How to improve on existing designs Most variations on GPU cooling have been around for ages: one, two, or three fans and flashy shroud graphics and greebles, or almost nothing at all.

XFX, on the other hand, may have a different idea. We don't know exactly what we're looking at here, but a photo of what looks suspiciously like a removable fan on a GPU cooler has been tweeted:

Well, let's cut to the chase: after surveying the extensive experience of the PC Gamer hardware team, we've found that GPU fans break and I don't recall ever having to replace one. However, no one has used as many GPUs as we have.

As for squeaky fans, well, as the old adage goes, there's always lube, although I'm sure some of you have experienced a dead GPU fan. In that case, be glad.

But in all seriousness, while it is tempting to accuse XFX of giving notice of a feature that, at first glance, seems almost unnecessary, it may indicate a deepening commitment to repairability.

And I can very much support that; GPU fans are not known to fail too often, but making them easier to remove seems like a concession to user repair. If so, I applaud it.

On the other hand, I may be reading this image all wrong. Perhaps the fan is spring-loaded for the purpose of damping vibration, and what is shown here is the tension in the spring.

Or perhaps the fan unit itself comes in a variety of interchangeable types, some with higher airflow and others tuned for lower noise. Possibilities can be found at ...... Yes, there could be several.

I really don't know. But there seems to be something strange going on in the cooling department at XFX, which intrigues me at least.