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