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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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.

[–] weew@lemmy.ca 4 points 17 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.

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 8 points 21 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.

[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 3 points 17 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.

[–] eneff@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 23 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 5 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] tiramichu@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Market segregation.

LED gamer builds uses to be the "premium" segment, but they figured out that all the kids who want a "Gaming PC" don't care how loud it is or what the quality is like as long as it matches the "gamer" aesthetic.

Conversely, someone who cares about sound decibels and airflow as a primary concern is now part of a niche demographic, so they can charge you more.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 8 points 23 hours ago

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

[–] swagmoney@lemmy.ca 1 points 15 hours 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

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 4 points 21 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.

[–] MissingGhost@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day 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.

[–] msherburn33@lemmy.ml 3 points 22 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.

[–] qaz@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

I don't really prefer it. I just buy gaming mice because they have more buttons and disable the RGB.

[–] vfreire85@lemmy.ml 1 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

i want plain computers back.

[–] Hotrod54chevy@lemmy.ml 1 points 12 hours ago

They still sell Antec 🀷

[–] HurlingDurling@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago

#MakeBeigeGreatAgain

[–] bcgm3@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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.

[–] Core_of_Arden@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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 1 day ago

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

i am a non-serious gamer, and I really don't care. i'm looking at the game, not the computer or console.

[–] Shape4985@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I dont care much for RGB in everything.

[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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

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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.

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.

[–] 5in1k@lemmy.zip 15 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.

[–] 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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[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 12 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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[–] littlewonder@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day 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 4 points 1 day 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.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 71 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (11 children)

Guilty as charged.

Edited to add, this is actually a slightly old picture. I have a white GPU now.

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[–] Xande@discuss.tchncs.de 6 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.

[–] Ougie@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I think the industry still thinks their target audience is 12 year olds. It's evident also in the aesthetic of the games they make. That being said I am seeing a slow change for the better. If only I could say the same about the prices...

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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.

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 49 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I would prefer basic, subtle, black. I don't want rainbows and lights. I'm very function over form.

I'd also rather play a game on medium settings where it runs flawlessly and doesn't make the fans go hard, than at high settings with worse performance.

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[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 62 points 2 days ago

No, RGB is annoying and gets disabled if I have no other choice. It's cheap and tacky looking. Basically anything marketed as 'gaming' in my eyes is sub tier garbage.

My overall view on all products, not just gaming stuff if the more buzzwords and slogans and whatnot a company uses, the less I give a crap about them and will actually actively avoid it. Just means they spend more on nonsensical crap then the actual product.

In short; More marketing budget = less quality product

[–] 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!

[–] Beryl@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day 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.

[–] terminhell@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Generally I'm not a fan. Personally I like cold, unassuming industrial stuff.

Something like

OR

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

[–] callouscomic@lemmy.zip 15 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The eye grabbing lights and glass covers are fucking idiotic. My best builds are black towers, great airflow, minimal lights, and barely any noise. I'm focused on the game, not the machine.

The thing needs to be forgotten. It's not the center of attention. The monitor is.

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[–] digdilem@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 day ago (5 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 1 day 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 21 hours ago
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[–] ColdWater@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

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

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