OCrookie Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 just wanted to see what kind of answers or comments this might raise why is it that video card manufacturers make the side of the card that in most computers will never be seen look so nice and leave just a plain somewhat ugly pcb looking up at us in the side window of our towers ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_Jim_* Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 Branding, marketing, and because they can. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCrookie Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 Branding, marketing, and because they can. funny thing is even with the high end cards still only a few have a backplate to dress them up Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishop245 Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 I also wished they would make the back side purty instead of ugly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccokeman Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 Unless functionality is impacted it most likely has to do with cost. If it does not need a backplate to cool down memory or VRM components, stiffen the PCB because of a large cooling solution it will not have it. It would be nice to see on more cards but adds cost (however minimal it is) to design and produce the item. Both of the 6GB Sapphire cards I looked at had backplates, they also had 6GB of Vram, a custom PCB and VRM that needed cooling and came with a price premium but is not always going to be the case with all cards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boinker Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 I have seen before like cokeman has mentioned the styling plate you are talking about. EVGA is good about there top end cards having a separately available backing plate that serves only as a cosmetic upgrade for the stock cooling solution. right now they feature 19 of them at there website at around $20 or less. The other part of that is when you work your way into water cooling like some of us in this thread have is that the copper brick on the PCB needs extra support and the higher end manufactures almost always provide a somewhat stylish and usable solution. See the photo below. Its dusty in there but after seeing you get the gist of things.Adds strength and looks much better then a bare PCB. Oh and just for all of you I re-sized it from ridiculous to 1440-1080. No whining. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red1776 Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 I always figured it was because heat rises and the cooling scheme of most cases is to draw cool air from the bottom, and vent heat out of the top. if you had the fans up it would be fighting the CPU heatsink for air (and pulling heat from the CPU) and heat being vented out of the top. I think dust would accumulate a bit faster in the fans and fin array a bit faster as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCrookie Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) I think i know what it is the video card manufacturers have been trying to subconsciously make the case manufacturers flip the mobo tray over to show how purty the fan side of the card is but seriously even if it was just a piece of plastic with a sticker for cosmetics would be so nice and would only cost a few cents to produce in large volumes especially when they put so much into the side that will never be seen again after install in a tower chassis until upgrade time. and when we're spending USD $400+ on a component that likely only costs them half that to produce if not less, i don't think a few cents more on something to make it more attractive is much to ask of them. sure they have R&D costs to recoup also but i'm sure they have that well within the first month after launch. Edited October 12, 2012 by OCrookie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulktreg Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 Surely it's the ATX form factor? Design wise it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever which side of the graphics card is used for mounting the GPU, associated heatsink, fan and casing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sword_fish Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 and why didn't they designed it with all of it's components(GPU,caps and everything) sitting on top of the PCB instead underneath when we installed those on our rigs. it's a no-no for the car amplifiers installed that way afaik for optimized heat dissipation reasons although we have a few chassis' around with a vertical GPU layout designed yet the horizontal ones does the majority. or it's only me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonerboy779 Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 People buy the azza Genesis if you want to see your cooling Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sword_fish Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 People buy the azza Genesis if you want to see your cooling didn't knew about that kind of chassis(mobo turned upside down) tbh. now that solves it perhaps for people who wants their GPUs facing up without ripping their chassis... if there's any Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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