de facto trend for 2017-so much so that it's harder to find components without the tech rather than with it. What started with a single keyboard has grown into an industry of RGB-capable components, peripherals, and cases designed for maximum levels of rainbow-coloured nonsense. Which brings us neatly onto the current state of the enthusiast PC. Unfortunately for Corsair, so bad was the bundled software that most people simply took to setting the keyboard up with the most eye-searing rainbow effect possible and called it a day.

Coupled with some bundled software, users could light up the WASD keys in a different colour for use with shooters, turn the number key row into a real-time cool-down timer, or turn the entire keyboard into a garish music visualiser.

The idea, according to Corsair, was to provide the ultimate in keyboard customisation by individually lighting each key with an LED capable of displaying one of 16.8 million colours. In 2014, the PC parts specialist debuted the world's first mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX RGB switches.

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