Graphics AMD 6xxx Series (RDNA 2)

Well vertically mounted GPUs are definitely a rising trend and I can see why given the vast money sunk into GPU why would you want to look at the back of a PCB or back plate. Whilst life would be easier without a window I quite enjoy peering at my PC internals whilst I'm respawning but then I am a nerd.

 

Don't get me wrong - I also have windows (two for reasons I can't quite work out.. Anyone got any idea why the back of the PC case needs a window, Fractal?), and I also look at my setup through said window.

But it's all black and/or clear+nickel oblongs and tubing. Okay, I can change the colour of the LED's, but it's then just oblongs with a different colour light.

Now, if there was a clear material with the heat transfer abilities of nickel plated copper, or copper, then I think there could be some more interesting things to see.

Or if a manufacturer would take a chance and make boards that weren't black, black, and with optional silver and RGB then maybe I'd get the aesthetic argument better.

I remember green, tan, red, blue, hell I even have vague recollections of orange, motherboards and cards. Sure, colour matching would be an arseache, but damn. That'd be more interesting than the latest square of black.

Hell, companies that make GPUS and motherboards could make a series even. AMD Red edition. Intel Blue. Nvidia Green. Something more interesting.

I don't think I'll ever understand vertical GPU's with air cooling against glass windows, though. That seems like a poorly thought out idea at best.

 

Isn't there already Asus ROG series, Gigabyte Aorus series?
I remember seeing recommended videos from a certain Canadian computer youtuber on "all ROG build" and "all Aorus build".

I personally don't plan on ever looking at my computer components through the case window. Especially when the case is on the floor between a wall and desk.

Although the EVGA graphics card has ability to change LED colour according to GPU temperature. It would be useful to see at a glance the colour glowing from the computer and know the rough temperature it's at. But if I'm that bothered, there are smartphone apps that does the same thing.

 

Oh, yeah, there are those, but they're all black oblongs. I meant making the whole thing a different colour. Like.. Red PCB, red coolers, etcetcetc so maybe not every PC is the same arrangement of black oblongs.

 

The problem with that is limited or divergent markets. If they make it all one colour with RGB then anyone can buy it and make it whatever colour they need. Its why if you look at the muber of motherboard SKU's now its much lower as they don't need al lthe different colours.

 

Aye, don't get me wrong, I know from a financial perspective it makes no sense to dilute the already small market, but I can dream, right?

Hell, I remember having a gigantic red Lian Li case with an ATi logo on the side, a pair of bright red PCB cards, and yellow cables.

Now I have two black boxes with some lights. It just .. It feels like a step backwards.

 

It was indeed! Lian Li PC-P80R if memory serves. I ended up selling it on ebay, as I've slowly been migrating to smaller and smaller cases.

My current consideration is whether I could migrate to MITX and have two Shift Air's instead of the R6.. Unrelated, though.

 

With how hemmed in AIB makers are with pricing, by the chip makers asking more and people affording less, I'm not surprised its getting more and more boring. And unfortunately thats all 99% of people care about...

Back when a GPU cost £200-£300 then adding loads of fancy design stuff for £50-£100 extra made sense, now people don't want to stomach it...

 

I can't tell you how many times I nearly bought that when you had it on the MM.

 

It was an absolutely ridiculous case, and an absolutely stupid purchase. I paid 360 shipped, I think it sold for about 80 to a bloke in Finland.

It wasn't great, either. The fans up front sucked, not in the good way, the filter didn't properly cover the fans, so there was a never ending buildup of dust in the case, the fact that it was red meant you either had to modify the top panel, or buy a black one and have it reanodized and pray for a colour match to fit a second fan. There were only two drive cages, so despite being able to take 12 drives space wise, you only got cages for 6 - Another purchase or two that needed modifying because, of course, the cages Lian Li sold didn't fit the P80 out of the box. The red thumbscrews were utter toss. I broke two doing them up with my thumbs. There was oodles of space, but bugger all you could do with it if you weren't using a board that had fifty thousand PCI slots. Couldn't retrofit USB3 in the front panel, the buttons for the front panel were held in with o-rings that broke if you so much as looked at them. Being early Lian Li (Have they changed?) the case had more air leaks than a sieve. Oh, and three 140's in, one 140 in the top, and a 120 (Might have been 140...) on the back. Didn't include the 120 in a mount, so you had to use a silver one if you wanted that, although IME that thing was useless. On top of all that, it was also the size of a small car. Finding anywhere to put it was.. Challenging. It was very ATi, though.

All in all, it was a terrible case. I don't regret buying it, but I definitely couldn't recommend it.

 

This line pleases me. Greatly.

 

Not any more!
https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/news/nagaos-gpu-mirror-reflects-the-beauty-of-your-rig

 

Oh good lord. Looks like something out of a tomb raider game. Get the angle right to reflect the light directly into your face!

 

I must admit I do miss the time where it felt like the different AIB's and manufacturers were trying to be different. Saying that Gigabtye and their baby blue aesthetic can stay in the past... Right now it just a sea of grey and black with a smattering of "look at me" RGB crammed in to every possible corner.

Now of course that isn't to say that things haven't got better in terms of overall component quality and reliability.

Mind you I am glad Asrock at least now understand that a 24 pin (20 pin at the time) connector resides on the side of the board and not between the CPU and rear I/O.... looking at you 775-Dual Vsata..

 

TBH I don't care what the initial AMD/Nvidias look like - I only by AIB GPUs.

I may have a glass panel but it's on a shelf under my table anyhoo.

They give a 3070/3080 performance card with more vram for less money that'll do my 1440p.

But that red trim is fugly.

 

The card looks like it was designed by team rocket. I don't really care what it looks like, I just care about performance, price and heat.

 

Navi 21 to be 16gb
Navi 22 to be 12gb

 

Makes sense with the rumoured 3070ti 16gb etc