What Does RGB Stand For?

Key Points:

• RGB is listed from 0 to 255 to represent colors.
• It is an important tool in which to match colors digitally.
• RGB lighting for components don’t have quite the normal, natural light look.

RGB is color model that produces a range of colors. If you have used LCDs, scanners, cameras and image editing tools, chances are you have interacted with RGB. But what does it mean? Simply put, RGB is an acronym for Red, Green, and Blue.

So, what does RGB stand for? Let’s deep dive into the world of RGB and see its applications.

Red, Green, and Blue

You might be thinking to yourself. There is no way RGB is just red, green, and blue; I have seen it produce way more colors than that. That is because it is an additive color model that uses those three colors to create a wide array of colors. An excellent way to think about it is to mix primary color paints to create secondary colors. It is worth noting that RGB was first introduced as a color science, not for lights. But lights are currently what dominates the RGB market.

Each color in RGB is graded on a scale from 0 to 255. So if you have an RGB light set at Red=0, Blue=0, and Green=0, the light would not produce any light. On the other hand, if each color were set at 255, the light would be glowing white. You can look up recipes online that typically look like 255-0-255. This is for magenta.

We want to note that not every RGB light gives you control over 255 levels, but this RGB concept is built on.

RGB Computer Gear

The term RGB started to gain a lot of traction when mainstream PC builders began to use components with RGB lights. This has led many manufacturers to embrace it as a selling point. Currently, you can find high-end to low-end segments, including RGB as a feature. Below is a brief list of PC components you can find with RGB.

• Memory Sticks
• Motherboards
• Graphics Cards
• Fans and Cooling Devices
• Solid State Drives
• Power Supply Units
• Computer Casing
• Keyboards
• Mice and Mouse Pads
• Headphones and Speakers
• Monitors

At this point, it is harder to find components that don’t include RGB than to find ones without. However, not all RGB components are the same, As the internet is one to do, RGB has become a meme lately. Reddit and Twitter often jokingly refer to RGB as a barometer for performance. Watch out for sarcastic comments like this, and remember that you can often save a buck by using a non-RGB option.

Is RGB Worth It?

While RGB won’t speed up your computer, it makes your computer look like it came from the future. At least it did when RGB first came into the mainstream about eight years ago. In addition, RGB is heavily associated with a gamer aesthetic, and you probably won’t find a product with the word gamer or gaming without RGB.

Whether you like the aesthetic or not, RGB does add an extra look to your PC, especially if you are not great at cable management. Some people use RGB lighting to bring attention to the quality of these components, such as high-quality RAM, a top-end graphics card, and an expensive cooling solution. Don’t fall into the trap of RGB always means better, though, because you can find stuff as good or better without RGB.

At this point, we think RGB has hit its most significant peak in popularity, and components are purposefully starting to advertise that they don’t have RGB. At the end of the day, if you want the RGB look, there is no other way to get it, so it is worth it. But if you want a more natural light look, you might want to steer away from RGB components.

Up Next…

Keep reading other great articles about visual aspects!

• DVI-I vs. DVI-D: Which is Better? We show you the differences between the two in this article.
• 4K UHD vs. Blu-ray: How Do They Compare? The pros and cons are broken down right here!
• AMOLED vs. OLED: Full Comparison. From top to bottom we compare these displays!