That's really the kicker, isn't it? The fact that we all know we're never going to see a low-profile consumer card with this level of performance. nVidia don't even need to consider that market either as they've successfully convinced consumers that they need 2.5-3 slot full-height coolers for even 160W TDP GPUs.
I mean the test used to be 'can it run crysis?' - and eventually you could EASILY snag small cards that could smash out those CryTek frames. Now I suppose the closest equivalent is either Cyberpunk or Jedi Survivor (although it might be too early to tell on that).
With DLSSv2 you can comfortably play CP2077 at 1080p with medium-high settings on even the RTX 3050 or A2000. Sure, you won't break any records but it's definitely playable.
Given that's the case, it's such a waste that nVidia don't offer low-profile reference PCBs for RTX xx50/xx60 cards. Maybe they don't want consumer GPUs cannibalising workstation sales, maybe AIB vendors are able to use the A2000/4000SFF PCB but don't because they don't see the market for it?
Either way, it's a real shame, as it means our only hope lies in workstation cards with MSRPs of $2,500 AUD ($1,675USD), and now the mining bubble has burst we won't be seeing ex-mining Workstation cards flooding the market like we did with the A2000.
Maybe one of the AliExpress / Chinese manufacturers will hear our cries and make our dreams come true. I'm sure there's a market for it, and it would be remarkably profitable as how many of us would pay 15-20% more for a low-profile card? (Not to mention they're likely cheaper to manufacture if the R&D/PCB design is done).
