Aesthetics. Or...why are most GPUs ugly?

[chihlidog]

So....come tax time, I'll be looking to upgrade my GPU. Maybe. There's a problem though. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the way my Vapor-X R9 290 looks in my case (see avatar). Yeah, OK, so I am a sucker for lights, I admit it. My whole PC was designed not only for performance but aesthetics were taken into consideration as well. I love the Mass Effect kinda look I have going on in my case. My motherboard, gpu, RAM and my case were all partially chosen for their lighting effects.

I've been browsing new GPUs and just wondered if there are any current cards on the market that actually look good. I dont understand how the lighting scheme on this Vapor-X didnt catch on - blue when it's cool, yellow when it heats up, red when its overheating. Or did it and I just cant tell with stock, non-lit images?

 

[Hitman928]

Is it the lights that you like about your card or the color scheme or both? The lights changing with the temperature is a more common thing now for OEMs though it's usually not the default for the card and usually has to be set like that through the OEM's software.

 

[chihlidog]

Is it the lights that you like about your card or the color scheme or both? The lights changing with the temperature is a more common thing now for OEMs though it's usually not the default for the card and usually has to be set like that through the OEM's software.

Both. I know lots of Geforces have green/yellow lights (which would look horrible in my rig, but I an an AMD GPU fanboy anyway), but I love both the lights and the scheme together. Love the red/blue/soft white I get at idle. Love how it changes based on temperature. Love how it works all the way around.

http://imgur.com/a/UUiZe

 

[poofyhairguy]

I think my AMD 460 Strix is adorable. It even has the lights like OP likes.

 

[Adul]

These seem to fit the bill.
https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/ROG-STRIX-GTX1080-O8G-GAMING/
https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/ROG-STRIX-GTX1070-8G-GAMING/

 

[chihlidog]

These seem to fit the bill.
https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/ROG-STRIX-GTX1080-O8G-GAMING/
https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/ROG-STRIX-GTX1070-8G-GAMING/

Definitely like the lighting. Wouldnt buy an nVidia product, but the design is decent. Thanks for that.

 

[Dave3000]

I like the design of Nvidia's reference cooler on the GTX 1080. I like that design better than any of the 3rd party coolers on the GTX 1080.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Definitely like the lighting. Wouldnt buy an nVidia product, but the design is decent. Thanks for that.

I guess you could buy a Strix card when Vega comes out then and have a nice upgrade over your 290. I have no idea if it's supposed to come out in late 2016, early 2017, or even mid 2017 though. The Vega launch rumors seem to be all over the place.

 

[MongGrel]

I've really ever understood why when someone is buying a GPU having pretty lights on it is a priority.

 

[bystander36]

I thought most GPU's looked pretty decent, with most reference designs looking plain. For most people, the appearance of a GPU means very little, as it's hidden inside a case, and is turned upside down. For the most part, I don't want lights on a GPU. I'd rather my room not have distracting lighting as I play games.

 

[mikeymikec]

I've really ever understood why when someone is buying a GPU having pretty lights on it is a priority.

Especially considering that in most rigs the lights would be facing the wrong way. If anything I would want an basic LED display telling me the GPU temp, maybe as well as the current fan RPM.

 

[EXCellR8]

Never really gave too much thought to looks, since I typically buy reference models and then replace the cooler if I don't like it.

Back when even mainstream cards had die-side circuitry exposed, there were some pretty hilarious designs... but for the most part I think most are fine. There are some vendor specific coolers that do feel really cheap though.

I think the overall best air cooler design is EVGA ACX 2.0 or whatever it's called... clean, simple, and really effective. I guess I don't like that exposed heat pipe look, but I know it's widely used.