Whither, the future of the low-profile video card?

[Red Machine D]

I really want to build a low-profile HTPC in the future, but the low-profile video cards out these days are all woefully underpowered. Has the form factor been abandoned, or are there any low-profile cards coming in the future?

 

[primetime]

I would have thought modern apu's took away most of the need for them

 

[defaultluser]

I would have thought modern apu's took away most of the need for them

Totally this.

The problem with half-height single slot cards is they have several times less heat dissipation surface area. This means anything marginally powerful (75w or more) will be insanely loud. So you will never see beefier cards.

That said I saw promises of Maxwell GTX 750 cards in that formfactor, so be patient. Custom cards will take a few months. Here is a preview unit:

http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/34122-kfa2-gtx-750-oc-previewed