LED light strips are an economical and aesthetically pleasing way to illuminate. In order to meet market demand, a new product RGBW has now been developed, adding a white light chip, 4 chips in 1 led. The RGBCCT 5 chips in 1 led, add two white light chips on the basis of RGB. So, I will share some information about RGB vs. RGBW vs. RGBIC vs.RGBCCT LED Strip Lights in this comprehensive guide.
RGB, RGBW, RGBIC, RGBCCT represent the color change of the LED strip. They have different combinations of diodes that make them unique. In addition, RGB, RGBW, and RGBWW also have differences in the hue of white. While other LED strips cannot produce the multi-color effect like RGBIC LED strips.
What is RGB LED Strip Light?
RGB light strips with three-channel (red, green, and blue) LED chips. Which combines these three colors to produce approximately 16 million shades of light. Some colors are just outside the triangular range of RGB LEDs, but it offers quite a bit of variety. The combination of RGB light strips can also produce white, it is not pure enough.
The accessory of the RGB LED light is universal, it needs four-pin input. Plus, RGB LED lights are cost-effective. So if you’re looking for color-changing and dynamic LED options, RGB LED Strips may be the most cost-effective option.
What is RGBW LED Strip Light?
RGBW LED strip is an upgraded version of the color of the RGB color strip, it adding pure white chips separately. The effect of this led strip is similar to the RGB LED strip, with more white. In addition to the 16 million RGB LED variations, RGBW produces a purer white than RGB LED strips.
RGBW can be divided into two different products;
RGB+W(RGB+W separately)- red, green, blue and warm white.
RGBW(4 chips in 1 leds) -red, green, blue and warm white.
What is RGBIC LED Strip Light?
RGBIC combines a 3-in-1 RGB LED plus a built-in independent chip. In the case of color variety, these LED Strips are the same as RGB and RGBW. But the difference is that RGBIC can bring multiple colors in a single strip at a time. Thus, it gives a flowing rainbow effect. But, RGB and RGBW cannot provide this multi-color option.
What is RGBCCT LED Strip Light?
RGBCCT(5 chips in 1 leds) consists of RGB and CCT. CCT has two chips as variables, which means that the color temperature of the led strip can be adjusted, between warm white light and white light. It is also considered an upgrade from RGBW, and the color temperature adjustment allows switching between these two temperatures according to one’s own needs.
If your project requires regular adjustments between cool white, white, and warm white, the RGB CCT LED strip is an ideal choice. However, it’s more expensive than RGB and RGBW LED strips, but certainly offers more options when it comes to color adjustments.
RGB vs. RGBW vs. RGBIC vs. RGBCCT LED Strip Lights
I made a small table to simply distinguish their functions through several characteristics, RGB vs. RGBW vs. RGBIC vs. RGBCCT LED Strip Lights
| Products | RGB | RGBW | RGBIC | RGBCCT |
| Colors | Red, Green, Blue | Red, Green, Blue, White | Blue, White, Red, Green, Warm White | Blue, White, Red, Green, Warm White |
| Chips | 3 in 1 | 4 in 1 | 5 in 1+IC | 5 in 1 |
| Function | Single | Single | Multiple | Multiple |
| Brightness | Bright | Ultra-Bright | Ultra-Bright | Ultra-Bright |
| Budget | Normal | Medium | Expensive | Expensive |
How do I choose between RGB, RGBW, and RGB CCT?
RGB is the most common and popular used LED strip light. But RGBW and RGBCCT will provide more choices to better meet your lighting needs. When you choose a colorful light bar, please refer to the following points.
Budget
Regarding the price, RGB led strip is the least expensive of the trio of RGB, RGBW, and RGBCCT. In addition, it also has a full range of color combination capabilities. Therefore, RGB led strip is the best choice when considering the price.
White
If you need pure white, RGBW led strip is perfect. Which W can be warm white or white, you can choose the color temperature according to your needs. The price is not too expensive, between RGB and RGBCCT.
Tunable
Do you need white color or not? you can choose RGB-CCT LED strips. It has an adjustable white color scheme as well as red, green and blue. Offers 16 million RGB color variations and three RGBW options; RGBW, RGBWW and RGBCW in one LED. It may cost more, but offers the most comprehensive range of color theme options.
Function
You still have to choose the right product according to your project. If your project only needs to be colourful, and the requirements for white light are not high, you can actually choose RGB led strip, which not only meets your project but also saves you the cost.
How to Connect an LED Strip to a Power Supply?
When connecting an LED strip to a power supply, the following points must be kept in mind
- Before choosing the power supply, we estimate the total power used by the led strip, and accessories to ensure that the power of the LED power supply is greater than the total power of the led strip and accessories.
- When choosing a led strip, you need to figure out whether you need a 12VDC or 24VDC led strip. At the same time, it is also necessary to select a power supply of the corresponding voltage.
- Then connect the positive and negative poles of the LED strip to the power supply.
- Connect the other end of the power adapter to the power plug.
How to Choose RGB, RGBW, RGBIC, RGBWW, and RGB-CCT LED Strip Controllers?
Generally speaking, RGB vs. RGBW vs. RGBIC vs. RGBCCT LED Strip Lights must be matched with LED controllers. Only with the controller connected, you can freely control the color of the light bar according to your own ideas.
Most controllers are compatible with RGB, RGBW, and RGB-CCT LED strips and can be used interchangeably. When choosing an LED controller, keep in mind the purpose of the LED strip, not the LED driver or any other complex technical details. The different types of LED controllers available in the market are:
RF LED controller
IR LED controller
Tunable white LED controller
DMX 512 controller
DALI RGB controller
0-10V LED controller
Programmable RGB LED controller
Bluetooth LED controller
Wi-Fi LED controller
Conclusion
Each colorful led strip light has its own characteristics, you need to choose according to your personal needs. In fact, RGB light strips are currently the most popular, and there are many models to choose from, and the cost is also low.
In short, if it is just simple colorful lighting, RGB light strips are enough. But if there are special projects or high-end lighting engineering requirements, you can choose according to their characteristics. Anyway, colorful light strips are always popular, our company has many models of colorful led strips for you to choose from, please let me know if any interests.
FAQs
If you just need colorful led strips and don’t care about the purity of white light, then RGB light strips are fine. But if you have special requirements, then RGBW will be better.
(RGB White) is uses four subpixels (red, green, blue, and white).
Yes, W can be warm white or white as your need.
RGBW four-color pixel is an upgraded version of RGB. Therefore, RGBW is definitely brighter than RGB, with higher light transmittance and less power consumption.
RGBW LED strips contain red, green, blue, and white LED chips to create full spectrum colors for creative lighting effects.
Yes, according to the specific cutting mark, you can also customize the length of the led strip and cut it yourself.
It can be connected and used under the premise of sufficient power. But there is no way to control some lights, so the RGBW led strip is best matched with an RGBW controller.