Sometimes I wonder what the thought process behind the gaming aesthetic was. RGB (*if tunable) itself is fine and adds a nice opportunity for personalization, but are those tacky fonts, crystal-facet enclosures, and overall showiness just tasteless or do any gamers actually prefer that look?
My PC is RGB because it was cheaper that way. If I had the budget for what I really wanted, my PC would be made of translucent plastic; probably orange or purple.
I was into it when I was a teenager, then got over it quickly. This was before RGB programmable lighting was even available, you had to buy your own individual LEDs that didn’t change color.
Also this was the era where CGI anime girls and/or robofrogs were plastered on the GPU and cases had giant useless hunks of plastic to make it look like constipated Transformer so… in all honesty it’s probably gotten better.
I appreciate the gamer aesthetic when scientists need to buy gear with the power to run scientific calculations for relatively cheap. The RGB lights under the case windows bring a bit of pizzazz to the laboratory.
i want plain computers back.
#MakeBeigeGreatAgain
I was into it in the early days but got over it quickly. Now I want the opposite and minimize attention my PC draws to itself. Its just pointless and kind of annoying. It was impressive back when it was new and challenging but now its just an element of marketing, and one that I’ve come to strongly dislike in my builds.
Even as a nongamer I appreciate the stylistic aspects of gaming computers, but tbh if I were going to buy one I’d probably put the money into better specs and a plain case.
I spent extra to not have any components with RGB. The only lighting I find tolerable are white (!) LEDs.
This is the part that bothers me the most. Why does it now cost more for no RGB? I would very happily put my components in a black metal box with good airflow, but that costs extra now. Back in the early 2000s Lian Li used to make really simple brushed aluminum cases and they were beautiful and perfect. Now everything is tempered glass and RGB, sometimes at the cost of airflow/cooling. It’s insane.
I don’t really prefer it. I just buy gaming mice because they have more buttons and disable the RGB.
i am a non-serious gamer, and I really don’t care. i’m looking at the game, not the computer or console.
I bought RGB crap once. It stayed on while the PC was in standby mode. Never again.
We went from boring beige PC cases, that looked rather boring and were in dire need of some stylish upgrades, in the complete other direction and overshot the target by a mile. I find most modern PC stuff incredible ugly and impractical. Even just finding a tower that still has a 5.25" slot took effort, since most don’t even have them anymore. The whole idea of transparent windows on your case or putting your PC on the desk instead of below it, is complete nonsense, especially when you don’t even have room for swappable disk drives. The good old desktop PC at least went under your monitor, but modern PC cases don’t even do that.
I am kind of surprised, despite all those decades of PC gaming, we still don’t have gaming PCs as compact as a Playstation/Xbox. They do exist, e.g. the old Alienware Steam Machine was tiny, but they are far from common place and often either underpowered or overpriced.
I’ve been a PC gamer for 32 years now. I do enjoy having a clear side panel. I’ve had one for 22 years. That way you can show off whatever you have inside. I don’t use RGB or any kind of lighting. I just think clear electronics are cool, you can see how they are made.
I used to be against it, then my PC died in the early COVID days and the only (practical) way I could get a future-proofed replacement was to get a pre-built, and they all had RGB.
From there, though, it grew on me. Like so many other things I enjoy about working with computers, the learning process was just super enjoyable for me.
I read about different standards (RGB vs aRGB, 3 pins vs 4 pins, this module or that one, this software vs that), tried a few things, and got it looking like I wanted. Now I’m using OpenRGB to make my own patterns that match the room or the weather or whatever wallpaper I’ve got. Turning understanding into control and self-expression just feels good man.
I spent a few $1000 on the computer, I’ll spend $100 more to make it look fancy
Gamers don’t have a few $1000 for a computer. You’re an adult not a gamer.
What makes you think they are mutually exclusive?
Personally I don’t care for the trend that is RGB EvReyWhERe!!1!1! MoRe!1!1! Especially in what amounts to pretty normal cases. Just a box with a bunch of bolt on lights and fans. Yay?
I far more admire a computer where someone has taken the time to actually invest some customization that took skill. Bending watercool hard tubing around a hand made or modified case. Lights are fine for accent or drama, but not as a misrepresentation of uniqueness or effort.
