What are the best LED light strip lights? These convenient stick-on strips of lighting are a great way to set the mood of your gaming setup. You can create special effects and a lighting environment that reacts to events as you play. With RGB strip lighting, you can thematically thread your entire setup together with your favorite colors and animations.
Our first recommendation for an LED light strip is the Govee Smart LED Strip Lights, as they’re easy to setup, easy to control with Govee’s app, they look great, and are competitively priced. For some wall lighting additions, the Nanoleaf Shapes Ultra Black Hexagons look amazing while the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror Lightstrip Kit can match the lighting behind your monitor or TV to what’s being shown on screen. For more guidance in what to look for in your choice of light strips, check out the how to choose section of this guide or have a read of the FAQs that should answer all your questions.
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Best LED strip lights:
How to choose LED strip lights
Your first consideration when finding the right LED lights for your setup is thinking about what you want them to do. Are they for providing filler light under a desk or behind a shelf? If so, a plain strip of lights is your best bet. Or if you’re looking for some lights to decorate your wall, you’ll want to get an RGB lighting kit that comes with a decorative housing. Nanoleaf and Govee have loads of options including wooden hexagons, fluorescent tube-style strips, or triangles, and they can be arranged in whatever pattern you like.
Then there are lighting strips or lighting kits that can add themed lighting to match what you’re watching. The Nanoleaf 4D kit uses a camera to watch your screen and match this with a light strip while the Govee AI Sync Box 2 actually plugs into your PC and reads what’s being sent to your monitor over HDMI.
You may also want to consider if you use any other gear that has RGB lighting and which works with software such as Razer Chroma or Logitech LightSync. Not only is it nice to have all your lighting match up but this software can even have all your lighting react to the game’s your playing. Most options by Govee and Nanoleaf work with these systems (though do check) but budget options might not.
As for budget options, there are plenty of very simple LED lighting kits available that show a single color or use a wired or infrared remote to change color and brightness. These can be great if you just want a simple wash of uniform light with the option to turn it off remotely, but they’re unlikely to work with an app on your phone or software on your PC.
LED strip light FAQs
Are there different quality LED strip lights?
LED strip lights vary in quality depending on how much you spend – but all of the products featured here are from reputable brands. We’ve tried them to see how they work, feel, and look in real life.
Which LED strip is the brightest?
The Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip is the brightest LED strip light here, with a luminosity of 1230 Lumens at a color temperature of 4500K. When paired with high-end gaming monitors and TVs, this is a great feature to have as these displays can wash out the appearance of less powerful LEDs as your eyes will adjust to how bright the TV is in brighter scenes.
How to choose LED strip lights
Length, brightness, mounting options, controls, and the colors on offer are the biggest factors to consider before purchasing a strip light. You might also want to consider the type of LED, as the two Ws in RGBWW indicate that it offers warmer whites than your usual light.
Before you buy an LED strip, it’s best to look at what features you want and where you will be placing it. If you’re using it in your home (or gaming room) you might not need to opt for the brightest lights as they may be too intense for indoor use. If outdoors, a higher luminosity – measured in Lumens – rating is ideal.
There’s also the question of how you want to control the lights. Cheaper options will only be controlled with a remote or specific app. More expensive models can integrate into any existing smart lighting setups you have, or work with voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant.
Many apps also have pre-programmed or programmable functions such as music sync or replicating the colors on a monitor or screen. High-end solutions like Philips Hue lights allow users to create custom programs to get gradients and lighting perfectly dialed in.
Color temperature with LEDs is also important to consider – but seeing as all the lights displayed here are RGB (Red, Blue, Green), you have over 16 million colors to choose from to get essentially any color temperature you want. As an example, however, pure white is rated between 5000-6500 Kelvin, with lower values being warmer in tone.
If you’re running a lighting system outdoors you may want to pair it with a solar solution which will require a close eye on how much power the lights will draw. Power usage is also important for home as who doesn’t want to keep their bills low?
Can you bend LED strip lights?
Most LED strips are flexible enough to withstand soft curves, so they often come in a roll. If your bend requires you almost to fold the tape, you’ll need to be careful not to sever the connection. LED strip lights with an IP rating are much harder to bend without breaking because their coating often makes them more rigid.
For more ways to spruce up your PC build, why not check out our best RGB keyboard and best mousepad guides, as these can add instant style to your setup.