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Top 10 worst hardware box art

Ten of the worst - or should that be best worst - hardware box shots ever committed to cardboard

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4. MSI Q965MDO

We’ve spent a lot of time criticising over the top box art, but there’s a point where it’s clear the manufacturer has just given up on trying. MSI’s Q965MDO box looks like it was thrown together using Microsoft Clip-Art – we get that it’s targeting business users, but if we spend any more time looking at it we’ll put ourselves to sleep.

Graphics card bonanza
snore

3. HERCULES 3D PROPHET 9500 PRO

We’re going to go out on a limb and guess the box art designer working at Hercules when the 9500 Pro launched was a big fan of Batman. The blue demon seen here is the spitting image of the Joker – it’s hard to imagine there wasn’t some kind of lawsuit. The combination of tribal symbols laid over printed circuit boards is pretty odd too.

Graphics card bonanza
Perhaps a visit to the dentist for a spot of teeth cleaning is in order

2. AXLE GEFORCE G210

If you haven’t spotted the one formula every single graphics card manufacturer seems to have tried at least once, it goes something like this. Robots on the box are good, a woman on the box is better, but combine the two and you’ll sell a boatload of graphics cards. At least, that was the plan, but if you try searching Scan for the latest Axle 3D card, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

The god-awful lingerie/armour hybrid being worn in this example is yet again completely useless for actual combat, yet whatever future-army she’s part of seems to be cool with accessorising the uniform – check out the neck bling.

Graphics card bonanza
This is everything that’s wrong with the world

1. PNY GEFORCE FX 5200

But it’s PNY that takes the cake with this Geforce FX 5200 box. It ticks pretty much every single box art trope: Futuristic wasteland background? check. Cyborgs? check. Flames and explosions? check. Attractive woman? We can only see her lips, but we’re going to tick that one off too. It even looks like the “skin” is melting off the android’s body, giving it that extra surreal twist. Bravo, PNY. Bravo.

Graphics card bonanza
So bad, it’s probably good. No, wait – it’s just bad

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