Matte Black Magic: Kingpin Teams Up with PNY for Next-Gen GPU Designs

For fans of high-performance gaming hardware, the name Vince "Kingpin" Lucido carries significant weight. Known for his knack for creating super-tweakable GPU designs, Lucido has a storied past with EVGA, a company renowned for its impressive, well-cooled graphics cards. However, following EVGA's departure from the GPU arena, many enthusiasts wondered where Lucido would go next. Fortunately, the wait is over. Vince "Kingpin" Lucido has joined forces with PNY, hinting at a promising future for the company's GPU lineup.

In a recent tour with Gamers Nexus' Steve Burke, Lucido offered a rare glimpse into his Taipei-based "Kingpin Studios," a futuristic lab that looks straight out of a PC gamer's dream. Amid his advanced hardware and even some stylish electric bikes, Lucido shared his reasons for partnering with PNY. He pointed out that other vendors like Asus, MSI, and Galax are already heavyweights in extreme overclocking. In contrast, PNY offers a fresh slate. According to Lucido, "They’re keen to dive into extreme overclocking," making them an ideal collaborator.

One of the fascinating points Lucido made during the tour was the current gap in the enthusiast market left by EVGA's exit. While overclocking was once mainstream, recent trends show only minimal performance gains from OC’ed models over standard ones. Despite this, Lucido believes there's still uncharted territory that can be explored to offer genuine performance advantages. His collaboration with PNY aims to fill this void, leveraging his extensive experience to push the envelope of GPU design.

Gamers and enthusiasts alike have high hopes for this partnership, especially with speculations surrounding upcoming GPU releases. Although official announcements are scarce, there is growing chatter about Nvidia’s next-gen 5080 cards possibly making an appearance by the end of the year. Lucido, with his insider insights, hinted at this possibility during the tour, adding even more excitement to the collaboration. It remains to be seen what innovations will come from this partnership, but the signs point to something groundbreaking.

While Lucido's transition to PNY may have surprised some, it’s a strategic move that promises to reinvigorate the GPU market. PNY’s inclination towards extreme overclocking aligns perfectly with Lucido’s niche expertise, making this a highly anticipated collaboration. As GPU technology continues to evolve, the contributions of industry veterans like Lucido are invaluable. Whether they are working on current models or next-gen GPUs, the duo is set to bring some radical performance enhancements to gamers and enthusiasts.

The first thing Lucido did with his PNY RTX 4090 was to turn off the RGB, reflecting his signature matte black style. This attention to detail and aesthetic preference sets him apart in the industry. With the Game Developer Conference, CES, and other significant events on the horizon, the tech community is keenly awaiting official news. In the meantime, the collaboration between Kingpin and PNY is something to watch closely, as it promises to deliver some of the most extraordinary GPUs yet.