The Cyclone returns! MSI launching a new GeForce RTX 4060 Cyclone with funky oversized fan

It's a blast from the past as MSI is bringing back one of its most visually interesting GPU designs from over a decade ago - the Cyclone. In our review of the MSI GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB Cyclone II from 2011, a mid-range under-$200 GPU, the single large fan and surrounding 'cyclone' delivered excellent results that matched the card's unique design.

As spotted by @harukaze5719 over on X/Twitter, the new MSI GeForce RTX 4060 CYCLONE 8G OC brings this classic design back with a modern spin. "The whirlwind is back," proclaims the GPU product listing - albeit this time in ultra-efficient Ada Lovelace form.

You can probably chalk up the main reason for the Cyclone's return to Ada's excellent efficiency - where the 115W TDP of the GeForce RTX 4060 means companies can look toward releasing smaller form-factor cards. Or, dip into the past to bring back a cool design that focuses on efficient cooling.

The new MSI GeForce RTX 4060 CYCLONE 8G OC arrives with a two-slot thickness but is still compact, thanks to its 163 x 124 x 42 mm dimensions. It also sports an out-of-the-box overclock of 2490 MHz (compared to the 2460 MHz of the reference design), which can be pushed to 2505 MHz using the MSI Center software.

MSI lists a non-OC version, though both are on the company's Taiwanese site. It remains to be seen when this might reach global markets. The physical design is the winner here, where, in addition to the stylish gold accents, you've got a powerful 100mm PWM fan with the surrounding "cyclone" encircling heat pipes. MSI notes that the unique design pushes heat in all directions, like a whirlwind.

"A composite heat sink consisting of a circular extruded heat sink and two high-performance heat pipes is used to dissipate heat from the GPU. Like a whirlwind, it can effectively spread energy outward."

MSI, via Google Translate.

The backplate also looks to be made of brushed metal, covering the length of the PCB/GPU. There are also aluminum solid-state capacitors, thermal padding, and high-conductivity capacitors (Hi-C CAP) for long-term reliability and performance.