Colorful Tries To One-Up ASUS With Its Own GPU Quick Release System
Chinese hardware manufacturer Colorful is stirring the pot with a bold new teaser for its upcoming "CVN Series" motherboard, which features an unusual PCIe quick-release system. The teaser image highlights a rocker switch labeled "ON" and "OFF," claiming that it enables "one-click safe disassembly and installation of graphics cards." If that sounds like a direct jab at ASUS, it probably is.
ASUS faced backlash in late January when reports surfaced that its "Q-Release Slim System" was damaging graphics cards by scratching up the PCIe golden fingers. The Q-Release Slim System allows users to remove a GPU by simply pulling up on the rear of the card, eliminating the need to manually unlatch the PCIe retention hook.
While it offers a more convenient solution compared to button-based or spring-loaded releases (like those found on the ASRock and MSI motherboards in our three-way shootout), some Chinese netizens claimed that the design could wear down the gold plating on GPU contacts over time. ASUS dismissed these complaints on January 30th, stating that its mechanism easily passes PCI-SIG's 40-cycle durability standard when used correctly.
Colorful's teaser doesn't name ASUS directly, but the timing and wording make the target obvious. Alongside the claim of "one-click safe disassembly," additional Chinese text in the image reads: "It's true, very safe." This seems like a cheeky dig at ASUS's defense of its design, subtly implying that Colorful's own implementation is superior. However, details on how this switch-based system actually works—or whether it avoids the alleged pitfalls of ASUS's approach—remain unknown.
While Colorful isn't a household name in the U.S., the company has a significant presence in markets outside of North America, particularly in China and Southeast Asia. The teased CVN Series motherboard is especially notable because it would be Colorful's first AMD 800-series offering, as the company currently has no motherboards based on the high-end Socket AM5 chipset. However, aside from the teaser, Colorful has yet to reveal any specifications, pricing, or availability details for its new board. Whether this new PCIe latch truly improves upon ASUS's design—or is just some clever marketing—remains to be seen.
