In 2025, MSI and ASUS are actively competing in the graphics card product range market. The Taiwanese manufacturers have released various barebones/budget, mid-range, sub-flagship, and ultra-premium graphics card designs, mostly focusing on NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50-series. At Computex 2025, MSI introduced a new "Retro Line" by revisiting their past catalog to offer new varieties for the modern era. Some PC hardware enthusiasts may remember MSI's mid-2000s graphics card lineup, especially the single-fan models. VideoCardz has highlighted the revival of an ultra-compact form factor powered by Team Green's GB206 "Blackwell" GPU. As of now, MSI's PR department has not released any promotional material.
Instead, a dedicated product page describes the prime offering of the "Retro Line" as follows: "Cyclone is back. A legacy reborn for a new era—MSI CYCLONE returns with a frosted snow camo design that blends nostalgic charm with modern aesthetics, along with high-efficiency cooling performance." The brand's GeForce RTX 5060 8 GB CYCLONE OC SKU seems to be different from a similarly sized demonstration unit showcased at Computex, which includes an integrated display. Unlike their single-fan GeForce RTX 5060 8G INSPIRE ITX card design, MSI's updated CYCLONE model features an open-plan layout. According to the official description, "(our) thermal design concept mirrors the power of a cyclone storm, featuring an advanced aluminium-extruded sunflower radiator, dense fins, and two high-efficiency heat pipes that rapidly dissipate heat from the GPU and surrounding components." This compact cooler is reportedly strong enough to handle an overclocked GPU.
