It's not often a GPU cooler design makes me do a double-take, but here we are. The MSI GeForce RTX 5060 8G Cyclone OC has made my head involuntarily rotate for two reasons this morning—firstly, because it looks wildly different to what you might think of when it comes to graphics card designs, and two, because I saw a prototype version of this cooler at Computex with a screen in the middle of the fan.
The latest MSI Cyclone is described as "a legacy reborn for a new era" as it references Cyclone designs of old. I'll admit to looking them up to refresh my memory, but whaddaya know, you can still find a listing for one on MSI's site. Still, as unusual as the new card looks compared to modern GPU shroud designs, I'll admit to being more of a fan (see what I did there?) of the prototype version I was shown at Computex a mere two weeks ago.
The prototype RTX 5070 12 G Cyclone Visual OC makes use of the same cooler design, except with the addition of a small circular screen. I'm not sure what useful information you'd show in the middle of your GPU (although I suppose you could always mount the card upright with an angled riser and show some temperature figures), but I thought it was pretty neat.
Plus it appears to be made of copper, which brings to mind the popular Zalman CPU coolers of old. I always lusted after one of these, mainly because the aesthetic was wild for the time and, if memory serves, they were pretty efficient for their day.
Anyway, rose-tinted glasses and all that. The other thing to note about the RTX 5060 8G Cyclone OC is it's got a tasteful (?) arctic camo wrap on parts of the shroud, and it appears to be on a skiing holiday.
Oh, and those two high-efficiency heat pipes look reassuringly chonky, on a design that is otherwise rather sleek. The RTX 5060 is a fairly cool-running GPU to begin with, so getting a little wild with the thermal design in the pursuit of slimness and an aesthetic that stands out from the crowd strikes me as a "why not" sort of idea to me.
Graphics card coolers have become a little boring over the past few years, so I'll gladly welcome the odd drop of hot sauce in the homogeneous GPU soup. Arctic camo-themed PC build, anyone? I await the photos with anticipation.
