Typically, getting anime-inspired components for your PC meant reaching into the third-party market for customised designs. That\u2019s changing, however \u2013 Asus ROG\u2019s Hatsune Miku collab from last year comes to mind as a recent example.<\/p>\n
That adoption of the otaku aesthetic by mainstream manufacturers has taken another stride with Gigabyte\u2019s B850 Aorus Elite-P Ice<\/b>, a motherboard that the company pitches as being \u201cthe brand\u2019s boldest step yet into anime-inspired PC hardware\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\nGigabyte Aorus Elite-P Ice<\/h2>\n
The mobo features Ari, the eponymous anime mascot of Gigabyte\u2019s \u2018Aorus Ari\u2019 line of motherboards. It\u2019s the third board in this lineup, the second to feature AM5<\/b> sockets, and the first to be a full-size B850 ATX <\/b>board. You can find four DDR5 slots <\/b>on the board, with the supported overclocking speed topping out at 8200MT\u2019s, alongside four M.2 slots<\/b>, including one that\u2019s PCIe 5.0 x4<\/b>. M.2 storage can be installed tool-free via Gigabyte\u2019s EZ-Latch Plus<\/b> system.<\/p>\n
As for wired and wireless connectivity, you can find a 5GbE LAN port <\/b>and support for Wi-Fi 7 <\/b>on the board as well. The Aorus board also comes packaged with Gigabyte\u2019s ultra-high gain antenna<\/b>, which supports wireless connections of up to 5800Mbps.<\/p>\n The motherboard has quite a few small touches in its design that add a bit of character.<\/p>\n Image: Gigabyte<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Of course, the star of the show would be the looks. Beyond the anime girl being front and centre, there\u2019s also a few subtle details that round out the design of the board as a whole. For instance, you can spot a couple paw prints on the PCB itself, as well as two cats poking out of the M.2 heatsink.<\/p>\n To sweeten the deal, the motherboard will also come with a blind box with five different kinds of dolls depicting Ari.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Image: Gigabyte<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Gigabyte is certainly not the first to push an anime mascot with its products, but it\u2019s a sign of the amount of influence otaku culture has over the consumer tech industry, shaping how certain products are made and marketed.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to look far to see other companies doing the same; just take a look at Moondrop and how they\u2019ve branded their IEMs for the past few years. If you do want to go back even further, you\u2019ll find Microsoft\u2019s Nanami Madobe, who starred in a couple Japanese commercials for Windows 7, and even featured in a special edition CD theme pack for the OS.<\/p>\n Other manufacturers have also gotten into anime PC components, including XPG\u2019s Mera (left), MSI\u2019s Nia (centre) and PowerColor\u2019s Reva (right).<\/p>\n Images: XPG; MSI; PowerColor<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n While it\u2019s certainly notable that this has extended to something like the PC component space, perhaps it was bound to happen, given the gradual shift in PC builds from being functional to aesthetically pleasing.<\/p>\n Manufacturers like XPG, MSI, and PowerColor have already hopped on this trend, and from the perspective of the component makers, it looks like a logical step. Especially if the primary markets these companies are targeting are APAC and the United States\u00a0\u2013 which according to a report by marketing agency Dentsu, are the two regions where anime is viewed the most\u00a0\u2013 and they already have the capacity to manufacture components in their brand\u2019s colours.<\/p>\n Back to the Aorus, Gigabyte hasn\u2019t said when exactly its newest anime motherboard will hit the shelves. However, it did state that it would be released \u201cshortly after\u201d Computex 2026 (2 to 5 June), where the board is being showcased.<\/p>\n As for how much it\u2019ll cost, the company didn\u2019t specify either, though comparable B850 Aorus boards are priced around the S$400 to S$500 ballpark on Gigabyte\u2019s Shopee and Lazada pages, so do keep that in mind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nA rise in anime mascots for PC parts<\/h2>\n
Pricing and Availability<\/h2>\n