This Year's Best April Fool's PC Hardware Hoaxes: Retro, Razer Razors, and Bladeless PC Fans

NZXT GPU
NZXT GPU (Image credit: NZXT/ Twitter)

Who doesn't like April Fools' day, a day each year when we let our inner pranksters out to play harmless jokes on our friends and family? It's also become a day each year when PC hardware vendors can unleash their creativity and announce ridiculous products without repercussion. 

Over the years, we've seen some unique and hilarious inventions from hardware brands. Sometimes, the announcements are clearly hoaxes, but others are so well done that you may think it's real. So, following the annual tradition, we've compiled a small round-up of the most unusual and interesting April Fool's day hardware announcements.

Zhiye Liu
News Editor, RAM Reviewer & SSD Technician

Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

  • Exploding PSU
    I know it's AI-rendered and all, but can't help but find that NZXT GPU design to be rather... interesting. I don't know, I'm a sucker for simple, angular designs.
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  • The zero wings fan might not be as ridiculous as it first sounds, considering the MIT has already built a plane with no moving parts: MIT ion plane has no moving parts, doesn't need an engine to fly | CNNApplying that technology in computers is going to be a challenge, though.
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  • taz-nz
    Those fans are no less function than the ones found at the front of many tempered glass cases, when there is only 2-3mm between the fan and a solid plate of glass, the fan isn't doing anything but looking pretty.
    Reply
  • BillyBuerger
    The NZXT and Silverstone things both seem more like they're seeing if people will bite on the idea more than being an April fools. Noctua already has their fans and style on a GPU, not a stretch for another company to do something similar working with an existing GPU company. The render looks nicer than many GPUs out there anyways. And the Silverstone case could totally work as a retro style system. Not sure they'd sell a lot but I could see some people posting their build in something like that. I would definitely take notice to that compared to yet another windowed RGB case.
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  • Phaaze88
    The be quiet fan really tickled me.
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  • The yellowing case is 😃
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  • greenreaper
    Phaaze88 said:
    The be quiet fan really tickled me.
    It makes sense - you want to be able to direct the air where it's needed. Fewer moving parts will increase reliability. Plus you could string extra RGB through the middle!
    Reply
  • 3DFX re-enters the GPU market, shows off an RTX4090-killer with 30GB of VRAM at $1000
    Wish this was true though ! :tearsofjoy: :sweatsmile: :ROFLMAO:

    3DFX re-enters the GPU market, shows off an RTX4090-killer with 30GB of VRAM at $1000 (dsogaming.com)
    Reply
  • who_farted
    i look forward to april first every year. reminds me why i became involved with pcs in the first place. its a good alternative to dealing with alot of the politics and social issues we see everyday...to which u have to pick a side and either way you can't make everyone happy.
    Reply
  • jkflipflop98
    I guess I'm the only one that really likes the idea of putting a Raptor Lake + RTX4090 in a beige case that looks like it should have a 33MHz "turbo" button on the front? Yeah?

    I'll see myself out. . .
    Reply