this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2025
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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?

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[–] swagmoney@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 hour ago

so uh i built my gaming pc in an old Lenovo Think tower. no tempered glass or RGB. i just want it to work idc how it looks

[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 1 points 2 hours ago

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.

[–] weew@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 hours ago

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.

[–] vfreire85@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

i want plain computers back.

[–] HurlingDurling@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

#MakeBeigeGreatAgain

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 6 points 6 hours ago

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.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

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.

[–] eneff@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I spent extra to not have any components with RGB. The only lighting I find tolerable are white (!) LEDs.

[–] MIDItheKID@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

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.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 5 points 9 hours ago

I bought RGB crap once. It stayed on while the PC was in standby mode. Never again.

[–] qaz@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

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.

[–] msherburn33@lemmy.ml 2 points 8 hours ago

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.

[–] MissingGhost@lemmy.ml 4 points 9 hours ago

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.

[–] bcgm3@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

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.

[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I spent a few $1000 on the computer, I’ll spend $100 more to make it look fancy

[–] Core_of_Arden@lemmy.ml 10 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

Some gamers do. Like most humans they are attracted to bright, flashy patterns of colors. (most animals actually are). But most mature gamers I know, would rather put some money in better equipment, than flashy colors. So, gamers are as different as the rest of us. Some are caught by the hype, some are not. You see it in cars too. Some like bling, som focus on the actual car.

Me? I like RGB in my keyboards backlight. I don't like it to flash, but I like to make it an orange/reddish color, because that's easy on the eyes, when using your computer at evenings or nights. That's about it.

[–] nfreak@lemmy.ml 2 points 10 hours ago

I do the same but with blue lights on everything. No patterns, color-changes, or whatever - just everything on a low, static blue

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.

[–] Shape4985@lemmy.ml 6 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

I dont care much for RGB in everything.

[–] littlewonder@lemmy.world 4 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I don't care much about my case and the internals but you can pry my flowing; gradient; pink, purple, and blue-lit peripherals, with gold ripples after a key or mouse click, from my dead hands. It's the little things that make me not want to eject out of my chair when dealing with work shit. I feel like a golden bi wizard when I'm at my desk

[–] Delphia@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

Im 40, I have a mortgage, a boring and safe car, a stable union government job and Ive been married for 10 years.

Having my computer make pretty lights is one tiny glimmer of my youth left in my life and if you want to make me feel bad about that, you are a cunt.

I would like it if it was subtle, maybe a few thin rgb lines around the main board like traces, and something similar on other components.

I hate the everything blaring random lights look, its like a kids attempt to draw attention, it works but when you look you wish you hadn't.

[–] anonion@lemmy.anonion.social 2 points 19 hours ago

I really could care less what it looks like. It just needs to be functional/practicle

[–] mriswith@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Some like it and some dislike it. A lot of it can be changed or turned off anyway, so most just pick what they like.

Then there are the RBG-phobes. They talk about it like it's the devils work and seemingly get upset if other people have it in the privacy of their own home.

[–] TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 21 hours ago

I like the stuff because my kinds like all the rainbow effects. Normally while working or gaming I will set the effects to be off though.

[–] LinyosT@sopuli.xyz 12 points 1 day ago (3 children)

The wonders of marketing making people believe that RGB vomit is desirable.

The only LED i care about is white.

White... supremacy?

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[–] ColdWater@lemmy.ca 3 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Flame decal πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯ I thought it was cool 10 years ago, Now my actual setup is black and blue light

[–] 5in1k@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 day ago

I hate it. I resent that I have to get an app to turn off the horrible lights in the computer and peripherals.

[–] vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 18 hours ago

got a pc with a good deal. First thing I did was electrically cut off all unnecessary leds

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm over 30, but even when i was in my early 20s I couldn't stand the blaring lights. A HS friend built up a rig with full flashy RGB shit and I was like "why?" - He thought it was cool, possibly still does.

I mean, I'm supposed to look at the monitor, not the fan or the mouse. Keyboard blacklight is good, tho, so long as it's not red nor a dancing rainbow. Yellow or white are the best kb backlight imo

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[–] Xande@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 day ago

I was riding the first RGB bling bling wave back in the early 2ks and after a while I got sooooooooooooo annoyed by every light my PC emitted.

Same today.

I give a frog about RGB and when I bought my actual PCs back in early 2024 I used an old Chieftec case I had standing around for the first and bought a cheap case of Amazon that has no glass.

Both stand in a way that air can circulate and the PC stays cool, but light is blocked.

[–] digdilem@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

My gaming pc lives in a soundproof cupboard 5m away without a case because quietness is more important to me than any visual element, so any RGB thing gets avoided, or turned off.

I can appreciate a very colour coordinated and well put together "gaming" computer in a purely aesthetic sense. Some are genuinely pretty and I get that some folk take a lot of pleasure out of making something that looks beautiful and best of luck to them. But I'm not one of them.

[–] blindsight@beehaw.org 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I was debating doing something like this; install my build in the crawlspace below my desk. It's just an exterior wall, so running a big enough channel through the wall would mess up the insulation. :(

That's a sweet setup.

[–] digdilem@lemmy.ml 2 points 7 hours ago
[–] Jackhammer_Joe@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How do you handle cooling?

Super quietness sounds great but having a CPU running at 1.000Β°C doesn't

[–] digdilem@lemmy.ml 2 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I drilled a 100mm diameter hole through to the outside of the house and have a 120mm pc fan blowing air directly out from the cupboard through that. Possibly not an option for everyone, but as a householder with power tools, it seemed like a good idea.

The PC itself is just a motherboard screwed to a flat shelf, with a bracket to hold the graphics card steady.

Works well most of the time, although in recent 30'c ambient temperature, it got up to around 37c in there when I was playing a modern game. My CPU is only 65w but I've got a new graphics card and that creates a lot more heat when it's working hard.

[–] Beryl@lemmy.ml 2 points 22 hours ago

I think a lot of these designs probably appeal to the early teen demographic who are begging their parents for their first gaming computer. My tower has one glass side because I like being able to see my components, but I didnt find any RGB necessary. Some of the colorful see through cases are quite pretty when arranged. I don't understand why mice have to look like bionicles though.

[–] Tinks@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Yep. I'm the (apparently minority) weirdo that LOVES the rainbow vomit lights. I have lights everywhere on my computer and desk and it brings me so much joy. It just feels happy to me to have the bright rainbow colors slowly shifting. I find it delightful and will pay extra to ensure devices are not only rainbow capable, but are the right type of rainbow (slow shifting) that I love. My side of our gaming office drives my husband nuts. I regret nothing!

[–] deathbird@mander.xyz 1 points 19 hours ago

I like some of it, but not everything. Customizable is good, but if it's all preloaded and unmodifiable then it's more a mockery of self-expression, isn't it?

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