When exactly did high end video cards turn into monstrosities?

>>56404777
what the fuck is that thing?

>>56404777
The fuck is that button for?

>>56404790
fuse reset so it doesn't go full housefire

None of the 3 slot cards actually need that big cooler. The manufacturers just need something to differentiate from the rest because it's not like they can compete with the chips themselves and the huge ass coolers are potentially quieter and appeal to people who don't care what the card itself looks like.

>>56404777
Just idiots not watercooling, as usual.

Although transistor sizes have shrunk all the way down to 14nm, the physical silicon maintains the same surface area.

more transistors crammed into the same area over time means higher heat output over time, and requires better heatsinks over time. Its also why AIOs have become very popular over the recent years.

>>56404790
Forces the fans to 100%.

>>56404777
Thats a 7990. Dual cards don't really count. Especially against the single chip cards you've listed there.

Also, its 4 fucking years old. Before the 'muh light and thin' meme from apple poisoned the minds of Nvidia fans.

And this >>56404940

File: msi-r9-290x-perspective.jpg (173KB, 745x479px) Image search: [Google]

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Its almost as if cramming 7 billion transistors into a chip requires lots of power and thus a decent cooling system.

>>56405321
>2x 8 pin
>1x 6 pin

what the fuck

File: bfg-8800gts-front.jpg (167KB, 1472x1484px) Image search: [Google]

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8800 series I would say, so around 2007.

File: dual-big.jpg (147KB, 1000x577px)

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>>56405802
Before that you had this fucker, not really the norm though.

File: 290XD13-5b.png (492KB, 1000x390px) Image search: [Google]

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Space heater 9000

>>56405802
The GTS was much smaller than my GTX and the ULTRA.

>>56405979
holy moly 32 pin ayylmao

>>56404790
Liftoff.

>>56406068
24, there are no pins in the last slot.