RGB looks flashy, aggressive and in your face, and there are quite a few builds out there that looks sexy with it, especiallywith the ccustomizabilit, so the average new aspiring PCMR GAMER showoff will definitely be attracted by it~ Or at least nnot they will be attracted to a mobo less if it doesn't have RGB. Quite surprising how effective marketing can work at times. Take a boring feature nobody cares about, slap a new name on it and put it on the front page. All of a sudden, it must be important!
Most people don't know much about computers, so they don't know what to look for. Stuff like this can easily mask other flaws that are boring and nobody will look into. I also get the feeling that many people who just dug into a community/hobby are the most outspoken. Sadly, that becomes the blind (idiots like me
thankfully you guys are here to punch me in the nuts if I spread false info. ^_^...why am I even typing this post, as if I think I actually know something... ) leading the blind. This pressure really gets the average person thinking: OMG I must get a K SKU and badass mobo to overclock, I will be losing out on so much if I don't! I must get the top of the line psu even though iI have clearly stated I have a top budget, because my house will catch fire if I don't spend that extra 30 dollars! I must get this case that is 1db more quiet when measured from the side, as well as all these ugly expensive fans, because the whole system will be unbearably loud and iImust have the best thermal paste and fans and airflow for that extra 0.5 degrees of headroom for overclocking! All this other stuff is necessary because it's on the front page! Oh, and yes, I definitely need skylake, more z170 mobos, ddr4 ram, and all that stuff because it is so worth it, even if the prices are so high at release as it's future proof! As if I will totally be updating my CPU every 2 to 3 year! Nvme M. 2! Creative BadassTecha4GAMERZ™ and some exotic caps from Japan! Intel NIC! LCD that I will never use after the first boot! Steel pcie slots with patented tech! Military grade specs! Heatsinks and fans for everything, even for storage and Ram!
This stuff tends to pressure people lot. Of course, some even take it personally if one doesn't make the same choice (say one may see something like an unlocked CPU to be useless and chooses not to buy a k ShucCPUwith a Z series mobo, even when one has a liberal budget). Distracts people from other things that actually matter like good i/o, usable bios, well designed circuitry, and getting the best value for your money as you may have dismissed things you will benefit from and have spent the money on useless things like a watercooled, RGB lit PSU.
The mobo industry seems to have really started to abuse this with the z97 mobos I guess, as the differentiating features between competition really isn't that big or exciting. Now they just took it to the next level: "Reviewers can only write so much with their time. Let's add a bunch of stuff that they can't ignore, even if all they do is make fun of it. This way, they will focus on the less important stuff instead of the things that really matter. It will also downplay the importance of certain flaws in the minds of less experienced customers, distracting them from everything we tried to be cheap about! "
