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Name: Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB
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Phanteks XT View Matrix case review

Zak Storey — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:03:36 +0000

I know, I get it. I've waxed lyrical quite a lot recently about Phanteks' current line of cases. It's genuinely becoming mildly problematic from a tech journo standpoint. But I do think the company's on to a bit of a winning streak with its latest line-up of big metal boxes that we put very expensive memory into. The XT View Matrix is another golden boy in big P's arsenal, and for good bloody reason.

By definition, technically, this isn't really a new chassis. Phanteks launched the XT View back in 2024 to pretty broad acclaim. In fact, I wrote about it in Maximum PC magazine back in the day, and, to plagiarize myself, it was frustrating to write about because it was almost too good. Bit of an inside-line here, but tech journalism on the whole? Generally a lot easier to write a review when you've got things to complain about.

Back then, this thing rocked in at just $80 or so. It had broad compatibility with AIOs, supported E-ATX, and more impressively came with an extraordinary amount of shiny, shiny lights baked in it as well. You got two 120mm RGB reverse blade intake fans, one 120mm exhaust, and a full-size 16-inch ARGB light strip tucked away nicely down by the side of that glass window, chucking up some gorgeous internal illumination directly into your machine. Oh, and that's all controllable via a single button on the front I/O (or integrated into your mobo's RGB header of choice).

Good news is, that's all still there.

XT View Matrix specs

(Image credit: Future)

Form factor: Mid-tower
Dimensions: 45.4 x 22.8 x 58.8 cm
Motherboard support: E-ATX, ATX M-ATX, ITX
Expansion slots: 7 horizontal + 2 Vertical
Front IO: 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2, 1x Microphone/Headphone Combo, D-RGB Color Button, DRGB Mode Button
Total fan support: 9
Fan count: 2x 120 mm SIDE 3x120 mm or 2x140 mm TOP, 1x140/120 mm REAR, 3x120 mm FLOOR
Radiator support: Up to 360 mm TOP, 240mm SIDE
Graphics card support: 415 mm length
Storage: 2x 2.5-inch; 2x 3.5-inch
PSU support: ATX
Weight: 7.91 kg
Price: $120/£80

So, what's new? Massive dot-matrix configurable LED strip hidden behind a beautifully clean mesh panel situated along the external PSU cover (and breathe). Better yet, the price is still ridiculous. The XT costs £80 in the UK and $120 in the US (thanks, tariffs). That is utter madness for what you're getting here. This is the best budget PC case of the year, I have no doubt. Although that comes with one minor caveat.

Now, let me talk the positives before I get to that. The XT View Matrix? Beautiful. Paint job? Lush. Glass panels? Multiple. Glistening with a seamless edge. RGB fans? Check, check, check. And then you get to the matrix strip.

It's hidden behind a stunning piece of grey mesh canvas that absolutely looks the part. If you've seen a modern fabric gaming chair, same stuff basically. And I've never stroked a PC case more in my entire life. I know that sounds ridiculous. It's not exactly a sentence I thought I'd be writing after 11 years in this profession, but here we are. It's so soft.

Future

But it's the panel behind it that's most controversial. Purely down to taste. Like it's 2001 all over again, and we're all pretending we're Dominic Toretto in that film with all the cars in it.

Now, I built in this thing, set it all up, got the beauty powered on, stuck the RGB lighting to what I liked, then called in arguably the second most well-experienced tech reviewer I know, my long-time fiancée. I went, "phwoar, look at that, that's bloody sick, ain't it?" She responded, and I quote: "I hate it, it looks like the pc case equivalent of a crushed velvet sofa". Thanks Dani.

Future

She has a point, though, as much as I hate to admit it. Take a quick glance at this thing, configured how you like it, and there's this semblance of gauche about it that's sort of hard to ignore. You can, of course, configure it all up in Phantek's NexLinq software quite easily, and it'll showcase date, time, hardware temps, loads, etc., but it is such a bold addition to the overall aesthetic, you'll either love it or hate it, and honestly, I'm torn now.

Panel shenanigans aside, the build process is generally super easy. Chuck your motherboard in, then your power supply, get all that wired up first (trust me, you'll thank me when it comes to CPU power), then pop your cooler in and finally your graphics card, and you're good to go. There's plenty of space around back, and plenty of cable tie-off points too, with a comfortable number of mounting locations for those inevitable 2.5-inch SSDs we're all going to be dusting off in the coming months.

Future

Buy if...

✅ You're after a budget chassis, live in the UK, and want a bit of style: The XT View is a solid all-round entry level chassis. Combined with that dot-matrix panel, it's an absolute looker too, as long as you can get behind the aesthetic.

Don't buy if...

❌ You're looking for something a bit more sophisticated: That dot matrix is big, bold, and surprisingly in your face. If you're not a fan of the over-the-top dot matrix, you'd be better off grabbing the standard model instead.

I'm also convinced someone at Phanteks made an error in the shipping manifests when they built these things, because the accessory box came with no less than 30 cable ties (that's not hyperbole, I can confirm, I counted them). Which makes a big difference in the build process, compared to the time I had with the Silverstone FLP02 I reviewed last month, and its two included ties.

So any other negatives then? Aside from the do-or-die display? Well, it really could use a GPU anti-sag bracket built in somehow or included somewhere, and my one and only major complaint is that, with the included fans, the cables are a bit "eugh", to say the least. You can daisy-chain them, but that does mean you've got random headers popping out near the 24-pin ATX motherboard connector and the rear I/O, which looks a bit awkward.

Otherwise, though, it's a stellar piece of work, and for the cash, you won't be disappointed. Good news doesn't stop there either. If you have the View but want the display, Phanteks sells it separately, and if you're like future Mrs Storey, and detest it with every fiber of your being, the stock model is still available too, without it.

Havn is making a smaller, lighter version of the excellent HS 420, with a few convenient upgrades too

Jacob Ridley — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:38:36 +0000

Havn didn't do much wrong with the HS 420. It's easy to build into and looks great once the build's done. But it is absolutely huge and heavy. So, at Computex 2026, Havn had an answer for that.

It's called the HS 360 and it is very similar to the HS 420, only smaller. Specifically, it's 19.4% smaller and 29.5% lighter, the company says.

I'm told the panoramic glass, which wraps around the front to the side of the case, required a slight reduction in thickness and a tighter bend radius to match the newly shrunken chassis and cut down on weight.

"I think we could probably claim that it's the tightest bend on any glass panel," Havn's Steven Levitt tells me.

One new feature on the HS 360 is the inclusion of a magnetic glass divider, which sits above a graphics card using the vertical GPU mount. The idea is that cold air coming through the bottom of the case—the case uses a chimney layout with cool air coming up through the bottom—a lot of it was escaping right out the top along the front third of the case. By adding in something to block the air, counter-intuitively, I'm told temperatures are reduced by three degrees.

There are a couple of minor improvements to how fans are mounted in the case, too. People who have used the HS 420 will know what I'm on about, but the fans need to be installed from inside the case, which is a pain once components are installed. The HS 360 has brackets that let them be installed in the rear, and the lower three fans can also be lifted out from both sides for easier access.

Future

The HS 360 also has a really smart solution for back-connect motherboards—those with all the connectors on the rear for a smarter appearance. The tray to the side of the motherboard tray, with the cutouts that a 24-pin motherboard cable would usually run through, flips around, which means a back-connect motherboard can fit here, and there aren't any unnecessary cutouts for a cleaner look. Smart.

All of these upgrades would be great on the larger HS 420, too. So I asked Levitt about that, and he told me they're working on it, but it's something for the future. Perhaps a V2, then.

I'm told the VGPU version of the HS 360 will be around $230. The non-VGPU one will be around $160. These are only tentative prices, but that would put this case a little above the larger HS 420 and BF 360.

Phanteks shows off PC case that bucks the fish tank trend in favour of greater thermal efficiency and giving your GPU its own little room

Jess Kinghorn — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:17:59 +0000

If ever I needed the nudge to rethink my rig's cooling set-up, a heatwave in the mostly AC-less UK would do it. Earlier this month, I admit I had the thought, "Is that smell coming from my PC and, if so, why does it smell of bacon?" So when Phanteks rocks up with an unconventional-looking case that rethinks airflow, you can consider me intrigued.

I'm a little late to the party on Phanteks' EX series of modular PC cases; these were first unveiled during Computex earlier this month, though obviously I was too distracted by the Sanrio cases also on the showfloor. Thankfully, a deep-dive by heavyweight hardware creator Der8auer has informed me that there is another way to do modern case design beyond the ubiquitous fish tank look.

The Phanteks EX isn't just notable for its compartmentalised design—cordoning off the GPU into its own little apartment and generally looking like a sci-fi block of flats—but also for how it handles airflow. The most affordable model, the Phanteks EX5, costs $110 and requires you to source your own cooler, but every other model comes with a side-mounted cooling system included.

This design helps the AIO to direct fresh, non-recirculated air squarely (cuboid-ly?) at your hottest components, such as a toasty GPU. This directed airflow makes for greater thermal efficiency and also means you won't need to fill your case up with additional fans.

Phanteks EX6 Max is the most expensive model in the lineup. Costing $330, it takes cooling efficiency even further. Rather than detachable windows of tempered glass, the EX6 Max's compartments enjoy opaque aluminium instead. It also comes with a rubber gasket for your GPU, essentially sealing off the top of your graphics card's chambers from the bottom and minimising the risk of hot air recirculating.

This premium model also comes decked out with high-performance X30 fans, its own special AIO liquid cooler, and even a 10-inch LCD display right there in the case. A further flourish is that its RGB light strips can be configured to keep track of your GPU temps, illuminating more of the strip the hotter your graphics card gets.

Obviously, going from the more affordable Phanteks EX5 to the $330 EX6 Max is quite a jump, so there are a few tiers in between. So, the EX5 Plus includes a custom cooler, plus tubing management for $160, whereas the EX5 Max includes the cooler and the tubing management, while also throwing in a 6-inch LCD display for $230. According to TechPowerUp, you won't have to wait long to get your hands on this sci-fi tower block PC case; the EX5 case is expected to drop in August, while the EX6 cases should show up sometime in September.

We got our eyes and noses on a new PC case with a magnetic essential oils diffuser to make your gaming den smell less like a gaming den

James Bentley — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:24:41 +0000

This year's Computex may have seemed a bit stilted in the wake of the ongoing memory crisis, but one thing that didn't fail to deliver was unique case designs. And, surprisingly, I quite like one with a built-in essential oils diffuser.

Our Jacob managed to get a look at the Montech Ten Wood on the show floor, a PC with wooden detailing and a magnetic wooden block that sits just above the exhaust fans to waft its smell around your room. The point here is to add some sort of essential oils or otherwise smelly thing to it, and let the PC do the work.

Now, technically, any PC with its exhaust fans positioned upwards can do this, but the wooden block looks decent in this build and fits naturally in the crevice in the middle. There are three Ten Wood models: the M1, M2, and I3, with the first two supporting both Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX, and the last only supporting Mini-ITX.

Despite being called the "Wood" model, there is relatively little wood on this itty-bitty PC case. You get a small amount at the top and bottom of the front panel and back, plus the wooden diffuser directly in the middle. Personally, I think the wooden case looks pretty neat, and as an enjoyer of essential oils, incense, and all things smelly (positive), I think I'd actually use this case. That is, assuming the exhaust fans really are enough to waft the scent all around the room.

The basic Montech Ten is $70. The Ten Wood model will likely be a small increase on that, so it's still a relatively budget case. We don't yet have a release date, unfortunately. Admittedly, the diffuser is pretty small and fairly niche, but given its form factor and expected price point, it seems more like an extra than a selling point.

Montech

This isn't the only odd Montech case we saw at this year's show. It recently unveiled a shuttered PC case, and our Nick can't figure out if he's missing its brilliance or if it truly is pointless. As well as this, we saw a ginormous case from Be Quiet! with room for up to seven HDDs, and a Floatron case from darkFlash that looks like it was yoinked straight from an evil scientist's lair.

None of those got the response from our team that the Corsair Warthog did, though. This military-themed PC case comes with flight control-style buttons and a switch to toggle a light above the rear IO panel.

There are so many great, weird, and wacky cases to choose from. It's just a shame that much of the tech to actually put in them is only getting more expensive.

Be Quiet! unveils huge new PC case designed for 'maximum performance' with room for up to seven HDDs

James Bentley — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:17 +0000

As is always the case (pun intended) with Computex, we've seen a whole pile of PC cases this year. We've seen flashy custom builds and interesting mass-produced ones, but it doesn't need to do anything super wild to catch the eye. Sometimes, it just needs to be big enough to fit absolutely everything in it. And that's where Be Quiet! comes in.

We got eyes in on the company's booth at Computex, and as well as showing off a TKL version of our favourite gaming keyboard, and a complimentary mouse pad, we got a look at the Pure Base 803 and the white Pure Base 803 LX.

This large PC case comes with support for up to 3 x 420 mm radiators and 2 x 140 mm rear fans. Be Quiet! says the Pure Base 803 is "designed for maximum performance, high hardware compatibility, and flexible storage options."

We expect some marketing speak around computer tech, but given the size of this case, I get where Be Quiet! is coming from. It has a modular front system, an interchangeable front I/O, and it comes with four Pure Wings 3 140 mm PWM fans.

Be Quiet! notes that the 803 comes with space for up to 7 HDDs, which is truly a phenomenal amount of storage. Assuming the average drive you grab is 1-2 TB (and that you can actually afford it), you can stuff upwards of 10 TB of storage in this machine. If you were to pick out 4-8 TB drives, you could almost squeeze 100 TB of storage in the chassis, not including any SSDs in your motherboard. That is arguably too much storage for the average gamer. Although HDD gaming isn't exactly the done thing anymore, I guess.

Future

Anyway, the Pure Base 803 LX model has a glass front panel, comes with LX fans, as opposed to standard ones, and is also available in white (as well as black). The standard 803 has a non-transparent front panel, and seems to come in black as of right now.

Or should I say 'as of early next year', which is when Be Quiet! says it's aiming for the launch of the 803 cases. We don't yet have a price point on either model of Base 803, but Be Quiet!'s cases tend to sit somewhere between $100-300, depending on size and function. The Silent Base 802 costs around $150, and the Shadow Base 800 sits between $170 and $220.

Arguably, the hardest part of buying a big case like this next year will be the memory crisis, and its component-inflating effects, so here's hoping you have enough tech to shove into it by then.

Montech's new shuttered PC case is so odd, I can't decide whether I'm missing the sheer brilliance of it or if it really is totally pointless

Nick Evanson — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:23:58 +0000

Future

This year's Computex has followed the usual theme of oddball excess, and while that's perhaps not totally appropriate for today's climate, it does allow vendors to showcase something rather unusual. In the case of Montech's new PC case, though, the design is so oddball that I genuinely blinked and shook my head when I saw it.

At first glance, the F738 Pro just looks like a stylish mid-tower case, with the bulk of the chassis standing above a large base that houses the power supply. So far, so good, but what looks like a fixed set of slats on the front panel turns out to be shutters that you can rotate.

"Airflow in suspension," says Montech's tagline, and the idea appears to be this: If you want to reduce the level of airflow in your case, perhaps to reduce noise or maybe just because you don't need it, you can turn a knob underneath the front panel to swing the slats across and block off most of the intake area.

Perhaps Montech thinks it's just giving you a style choice or something, but the tagline and demonstrations we saw at Computex all point to it being purely to control airflow. But here's the thing: you can already do this simply by setting up an appropriate fan profile in the motherboard BIOS.

That's what I do with my own main PC, which comprises a Fractal Design North XL, with every fan in the chassis and AIO replaced with various Noctua models. Yes, these are already quiet to begin with, but I have them all set on different profiles such that the rig is practically silent with little airflow when doing light tasks (such as writing this very article).

For gaming, when things heat up, the fans kick up a notch or two (though not all of them) to ensure that the graphics card is kept as cool as possible, and when I'm compiling Unreal Engine builds, the profiles are such that the CPU is now the centre of cooling attention. It was all fiddly to configure, I grant you, but now that it's all set, I never have to worry about it.

(Image credit: Future)

Montech's design will have you reaching for the front panel every time you jump between light desktop work and gaming, which just seems…well…pointless. I know that's harsh, but you're surely not going to leave the slats fully shut for gaming when your graphics card is crying out for all the air it can grab hold of.

I will confess now that I may well have totally misunderstood the whole point and purpose, and if I have, I apologise to Montech. But if I haven't, I can't see the F738 Pro topping any part of our best PC cases guide. Fortunately, Montech does have a decent array of affordable cases to choose from, so give them a look instead, yes?

Corsair's slightly-outrageous Warthog PC case is the thing I'd most like to take home from Computex 2026, and I'm not ashamed to say it

Andy Edser — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:27:33 +0000

I've been running our Computex 2026 liveblog throughout this year's show, and as a result, I've had a front row seat watching all of our reporting rolling in. It's been an excess-filled event full of exotic hardware releases, but out of all of them, I think the product I want the most is the new Corsair Warthog.

Not the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 Edition 20, I hear you cry? Well, go on then. If you really insist. But I'll be honest, I've been in the market for a new PC case recently, and Corsair's latest effort has lots of design touches that make it stand out from the crowd.

Some of it's a bit OTT, I'll admit. And I don't like the Warthog in the Halo-inspired olive green colourway it's often shown in. But in black, with a nice dose of single colour RGB beaming out the side? Yeah, I think it's actually quite a handsome thing.

Those carry handles intrigue me, too. I'm not one to move my rig around too often, but I like the idea that when it does come time to move, I can grab it with ease. As design features go, there's something kinda... Batman, about those angles, don't you think? I dig it.

In fact, it's the utilitarian-with-a-sci-fi-flair design that's really got me going. And sure, it's got a silly "remove before build" flight tag that's definitely going straight into a drawer, never to be seen again. But otherwise, the chonky switches, the rugged nature of the thing, all tickle my inner nerd in ways that most case designs don't.

Future

I'm a little less positive about how much of the internals are covered up by the small case window. I like looking through the side of my machine to see the hardware within, and something tells me this particular design would be more obstructive than I'd like in person. And at a mooted $200+ price point, it's not particularly cheap.

But I can't help but admire the little design touches, at least from the photos. Especially the fact that one of those front-mounted switches turns on a little light at the back, so you can see the rear I/O.

I know, it's such a small detail. But I like that it's been thought about. I like that Corsair has done something different, and I like that it's combined utility with angular design features that make a statement without venturing too far into the silly.

(Image credit: Future)

Again, though, that's just from the photos. I'd have to get one in front of me to give you the real skinny—and as I've been back in Blighty this year rather than on the show floor itself, I haven't had an opportunity to sneak one into my luggage.

Not that I would ever do such a thing, Corsair. Honest. But if I could pick one product this year that I'd really like to take home from the specs sheet and pictures alone, it'd be this one. It might not be to everyone's tastes, but screw it.

I'm the one who has to look at my PC every day, and in this case, I think I'd be rather pleased.

This skyscraper-shaped custom PC at Computex has a food stall out the front selling 'Taiwanese sausage with sticky rice' and a rock climber free soloing up the side

Jess Kinghorn — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:04:34 +0000

My hardware happy place is cool people making cool things. A case in point would be this custom build that leverages an already very nice touchscreen PC into a Taipei night market diorama scene.

The headline act is the light-up, 3D printed recreation of the Taipei 101 building, complete with an itty bitty Alex Honnold clinging to its side (the American rock climber free soloed the 1,667-foot skyscraper back in January—Netflix has an entire butt-clenching special on it). Exhibited at Hyte's Computex booth, it's the creation of hardware creator Zoë Baye.

You may remember that Baye and her husband, Brandon Ayala, are the brains behind custom PC business Zombie Tech Gaming (or should I say 'braiiins'?). I chatted to the wife-and-husband duo about their incredible cathedral case mods back in March.

Like many of the Zombie Tech Gaming builds I pined over back then, this Computex PC is based on the Hyte Y70 Touch PC case. An animated graphic on the touch screen even creates the illusion of elevators going up and down the miniature Taipei 101.

Teeny tiny, 3D printed signage attached to the case shouts out the wife-and-husband business. Hyte itself, and sister brand iBuyPower, also get a lit-up look-in. Around the base of the case are shrunk-down shop fronts shaded by 3D-printed and hand-painted Hokkien-style roofs. AC units and light box-style street signs dot the walls.

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There's a true dollhouse miniaturist flourish to the whole thing. I'm especially keen on the food stand selling Taiwanese sausage with sticky rice, as well as the little wisps of foliage poking through the street's concrete.

If I were made of money, I would have already commissioned the talented hardware duo at Zombie Tech Gaming to craft a case creation to grace PC Gamer towers. Unfortunately, if I were left in charge of managing such a project, you know it would come out looking less like a tasteful recreation of our UK base of operations in Bath, and more like a shrine to Miku Hatsune. It's just as well they don't leave such things up to me…

Gigabyte has shown off a microATX PC case with a 16-inch built-in LCD screen, which I assume would give you the most unique rig at the next LAN party

James Bentley — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:17:15 +0000

Update June 4, 2026: Dave has been chatting with Gigabyte about the laptop panel Gigabyte has used in the prototype mATX system it had on display at Computex. It's a 165 Hz IPS panel, with a peak brightness of just 300 nits, but that release displays would be brighter. The unit on the stand was mostly there for market research with Gigabyte looking to gauge folks' reaction to the chassis. We said if anything it could probably do with at least being touchscreen.

The companies that attend Computex love to shove screens on things. Last year, we had tonnes of panels slapped on the side of coolers, cases, and more. This year is no different, but this time, it's a fairly sizable screen. Gigabyte is slapping almost an entire gaming monitor onto one of its cases.

The Gigabyte Aorus C510 Glass Infinity is a microATX case, complete with a 16-inch display on its side. It can support up to RTX 5090-size graphics cards and, outside of the whole 'screen on the side' thing, looks like a fairly standard PC case.

AORUS C510 Glass Infinity PC Case:Form factor: Cube-shaped ATX caseMain feature: Swappable side glass panelDisplay option: Full side-panel true-color displayDisplay function: Can work as an independent display when connected to the GPUUse cases: Show system stats,… pic.twitter.com/JZGqLOjllWJune 3, 2026

Gigabyte says this case has a "portable design for more immersive and adaptable system experiences", which I can only assume means you are encouraged to bring it along to play with at LAN parties.

The display can reportedly work independently, and plugs directly into the PSU, which means it won't just mimic your main monitor or need an external plug. That could make it a good media screen for lining up your next song or watching a video. It can also flip from portrait to landscape, depending on how you decide to use the case.

(Image credit: Future)

The case itself comes with a handful (pun intended) of handles, which should make it relatively easy to carry around. Still, to me, the whole thing seems very niche. Should you keep your PC on your desk, with its side panel facing you, and the display quality is decent enough, I could see some sort of use case (pun not intended this time).

That's assuming it doesn't reflect the lights of your room too hard to actually notice. I can understand wanting the panel for system analysis or showing off chat while streaming, but the size still feels a tad big for that.

However, for me, I feel like I'd never actually use an integrated monitor in my PC case. The price point will be the difference between 'niche but fun' and 'not worth it', but Gigabyte hasn't given us that just yet. We also don't know its release date, just a "coming soon" on its website.

darkFlash's evil scientist PCDarkFlash

Corsair's Warthog PCcorsair

We've seen a few fun cases this year so far. DarkFlash has shown off a version of its Floatron case that looks like it was ripped straight out of an evil scientist's lair, and Corsair has revealed the Warthog, which is a military-themed case with flight controls on it. Speaking of Corsair, it has also announced wooden front panels for its 5000D line of PC cases, including a ripple one I'm unsure I like.

But perhaps one of my favourite cases from this year's Computex is one from Amiiba, which has a Venom-like ferrofluid display in the top left. It's sensitive to both magnets and sound, and seems like it would be oddly fun to play with.

The memory crisis may have taken the joy out of some of this year's offerings (like a Galax next-gen RTX card with Swarovski crystals), but there are still some good finds out there.

Corsair's fighter jet-inspired case comes with a switch to toggle a light above the rear IO panel

Jacob Ridley — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:27:54 +0000

The Warthog is an unexpectedly bold case design from Corsair. It's actually inspired by the Vengeance C70, a similarly military-styled case that has long since been retired. The Warthog, however, has all the latest gizmos.

Besides its very bold outer shell, which is available in black and olive, the Warthog also comes with a seriously good-looking front panel. It includes a power, reset, and light switch separated by metal bollards, and the reset switch is covered by a protective cover that needs to be flipped up before use.

It also comes with a 'Remove Before Build' tag, which doesn't actually have to be removed before building, but, hey, it completes the look.

That light switch on the front controls the light places above the rear IO. So when you're crawling beneath your desk, struggling to find a spare port, just press this button and life should be a little easier. Better than just prodding the cable at the motherboard in roughly the spot you think it is and hoping to make the connection. Not that I would do that.

The Warthog has built-in handles, which are probably good come moving day but mostly for aesthetic appeal.

Future

The case itself, I'm told, is based loosely on the Frame 4000D. So the Warthog features a lot of similarities with it, such as the perforated motherboard tray and 3D-Y front panel, which is said to help with airflow.

The Warthog also features InfiniRail, room for one HDD, support for reverse connection motherboards, a built-in GPU anti-sag bracket, and three spots for 360 mm liquid coolers.

Future

There are two RS200 200 mm fans up front and one RS120 in the rear, which should take good care of airflow out of the box. Though from earlier leaks it appears the case may be a little cheaper without fans included—perhaps between $220-$260.

Corsair didn't mention release dates to me but it should launch sometime in early August if early listings are to be believed.

Corsair announces solid wood front panels for its Frame 5000D PC cases, including a ripple one I'm not entirely sure about

James Bentley — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:23:32 +0000

Despite not owning one, I've become a bit of a fan of Corsair's Frame PC cases, and that's because its own ecosystem is very appealing. Adding an earthy note to that ecosystem are its 'Wood' and 'Elite Wood' front panel accessories, which launched at Computex 2026.

As of today, you can now pick up its Frame 5000D case with a wooden front panel. The 5000D is basically the 4000D but bigger, and, therefore, more customizable. It has a semi-modular design, which means parts like the front panel can be swapped out easily. Should you have a 5000D case and you didn't buy the wood model, you should be able to swap it out in seconds.

Both wood panels have holes in the front for airflow, and Corsair says it designed them to let "your PC more easily blend in with your office or gaming den’s décor".

Though I think the standard vertical wood panel is pretty nice, I'm still making up my mind on the ripple effect one. It has a big Corsair logo bang in the middle, then ripples spreading out from it, almost like the logo is a pebble crashing into a big pond. It's a fun bit of engineering, but I'm not too sure how much I'd like it on my desk specifically.

Corsair has shown plenty of interesting cases and case accessories at Computex before. Last year, we got a prototype for a modular DAC/amp you pop on the bottom, which I feel like I'd use almost every day.

(Image credit: Corsair)

Just yesterday, however, we got a glimpse of the Corsair Warthog, which is a military-themed PC with fighter jet controls that reminds me of Halo. The wood panel is relatively toned down by these standards, but I still think it's neat.

And it's only possible because of just how well designed Corsair's Frame line is. We really quite liked the Frame 4000D in our review last year, and the 4000D series got its own wood panels just this April. However, my favourites are probably the colour-changing cases Corsair announced a few months ago.

And Corsair isn't the only one with fun cases this Computex. Amiiba has just come in with a Venom-like case with magnet and sound-sensitive ferrofluid on the top of it. Then, DarkFlash showed off a version of its Floatron case that could be taken straight from an evil scientist's lair.

Though your likelihood of getting reasonably priced memory for it is long gone (thanks memory crisis), it's undeniable how many sweet cases there are to choose from now.

What's better than one high tier gaming rig? A double-decker gaming rig, according to Thermaltake

Jess Kinghorn — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:57:56 +0000

Thermaltake revealed the stacked Capo X dual system PC case, which enjoys the footprint of a micro tower chassis with some additional height on top, during this year's Computex. Why would anyone want to keep two systems inside the same PC case? The showfloor pitch centred on—you guessed it—AI applications, but there are other reasons besides.

Besides thrashing against local AI models, this double-decker setup will likely also appeal to streamers (it definitely helps if your streaming rig is either already really powerful, or doesn't have to give over resources to the game you're playing). Alternatively, if you have just enough room in your gamer den for two desks but only one PC tower, this could be a space-saving option for you and your player two.

The Capo X can house two independent Micro ATX systems, and you can gaze longingly upon the doubled up computer guts through the case's seamless, curved glass panel. Besides two small-ish motherboards, the Capo X also offers enough clearance for two 360mm radiators as well as up to 13 120mm fans.

That's just as well as while one gaming PC can get toasty on all its own, two systems in close proximity are going to need all the help with cooling they can get. If you happen to be a console gamer like me and keep all of your gaming gear in the same room, then on a hot summer's day you'll know exactly what I mean.

If you are set on sharing a set-up, this PC case mercifully includes double the IO ports. In addition to the set you can see at the front of the tower, there's also another I/O set situated on the very top.

A post shared by Thermaltake North America (@thermaltake_na)
A photo posted by on

This wasn't the only example of outside the box thinking Thermaltake showcased at Computex (or very much inside the box, as the case may be). The company also exhibited a PSU that splits in two…on purpose for easier installation. Neat!

As for the Capo X, OC3D.net claims the PC case will be available in the US later this month, and cost about $190. You and your player two will have to decide between either a standard black chassis, or the all-over white 'Snow' colourway.

This new microATX PC case comes with a Venom-like black liquid that reacts to sound and magnets, and I find it weirdly alluring

James Bentley — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:36:30 +0000

I love a PC case with a bit of nonsense. Yeah, sure, gimme an extra screen or make it out of wood. Tiny and ~~flavoured~~ coloured like matcha? Yes please. That's why Amiiba and its new Ferra case appeals to me so much.

Its dinky case has a big, round circle on the top of the front panel with a pulsing black liquid—a ferrofluid— and it comes with a magnet to mess with it. Not only that, but a microphone built into the back of it means that the Venom-like blob can also react to sound.

Our Dave managed to get hands-on at the Computex 2026 show floor, getting it to react to a tiny magnet, and I'm just a little jealous. Given it's a micro build, it could handily sit on top of a desk, and I fear, the first day I had one, I'd find myself playing with it as much as the rig itself.

The case has two different models: the $119 non-ferrafluid version, and the $199 ferrafluid one that I like(according to Hardware Canucks). There's not much information out there on Amiiba, the company behind it, but we've been told it is aiming for a September release.

As well as the base model, you will be able to pick up swappable front plates for the Ferra, with them ranging from $50 to $150, depending on the type and complexity. We got to see a demonstration of the case fronts being swapped out, and it happens in mere moments.

The case itself looks pretty neat to my eyes, even ignoring the big liquidy elephant in the room, and reminds me of Fractal Design's Terra, being longer than it is wide and with some sweet wood accenting.

Given the removable faceplates, you can presumably go without any wood, too. I like the recent surge of both removable faceplates and microATX builds, and should the build quality be strong, Amiiba could have a neat-looking winner on its hands here.

That is, however, assuming you can afford the rest of the build. With the memory crisis ongoing, it has set a strange tone on some of the Computex offerings this year (here's looking at you, Biwin), but the case and keyboard announcements have been pretty decent thus far.

Cooler Master is stuffing its latest cases with truly humongous fans for high airflow and quiet operation

Jacob Ridley — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:32:52 +0000

Cooler Master has a few new cases on the way, including one that may blow your socks off. There's the Silencio 600, which is built to minimise noise with high airflow, and then there's the HAF II 500, which comes with some of the biggest fans in the biz.

Let's start with the HAF. HAF stand for High Air Flow and this case lives up to the name with those two Mighty40 220 mm fans in the front. It also includes a 180 mm exhaust fan for good measure. These are all thick Liquid Crystal Polymer fans, said to be the thickest around, that can maintain high airflow at low speeds, which helps keep noise levels down.

(Image credit: Future)

The front of the HAF II 500 is designed to minimise any resistance those fans might face. There's also a scoop, as we've seen on cases like the Havn BF 360, which sits just above the lower fan to keep air flowing towards the graphics card and leaving some to cool off any components under the shroud, namely the PSU.

The case has lots of mounting points courtesy of the MasterRail system, which Cooler Master has offered for a little while now. It lets you move the top bracket to fit various size fans or radiators. There's no such rail in the front should you wish to remove the fans for something smaller. Cooler Master representative Brett Buren tells me you could theoretically run a metal bracket yourself, as there are rail mounting points provided.

"I feel like it would be a disservice to the case if you remove those, because you're not going to find these anywhere," Buren said.

(Image credit: Future)

The HAF II 500 is expected to launch in July this year, fetching a price of around $180 – $210.

Then there's the Silencio 600. This is more my speed, as it's designed to keep noise levels to a minimum. A part of that is the use of twin 180 mm fans in the front and one in the rear. Big fan, slow speed, less noise.

(Image credit: Future)

Though the star of the show is the front panel. Built out of a plastic fibre and reminiscent of air conditioning filtration, it's designed like it, too, using a similar principle to HVAC and AC systems to reduce noise.

"We kind of designed this to help trap and destroy the sound waves, so that they're not escaping out of your case," Buren says.

(Image credit: Future)

"There's these large slits in the front, which allow a lot of airflow to come through. And then on the side and on the bottom as well. So there's no airflow restriction on this case."

The front panel might not be for everyone but I quite like its practical styling. There's no estimated price for this one, however. Only a rough launch date around October this year.

Future

There were a few other good-looking designs over at Cooler Master HQ, namely these limited edition gold finish cases and coolers. The golden mesh is one and the same with what's used on the DGX Spark, parts of which are built by Cooler Master.

(Image credit: Future)

Those gorgeous golden fans are actually a limited run of Cooler Master's upcoming fully-metal fans, pictured above. The standard version will be called the MasterFan A Series, and likely coming our way around June/July. Don't poke these.

DarkFlash's Computex Floatron case looks wickedly evil scientist, but I don't know if I like its 'floating base'

James Bentley — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:14:26 +0000

Computex is once again upon us, and, as is the norm, we have already seen some pretty sweet cases this year. However, darkFlash and its Floatron F1 ATX case is among the most confusing to me, as I think it's sort of ugly but also sort of neat.

The Floatron F1 ATX that our Jacob got to see on the show floor has a largely grey body, with accents and highlights which are white, black, orange and red. It is loaded with buttons, although I'm not too sure how many of them are ornamental. The top right of the case comes with both a dial and a big orange cylinder that reminds me of an alarm light. It's the kind of thing I could imagine buzzing and whirring, with steam shooting out of the side, and that's a testament to its unusual design.

The Floatron F1 ATX case is pretty weird even when not customised. All the variants come with a "floating base", with a mini shelf at the bottom (so you can display your anime figurines or model cars). This means the bottom sort of looks like a pillar, followed by a chunk taken out of the PC, and then the rest sits 'floating' above it.

The shelf does come with ARGB light strips, though, so it could look pretty sweet in the right environment. You will likely want to situate it on your desk, as the buttons are at the very bottom of the tower. Unfortunately, it's hard to know how that shelf would look on a traditional gaming desk, as the image on the site appears to be AI-generated (based on the 'REFORLE OF GAMERS' written on the GPU)

The case allows you to mount your graphics cards both vertically and horizontally, and also offers support for up to 10 fans plus an up to 360 mm AIO. It can also fit a GPU up to 415 mm. We don't yet have a price point or release date, though the M-ATX version fetches around $120 at Newegg.

DarkFlash

The W1 case that looks like a bin, to meDarkFlash

Future

darkFlash has a few neat cases at this year's show. We saw some sweet F1 ATX and F1 M-ATX custom builds, as well as the suspiciously bin-shaped W1 case, and we even got our eyes on its Hello Kitty-themed DS950V PC case.

These are only a few of the interesting cases I've spotted among Computex attendees today alone. Corsair has just announced the Warthog, which is a military-themed PC case with flight control-like buttons that looks like it was ripped straight out of Halo.

And with the week only just starting, we can expect even more PC cases soon. The memory crisis might be in full swing, sucking out some of the joy of new PCs and handhelds, but PC cases will always be a little fun, even if the gear to go in them feels increasingly less so.

The Tryx Vas PC case: briefcase or air conditioning unit, you decide

Jacob Fox — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:12:27 +0000

Vas ist das? Das ist Tryx Vas. Okay, that kind of worked, if you excuse my substitution of a W for a V. Yes, this is the Tryx Vas, an incredibly smart-looking chassis that our Jacob Ridley just sent us some enticing pictures of from the show floor of Computex 2026.

We don't have much more to go off than the pictures, unfortunately, as the little placard that usually gives the specifications says the following:

"VAS is a pure artistic craftsmanship project by Tryx + 12Square. Blending technology and art, it features an all-metal design of stainless steel and aluminium, shaped through precise bending and cutting techniques. A unique three-dimensional art piece dedicated to spaces that pursue ultimate aesthetic beauty."

My main recollection of Tryx's products is a fabric case seen at last year's Computex. But I reckon this new one outshines that.

The briefcase-alike PC case does look to be a Mini-ITX affair, judging by the size of the chassis compared to its I/O ports on the rear. In addition to ventilation slots, it has a giant intake fan on the side, directly on top of the motherboard, and it looks like the GPU sits behind the mobo itself, presumably with the PSU at the opposite end to the I/O.

Future

Those are just my best guesses, though, because the insides are all blocked off by the steel. Which itself looks very plain, as it should for a build like this.

I must say, though, my brain can't quite make out whether it says 'smart briefcase' or 'industrial air conditioning unit', but hey, that could be a selling point in itself. If you squint, it even has an air of blower-style GPU to it... okay, maybe I'm reaching a little with that one.

DarkFlash unveils another Sanrio PC case collaboration, but I dread to think what a pretty penny it will cost to build a full Cinnamoroll gaming rig

Jess Kinghorn — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:34:32 +0000

If you're a Sanrio fan that's been looking to better rep your mascot of choice on your rig, you'll want to prick up your ears: on the showfloor at this year's Computex, PC component brand darkFlash unveiled four fresh new looks for its luxury DS950V PC case.

With the tagline of 'powered by cute, crafted for you,' the co-branded series of PC cases includes DS950V designs for PomPomPurin, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, and Hello Kitty. Each mascot's name features in a colour-coordinated banner at the top of their fishtank-style case, while unique decals decorate the 270° glass panels as well as the white chassis.

The 6-inch IPS display on the front of the tower also enjoys characterful animations that display system temps and fan speeds, too. Now I have even less excuse to keep putting off catching up on Hello Kitty Island Adventure's City Town DLC.

darkFlash announced a similar Sanrio collaboration at last year's Computex, specifically daubing their MOTI Mini PC cases in a suite of limited-edition, characterful colorways. The DS950V case is a good deal chunkier.

Accompanying cards on the show floor list overall dimensions of 445 x 220 x 445 mm, making it only a whicker-width's smaller than the standard version of this PC case. Beyond that, none of these Sanrio editions is all that different from the white version of the DS950V PC case, with each tower offering support for ATX, Micro ATX, and ITX motherboards.

(Image credit: Future)

I'm chuffed that my favourite good boy Cinnamoroll clearly has the best design of the four—on account of his colour palette already complementing the white chassis. Still though, none of these is especially mind-blowing and arguably you could achieve a similar effect with your own set of Sanrio stickers.

With that in mind, it's perhaps telling darkFlash has not yet announced either pricing or release information for these cute cases. Character collabs for hardware like this tend to cost a premium (trust me). So, if you're desperate for, say, a little extra PomPomPurin on your PC, our Kara recommends the Sanrio DLC for Desktop Mate as one option that's likely to be much more affordable than any of darkFlash's PC cases.

MSI's Maestro 900R case is almost here. Tremble in fear, poor wallet

dave.james@futurenet.com (Dave James) — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:51:28 +0000

After being shown off in prototype form at CES earlier this year, and even before then, MSI's flagship Maestro 900R chassis is just a few months away from release. So, er, get saving because when it does release in Q3 it's going to cost a hefty $699.

But it is a lot of case, and apart from a strangely exposed filter on the roof that slightly messes up the premium aesthetic, it's maybe a surprisingly impressive case from MSI. I think the thing that really stands out to me, aside from maybe the triple-sided panoramic glass frontage and the sheer size of the thing, is the completely removable motherboard tray.

To be honest, I found its placement a little odd when I first laid eyes on it at MSI's HQ this week, seeing it from the back with the PSU positioning exposed. Because the removable tray doubles as a kind of open test bench when you remove it from the case, the PSU is mounted directly behind the motherboard.

That looks strange because it's completely enclosed on all sides, with the power cable snaking out from inside the case. But it is side-mounted so most of the PSU's fan is exposed to the chassis' backpanel vents, so it is still getting some fresh air.

To be honest, when you've spent $699 on your case you're probably not just going to use the central tray as a test rig and toss the rest away, but it's still a mighty useful feature for a DIY PC builder, side-stepping the need to stick your new motherboard on its box, with the CPU, RAM, and PSU plugged in to see if it starts up. Now, you can mount your motherboard securely, along with your CPU, PSU, and RAM and make sure it's working before slotting the entire thing into your waiting case.

Though if you're combining it with the Coreliquid E15 360 AIO chip-chiller, that's not something you're going to be able to mount outside the case owing to its hoofing great 110° wraparound pump screen.

Future

The Maestro 900R is a real showpiece chassis with that panoramic fishtank design, though some of the finer details would hold me back from dropping near $700 on the case myself. The fact that top cover, mirroring the design of the bottom edge, doesn't go across the full length of the case means that a large part of the mesh filter is fully on display at all times. And the cover itself feels a little plasticky, too.

I am very taken with that central, pull-out test bench though.

Future

If that's too rich for your blood, too, the more affordable MPG Maestro Vixta might be more your speed. It's got an innovative floating base design, with a full 75 mm clearance intake space at the bottom of the case allowing for greater airflow coming into your machine.

It comes in wraparound tempered glass design, or a dedicated airflow version with dual 160 mm fans mounted in the front. There is also an optional 120 mm intake fan you mount above that space to pull in the cool air. Though, realistically, that space under the case is just going to get filled with discarded USB sticks, or pens, scraps of paper, old sandwiches, etc.

Or maybe that says more about my desk habits than anything else.

Cooler Master MasterFrame 360 Panorama review

Jacob Ridley — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:15:21 +0000

If you're the type of person to wonder how you get one of those cars with a custom anime paint job, you might like the Cooler Master MasterFrame 360 Panorama. It's all about putting your personality on display.

The MasterFrame 360 Panorama features three tempered glass panels. There's one on each side and a curved piece that hugs the front of the case. Behind this front panel sits a stage. It's only small, but it has a mirrored backdrop and two adjustable spotlights. The idea being you can put something here—figure of your favourite anime character, Lego, Gundam, whatever—and have it be the focal point of your entire PC build.

Beyond a model of a 1988 Lamborghini Countach and Feathers McGraw from Wallace & Gromit—I am a man of culture—I'm a bit short on figures to put on display. Though I do have one of Romona Flowers from the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels that fits near-perfectly and matches a framed poster behind my desk. The only downside is that the Ramona figure is a little short to take full advantage of the space.

There's no two ways about it: this case is huge. I measured it at 585 x 550 x 292 mm, which means it is not only quite tall but also quite wide. This does leave ample room for a large figure, up to around 32 cm, though ideally a touch smaller than that.

MasterFrame 360 Panorama specs

(Image credit: Future)

Dimension: 585 x 550 x 292 mm
Motherboard support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Max. GPU size: 430 mm
Max. CPU cooler size: 145 mm
Storage bays: 1x HDD or 2x SSD
Front panel: 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (Type-C), 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 (Type-A), 3.5 mm audio jack
Fan support: 12x 120 mm (or 4x 140/180/200)
Cooler support: Up to 360 mm
Extra features: VGPU mounting (exclusive) with PCIe 5.0 riser cable
Price: $222 (mirror, open) | $200 (mirror, closed) | $300 (LCD)

There are a few options for this compartment. There's the standard option I have for review with a mirror panel. This one costs $222. There's also a version that's similar except it treats the front compartment as its own, closing it off from the rest of the case. That's $200. Then there's the inevitable option with an LCD screen instead of a mirror. That one costs even more at $300.

Whatever you end up sticking on display will be well illuminated by the twin spotlights mounted to the top of the space. These are easily adjusted with a ball joint, allowing for 360-degree movement. They are also fully RGB, each with its own ARGB connection that can be either combined into a single source in your motherboard's lighting software or run independently of one another. There's a lack of lighting elsewhere on the case, though.

While all eyes are on the figure up front, the MasterFrame 360 does a good job keeping the functional parts of the PC out of sight. The side panels are lightly tinted, helping to cover up any ugly cables or connectors I might've left poking out from behind the rather slick cable management system used here. Let's take a look at that cable management, as it's quite unlike anything I've used in recent memory.

Future

The actual PC sits on a tray hanging between the top and bottom of the case. Most cables are routed beneath the metal cover to the right, which is help in place with six rubber fittings and can be easily removed with a light pull. The majority of cables wind through this to the back through a removable SSD cage with space for 2x 2.5-inch drives. Though there is more to it than that.

Since the rear of the case is on full display through a tempered glass side panel, it needs to be in top shape. You can't just leave a big mess and try to cover it up by squeezing the panel back into place.

Or can you?

Future

Cooler Master has included a couple of plates that are affixed atop of all the cables and the power supply, which almost entirely cuts out the need to strap down or zip-tie the cables whatsoever. So long as they're roughly kept under wraps, you just cover them up—job done. I did end up using zip-ties for a couple cables in the end, just to keep things under control, including the cable from the lower-mounted fans.

The largest of the two cable covers features a cutout for the PSU's fan, which can be even be adjusted to accommodate larger models. Though you needn't bother with it. Upon returning the tempered glass side panel, you'll realise as I did that the PSU is mostly cut off from fresh air either way. An odd decision.

There are no fans included with the case. There are, however, many places to mount them or an all-in-one liquid cooler. There's room for six 120 mm fans in the top of the case, and six more in the bottom. The case uses an adjustable rail system for the outer frame—hence the name—and the fan brackets can be moved to accommodate up to 2x 140/180/200 mm fans if required. Or you can top and tail as I've done here, with your choice of fans and cooler: I opted for 3x Corsair RS120 fans and a Corsair Nautilus 360 RS AIO.

Future

It feels like I'm underutilising the MasterFrame's flexibility by only installing an AIO into it. A custom loop may well be possible without much, if any, modifications here.

Buy if...

✅ You have a lot of figures: If you want to represent your favourite anime or interest, this is a great case to do it. But you will have to settle on just one to go in the case. Can you do that?

Don't buy if...

❌ You want the best cooling: While there are a lot of cooling options here, with the room for an enormous quantity of 120 mm fans, you do have to provide them yourself, and the PSU and GPU are more limited for airflow by their orientation to the glass panels.

The MasterFrame 360 Panorama feels tough, right down to its metal feet. Though that does make it quite heavy. It easily tops out my scales at home, but Cooler Master has it just under 15 kg on official product sheets. I can believe it, too, as it is not much fun to move around with parts installed. You really don't want to drop this thing on any side—too much glass.

It's an interesting idea for a case. The stage is certain to appeal to some more than others. It does make it easy to stan your favourite things without lifting a finger. Falling short of building a Hatsune Miku statue that doubles up as a gaming PC, you can stick a figure in the front of the MasterFrame 360 Panorama and feel you're still repping your interests. For that reason, the MasterFrame 360 Panorama definitely has a strong niche appeal.

As a generalist case, it's a little more complicated. Even beyond its enormous size and weight, it only offers expansion slots for a vertically-mounted GPU. The included PCIe 5.0 riser cable feels very robust, and it looks great, but you can't make use of any spare PCIe slots down the line for add-in cards. Perhaps a small concern for some, but power users with lots of NVMe drives on an expansion slot or anyone who still rocks a sound card will have to look elsewhere.

What the MasterFrame 360 Panorama does, it does very well. It's not a one-trick pony, and though it definitely favours looks over ease of use (you'll need to get a screwdriver out to wire in anything new), it has some practical considerations that go a long way. If you want to build a gaming PC that reflects your personality and interests without major modding, this feels like an easy shortcut.

Corsair announces new Frame cases, and one comes with a classy wood finish

James Bentley — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:57:41 +0000

Corsair's Frame line of PC cases is quite impressive. We were big fans of both the 4000D and 4500X last year, and Corsair has given even more reason to try the 4000 series out, with two new refreshes.

First is the Frame 4000X RS, which Corsair says "was created for DIY PC builders who want a great looking PC with RGB lighting and excellent airflow." It comes with a built-in RGB LED in the RGB Flow front panel, and it comes with a compact power supply shroud, which combines with the full-length tempered glass panel to show off even more of its internals.

The 4000X RS is a mid-tower case, and it comes with four RS120 fans (which would be $40 on their own) and room for a 405 mm GPU. If you want to pick one up yourself, it will cost you $140, and is available right now, in either white or black trim.

The other new case announced is the Frame 4000D Wood RS. As you might be able to guess from that name, it employed a wood front panel. Corsair says it's for "PC builders who need a roomy chassis with great airflow and want a natural aesthetic that elevates their home or office environment."

The wood itself is taken from "responsibly managed forests", and is one continuous piece of wood, so as to retain its wood-grain pattern. This case also comes with a full-length tempered glass side panel and a compact PSU shroud. You get a pair of RS120 fans as intake and one RS120 fan in the rear for exhaust in the box.

If you want the Frame 4000D Wood RS, it will cost you $130, and you can get it in Black with a Walnut front or White with an Oak front.

Corsair

I really like what Corsair is doing with its Frame line. Last year, it showed off a modular prototype with a built-in DAC accessory (which is perfect for me), and it launched two shimmering colours for the cases back in February this year. Anything that makes the case feel more unique and allows it to fit into different gaming setups is a win in my book.

This is all helped by the fact that the 4000D is $105, which makes these new additions not much more expensive. You aren't paying custom case fees for a little bit more flair, making them viable options for wallet-savvy builders. That being said, my heart has already been won by the Nova and Galaxy colours.

Silverstone FLP02 case review

Zak Storey — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:55:12 +0000

This might be the most interesting case I've reviewed in the past 11 years. It's not particularly revolutionary by modern standards, nor is it the most cost-effective chassis on the market, but what it does do is tap into this deep-seated nostalgia that I know a lot of us have for PC gaming and the early internet of the 90s and noughties.

The Silverstone FLP02 is unabashedly riffing on that very ethos. It's a bold mix of modern case design hidden away inside a beige chassis aesthetic that's more at home two decades prior than today in our AI-filled, glass-panelled cuboid epoch, that's for sure.

The concept of sleeper builds has been around for a fair few years now. It's nothing new, but if you're on the hunt for a beige chassis like this from the golden era, you're typically looking at eBay and the likes for something second hand, and at a minimum that's going to set you back a good $100-200 at least and come complete with probably a full refurb and a crap load of modding needed to get it compatible with today's hardware, without all the mod-cons we've come to know and love.

What Silverstone has done, is basically industrialize that market desire. And, if I'm honest, it's a bloody smart play because this thing is dripping in sex appeal for me. Is that weird? Probably. I'm not saying it's the best PC case of all time, but it's arguably the coolest case I've had the pleasure of reviewing in the last decade, that's for sure.

FLP02 specs

(Image credit: Future)

Form factor: Mid-tower
Dimensions: 23.2 x 49.4 x 47.2 cm
Motherboard support: SSI-CEB, ATX, M-ATX, ITX
Expansion slots: 7 horizontal + 2 Vertical
Front IO: 1x Power Button, 1x Reset Button, Key-lock power, 1x Turbo button
Total fan support: 6
Fan count: 2x 120mm FRONT 3x120mm or 2x160/140mm TOP, 1x140/120mm REAR
Radiator support: Up to 360mm TOP
Graphics card support: 386 mm length
Storage: 4x 2.5-inch; 4x 3.5-inch; 3x 5.25-inch
PSU support: ATX
Weight: 9.79 kg
Price: $230/£220

There's no nonsense here, no panel modding or cutting required. This isn't just Silverstone pulling a budget item out of their back catalog and chucking it through the foundries again, no sir. There's more to the FLP02 than that. A quick glance on first unboxing reveals that.

Look inside, and you'll spot a remarkably spacious interior with a full PSU cover, support for E-ATX motherboards, full-sized graphics cards, vertical GPUs. There's an anti-sag bracket built in, a fan controller, multiple 2.5-inch SSD enclosures, 3.5-inch enclosures, and amazingly even 5.25-inch enclosures for if you want to crack out the old CD and floppy drives.

Jump around the back behind the motherboard tray, and you'll find even more enclosures, along with plenty of cable management passthroughs complete with rubber grommets, and it's all fairly modular too, with thumb screws and standard Phillips heads securing most of the good stuff in place.

Future

The front is where things get really interesting, though. You won't miss the massive power panel slap right bang in the middle. It's sickeningly cool, with a number display for fan-speed control percentage, a flippy power switch, reset button, turbo mode for the fan controller, and even a key-lock to disable power with the accompanying tiny LED lights as well. It's completely glossy and fits in with the aesthetic beautifully, although I am worried I'll lose the two included keys, accidentally locking myself out of my own rig.

Above that you've got quick latch release covers for those 5.25-inch drive bays, then at the very top, in what's absolutely a killer 90s throwback, there's a flip-down I/O cover, secured with magnets, which reveals access to your USB 3.1 Type A and Type C ports, along with a 4-pole input as well. It's nuts. You're almost shocked when you see the little USB-C port there.

It's just remarkably well equipped for what it is. Cooling's pretty decent too, and there's support for up to a 360 mm AIO in the roof, and you get three fans included as standard, two 120 mm in the front, and one 120 mm in the rear.

Future

Build quality is top-tier, but it is what you'd expect. The front panel is that beige plastic nicely color-matched, and you get steel panels everywhere else, including the entire internal frame, all nicely powder-coated.

There's removable dust filters and panels both in the front and the top for easy cleaning (although the front is glued into the plastic removable frame), and I can gladly report that after your build, you don't need to lean on the back of the rear panel to secure it.

As for the build process, it's actually fairly seamless all-in-all. I built out a classic sleeper build, of course, with Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Hero motherboard, 32 GB of DDR5, and an admittedly rather small Radeon RX 7800 XT, and it did good all-in-all. I didn't hit any major snags that made me stop and think.

The only minor bug bears I had basically stemmed from both the GPU anti-sag bracket and the fan controller. Rather bizarrely, the controller's cabling was routed straight out from where it sits (attached to one of the 5.25-inch bays close to the 24-pin on your motherboard), and in past the rubber grommet for the 24-pin cable.

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I think the internal fans would've been better suited if the cables were routed behind it and near the front of the case, as it did feel a bit too nostalgic (aka you just drape cables across the internal structure, because who cares you don't have a window). You can fix that, of course, just by unplugging and re-routing those included fans, and Silverstone does include one fan extension cable, allowing you to do the same with the rear fan, but I do suspect that's not really what it had in mind for that.

And then there's the GPU anti-sag bracket, which is a bit of an oddity in terms of its positioning, as it doesn't really reach shorter cards like the 7800 XT. You can remove it, it's only secured in place with thumb screws, but even the RX 7800 XT I had in here droops slightly, so having something baked into the back of the motherboard tray directly, kinda like what you find in the Phanteks XT V3, or even Lian Li's O11 Vision Compact, would've done it a world of good.

Buy if...

✅ You yearn for simpler times: There's a hint of nostalgia about this thing, but unlike those classic cases, it's well built, durable, with plenty of cooling, and is a treat to build in.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want to see your hardware: It looks incredible, sure, but like its predecessors back in the day, there's no windowed variant of any description available. What you see is what you get. Ideal for a sleeper build, less ideal to sit on your desk as a showpiece.

Cable management on the whole is a bit minimalistic too, certainly in the rear. It's not exactly mind-blowing. You get a few tie-off points, some included ties, but there's no channels or velcro straps or anything of the like, which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that this is a $200 plus case. Oh and cable managing around the top 360 mm radiator can be a bit tight too. I'd highly advise you route your cables from your CPU block and fans before you secure the radiator in the roof itself, just for an easier life, and leave that AIO install until last in your build order. It's not impossible to fit it, just a little awkward.

So done and dusted then? High score? Well very nearly, it'd be higher if Silverstone fixed those minor grievances I had, and dropped the price a smidge. What it really needs is a tempered glass edition on the development plan as well. Heck, give me a perspex version if you must, let's go whole hog on the case evolution history, and I can pretend I'm playing TBC again for the first time while staring at my beige PC humming away contentedly in the background on a heavy-ass CRT monitor with an 800x600 res.

The thing is, though, those grievances I have, aside from the price being perhaps a tad high, aren't actually deal breakers, really. Most can be fixed after the fact by the builder, and none of them impact the experience. The FLP02 is quite remarkable, bringing a bit of simpler times to the otherwise chaos-ridden experience we currently inhabit, and I don't think you're getting enough credit for that, Silverstone.

Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB review

Jacob Ridley — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:09:23 +0000

The Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB looks a million bucks. Bearing the hallmarks of many a high-end case today, it includes a front panel made of tempered glass with wooden trim. How suave. It even includes three reverse fans for a more cohesive appearance. And yet, it's shockingly affordable.

This case costs $120/£90. A very tempting price considering there are four fans already installed in the chassis: three ARGB Lite Reverse Fan and one ARGB Lite Fan. Reverse fans are key for intake in a case like this, drawing in fresh air without showing their uglier rear-end. They look great here.

The View 380 WS supports motherboards from Mini-ITX up to ATX. It's relatively compact for its size, at 411 x 285 x 447 mm. That means it's only a little taller than the biggest motherboard it supports. Though it's easy to build into, as both side and front panels come away. It also features a dual-chamber design that helps keep its size down, with storage and power supply fitting neatly in the back of the case and away from eyeballs.

There's a surprising amount of room for everything in the rear chamber. The PSU is mounted on its side with a tray beneath for mounting up to two 2.5-inch SSDs and 3.5-inch HDD. You can also tuck away unruly cables behind this tray, which helps save on some cable management. But not all. Cable management is a bit of a sore spot for the View 380 WS. It lacks particularly defined channels for keeping cables tucked away, and what it does include for this end, zip-ties and Velcro straps, saw me fiddling for longer than other cases I've tested as of late.

View 380 WS specs

(Image credit: Future)

Size: Dual-chamber
Motherboard support: Mini-ITX, M-ATX, ATX (and Reverse-connector)
Dimensions: 411 x 285 x 447 mm
Maximum GPU length: 415 mm
Radiator support: Up to 360 mm (top, side)
Fan support: Up to 3x 120 mm (top, side, bottom) | 1x 120 mm (rear)
Fans included: 3x ARGB Lite Reverse fan (1000 rpm) + 1x ARGB Lite fan (1000 rpm)
Storage bays: 1x 3.5-inch/2x 2.5-inch
Front panel: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x audio jack
Price: $120/£90

The aforementioned fans took a while to get presentable. Each uses a pair of lengthy cables that can either terminate on your motherboard or daisy-chain to the next one. Daisy-chaining makes the most sense but it's not the tidiest execution. Similarly, all the screws you'll require for a PC build are lumped together into a single bag here, which may leave you guessing which ones go where if you're not familiar.

You could ditch cable management altogether—if the rear of the case was a complete shambles, you wouldn't be able to tell from the front. The rubber grommets to the right and top of the motherboard do a good job of keeping cables in check without alluding to the chaos behind, and while below the motherboard lacks any such grommets, the tray behind blocks out most of the mess for the handful of cables that run through here.

It doesn't take much effort to build a good-looking PC in the View 380 WS. That's a real compliment with a case at this price point.

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Though there are signs of cost-cutting, and none more obvious than the non-replaceable expansion slot covers. This feels like a real miss. Not only are the expansion slot covers one-and-done but they're also hard to remove cleanly. I had to get a pair of pliers out to wiggle each one free, which slightly bent the thin metal struts that remain in place after the cover is gone.

Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB

Noise testing with Toptes TS-501B sound level meter

Noise level

Sound floor (dB)

Idle (dB)

60% (dB)

100% (dB)

Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB

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Noise level Data
Product	Value
Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB	43 Sound floor (dB), 45 Idle (dB), 49 60% (dB), 60 100% (dB)

There is a chance that you never have an issue with the covers. It's only if you install something into a slot, like a triple-slot graphics card (as I did here), or use another expansion slot on your motherboard, such as PCIe-attached storage, that you'll end up breaking another off. If you ever remove these components for good, you'll be left with an unsightly gap. Some may find this more bothersome than others, but even at this price, I'd much prefer expansion slot cover that simply slotted back into place once I'm done.

There are also no dust filters anywhere on this case, which may require more frequent cleaning.

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Buy if...

✅ You care about aesthetics: The View 380 WS looks like it costs a million dollars. Or at least, like, $130–150.

✅ You want a cuboid case: I think cuboid cases are some of the best designs out there, and if you're in the same camp, this is one of the cheaper options with everything you need included in the box.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want to be cool: You can find affordable cases with more direct airflow, such as the Phanteks Eclipse G400A or Corsair 3200D.

You can fit up to 3x 120 mm fans (or a 360 mm radiator) into the top of the case. There's also room for the same in the bottom of the case. Though I'd advise against installing an all-in-one liquid cooler this way, as it may shorten its lifespan. Any air bubbles in the loop (and there are sure to be some) rise to the highest point; ideally the radiator, not the pump. Also, the motherboard sits pretty close to the top of the case, so a push/pull config for a top-mounted radiator is likely out of the question here.

The standard fan configuration is fairly competent, however. The included fans only run slowly, up to a maximum of 1000 rpm. They're often running slower still on a standard fan curve, at 600 rpm or less, which means noise levels are really rather low. I measured the sound floor at 43 dB on my noise meter. The PC reached 49 dB during an extended run of Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition. That shoots up to 60 dB with the fans running at 1000 rpm, which is quite loud for such slow-spinning fans, so I'd recommend keeping them tuned down in the BIOS.

The important thing is that temperatures didn't exceed the norm expected for them. Here are the results:

Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB

Temperature (Celsius) delta over ambient (ÎT)

GPU (ÎT)

CPU (ÎT)

Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB

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GPU (ÎT)

CPU (ÎT)

Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB

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Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB

05101520

Ambient Â°C

There's not much to the top of the case except for the front panel, which includes power/reset buttons, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port and an audio jack. Not a bad selection, by any means.

A few small issues aside, the View 380 WS is very impressive for the money. If you peel back the panels you'll notice a few signs of cost-cutting, but nothing majorly problematic. Bar those expansion slot covers, but I've banged on about those enough. Much like the actual wood stuck to the front of this inexpensive cuboid case, the View 380 WS is a convincing veneer. If I looked at this build in front of me without knowing a thing about the Thermaltake View 380 WS ARGB, I'd think it cost a whole lot more. That's pretty good going.

Lian Li Lancool 217 case review

Zak Storey — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:21:03 +0000

This here is the Lancool 217 chassis from Lian Li. Now, for the uninitiated, Lancool, for the longest time, was a subsidiary part of Lian Li. The concept behind it was to cater more towards budget-oriented PC builders and folk who preferred airflow over shiny glass and tempered aluminum hot boxes. Without necessarily capitulating on all of those wee PC building quality of life improvements that the big cuboid chassis often delivered.

In the modern era, that whole premise has now changed, and quite dramatically at that. Lancool is no longer its own isolated thing, but almost just a product line within Lian Li's chassis arsenal, with the brand's logo now strapped on everything from the box art to the front panel of this wood-lined boy.

Pricing, too, has equally shifted in a far tighter direction. The 217 here rocks up at $120, or £103 in the UK. Compare that to Lian Li's more premium solutions, such as the O11 Vision Compact for example, and you can find that thing for $125 or £110 in ol blighty. Not a lot more for a beautiful glass case, with arguably just as much airflow clout (in fact, it's arguably one of the best PC cases full stop).

That puts the Lancool 217 at a significant disadvantage. Not only does it have to contend with premium flagship offerings internally, but these price ranges have become increasingly contested over the last few years as well.

Lancool 217 specs

(Image credit: Future)

Form factor: Mid-tower
Dimensions: 48.2 x 23.8 x 50.3 cm
Motherboard support: ITX, mATX, ATX, E-ATX (up to 280mm), SSI-EEB (up to 330 m) + Back connectors for ATX, M-ATX
Expansion slots: 7 horizontal
Front IO: 2x Power Button, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.2 Type C, 1x Microphone/Headphone Combo
Total fan support: 10
Fan count: 3x140/120 mm or 2x170 mm FRONT, 3x120 mm or 2x140 mm TOP, 3x120 mm BOTTOM, 1x140/120 mm REAR
Radiator support: Up to 360 mm TOP
Graphics card support: 380 mm length
Storage: 5x 2.5-inch; 2x 3.5-inch
PSU support: ATX (up to 220 mm or 180 mm rotated)
Weight: 9.25 kg
Price: $120/£103

NZXT's H7 Flow RGB can be had for $90, complete with a full-tower design, epic airflow, and an included 360 mm RGB fan setup too. And that's not to mention the cases coming out of Phanteks, Corsair, and Fractal, too. The long and the short? The 217 has some seriously stiff competition.

The good news, then, is that the 217 comes with an absolutely insane amount of features baked in it as standard. It's hard to undersell that as well. No avant-garde metaphors or silly wordplays really do it justice.

There's support for E-ATX and EEB motherboards, back connections, multiple PSU mounting directions, vertical GPU support, integrated anti-sag brackets, an insane amount of included high airflow fans, plus the opportunity to strip down almost every panel off the thing, 3D-printing STL files, and twin power buttons too, one on top and one on the side for your convenience, just to name a few. It's nuts.

It's the aesthetic that will likely catch the most schtick, mind you. It has this love-it-or-hate-it, kinda vibe, the marmite of the PC building world, as it's this sort of hybrid mix of modern "wood" style, meets late 2010s case design.

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You've got that classic steel mesh and overall frame, with wooden accents. You can either have the thing in black or white, with either a walnut or oak trim, respectively. It looks to be a veneer rather than a solid strip of wood (although I haven't taken the saw out to triple-check that just yet). It's almost trying to encapsulate that Scandinavian Fractal Design North kinda vibe, but it's a little less committed to it, and a little worse executed, which is a shame.

On the cooling front, however, the 217 is exemplary. As standard, it comes with five pre-installed non-RGB fans. You get the two 170 mm units in the front (delivering 3.34 mmH2O and 142.56 CFM per unit), two 120 mms in the floor (reverse blade models, driving air up into the GPU at 66.9 CFM), and a rear 140 mm as your exhaust. The ones found above the PSU shroud and the front of the chassis are pre-installed with these modular, rubber feet that operate in a similar manner to how old-school hard drive caddies did, where you position them, then slot them into place, which helps to mitigate unwanted vibrations. They do, however, suck in transport and can come loose in shipping if the case takes a knock or two.

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General fan support is expansive as well, as you can include an additional three fans in the roof, along with a 360 mm rad (there's a removable radiator bracket up here), and if you have a shorter PSU (Lian Li's thinking you use one of its shorter Edge units for that), you can rotate that by 90 degrees in the bottom of the case to give yourself an easier time on the cable management, strap the included power passthrough cable to it, and install a third 120 mm fan to draw more air up into the GPU as well.

A quick glance behind the wee beastie, and cable management is an absolute treat too. You've got plenty of rubber grommets, an included fan controller, and velcro straps here, along with that aforementioned back connector support if you're into the "no-cable" look.

Building in the thing is an absolute doddle. If you just want a quick and easy setup, with no bs, you can just grab yourself one of the best air coolers out there that money can buy, slap your system in here, and you're done. Building our test rig in the 217 took me a grand total of 25 minutes, and by the time I was finished, all the cable management was tight, and the system was up and running without issue; cool, quiet, calm, and collected.

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Buy if...

✅ You're building your first PC: With epic cable management, solid fans, and a feature list that'll chew your arm off, the 217 is outstanding for any would-be first-time PC builder.

Don't buy if...

❌ You're after a bargain: At this price point, the 217 has to compete not only with seriously more affordable competition from NZXT and co (delivering better quality materials too), but even products in Lian Li's own back catalog.

But, but, but, the issue doesn't lie with the features on display here. Lancool has had that down for well over a decade now. It's the price.

The reality is, a lot of the stuff on display here, the intuitive quality of life improvements, and build frills are great, but you're going to use them once, maybe twice per year at most (unless you have an absolute blinder with parts failing), and then forget about them, sadly. After that, what you're left with is a rather expensive chassis that performs well, but kinda doesn't look the part compared to other models available at this price point, even from within Lian Li's own lineup.

And look, that's the issue. The O11 Vision Compact I mentioned earlier supports more fans, more radiators, a healthy complement of 2.5 and 3.5-inch drives, and comes with just as many pc building creature comforts as the 217 does. All while looking better, for not a lot more money. Yes, admittedly, you do have to buy your own fans for that case, but even so, that's a serious problem the 217 has to overcome if it wants to make a dent in the market.

It's not a bad case by any means. In isolation, it's outstanding. If this is your first PC, building in the 217 couldn't make that experience any easier. It just needs that price lowering by $30 or so, then and only then would it be perfect.

Corsair 3200D review

Jacob Ridley — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:50:46 +0000

Buying a cheaper PC case can be a good way to save some cash across a full PC build but you don't want to cut too many corners. A poorly-designed case can result in high temperatures and noise levels, and you'll be stuck staring at an ugly box all day. With the Corsair 3200D, you don't need to worry about much of that. Okay, it's a bit noisy, but it's otherwise excellent value.

Price maketh the case—or something like that. The Corsair 3200D is very competitive with existing options at $80/£70/€80/AU$120/CA$110. That's a little more expensive than the cheapest case we currently recommend, the Thermaltake S100 TG at $70, but whereas the S100 TG comes with a single fan; the 3200D comes with three. That's either three RS120 fans, as I have here, or for $10 more, three RS120 ARGB fans. Also, the Corsair looks and feels of a higher quality by comparison.

Removing the case from the box, I'm greeted by one good-looking front panel. It's grooved with the same 'Y' shape design often punched into panels and expansion slot covers on Corsair's latest cases—the more you look, the more you see it everywhere on the 3200D. Though it also has this neat design wherein the centre of the Y is flat to the dust filter underneath but extends outwards and upwards to the extremes of the panel. It sorta looks like a disgruntled factory worker punched the front of the case right as it came off the construction line, but I like it.

At the top of the front panel sits the I/O, within easy reach whether the case is sat under your desk or atop of it. This I/O includes just two USB ports: one Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) and one Type-A (USB 2.0). Essentially, one really fast port (20 Gbps) and one very slow one (480 Mbps); great for external SSDs, less so anything a little older.

Corsair 3200D specs

(Image credit: Future)

Size: Mid-tower
Motherboard support: Mini-ITX, M-ATX, ATX, Reverse (305 x 277mm)
Dimensions: 495 x 219 x 458 mm
Maximum GPU length: 370 mm
Radiator support: Up to 360 mm (top, front)
Fan support: Up to 3x 120 mm (top, front) OR 2x 140 mm, 1x 120 mm (rear), 2x 120 mm (PSU shroud)
Fans included: 3x 120 RS120 (reviewed) OR 3x 120 RS120 ARGB
Storage bays: 2 3.5-inch/4 2.5-inch
Front panel: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x 3.5 mm
Price: $80/£70/€80/AU$120/CA$110 (RS120) | $90/£80/€92/AU$145/CA$125 (RS120 ARGB)

There are three dust filters included on the 3200D: one behind the front panel, one beneath the PSU, and one along the top. The top and front are magnetic and the lower one is held on with a few metal clips. I'll admit, at first glance, they looked to me like they'd block a considerable amount of airflow. However, I tested the airflow using my anemometer with the front filter on and off and only noticed a 0.3 m/s difference—2.1 m/s to 2.4 m/s. That's not bad, actually.

The three included fans—RS 120 or RS 120 ARGB—come preinstalled into the front of the case. That means there's no rear exhaust fan as standard. Either provide one yourself or go without. If you do choose to install any extra fans, there's room atop of the PSU shroud for two 120 mm fans. The left-side one is slightly angled by the case toward the graphics card; the right is slapped right atop and a little more starved for air by the PSU below.

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There's room for up to three 120 mm fans in the top of the 3200D, or up to a 360 mm radiator. The maximum height supported for an air cooler is 165 mm, which led me to ditch a fan from the Noctua NH-D15 G2. Though I only like to use this cooler for case reviews because it is so comically large and more of a test; most would fit just fine. And the NH-D15 G2 did fit with one fewer fan.

If you're wondering whether you'll need to purchase extra fans for use in this case: I have a three pack of RS120 fans to hand, worth $45, and I've run a couple tests to find out. Here are the results:

Corsair 3200D fan layout testing

Ambient temperature: 24 Â°C

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition | 5x run | 4K | Ultra

CPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT)

GPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT)

Default config (standard fan curve)

Bottom + rear fans added (standard fan curve)

Default config (100% fan curve)

Bottom + rear fans added (100% fan curve)

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Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition | 5x run | 4K | Ultra Data
Product	Value
Default config (standard fan curve)	38 CPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT), 45 GPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT)
Bottom + rear fans added (standard fan curve)	38 CPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT), 45 GPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT)
Default config (100% fan curve)	32 CPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT), 45 GPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT)
Bottom + rear fans added (100% fan curve)	30 CPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT), 45 GPU - Delta over ambient (ÎT)

Odd, right? I had expected GPU temperatures to improve a little for an additional fan aimed squarely at it but it's been sat at a remarkable stable temperature through all my testing. I guess I just wasn't pushing it hard enough. Nevertheless, the one thing to take away from this is that you could get significantly lower temperatures for running the fans at a higher rpm. Though I wouldn't recommend doing that here. Not with these fans, anyways.

The only real downside to the cooling solution on the 3200D is noise. The RS120 fans are loud when they get up to speeds above 60–70%. Noticeably so. On occasion when booting a game, the fans would whirr up to extremely high speeds—and extremely high volume—for a moment before settling into a more comfortable rhythm. It's definitely one of the louder cases I've tested in recent years at these high speeds, at around 58 dB at max RPM (measured from next to the side panel). It's more like 48 dB while gaming on a standard fan curve.

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There are some smaller things of note with the 3200D. Unlike some cases in this price bracket, the expansion slot covers are removable and replaceable. It also includes a cover for cables spilling out from behind the motherboard tray, which supports Back-connect. There's a GPU support arm, though I do think Corsair's design is a bit weaker than others, on account of a lack of flexibility (it often lands right in the centre of a card's fans). Generally, though, these are things I'm used to seeing on quality cases but that can (not always) be cut for more value-oriented cases.

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Buy if…

✅ You don't want to spend much on a PC case: the Corsair 3200D is great for the money. Looks good, feels good, easy to build into.

Don't buy if…

❌ You're sensitive to noise or going to put the case next to you on a desk: The fans are loud. Budget fans do tend to be like that, but Corsair's definitely hit a screech that's more noticeable than some.

To the rear, there are only a couple of Velcro straps included for cable management. If not sufficient, there are plenty of places to tie down cables with zip-ties included in the box. There's ample room under the PSU shroud for either standard or Shift power supplies (I went for the latter here), and two 2.5-inch drive bays above.

Compared to the Frame 4000D, the 3200D feels a lot sturdier, too. I believe Corsair used thicker materials on later versions of the Frame 4000D, so perhaps that no longer an issue, but it's good that the 3200D doesn't feel anywhere near as flimsy from the get-go.

There are some signs of cost-cutting on the 3200D. The din of the fans being the most abrasive of the lot, as it really is noticeable, and I'm not a huge fan of the magnetic dust filters. They tend to slide around a lot. Though it should be said that, this does feel like a very impressive case for the money. The fans make up more than half of the overall price of the chassis and Corsair is putting that leftover $35 to work here. A much improved case than what I'd have expected for similar money a decade ago (inflation notwithstanding)—it's easily one of the best on a budget.

Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition review

Jacob Ridley — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:00:48 +0000

Fans, coolers, power supplies, graphics cards, and, from today, a case are officially available in Noctua trim. Great news for Noctua fans; less so those that think PCs should be bright and bold rather than brown and beige. Thankfully, I'm into the Noctua look.

The Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition is the Austrian cooling company's spin on an Antec staple. The Flux Pro was launched a year and a half ago and has been generally very well received; Noctua is changing a few key things with its version, though the fundamentals remain the same.

Here's what's new with the Flux Pro Noctua Edition:

4x NF-A14x25 G2 fans
2x NF-A12 G2x25 fans
1x NA-FH1 fan controller
Noctua branding on the front/side/top
Brown colourway
Cute Noctua fan keyring

The whole package is priced at $400—not a cheap chassis, by any means. Though it does offer a saving compared to the total cost of purchasing each individual component separately: identical fans, controller and case, as sold separately today, would set you back $467.

The classic Antec Flux Pro includes six fans—Tranquil 140 and P12R reverse—in its $180 MSRP. If you just want the general look, including the same real walnut surround on the front panel, and without the much higher price tag, that's your best bet.

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Though there are also ample reasons to upgrade. I've previously tested the NF-A12x25 G2 and come away impressed by the high volume of airflow it produces throughout the RPM range—even at lower speeds. That's important when you're running fans on a curve, as most will be, as you can get away with lower speeds where others may not produce as good results. Lower speeds, less noise. When you're bumping up to 140 mm fans, as offered here, those benefits are only improved upon by the slower speed of the larger fan.

Noctua

Noctua's own testing suggests the NF-A14x25 G2 consistently produces higher airflow with lower noise than the Flux Pro's stock fans. That translates to lower temperatures, by a single degree Celsius to as much as four, when running at the same noise level to the stock fans. Noctua even goes as far to offer test results for acoustic directivity, this being the noise level as measured by a microphone facing the case at different angles. I'm going to include a screenshot of this below, simply because I've not had that provided to me before.

(Image credit: Noctua)

Flux Pro Noctua Edition specs

(Image credit: Future)

Form factor: ATX
Dimensions: 530 x 245 x 545 mm
Motherboard support: E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, ITX
Expansion slots: 8
Front IO: 2x USB 3.0, 1x type-C 10Gbps, 1x headphone/mic combo jack
Total fan support: Up to 3 x 140 mm FRONT; up to 3x 140 mm TOP; up to 3x 120 mm PSU SHROUD; up to 2x 140 mm BOTTOM; Up to 1x 140 mm REAR
Fans included: 4 x 140mm NF-A14x25 G2 PWM, 2x NF-A12x25 G2 PWM
Radiator support: Up to 420 mm TOP + FRONT
Graphics card support: Up to 455 mm
Storage: 6x 2.5-inch; 4x 3.5-inch
Weight: 17.7 kg
Price: $400/€400

Let's get into my own experience here. Upon removing the case from its box and foam insert—the good type that doesn't explode into lots of tiny white specks that stick to everything—my first impressions are very positive. The accessories are stored in a neatly divided plastic container, the fans packed separately with their accessories, and the front I/O comes with protective inserts. There's even a small sample of walnut to mark its authenticity and a tiny Noctua fan keyring included.

The Flux Pro Noctua Edition looks better suited to the office of a 1960s advertising executive than a modern gamer's den. That suits me to a T—I'm not chain smoking in my suspenders all day but I appreciate the finish.

The walnut looks great. In part, I feel, due to there only being a small amount of it. It surrounds a mesh panel, featuring a lovely design pressed into the metal itself. You can see right through the front panel, suggesting to me that it would impede the airflow to the fans since installed behind it very little. That's true, as I've tested it. As measured with my anemometer, the front mesh reduces airflow by just 0.4 m/s—from 2.7 m/s to 2.3 m/s.

Future

The fan layout recommended by Noctua includes three NF-A14x25 as intake, one in the rear as exhaust, and two NF-A12x25 above the PSU shroud as intake. So that's what I've gone for in my test build. I've opted for a trusty Ryzen 7 9800X3D here, onto which I've squished a Noctua NH-D15 G2. Though there's ample room above to install a radiator, up to 420 mm.

I recently reviewed the RTX 5080 Noctua Edition, however, I'd already sent it back by the time this came in. Boo, that would've been nice.

You can install a similar sized radiator in the front of the case, should you wish to, or even in place of the fans atop the PSU shroud. The PSU shroud is adjustable with plates included in the box. Though I'd be wary of mounting a radiator in this position, unless you're building a custom loop with some sort of reservoir or distro plate at a higher point in the build, as you're bound to get bubbles in the pump. That will very likely reduce the lifespan and cause it to run louder.

Future

With my fans installed in the recommended locations, I set about running Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition for an extended five-run test. Then, because I'd like to know whether those bottom-mounted fans make much of a difference, I uninstalled both and ran the test again. Here are the results:

Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition - fan testing

Metro Exodus EE | 5x benchmark loop | Ultra

Avg GPU (Â°C)

Avg CPU (Â°C)

2x NF-A12x25

No lower fans

020406080

Metro Exodus EE | 5x benchmark loop | Ultra Data
Product	Value
2x NF-A12x25	61 Avg GPU (Â°C), 49 Avg CPU (Â°C)
No lower fans	64 Avg GPU (Â°C), 48 Avg CPU (Â°C)

Buy if...

✅ You want peace and quiet: Noctua fans deliver superb airflow even at low rpm, which is great for dropping your fan curves without increasing temps too much.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want the best value: The standard Antex Flux Pro is already a premium case with plenty of fans. It might not be as quiet, but it's plenty for most.

So, those two fans do make a big difference. For the graphics card, anyways, though that makes complete sense. A waft of fresh air direct to your GPU does go a long way, even if the CPU appears to be largely unaffected by the additional airflow. You can also check the temperatures on the fly using the small screen mounted into the side panel on the case. It looks pretty smart, too.

To the rear of the case, the panel pops off easily without tools (as do all panels on the Flux Pro) to reveal ample cable management options. A handful of Velcro straps for the main channel and more to the rear.

The PSU is mounted to the side, with a cable provided to reroute the external power connector back to the usual spot. This is usually pretty handy, as it means you can easily access the power connectors on the side of the power supply. Though, I'm using a Corsair Shift PSU, which already does that, so it's not compatible. Luckily, there's a spare panel included in the box to switch it to a normal set-up.

Future

The added benefit of the Noctua Edition here being the NA-FH1 fan controller, magnetically attached the top left of the motherboard panel. That comes with Noctua's own extension cables already connected and lined up to exactly where you need them for the standard fan layout. That saves some time during the build.

Altogether, you're scoring an already very capable case in the Flux Pro with the added benefit of the best PC fans. That is a potent combination, but you'd expect as much for the price. There's no denying that a full build using Noctua fans has become a very expensive proposition these days, though no doubt a well-cooled and quiet one for the added investment.

My latest obsession is this vampire cathedral PC mod, so I spoke to the creators: 'We can do Bloodborne on the PC—not on PC, on the PC'

Jess Kinghorn — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Not everyone wants a black box desktop. Yes, a bit of RGB lighting certainly perks up the samey cuboid silhouette of a gaming rig, but what about those of us who want something with just a bit more personality? Something—dare I say it—a wee bit Extra?

How about a 3D printed cathedral kit that magnetically attaches to your PC case? Or perhaps you'd prefer something a little more Bloodborne-inspired? "We can do Bloodborne on the PC—not on PC, on the PC," Zoë Baye of Zombie Tech Gaming quips.

Based in the Pacific North West, the PC building business is a tiny two person team consisting of Zoë Baye and her husband Brandon Ayala. They're the team behind the aforementioned PC case cathedral kit that went viral on X last year.

Zoë explains the case mod began its unlife as a prebuild for a friend, saying, "They wanted something vampire and goth-y. Sounds like a cathedral—duh! I could absolutely do this. I was taking inspiration from TechLin's Afternoon Tea and Tech Tesseract's [underwater themed PC]. And they did a lot of pillars. And I'm like, 'Yeah, we could do pillars. We could do a cathedral.'"

The cathedral design itself isn't based on a specific building, instead being an amalgamation of vibes collected from 2025's Nosferatu, a Pinterest board of architectural features, and even a stained glass mirror in the couple's living room.

(Image credit: Zoë Baye and Brandon Ayala, Zombie Tech Gaming)

"Inspiration comes from everywhere," Zoë smiles.

After researching a number of other purchasable cathedral .stl files online, Brandon explains they began work on modelling their own original kit. He says, "We ended up using Cinema 4D to 3D model it, and from there, we took it to other programs to then be able to 3D print it—but there's so much prototyping."

Brandon currently handles a lot of the 3D modelling, though Zoë is also learning how to 3D model too. She describes the couple's current creative process as, "I bring him the sketches, and I'm like, 'Hey, do this, this, this.' And he's like, 'How about this?' And I'm like, 'No, how about this?' And then we bounce back and forth. Everything is a collaboration effort between us too."

Zoë, in turn, handles a lot of the PC building herself, and she shared the process of crafting the Vampire Cathedral PC last year, though the response surprised her.

(Image credit: Zombie Tech Gaming)

"The comments were less, 'This is cool' and more, 'So, where can I order this?'" she said. "And then we got an influx of 200 emails of people being like, 'I already have a Hyte case. Can you make this as a kit separately?'"

That kit has since gone through at least seven different iterations, as Zoë and Brandon work to make it as well-balanced and well-fitting as possible. Currently, Zombie Tech Gaming only offers kits that are compatible with the Hyte Y70, Y60, and X50, though Zoë notes they are working to bring the kit to a wider range of PC cases.

(Image credit: Zoë Baye and Brandon Ayala, Zombie Tech Gaming)

"The requests for the NZXT, and the Lian Li, and the Thermaltake cases—100% we're bringing them, [but] they take forever to get the fitting just perfect," Zoë explains, "So, I'm really grateful that a lot of people have been really patient with us [...] To expand this, it's going to take us some more time, because we got to buy those cases. We got to measure them."

The current Hyte-focused cathedral kit remains a fairly complicated case mod, and takes two to three full days to 3D print. This means that Zombie Tech Gaming has had to upscale its operations to nine 3D printers in order to meet demand.

Zombie Tech Gaming's many, many 3D printers. (Image credit: Zoë Baye and Brandon Ayala, Zombie Tech Gaming.)

But before taking the business fulltime, Zoë and Brandon worked as graphic designers and marketers for a house building company. Zoë grew up helping her Dad build PC's as a kid, even assisting with his custom water-cooled build all the way back in 2010. She began crafting her own custom builds primarily as a hobby in her '20s, though circumstances soon necessitated Zombie Tech Gaming to arise.

"I have a chronic illness, so it makes it kind of hard for me to do a regular nine to five job with my condition, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome," she explains. "It just kind of happened gradually. I fell in love with building computers. I fell in love with customizing computers. I was getting sicker with my chronic illness. I was like, 'what if I just made this an at home little side gig for me, and Brandon would have, like, a blue collar job that he goes to?'"

(Image credit: Zoë Baye and Brandon Ayala, Zombie Tech Gaming.)

However, when a job offer for Brandon fell through at the last possible moment following the couple moving cross-country, the pair decided to make a real go of the business in October 2025. Zoë describes this as their "make it or break it moment."

Zoë had already shared some of her earlier PC projects online, including this delectable 'Strawberry Milk' build, as well as a custom lavender 'Dream PC' for Brandon. Builds like this drew a lot of attention to Zombie Tech Gaming in its early days, though camera man Brandon also highlights, "I think what really hit it off was we were one of [very few businesses] that offer, like, full customization. On top of the cathedral kits, we were offering 3D modelling and printing."

(Image credit: Zoë Baye and Brandon Ayala, Zombie Tech Gaming)

Zoë adds, "That's how the Bloodborne [inspired case mods] came about—we had somebody directly hire us to do it. And I was like, 'Oh, absolutely, yes, you're a genius. This is the best idea ever. Thank you.'"

Zombie Tech Gaming has also built a Five Nights at Freddy's inspired PC for a client. This build used non-traditional PC building materials such as pinstriping and speed tape designed for race cars. "That was so fun," Zoë says, "I really like to give people the opportunity to get the PC of their dreams that, like, they wouldn't be able to buy stock."

(Image credit: Zoë Baye and Brandon Ayala, Zombie Tech Gaming.)

Even though Zombie Tech Gaming has only begun to shamble forward, looking for brains, Zoë has been touched by all of the early support. She tells me that even though the cathedral kit is not the project they're "most emotionally attached to"—with a yet to be revealed project she describes as the pair's true "baby child"—she has "cried real tears over [the positive response] many a time."

"I'm just a chronically ill girl who is building stuff. I didn't expect to get so much support and so much love," she tells me. "Originally, we only anticipated our business to grow over the span of a year, kind of slowly. But then it was like, boom, here's a couple 100 orders [...] And we're working out of our garage—our very small, single car garage."

She later adds, "It was very surprising, and I'm thankful every day—I don't take it for granted."

This Redditor has built a stained glass-style panel for their gaming PC with a 'magnificent and luxurious animal' on it and it is indeed magnificent and luxurious

James Bentley — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:47:48 +0000

Though a lot of work is put into customising PC cases, keyboards, and even GPUs, the humble side panel is surprisingly overlooked, given the real estate. I suppose this makes some sense, as glass is designed to be looked through, but a gorgeous stained glass-style makeover has convinced me we need more tempered glass customisation.

User Nososochek took to the PCBuild subreddit recently to show off a deer illustration that they've been creating for two entire months.

"This process took me six to eight hours a day for two months," they explain, "as it required a lot of effort, focus, and patience ... The slightest mistake, that wasn't corrected within the next five minutes, could lead to further serious problems with the correction."

The principle is that they were looking for a creative project, and stained glass being "aesthetically ornate" with "a lot of details", provided them a creative challenge.

"I wanted to choose a nature theme and considered many different animals, but a composition with a deer or a bird looked the best," they tell me. "That's why I chose such a magnificent and luxurious animal."

I'm also told the process requires special stained glass paints and the purchase of custom glass to replace the tinted glass traditionally used in their PC case. The outline of the custom design is a specific mould for stained glass, which is placed on top of the tempered glass.

The back of the glass panelNososochek on Reddit

Nososochek on Reddit

Over time, Nososocheck manually coats each section, making sure it will actually stain the tempered glass, as opposed to just creating a coat over the top. They tell me the special acrylic used to stain glass hardens over time, which makes the process both time-consuming and delicate.

Think of the process as somewhere between the traditional stained glass method of individually fitting glass by soldering, and a paint-by-numbers project, in terms of difficulty and intricacy.

Nososochek on Reddit

Nososocheck notes they've actually had this beautiful glass panel in their rig for over a year now, but it just never picked up any traction online until it was posted on Reddit.

"In fact, this work has been around for about a year, and I really wanted to share it with people," they tell me, "but other platforms ignored my posts about this deer. A few days ago, my husband suggested that I post it on Reddit, where there are a lot of people.

"I posted it with the idea that it would be great if at least 1,000 people noticed it, but I didn't expect such a high number of views, and I'm absolutely shocked! It's incredibly amazing that this happened."

You've just got to make sure not to drop that tempered glass on a hard, smooth surface. I couldn't bear to watch that lovely bit of art smash, even if all the little shards would look pretty scattered on the floor.

Phanteks XT V3 case review

Zak Storey — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:24:57 +0000

I bloody love the Phanteks XT V3. There’s just something about it that resonates with me. Small form factor cases are massively underrated. They really are. The very concept of them channels this essence of what technological advancement should be about. They’re arguably some of the best PC cases out there, on a purely philosophical basis, and I will die, on, that, hill.

Processing should shrink year-on-year (whether or not we’re reaching the limits of Moore’s law besides). You should be able to do more with less. More performance, less energy. More efficiency, less space. The idea that we need these massive goliath full-tower PCs, brimming with slots and cables and fans to deliver the performance we need, is just nonsensical, particularly when you could theoretically get to the moon these days with nothing more than the processing power of a Raspberry Pi.

It’s that ethos that the XT V3 facilitates wholeheartedly, and I 100% get behind.

This is a Micro-ATX case from Phanteks, based off the back of the company’s remarkably affordable budget XT line. It comes in at an incredibly low price point of just £60 in the UK or $66 in the US, cheaper if you go for the white variant. There’s also an M3 version, that’s remarkably similar, albeit includes a mesh front-panel with additional support for two 120 mm front intakes as well. Again, in both black and white.

XT V3 specs

(Image credit: Future)

Form factor: Compact Micro-ATX
Dimensions: 41.0 x 12.2 x 6.0 cm
Motherboard support: ITX, mATX + Back connectors
Expansion slots: 4 horizontal
Front IO: 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type C, 1x Microphone/Headphone Combo
Total fan support: 7
Fan count: 3x 120 mm TOP, 3x 120 mm BOTTOM, 1x 120 mm REAR
Radiator support: Up to 360 mm TOP
Graphics card support: 430 mm length, 175 mm Width
Storage: 2x 2.5-inch; 1x 3.5-inch
PSU support: ATX (up to 150 mm)
Weight: 6.05 kg
Price: $66/£60

It’s seriously clean, and although the materials on the non-glass elements aren’t the most premium, we can let it slide, particularly given what you’re getting for the price. Phanteks even threw in three 120 mm RGB reverse-blade fans in the floor too.

The V3 is remarkably compact all things said and done, coming in at just 460x235x370 mm, it fits quite snugly on top of any desk space you might have. The real beauty of that is that despite its humble sizing, it actually packs in a serious amount of kit.

Of course, you get the Micro-ATX and ITX mobo support as standard, but you can also fit seven 120 mm fans in here, a 360 mm AIO, full-fat power supplies up to 150 mm, and a chunky four-slot GPU if your heart so desires (in fact, I slammed a Zotac RTX 5080 in here with relative ease).

(Image credit: Future)

Storage support is fairly minimal admittedly. You can house two 2.5-inch drives on a single caddy, and one 3.5-inch HDD on another, all tucked away in the back of the motherboard tray, and that’s it.

Now I would typically throw that out as a non-factor at this point. A year ago, you could just grab those two caddies, chuck them in the trash, and move on, particularly given how affordable some of the best SSDs on the market were in the M.2 sector at the time. But as the AI takeover has well and truly trashed PC building, I’m starting to question whether these two older form factors and the SATA connection standard might actually be making an unfortunate comeback sooner than we think.

As for the build experience, Phanteks has done an impressive job here, too. Pull the roof panel off from the rear, and you’ll be greeted with the top of the chassis’ skeleton, with mounting locations for the power supply, 360 mm AIO, and two securing screws for the glass side panels. Remove those, and you can then unpop the two windows and store them safely as you build. That’s great for transport too. They ain’t going nowhere in shipping. That then gives you access to the front glass panel, again secured in position with another Philips head off to the side.

(Image credit: Future)

Once you’re around the back of the motherboard tray, there’s a few neat additions worth pointing out here too. There’s a PSU shroud cable cover to help tidy things up (I actually ended up wedging all the excess cables I needed in here, plus an NZXT fan controller), and those two hard-drive caddies I mentioned earlier.

The PSU installs sideways and then is secured from the roof of the frame, and there’s a pass-through power cable that you must plug in here as well, running to the rear of the case, just above your motherboard’s I/O. Just make sure you remember to flip the PSU switch here, before sealing the entire chassis up, otherwise you’ll be screaming at first boot.

You’ll also need to plug any modular cables you need into the PSU before securing it to the top of the case, as it’s incredibly awkward if you pre-install the unit first, then try to plug in the cables afterwards. My advice? Install everything else in the chassis first, barring the GPU. Then plug your cables into the motherboard, route your PCIe power or 12VHPWR where you need them to go, and pull them all through to the back into the PSU compartment, then into your PSU, then secure that up top. Bang, done. Otherwise, the rest of the build process is fairly clean. Phanteks has even included a GPU anti-sag bracket here as well, which is a nice feature, given the price.

Future

Test system
CPU: Intel Core i9 14900K | RAM: 32 GB (2x16 GB) Kingston Fury DDR5 @ 6000 C34 | SSD: 2 TB Samsung 990 Pro M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD | GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming OC 16G | Motherboard: MSI MPG Z790i Edge WiFi | CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken Elite 240 RGB | PSU: 1000 W NZXT C1000 80+ Gold

As for negatives, there aren’t that many to report on, really. The plastic fascia does feel a little cheap, and the internal finish is a bit basic, but really, given the cost, it’s easy to square that one away. The only major downside I found, if you can call it that, was those PSU installation intricacies, and that’s it.

Airflow access equally is incredibly solid, and the XT V3 leans into passive convection quite nicely as well, even including three 120 mm RGB fans in the floor, to bolster that effort. That’s quite remarkable, as a set of these will usually set you back about $20, and they’re reverse-blade RGB units too, which, although not the most premium, will deliver plenty of airflow for your GPU and AIO.

Future

Buy if...

✅ You’re all about that Micro-ATX Life: It’s a bloody good bargain at its current pricing, with wild hardware support, and looks clean when you’ve built it too.

Don't buy if...

❌ You’re after ultra-premium quality: Phanteks has made some cutbacks to hit that pricing, and although there’s a lot of glass, some of the plastic elements and internal frame do feel on the cheap side.

It’s that convection that’s the real game change,r though. Install an AIO in the roof, and you’ll be exhausting hot air directly out of the case, pulling cool air in from the floor and the rear of the “very well ventilated” chassis. Despite not being an airflow-oriented case, the XT V3 absolutely nails it on this front.

The only other spin on that is that perhaps the case has too much ventilation. Particularly at the rear. Although those base intakes do feature a removable dust filter, there’s nothing on the rear of the case, just an abundance of rectangular perforations, so it’s likely you’ll need to blast this thing with an air blower a little more often than in other builds. But honestly, it’s such a minor point, particularly given that price, I’m happy to let it slide.

The fact that Micro-ATX is back and in such a big way is just awesome to see. The XT V3, similarly to NZXT’s H3 Flow, packs in so much value for such little outlay that there’s very little to dislike. You’ve got cooling, compatibility, and class, all wrapped up in a beautifully aesthetic design, with a price tag that gives you more than enough additional headroom to try and offset some of the other costing madness from the rest of our chaotic hobby space. Right now, it’s these kinds of blessings that are sorely needed, and the Phanteks XT V3 really is a light in the dark as a result.

Corsair introduces two new case colours 'that change tone as light moves across the surface' and from where I'm standing, they look fire

James Bentley — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:30:41 +0000

This week, Corsair has announced that its Frame 4000D cases are getting two new colourways: Nova and Galaxy. They have colour-shift paint finishes "that change tone as light moves across the surface". Corsair says this creates "a refined and subtle look that shifts with viewing angle and ambient lighting"

The Nova case appears to be more blue-toned, shifting to purple under the light. Galaxy, on the other hand, appears dark, phasing from grey to green, to a dark pink. These two new colours are part of the 'Vault Series' and don't just come with flashy aesthetic changes.

The Corsair 4000D Vault Series has a compact PSU shroud that Corsair says leaves space for a 120 mm fan on the case floor. The case also has a full tempered-glass side panel (as opposed to the almost full panel of the 4000D) for showing off internals, and an upgraded front-panel IO. That upgraded IO now has three USB Type-C ports (with one being 20 Gbps and the other two being 5 Gbps).

Adding to the aesthetic, these new cases have an ARGB power button, which can be used to match the lighting in the build. There's even an "MX-Style green mechanical switch for a satisfying feel." That ARGB button can be swapped with a different mechanical switch if you don't like the feel, too, which feels like the right kind of 'doing too much.'

Each version of the Vault edition case is limited to just 1337 models and can be bought right now for $140. That means these new cases are just $15 more than the standard 4000D. Well, sort of. The standard 4000D model actually comes with three RS120 ARGB performance fans, and that will cost you $60 extra.

Still, considering what you get for the money, I actually think the Vault Series is rather reasonably priced. On top of the new colours and upgraded front IO, each case is numbered, which is a neat touch.

This is the second time in just a handful of months that a piece of gaming hardware has been limited to 1337 models. Based on L33t (which is fairly retro gaming slang), the Razer Boomslang is also limited to that many units, though it'll cost you $1,337 in return.

However, Razer isn't exactly a stranger to expensive versions of its older gear (here's looking at you, Huntsman Signature Edition). I'd have to see them in person to know for sure, but congrats, Corsair, I think I see the vision with this one. I see that vision so much that I'm a little tempted to cover it in dust and RGB lighting in my gamer den.

NZXT's latest mini-ITX PC case looks seriously nifty, I'm just not sure how I'm going to afford the RAM for the build...

Jeremy Laird — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:40:00 +0000

Fair to say we're established fans of NZXT's Flow line of PC cases, including the NZXT H3 Flow, the NZXT H9 Flow RGB+ and the NZXT H7 Flow. They're all four-star-plus PC cases. So, the addition of a new compact mini-ITX model, the NZXT H2 Flow, is very welcome indeed.

NZXT describes it as, "a mighty, compact vertical mini-ITX case designed to save space while showcasing top-tier components." And that seems about right.

It's a 20.7 L vertical-oriented mini-ITX case that supports GPUs up to 331 mm long, plus liquid coolers up to 280 mm. The design is very much in line with existing models in the Flow family. So that's crisp edges, glass panels and mesh inserts. Nice.

As you would expect, it's largely a tool-less design with pop-off panels for easy-access cleaning, upgrades, and maintenance. The cable management, meanwhile, includes built-in routing points and Velcro straps to help with not just slick looks but also optimised airflow.

Speaking of which, along with the aforementioned support for 280 mm liquid coolers, the case comes as standard with two pre-installed F120Q fans (3-pin DC) in the top of the case that NZXT says are quiet and efficient "right out of the box".

Tool-less PC build nirvana. (Image credit: NZXT)

GPU support, of course, is ever the crunch point for small form factor rigs, and here NZXT provides a PCIE 5.0 riser cable for vertical GPU installation, again with support for cards up to 331 mm in length. For context, the Nvidia RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 Founders Edition boards are both 304 mm long.

Funnily enough, NZXT is offering a ready-built H2 Flow in the US, populated with a Gigabyte RTX 5080 graphics card, plus an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D or Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, 32 GB of DDR5 memory, 2 TB M.2 storage, a Kraken Elite 240 mm liquid cooler and finally a Lian Li SP 850W Power Supply: All for $3,499.

The H2 Flow itself goes for $149.99 or £129.99. But the hefty price of that pre-built version is, of course, a reminder of what will be for many people the real barrier here, populating it with components, what with memory and SSD prices spiralling upward and graphics cards now ticking up, too.

Nvidia's top-end GPUs slot right in. (Image credit: NZXT)

All that said, this looks like a seriously slick little case, and the vertical configuration, in particular, means that H2 Flow's footprint is very compact. It promises to pretty much match full-ATX cases for performance while being both good enough looking and compact enough that you might actually want it on your desk. On second thought, scratch "might actually" and insert "will definitely". For me, anyway.

Don't ask 'why?' but this tech tinker turned the audio jack on their PC into a power button. A kinda borked power button

Nick Evanson — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:04:48 +0000

The humble power button on every desktop, laptop, and handheld gaming PC is nothing more than a device that joins two contacts and nothing more. But have you ever wondered if there was another way—a better way—to fire up your rig every day? What if you could boot your computer using something that is absolutely not meant to do that at all? Well, that's why one self-described tech tinker has done, and the result is surprisingly ingenious.

The person in question is Adam Lee, better known by his YouTube channel name of mryeester, and his latest endeavour sounds simple in principle but is actually quite hard to do: powering on a PC using its audio jack socket.

As I've already mentioned, PC power buttons aren't anything special: just a bit of metal that you press against two electrical contacts, creating a complete low-voltage circuit. The resulting current flow is detected by the motherboard, which then tells the power supply unit that it's time to get things going.

In theory, you can use any bit of metal to join those contacts, and if you look at a TRS/TRRS (tip-ring/ring-sleeve) connector, it's not hard to picture using this instead of a button. After all, it's just some piece of metal and plastic, so it should be easy, right? Well, it is, and Lee successfully boots up a PC this way within a few seconds of wiring up a connector to the appropriate header on the motherboard.

However, there is a small flaw in the design and one which Lee recognises immediately. Leaving the audio jack in the socket replicates the same function as holding down the power button for a few seconds, i.e. the PC powers off. That's because a power button only momentarily joins the contacts; the 'click' you hear is the mechanism releasing itself from the contacts.

(Image credit: Adam Lee/mryeester)

Unfortunately, Lee doesn't create a solution to this problem in his video, and there's no indication as to whether the audio jack still retains its original functionality, though I suspect it probably does. As there is no mechanical movement in a TRS/TRRS socket, to break the contact, the only way to do this will be to have a little timing circuit that effectively drops the connection after a second or so.

But then you'd have the problem of how to power off the PC outside of Windows. Well, how about a separate stealth switch? If the audio jack is used to switch things on, how about something like a tube that you jam a peeled banana into, which a circuit then detects the current flow. Heck, if a squishy fruit can easily transmit an audio signal, it can surely be used to shut down a gaming rig.

For me, though, there's nothing like pressing a big metal button that's nicely damped and plush-feeling for getting my PC ready for a day of work and gaming, and I have to admit it's actually one of the main reasons why I use a Fractal Design North XL as my main chassis. It's a little bit of luxury that helps start my day in the right way, and we all need that in our lives, however small and simple it is.

Zalman heard you like screens, so it put a screen on a GPU support bracket to go with your umpteen other PC case screens

Jeremy Laird — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:16:49 +0000

As a card-carrying display fetishist, screens with everything—or should that be on everything—is an idea I can get behind. But this new GPU support bracket with its own screen, well, it's flirting with satire, surely.

Nevertheless, give it up for the Zalman ZM-VS3 DS GPU Holder (via Videocardz), available to suit both white and black PC case colourways. It is, as I said, a GPU support bracket with its own compact display.

Zalman isn't quoting any specs for the display, other than revealing that it's an LCD, which is a pity. But I'm going to guesstimate it's about 2.5 inches across and three-quarters of an inch high.

The listed specs do include 5V three-pin ARGB connectivity for controlling the ZM-VS3 DS's RGB lighting strip and USB 2.0 for hooking the display directly to a motherboard USB header, which is either kinda neat or suboptimal if you think absorbing an entire header for one tiny display limits your broader USB connectivity options.

Whatever, Zalman ZM-VS3 DS comes with software to drive the display, but it seems like the output is basically fixed and restricted to just showing CPU and GPU temps, plus the time.

The display is located on an adjustable hinge, allowing you to tweak the angle for better visibility, depending on how your PC case is situated. Speaking of adjustability, the bracket itself is fully configurable for width and height in order to support graphics cards of various sizes, including dual-slot and triple-slot boards.

Zalman

If the non-configurable display output seems like a missed opportunity, it's likely down to the price, which is surprisingly low. Videocardz says the Zalman ZM-VS3 DS is on sale in South Korea for the equivalent of just $12.

Personally, I'd probably pair it with a Lian Li Vector V200 case, which has its own 8.8-inch screen. Maybe I'd also throw in Lian Li's Hydroshift II LCD Curve, an AIO liquid CPU cooler with a curved display on a motorised mount.

Wait, maybe that should be the Borg-like Thermaltake Minecube 360 Ultra ARGB Sync, an AIO cooler with four screens. Gah. One large curved and motorised screen versus four plain-ole square screens. Quite the conundrum.

Anywho, in an age where smelting your own precious metal ore is probably more cost-effective than securing even a single PC memory chip, it's comforting to know that you can add an extra screen to your PC for a mere 12 bucks. Ultimately, the question is why, the question is why not?

Corsair Air 5400 review

Jacob Ridley — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 18:24:36 +0000

I've waited for over a decade for a true successor to the Corsair Carbide Air 540. With plenty of room for storage, fans, and a disk drive in its dual-chamber design, the Air 540 was a great pick for my own PC back in 2014. Though I've since moved on, and that case has been stuck in storage for years. Now, finally—finally—we have a true successor in the Corsair Air 5400.

The Air 5400 isn't just a rerun of old ideas. It's still a stocky cuboid, but where the Air 540 championed a dual-chamber design that has become the norm for PC cases, the Air 5400 offers a triple-chamber design. Think of it like three distinct zones: there's the main one, for showing off your build; the rear one, with plenty of room for cable management; and a third one, for mounting an all-in-one liquid cooler's radiator inside.

The idea behind the third chamber is pretty simple. By mounting the radiator away from other components, and with ample airflow, hot air generated by the CPU can be efficiently expelled from the case and not warm anything around it. It also removes the need for the radiator to block precious fan mounting locations.

It's a slick solution. The radiator is mounted toward the front of the case, behind a removable grill. There's a transparent plastic duct sitting just behind the radiator, which vents out of the case via a large opening from the top to the bottom of the case—the novelty of this has not yet worn on for me and I still frequently stick my hand in it.

Corsair Air 5400 specs

(Image credit: Future)

Type: Cube
Dimensions: 467 x 470 x 340
Motherboard support: Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX (+ reverse connector)
Radiator support: Dedicated chamber (up to 360 mm)
Fan support: 3x 120 mm (top), 3x 120 mm (bottom)
Front I/O: 1x USB-3.2 Gen2x2, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1, 1x HD Audio
Max. GPU length: 360 mm
Weight: 16.7 kg
Color: Black/white
Price: w/ LX-R RGB: $310/£285 | w/ RS-R ARGB: $230/£240

Cooler installation is a bit more involved than normal, requiring feeding the liquid cooler pump and cooling through to the main chamber while securing the radiator into place. A removable mounting plate helps a bunch here, as I'm able to mount the fans and radiator to it, then fit the rest to the case with only two screws.

The Air 5400 is a relatively tool-free design. Besides the odd screw used in the initial installation, access to the inside of this PC is relatively unfettered. The panels can be pulled away with your bare hands, and the windowed side panel swings open on a hinge. And I'm yet to mention one of my favourite details: the smaller glass panel making up the front-left of the case is also on a hinge and swings open, exposing the entire main chamber for easy tinkering. The rear panel, too, is hinged—so long as you leave reasonable space around the Air 5400 for the so-called French doors, it's extremely easy to work on in a pinch.

Corsair calls these French doors and I'm surprisingly okay with this level of pomposity here.

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The three chambers are separated from each other by a novel brush design—at least I've not used a case with anything remotely similar. The nylon bristles in this case work something like a letterbox here in the UK, blocking out drafts and keeping dust and light from reaching inside. If this isn't a thing in your country, I invoke you to search 'UK letterbox bristles' for a real thrill. It's a clever solution for a PC case, covering the gaps left by cables better than most grommets. I'm surprised it's not used more often.

Between panoramic windowed panels and easy cable management, it's easy to build a great-looking gaming PC in the Air 5400. A big part of that appeal is the straightforward layout. It's a chimney design, intended for cool air to enter via the bottom of the case and hot air to be exhausted out from the top, via the 3x 120 mm fans mounted at both locations.

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Furthermore, in a slightly unusual attempt to aid airflow, the Air 5400 includes two ducts, as Corsair calls them, surrounding each set of fans. The idea behind these ducts is that, by containing the airflow generated by the fans, it's better directed at the graphics card and motherboard, rather than wasted out the sides. The ducts look surprisingly classy; each features a repeating Corsair 'Y' motif that disappears as they taper.

It's a clean look. Moreover, I've no complaints regarding thermals.

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I use various combinations of chips and coolers for testing cases—what I have to hand at the time, mostly. In this case, I've installed the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS. Despite using one of the more power-hungry Ryzen processors in this machine, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, it ran at one of the lowest temperatures I've recorded of any build in the past year. A maximum CPU temperature of just 72 °C during our benchmarking suite, which includes multiple taxing runs of Cinebench 2024. The RTX 5090 FE I've used here hit just 73 °C—around 5 °C cooler than our open test bench in similar tests.

I've added extra fans to complete this build that are not included with the case as standard, and anyone purchasing this case will need at least three more fans. There are nine 120 mm fans inside this machine: six in the main chamber and three on the radiator. Only three of those are included with the case. The other six are LX120 RGB fans that I've added separately.

For those three included fans, there are two options available: LX-R RGB iCUE Link fans or RS-R ARGB fans. My preference being the non-iCUE models, as these are the cheaper of the two options, don't require iCUE, and can be picked up separately for less. Though I'm glad to see reversed fans as standard in a case that absolutely requires them to look its best. For an idea of what I mean, the Hyte X50 looks worse than it should for a lack of reverse fans.

Air 5400 w/ LX-R RGB: $310/£285
Air 5400 w/ RS-R ARGB: $230/£240

Corsair has included some upgrades behind-the-scenes, too. The rear chamber is hidden from sight via a hinged panel, for a start. Corsair is using what it calls RapidRoute 2.0 in the Air 5400. What it means by this is the motherboard tray has a sort-of pegboard design; it's a checkboard of holes for installing zip-ties or moving around the ratcheted straps included with the case. These come preinstalled on a cable tidy tray that juts out at an angle from the case and follows the angle of the duct for the radiator.

You're never far from a spot to tie a cable down in the Air 5400. That said, there's little need for much cable management at all. Everything can be secured through the provided straps on the cable tray, with ample room beneath the PSU that's practically surplus to requirement in a normal PC build.

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The power supply is mounted high up in the case, which shortens the cable run to the CPU connectors but requires a bit of a stretch for the 12V-2x6 cable. Nothing to worry about, nor do I feel I'm putting too much pressure on the graphics card's power connection, but I did have to tinker around with the cable placement and straps to get it sitting in the right position with plenty of slack.

As I mentioned, there's loads of room below the PSU. As standard, it's partially filled up with a storage tray, but it can be removed with two thumbscrews if surplus to requirement. This tray supports two 2.5-inch SSDs, a single 3.5-inch HDD, and/or an iCUE System Hub. I didn't require the latter as I was using Corsair's new PSU, the HX1200i Shift, which includes an iCUE System Hub itself.

Buy if...

✅ You loved the Air 540: Much like its forebear, the Air 5400 is a sturdy cube with heaps of cooling potential.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want bigger fans: Due to its unusual ducts, the Air 5400 is limited to 120 mm fans throughout.

Side note: if you are interested in using iCUE for your system control, the HX1200i Shift saves on some of the cable mess but is mighty expensive.

There are a couple of things I don't like about the Air 5400. It weighs a lot, at 16.7 kg, and the front panel only offers Type-C ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1. While I do appreciate Corsair driving universal adoption of the Type-C connector, I do not own strictly Type-C devices. I still have a lot of Type-A devices that I used to plug into the front panel, such as thumb drives. Alas, someday soon I'll ditch Type-A for good. That will be a good day.

I appreciate the inclusion of a built-in GPU bracket, too, though the limited adjustments it offers mean it doesn't always play nicely with some models of graphics card. It sorta just stabs directly into the fan on an RTX 50-series Founders Edition.

But for mostly minor complaints, I can find much more to compliment on the Air 5400. It's spacious, stocky and has included within it some genuine innovations. The separate chamber for a radiator is excellent for managing thermals and maintaining a clean aesthetic. Moreover, small-scale innovations like RapidRoute 2.0, which saves time during the build process, or the nylon brushes to separate the chambers, are all very welcome additions I would like to see filter into more cases.

This is Corsair's case design at its best, bringing together a lot of ideas into something quite extraordinary.

InWin's latest 'signature' case looks not unlike a futuristic egg but requires more than a simple crack to open

Jess Kinghorn — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:33:28 +0000

Vegans and ovophobes, look away now because crafty PC case makers InWin's latest full tower creation looks not unlike a futuristic glass egg. Unveiled during CES 2026, it's the Taiwanese company's 12th 'Signature Chassis' and it's called Aeon. However, its angular glass panelling is hardly the most dramatic thing about it.

Don't get me wrong, the mosaic mirrored panels are very snazzy but perhaps a little too attention-grabbing for any room I could realistically picture it in. With a base measuring 840 mm by 691 mm plus a height of 912 mm, it's not just these odd angles that present a practical placement challenge either. Buckle up, because the InWin Aeon PC case possesses one of the most extra opening mechanisms I've yet seen.

First, you need to trigger the opening mechanism by swiping an RFID card across the PC case's base. Then, the case's back opens and is gently lowered to lie flat via a hydraulic mechanism. This is meant to afford easy hardware installation but it's a whole lot of fanfare just to open your PC case—Not to mention additional potential points of failure. InWin isn't calling this a 'Signature Chassis' for no reason.

It's currently unclear whether the Aeon will ever be available for general purchase. InWin has previously released a number of its quirky cases as signature products in limited numbers, though I've no doubt if the Aeon goes this route, you'll have to crack open a nest egg or two to buy it.

The Aeon case enjoys broad motherboard compatibility, offering a shiny spot to E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX boards. There's also eight PCIe expansion slots, plus room for a 360 mm long GPU and CPUs with heatsinks measuring up to 140 mm. You've got a choice between air or water cooling too, with space for multiple fans up to 140 mm or a 360/420 mm radiator. In other words, this futuristic egg is certainly roomy.

CES 2026

(Image credit: Future)

Catch up with CES 2026: We're on the ground in sunny Las Vegas covering all the latest announcements from some of the biggest names in tech, including Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Asus, Razer, MSI and more.

It was hardly the only PC case InWin showed-off at this year's CES, though the company's other offerings were decidedly more conventional desktop housing (if that's more your speed, we have plenty of our own suggestions when it comes to the best PC cases). But between origami-inspired designs and disconcertingly organic looking, 3D-printed PC cages, InWin is no stranger to head-turning trade show offerings (this magical coffee cup design is still a favourite of mine).

As for CES 2026 more generally, we've seen a classy Mini-ITX PC case from Thermaltake that is also a collaboration with French artist Koralie, as well as a mid-tower offering from CyberPower PC which enjoys distinct knob appeal. Beyond desktop housing with an appealing outer appearance, Asus has decided to look inward; its new ROG G1000 gaming PC features a 'world's first' fan-based holographic system built into the case. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm craving an eggy bap.

CyberPower PC unveils 'elegant' new case with three dedicated knobs on the side purely to adjust colours and I think I'm a bit smitten

James Bentley — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:10:05 +0000

Head-turning cases at CES are hardly unusual, yet this year has already seen a couple of belters. CyberPowerPC has helped kick off this year's show with a bang, flaunting a majestic mid-tower case that could fit into either an office space or a gamer den with ease.

The case in question is the MA-01, which CyberPowerPC fairly calls "elegant". It's a clean fishtank-style case, with a tempered glass panel stretching from the side to the front. On top sits a woven steel mesh ventilation, and on the bottom sits a selection of ports, plus the case's standout features: knobs.

These knobs control LEDs hidden in the interior of the case. The top knob adjusts colour, while the second adjusts brightness, and the third adjusts mode. Presumably, this means you could have colours pulse, alternate rhythmically, or become static. CyberPowerPC says these knobs work without any software and give you access to the "full 16.7 million colour spectrum." Those knobs would mean little if the case didn't also look good, but luckily, it's sleek with plenty of personality, too, thanks to that dramatic lighting.

It's the type of PC you'd want to pop on a desk, not only because it looks gorgeous, but also because the on button appears to be just above those knobs at the bottom of the case. I'd want it on a desk either way, because I don't think I could stop myself from messing around with the colours whenever I'm procrastinating.

It's a mid-tower case with support for ATX and micro-ATX motherboards. The front has two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and a 3.5 mm jack. It supports a GPU that measures up to 420 mm, a CPU cooler up to 185 mm, and a PSU up to 200 mm.

Future

CES 2026

(Image credit: Future)

The MA-01 will be available in three different finishes: The grey 'Satin Metallic Dark Silver', black 'Matte Satin Dark Steel Grey', and the cream 'Matte Satin Off-White'. The case will also be available in a 'Chrome Steel' version.

A welcome surprise from gear announced at CES 2026 so far, this case not only has a solid release window but also an exact price. Lucky us. If you want to pick one up for yourself, it will cost you $150 for the standard versions and $250 for the Chrome Steel model, when both launch during Q2, 2026.

I think it would make for a luxurious and clean build at a reasonable price. It's just a shame the rest of the build will likely cost you a few arms, a leg, and maybe a bit of your torso too.

Thermaltake's collaboration PC case with a French artist is so lovely it makes me want to finally start that mini PC build

James Bentley — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:46:15 +0000

Mini PCs and cute aesthetics just go hand in hand. There are two reasons you might build a small form factor machine: you want a compact machine that doesn't dominate your entire desktop, or you're building something so small because you simply think it looks good. And for me, Thermaltake's latest PC Case looks so good, I want to finally make that build.

Announced as part of its presence at CES 2026, Thermaltake has shown off its TR100 Koralie edition. The standard TR100 is a dual-chamber, Mini-ITX case, which is to say it's a compact bit of tech. At $150, it's also a reasonably priced start to a small build. Even if the rest of your build will be torturously expensive.

The Koralie edition offers much the same, except at a currently unknown price point. Each case is numbered and signed, and the presence of a store page implies that some will be able to purchase it, but we don't have much more on it just yet.

The case itself is blue with a striking symmetrical design, which Thermaltake says is inspired by "Mediterranean, Asian, Art Deco, and Indigenous aesthetics". It's a bit of a beauty, and it still comes with a spot on the top for a 3.9-inch LCD screen to show off your waifu, your lunch, or whatever else you'd use a PC case screen for.

Koralie herself is an artist who has been exploring the link between nature and human-made beauty for decades, painting the walls of her town in Petite Camargue, France, with graffiti since 1999. On the Thermaltake site, it claims that the Koralie edition of its TR100 blends "technology with art, transforming a functional component into a striking piece".

(Image credit: Thermaltake)

CES 2026

(Image credit: Future)

Whether or not these lofty goals have been met will naturally be up to the viewer/buyer, but it is certainly "a work of art that people want to display in their homes", as claimed by the store page.

Naturally, the big questions here are how much it will cost and when it will arrive. Unfortunately, we have the answer to neither of these, so we'll just have to admire from afar until Thermaltake lets us know. The goal of cases like this being unveiled at CES 2026 is naturally to catch eyes, and this has certainly caught mine.

Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable review

Nick Evanson — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 16:18:33 +0000

It's not every day that I get to review a piece of computing hardware that's almost specifically designed for me, but that's exactly what Thermal Grizzly's Der8enchtable is. Well, it was actually created by Roman 'der8auer' Hartung, in conjunction with Jon Sandström of ElmorLabs, to make it easier for them to test motherboards, CPUs, coolers, etc. And since he just so happens to be the CEO of Thermal Grizzly, it's now something that I can use for the same purposes, too.

For $269 (direct from Thermal Grizzly), you can have one as well, though let's be honest here: the Der8enchtable is going to be of zero use to the vast majority of PC enthusiasts. That's because it's simply an open-platform circuit board that you can connect a motherboard to, and separately control fans, pumps, and lights; it also provides external storage options so you don't have to use those on the motherboard.

It might be a bit 'inside baseball' but let me explain why this is so useful for hardware testing. When I get a new motherboard or CPU to review, I use a basic open-chassis to mount the motherboard and PSU, then wire it all up, and then spend a good amount of time installing the operating system and test software. I also have to mess about with the BIOS to get a consistent cooling profile, to ensure thermal results across tested products are comparable.

Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable specs

(Image credit: Future)

Motherboard support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Storage: 4× MicroSD slots, 2x onboard SATA ports
USB: 4x USB 2.0 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0 Type-C
Headers: 2x 2-pin (power/reset), 1x 3-pin ARGB, 2x 4-pin pump, 3x 4-pin fan
Control: 1x 9-pin USB, 1 4-pin PWM
Power: 1x 6-pin PCIe
Price: $269/€230

The Der8enchtable streamlines that whole process by centralising storage and fan control. It comes with two SATA ports and four MicroSD card slots that you can use to host operating systems, applications, or whatever you need to run and test the motherboard, etc. It doesn't matter that none of these are very fast, because CPU/mobo reviewing is set up in such a way that the measured performance of the product is independent of items such as storage drives.

To see how well all this works in reality, I configured two separate SATA SSDs: one for an AMD AM5 system and the other for Intel LGA1851. On the edge of the Der8enchtable, there are two SATA sockets that are outputs: you connect them to the tested motherboard's own SATA ports via separate cables. It all worked exactly as intended, and for testing AMD/Intel motherboards, all I now need to do is just plug in the appropriate SATA cable.

In the case of the MicroSD slots, these communicate with a motherboard via a dedicated USB 2.0 header which, just like the SATA outputs, you hook up via an included USB cable. None of these options is what you'd call speedy, but as previously mentioned, that doesn't matter. What you want here is stability and compatibility, and USB 2.0 is ideal for this.

(Image credit: Future)

If you want a very simple setup, the only thing you need to connect to the Der8enchtable is the aforementioned USB 2.0 header and a six-pin PCIe power cable from a PSU. The latter can be mounted underneath Thermal Grizzly's circuit board, though this mandates the use of the included black-anodized aluminium legs and brackets.

Should the motherboard being tested not have onboard power and reset buttons, the Der8enchtable has headers for those, and you just connect them directly to the motherboard's. The same goes for fan, pump, and RGB headers: use them as normal on the mobo or splice them into the Der8enchtable and control them that way.

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It's all very easy to put together (easier still if you don't take the same cavalier approach to instruction manuals that I have) and straightforward to use. Naturally, it does require that you understand how all the various headers and ports work, to a certain degree, but you wouldn't be testing motherboards if you didn't.

You don't have to install the legs to raise the Der8enchtable, to make room for a PSU, and neither do you have to fit the PCI slot bracket (to support GPUs, etc) or the radiator brackets. Screw the four little feet onto the underside of the board, and you can have a very low-profile test platform. Personally, I prefer it with everything attached, if only because it looks so good that way.

(Image credit: Future)

And speaking of looks, the Der8enchtable also sports ARGB lighting, all around the edge, which gets enabled if you connect the board's ARGB external header to any such equivalent on a motherboard. Completely superfluous for benchmarking and reviews, of course, but it really does look spectacular, and I'm not a huge RGB fan.

At the risk of sounding overly gushing, everything about the Der8enchtable is extremely good. From the build quality of the board, to the fit of the attachments and the detail of the instruction manual, Hartung et al have done a superb job. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that it's of a better quality than most $600+ motherboards, though it's not mass-manufactured to the same degree as those. Even the packaging is top-tier in quality.

This is also why it's pretty expensive for what it is. Paying nearly $270 for a circuit board with basic components and lights, along with a few pieces of aluminium, might seem excessive, but the market for the Der8enchtable is going to be very small. It's a niche product and as such, costs can't be recouped via selling it in large volumes.

Future

Buy if...

✅ You test PC hardware for a living or love experimenting: The Der8enchtable is a superb platform for making the testing of motherboards, coolers, drives, etc, a piece of cake, thanks to its wealth of headers and ports. It's perfect for serious overclockers, too.

Don't buy if...

❌ You're not a PC hardware tester: The Der8enchtable is of zero use to anyone who just uses a PC for work, gaming, or whatever. No point in buying something that won't improve your computing life.

For the right person, though, $270 is a bargain, especially for something that's so well-made and so useful. I suspect I'm not the only one who feels this way because at the time of writing, the Der8enchtable is out of stock on Thermal Grizzly's site. I should imagine every hardware reviewer and top overclocker around has already bought one, especially the latter, because if you're using liquid nitrogen for cooling, having storage drives kept well away from that stuff is a good thing.

Could it be even better? That depends on your needs. For example, if it were E-ATX-sized or sported M.2 or U.2 slots, it would be fantastic for handling workstation/server-grade boards or testing the throughput rates of a motherboard's various ports. But adding all of that would make it considerably more expensive, and such scenarios are even more niche than what it's already designed for.

As it is, the Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable is pretty much the perfect platform for any hardware tester, reviewer, or super-serious overclocker. My only problem with it is now I want another one… maybe even two. Actually, I can think of a third scenario for one. Oh my poor wallet.

Thermaltake View 390 Air review

Jacob Ridley — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:22:44 +0000

Airflow and aesthetics don't often mix in the world of PC cases. Thermaltake, however, has done a pretty good job of it here. The Thermaltake View 390 Air swaps a top panel for tempered glass to excellent effect, leaving plenty of options for direct airflow over your components.

I received the View 390 Air in its white variant for review. This being called 'Snow' and offering a suitably frosty finish across most parts of the case. Though there are a few colourways to choose from, including a delectable-sounding Butter Caramel (yellow) and, my personal favourite, Future Dusk (purple). Or just plain black if you're a bit boring.

Upon opening the box, I had a feeling I might end up a little disappointed with the View 390 Air. The case doesn't make a good first impression, in large part thanks to the bag of loose screws hanging in the rear. This, I dare say, is the messiest bag of bolts ever called 'accessories' I've experienced with a PC case—a jangling selection of screws, zip-ties, and a roll of Velcro, looking like the world's worst party favour.

Compared to the Corsair Frame 4500X and Arctic Xtender, both of which come with neatly labelled accessory boxes, the Thermaltake's first impression doesn't match up.

View 390 Air specs

(Image credit: Future)

Size: Mid-tower
Fan support: 3 x 120/2x 140/2x 200 mm (front) | 3x 120 mm (right) | 2x 120 mm (rear) | 3x 120 mm (bottom)
AIO support: Up to 360 mm (front) | Up to 360 mm (side)
Front I/O: USB 3.2 (Gen 2) Type-C x 1, USB 3.0 x 2, HD Audio x 1
Drive bays: 2x 3.5-inch, 1x 2.5-inch, OR 3x 2.5-inch
Price: $150/£125

I'm glad to say this impression didn't last for long. Upon taking a step back and planning out my test build, I started to nod my head in agreement with Thermaltake's design team here. This is kinda cool, I do get what they were going for here. There are lots of ways to lay it out.

Yes… yes… it's starting to come together.

The tempered glass side panel sweeps across the top of the case. Firstly, it looks cool, and we can't discount the impact looking cool has on a prospective PC builder. Secondly, it allows more light in. At risk of sounding like I'm a listing for a loft conversion-turned-rental property, it creates an airy and open feel that's really rather appealing. It helps to show off your components without the need for the nuclear option: RGB lighting. I'll take that opportunity whenever it's presented to me. Thirdly, it allows for much more direct airflow from forward-mounted fans, as opposed to the right-angled airflow offered by many a fish tank case.

I do have a few small qualms with the design. The biggest is the I/O. A selection of two USB Type-A ports, a Type-C port, and a headphone jack, it's all set weirdly far back from the front of the case. It's not really front I/O so much as rear I/O. I have the case to the side of my desk and I have to stand up to reach the on switch. I'm lazy, I don't like standing up when I don't have to, but I also struggle to think when this I/O position would be better than something further forward.

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Then there's the use of silver screws. Personally, I'd prefer black thumbscrews and screws throughout. Contrary to what you might assume, black blends in a little better with white components that often still have a large amount of black bits on them. But, generally, I think the View 390 Air gets away with it. Just.

Lastly, this is not a tool-free design. Screws are require to remove various parts. This isn't the worst thing in the world and only really requires a screwdriver for the actual build process—accessing the case requires a few thumbscrews only—but as more case manufacturers move to increasingly tool-free designs, the Thermaltake does feel just a little old fashioned.

With my bag o' bits in hand, I set about putting together my test build. This includes: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite Wifi7 Ice, Gigabyte RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC Ice, and 64 GB of Crucial Pro DDR5-6000, Cooler Master MasterLiquid Core II, and Biwin X570 Pro 2 TB.

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All picked for their white colourway, where possible, to match the View 390 Air. For one obvious omission: the liquid cooler. Though my partner assures me that the black on this component "looks fine, good even". So there's that.

Cooling is pretty simple here. The View 390 Air can take up to two 200 mm fans in the front, three 120 mm fans in the bottom, three 120 mm fans down the side, and two 120 mm fans in the rear (with two CT120 fans coming preinstalled). It's not short of options, and more importantly, you can opt for a pretty straightforward intake in the front, exhaust out the back approach—albeit with your radiator mounted down the side.

I'd recommend using reversed fans with the View 390 Air—fans with push/pull orientation switched—as this would allow for more aesthetically pleasing intake fans mounted in the bottom or side locations. I don't have any reversed fans in white, so I had to go with the not-so-optimal approach.

Future

I've opted for two Havn H14 fans up front, three Havn H12 fans in the bottom, and kept the two included CT120 fans in the rear. I also replaced the RGB fans on the liquid cooler with Havn H12 fans in black, mostly because I don't have more white ones, and also I'm at a time in my life where I'm absolutely fed up with RGB lighting. It's a bit of a shame that there's no room for wider fans in the side or bottom mounting locations in the View 390 Air, though generally I've been impressed with it in terms of cooling compatibility.

What's important is that temperatures are great, with three runs of Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition seeing the GPU/CPU hit 59°C and 60°C, respectively.

There's a good amount of room for a graphics card in the View 390 Air: 390 mm or 420 mm if you don't have anything else in the front. Even the largest graphics cards today won't exceed that. There's also an included GPU support with a good range of adjustment for various sized cards. I just wish the silver thumbscrews—of which there are many—weren't so obvious.

Future

Though it is a little limited in terms of height from the motherboard to the tempered glass side panel. It's a little unfair, but I tested whether the Noctua NH-D15 G2 would fit, the largest air cooler I had to hand, and it was just a touch too big. The heatsink touches the glass—the thought alone makes me shudder. Though any more sensibly sized cooler will be just fine.

The rear of the case offers a pretty smart design for cable management. There's not much of it—a notable lack of straps or channels—but wait, there is a door that covers everything up. So you don't need to be quite as neat to get it squared away and looking good. The door covers everything up. The door makes the pain go away.

Future

Buy if...

✅ You want to ditch RGB lighting: This is the perfect case for a zero RGB build, if we're calling PCs that eschew RGB LEDs that these days. The glass side panel that wraps around the side is great for letting natural light hit your components.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want the easiest build experience: One might struggle, as a first-time builder perhaps, with the 'chuck em all in a bag' approach to screws and fittings here. Similarly, cable management options are more or less zip-ties and stuff everything behind the big door, though it does have plenty of room in the rear.

Sure, I'd like to see some more integrated cable management options here, outside of the usual inclusion of zip-ties. Especially as you have to cut your own Velcro straps from a small roll provided in the box. It's all a bit hands-on and, any changes, you'll need to start from scratch after you've cut it all free.

One thing I have for this build, but I probably wouldn't recommend, is Thermaltake's own 6-inch screen. There's a convenient cut-out at the top of the case for the screen to sit in, and it fits together very easily, with only a single cable run required for a USB 2.0 connection. The screen itself is controlled via Thermaltake's TT RGB Plus app. But the app is laggy and confusing, and the screen is extremely expensive for what it is. I've struggled to find an official price but I think it's somewhere in the region of $100/£100.

The Thermaltake View 390 Air, however, costs $150/£125. Perhaps even less if it's on sale, which it is as I write this, for $120. That makes the screen seem even more over the decadent than it is, at near the same price as the entire case. Ignoring the screen, however, I do have generally good feelings for the Thermaltake View 390 Air.

When I stand back and gaze upon my creation, I realise just how much I like that expansive window wrapping around the top of the case. It's really nice. No, better than that, it's lovely. It opens the case up to a lot more light and that helps show off the build more than any RGB lighting ever could. While Thermaltake could tighten up a few things here and there to make the holistic build experience better, the finished product is something worthy of showing off.

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The age of beige is back! SilverStone's new case is a glorious nod to PCs of the 1980s and 90s

Nick Evanson — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:55:43 +0000

You don't have to have lived through a certain era to be a fan of it, but the best retro vibes one can experience are with those that spark the memories you have of those times. If you've been a PC enthusiast for as long as I have, then you'll probably look at SilverStone's new full-tower case with a warm heart and happy, fuzzy feelings.

That's because the SST-FLP02 is as close to a PC case from the late 1980s, early 1990s, as you could possibly get, without trawling through eBay to source a genuine one. We first laid eyes on it back in May, at the annual Computex event, but it's now officially on the market, with an asking price of $240.

I know that's a lot of money to spend on a case, but to be fair to SilverStone, it's a niche product that isn't going to shift in enormous quantities. Low-volume sellers nearly always sport high price tags to make them financially viable for the manufacturer. So what exactly are you getting for your two hundred and forty dollars?

Internally, it's pretty much a standard full-tower case, with room for a 360 mm radiator at the top and space for graphics cards no longer than 386 mm. It comes with two 120 mm fans installed at the front, below the row of buttons in the middle, plus another one at the rear. It's probably not going to win any awards for airflow, though, as the PSU shroud at the bottom is very long.

What it will win at is tugging the heartstrings of PC enthusiasts who remember building rigs in very similar cases, a great many decades ago. You get a nice big red power switch (no push button to power up your rig here), followed by a physical lock to disable the power and reset switches, as well as a famous (infamous?) Turbo button.

Silverstone

Originally, this was used to force CPUs to run slower (yes, I know, very confusing). Intel's processors of the late 1980s, such as the 80486, were speedy beasts, but many apps at the time didn't like that raw clock speed so much. Hitting the turbo button dropped the chip's clock speed right down, making the whole system compatible with older games and programs.

In the case of the SST-FLP02, though, the turbo button boosts the fans to their maximum rpm (kinda the opposite of what it did, I guess). I reckon it would be more useful if it could be used to cycle through some predefined fan speeds, instead of going straight to all-hell-breaking-loose mode. The little LED display next to the turbo button displays the fan's rpm (0 to 100%), if you were wondering.

At the top of the front of the case, there are four fake 5.25-inch floppy drives. It's just a door that opens up, but behind it are three real 5.25-inch drive bays. So if you've been hankering for a case that lets you install a couple of optical disk burners or a raft of hot-swappable storage drives, then the SST-FLP02 might just be the case for you.

Silverstone

Naturally, the whole thing is beige in colour, because that was the only choice you had back then. In fact, if it weren't for the likes of Apple and its 'DayGlo' original iMac, we might still be toting monochromatic machines even now. Oh, wait a second, we do. It's just that they're black or white, with glass everywhere.

I have to confess that if I were looking to build a one-off special PC, I'd seriously consider using SilverStone's blast from the past. It would make for an awesome sleeper build, though I dare say jamming an RTX 5090 inside one of these might cause a few problems pertaining to heat. That turbo button would certainly get a workout or two.

A UK retailer has honoured a redditor's £20 Fractal Design PC case purchase: 'You made it go viral. So we did what we believe is right—we owned it.'

Jess Kinghorn — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 16:09:12 +0000

With seas of stock to maintain, plus piles of product pages to go along with every item, listing mistakes happen. Should an eagle-eyed shopper scoop a downright unreasonably priced bit of kit, it's often a toss up as to whether the supplier will either cancel the order, or quietly honour the few orders that get through before promptly updating the listing and acting like nothing happened. Either way, most companies would avoid making much noise about it.

Apparently, London-based Gotraka isn't like most companies. One lucky Redditor spied an absurdly good deal on the black midi version of the Fractal Design North PC case. Gotraka normally sells this case for around £155 (about $205), but the poster snapped it up when it was briefly listed for only £20 (a little under $27).

Gotraka not only honoured this incredibly low price, but even sent the buyer a note with their order. This read, "We made a pricing mistake. You made it go viral. So we did what we believe is right—we owned it."

Gotraka itself has since shared a blog post going into more depth about how the pricing mistake happened. Apparently, the company has been in the process of developing a custom build system for its website. 'Team Gotraka' explained, "To get it ready, our dev team has been testing the matrix (literally). They’ve been linking thousands of parts, compatibility data, and live pricing. And somewhere in that tangled web of code and caffeine, one of our test prices slipped into the live site."

Rather than cancel the resulting orders, the company chose to treat it as a happy accident even calling the pricing mistake's popularity "the best kind of beta test we could’ve asked for." What could've been a quiet embarrassment has been leveraged into a far louder, profile-raising win for the smaller UK brand.

A short story in 4 images from r/pcmasterrace

But, in Gotraka's own words, it's a principled brand that "stands by our word." On the subject of principles, an interesting side note is that Gotraka bills itself as a company with sustainability in mind.

The company's About page not only references the UK's own mountains of e-waste, but also briefly discusses Gotraka's own hopes for a circular supply system, reading, "We want to recover as much product as we can to reduce the mining of new resources." It'll be interesting to see if this smaller company can leverage its new-found visibility into a less e-wasteful future.

Power? Contact. Fuel? Check. Ignition? Go! This, ladies and germs, is the way to boot up your desktop PC

Jeremy Laird — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 15:36:22 +0000

In this age of instant gratification, of ecommerce orders that arrive via drone an hour before you realised you even wanted them, there's definitely something to be said for adding a delay, maybe a touch of ritual, perhaps a dash of overkill. Enter the Power Button Extension V2, surely the most satisfying start up routine for a desktop rig yet conceived by human mind.

The work of a Redditor who goes by the call sign veloci_official, this powering-up solution involves a pair of flip switches and key activator as gateway keepers to the all-important "Start" button which is, of course, housed beneath a clear, flip-up cover. Each element sports an all-caps label—POWER, FUEL, IGNITION, START—fitted slightly askew for a pleasing DIY-come-military vibe.

The flip switches and turn-key are, in effect, only contact switches that act to enable the "Start" button. In other words, once the PC is running, an accidental knock of one of those switches or a twitch of the key won't do anything other than make the Start button inoperable, thereby making accidental shutdowns, perhaps courtesy of a passing feline, far less likely.

The green LED above the Start button, incidentally, is a hard drive activity indicator. Dare I say it, this could be just the thing for flight or driving sim aficionados looking to add that extra layer of authenticity to their desk-bound pre-sortie routine.

Of course, pedantic military wonks might suggest this setup actually needs two keys, 12 feet apart, that need to be turned simultaneously in order to completely rule out accidental system boots. Turn your key, sir! Etc.

As for me, I'm more of a jam-a-screw-driver-directly-into-the-motherboard-headers kinda chap. But if I absolutely had to use an actual switch, then I like the idea of entirely leapfrogging a plain old button and going straight to absolute overkill.

veloci-official

Whatever, if barking "CONTACT" every time you boot up is your bag, you'll be pleased to hear there's a Github listing with detailed instructions including circuit diagrams and links to all the parts you'll need. The instructions really are comprehensive and aimed at DIY novices. So, you really needn't be an electrical engineer to knock one of these out yourself.

Cost-wise, you're looking at about five bucks all in for the parts, plus whatever it costs to 3D print the main housing. Remarkably, that includes the USB-C trigger board that's required to light up the toggle-switch LEDs.

Heck, you'd could probably cobble something together out of wood if 3D printing wasn't an option and make this thing for virtually nothing. And in these times of spiralling PC component prices, a bit of fun for almost free is a very welcome distraction.

The best fish tank PC case in 2026: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation

Jacob Ridley — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:40:08 +0000

If you're the type to want to show off your components to the world, one of the best fish tank PC cases is a great way to do it. Due to the sudden popularity of this sort of case design, I'm going to presume this includes most PC gamers—we're vain creatures, after all.

I've tested heaps of PC cases over the past 12 months and beyond in order to narrow down the selection below to just a handful of high-quality cases. The top spot going to the Havn HS 420, a wonderfully well made chassis with plenty of room for cooling and components. Though if you prefer to go for a cheaper option, while fish tank cases do come with a premium, the Lian Li O11 Vision Compact is an affordable alternative.

The quick list

Best overall

1. Havn HS 420

Best fish tank

The Havn HS 420 is a stellar pick for any PC build. It looks great, has tons of room for components and cooling, and it's very well thought out for easy building.

Read more below

Best budget

2. Lian Li O11 Vision Compact

The best budget

This Lian Li case could win a few categories here. It's affordable, extremely stylish, and keeps plenty of air flowing over key components. That said, the price really is the standout here.

Read more below

Best looking

3. Phanteks Evolv X2

The best looking

You're reading this because you care about how your PC looks, and no other case gives off 'I'm trying really hard to do something here' better than the Evolv X2 by Phanteks.

Read more below

⬇️ Click to load more of the best fish tank PC cases ⬇️

Best airflow

4. NZXT H9 Flow RGB+

The best airflow

The NZXT H9 Flow RGB+ comes with a ton of fans pre-installed to make life easier for your next build. It also offers a slightly angled side mounting position for more direct airflow. Oh, and it looks excellent, too.

Read more below

The best fish tank PC case

Future

1. Havn HS 420

The best fish tank PC case

Form Factor: Mid-tower | Motherboard support: E-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX | Dimensions: 541 x 259.5 x 547 mm / 21.3 x 10.2 x 21.5 | Weight: 17.84 kg / 39.33 lbs | Radiator support: up to 420 mm, side: up to 420 mm, bottom: Up to 420 mm (non-VGPU model only) | Fans included: None | IO ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) | Drive support: 5x 3.5-inch, 9x 2.5-inch

Looks fantastic

Clever modularity

Gorgeous glass

Effective cable management

Good dust protection

Heavy

Limited motherboard airflow

The lowdown

"The Havn HS 420 is one of the best ways I can think of to show off your PC's components."—Jacob Ridley

Read our full Havn HS 420 review.

The Havn HS 420 is the best fish tank PC case on account of also being our pick for the best PC case. It's a bit of a given it should be bestowed this honor thanks to its panoramic design. But, hey, let's talk about what makes it so great.

The HS 420 is wonderfully designed. The front panel wraps around the side to open up the innards to the outside world, utilizing an impressively chunky piece of glass gently curved into shape. This entire L-shaped panel can be lifted (fairly) easily out of the way to build into the chassis.

The entire chassis peels away to make building easier. The vented rear and top panels are easily removed, as is the rear, exposing the superb cable management and cooling options below. This case is intended for a chimney-style design, one which has the air flowing from bottom to top, but there is room for two fans in the rear and three more down the side. There's room for a whopping 11 fans total.

With devilish good looks in white and the option for a vertical GPU mount if you're into that sorta thing, the Havn HS 420 is top of the pile when it comes to fish tank PC cases.

The best budget fish tank PC case

Future

2. Lian Li O11 Vision Compact

The best budget fish tank PC case

Form Factor: Mid-tower | Motherboard support: ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX / E-ATX / BTF | Dimensions: 448 x 288 x 446 mm / 17.6 x 9.0 x 17.6 inches | Weight: 11.97 kg / 26.33 lbs | Radiator support: Top: up to 360 mm, bottom: up to 360 mm, side: up to 360 mm | Fans included: None | IO ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 2x USB 3.0 (Type-A), 1x HD Audio | Drive support: 2x 2.5-inch SSD, storage cage: 2x 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch HDD/SSD

Stupidly low price point

Wildly versatile interior layout

Strong aesthetic chops

GPU sag bracket could be lower

Cable management could be slightly better

Could use a fan controller… and a fan or two.

The lowdown

"Not only does it have a remarkably compact form factor and wildly broad compatibility, it looks incredible, comes with two configurations, and leaves you with one beautiful-looking machine."—Zak Storey

Read our full Lian Li O11 Vision Compact review.

The best fish tank PC case on a budget is the Lian Li O11 Vision Compact. Generally, fish tank PC cases are more expensive than something more traditional (and more boring), and that's definitely true of the Lian Li. Though for its slightly higher price tag than some, it's still absurd value for what you get here.

This is one of the best looking fish tank cases in my opinion. The entire case is half glass, with a glass panel on the top, glass panel on the front, and glass panel on the side. You wouldn't want it to slip out of your hands when you're moving around, and indeed if you move often, maybe look elsewhere, but it's absolutely gorgeous.

You do have to provide your own fans here, as Lian Li doesn't offer any in the box. That's a bit of an extra expense, but there are some really affordable options for very little cash out there. Just check out our guide to the best PC fans for more if you need help deciding.

As you might imagine by the name, the O11 Compact is a little smaller than some others on the market, at 44.8 x 28.8 x 44.6 cm. Though it's not the smallest case around by any means. It does make very good use of that space, however, with room for eight fans, including two exhaust, and a pretty sizeable graphics card.

The best looking fish tank PC case

Future

3. Phanteks Evolv X2

The best looking fish tank PC case

Form Factor: Mid-tower | Motherboard support: E-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX | Dimensions: 454 x 228 x 588 mm / 17.8 x 8.9 x 23.1 inches | Weight: 14.2 kg / 31.3 lbs | Radiator support: Up to 360 mm (top) | Fans included: None | IO ports: 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C, 3.5 mm jack | Drive support: 5x 2.5-inch (+ 1x 3.5-inch); 2x 3.5-inch (+3x 2.5-inch)

Extraordinarily unique design

Chimney-style cooling solution

Expansive AIO support

Limited cooling setup

Premium bracket makes it pop, but at a cost

Rear cable management is tight

The lowdown

"The X2 is an outstandingly beautiful chassis, wrapped in a combination of glass, steel, and brushed finishes."—Zak Storey

Read our full Phanteks Evolv X2 review.

Nearly any of the cases in this guide, and many more, could claim to be the best looking in 2025. Though we wanted to award the accolade to something a little different: the Phanteks Evolv X2.

With a chimney-style design, the Evolv X2 no longer requires any side-mounted fans and thus is able to offer one of the most aquarium-like looks we've seen yet. The result is something spectacularly stylish. It gives the GPU and motherboard an almost floating look, made even better by the optional vertical GPU bracket.

Though the case and extra bracket come at a cost. This case doesn't come cheap and it's a little limited on the cable management too. You have to be in it for the looks here, and happy to work around some slight oddities to get the desired look. Though if you do, it's hella rewarding. Our Zak built a PC into the Evolv X2 that looks ripped right outta Tron or a James S. A. Corey book.

The best fish tank PC case for airflow

Future

4. NZXT H9 Flow RGB+

The best fish tank PC case for airflow

Form Factor: Mid-tower | Motherboard support: E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | Dimensions: 506 x 315 x 481 mm / 19.9 x 12.4 x 18.9 inches | Weight: 13.4 kg / 29.5 lb | Radiator support: Up to 420 mm side / Front: up to 420 mm / Bottom: up to 360 mm / Rear: up to 120 mm | Fans included: 3x 120/140mm TOP, 3x 120/140mm SIDE, 3x 120/140mm BOTTOM, 1x 120mm REAR | IO ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C, Headphone Jack | Drive support: 4+2x 2.5-inch, 2x 3.5-inch

Outstanding aesthetic

Insane-level cable management

Impressive cooling throughout

Big money

Certain paint elements feel underwhelming

F120 fans need a refresh

The lowdown

"Outstanding looks and exceptional cooling deliver hard on this one. The H9 Flow RGB+ is exemplary."—Zak Storey

Read our full NZXT H9 Flow RGB+ review.

The best fish tank case for airflow is NZXT's H9 Flow RGB+. Why? It comes with a lot of fans and, importantly, it actually makes an effort to keep that air flowing over your components, unlike some fish tank cases.

Fish tank cases are not known for their amazing airflow. Simple by way of removing the front fan mounts to replace with another piece of glass (you vapid gamer, you), there's often nowhere better to place a few fans. The NZXT tries to circumvent this in two ways: 1) it has the side mounted fans tilted slightly to the front for more direct airflow over your components, and 2) it has bottom-mounted fans for an almost chimney-style approach.

The good news is, you don't need to fill all these fan positions yourself. In the box, NZXT includes two F420 RGB Core fan(s), which are preinstalled into the side and bottom posititions. And in the rear, a single F120 RGB Core as an exhaust. Oh, and those F420 fans are really three 140 mm fans in one, for a total of (kinda) seven included as standard.

So, there's plenty of airflow to be had here, and room for more fans (up to 10) if you want to go the extra mile. What's more, the case looks great and offers plenty of mod cons, like support for Back-Connect motherboards. Only downside is the price: this one is expensive, especially for all the fans in the box.

Also tested

Corsair Frame 4500X
This case only narrowly avoided being included here. It has loads of room for fans, an attractive price, and a quality construction.
PC Gamer score: 80%

Read our full Corsair Frame 4500X review.View Deal

Arctic Xtender
This is a great-looking chassis for a high-performance gaming PC, and comes with five pre-installed high-performance fans. They're a bit loud, though, and the vertical GPU mount option should be avoided. Good value for money, but not quite cheap enough or feature-rich enough to beat the competition.
PC Gamer score: 82%

Read our full Arctic Xtender review.View Deal

Hyte Y40
An affordable and stylish box for your components, we just prefer other options nowadays for the money.
PC Gamer score: 90%

Read our full Hyte Y40 review.View Deal

NZXT H9 Elite
The H9 Elite would make a great home for any show build, and its compartmentalised design makes working inside it easy. Though it is expensive, and we have a few others we like a little more.
PC Gamer score: 79%

Read our full NZXT H9 Elite review.View Deal

How we test

We independently review a number of PC cases each year to decide which get our recommendation. To put it plainly, if we haven't tested it ourselves, it won't be on this page. We test each and every case to make an informed decision, and only the best cases from this process make it into this guide.

The test process is pretty straightforward for PC cases: we build a PC in every case. There's no better way to get an idea of whether a case is good or bad to build a PC into than simply doing it yourself. We run benchmarks on the components used in the machine to check that temperatures are under control, too.

We often also use an anemometer to measure airflow and a sound meter to measure, uh, sound. These help to show if a case is well designed or a bit of a mess. We also tend to build and teardown PCs frequently, which helps expose any creaks, groans, or grievances with a specific design.

FAQ

What size case do I need?

There's the obvious answer: what do you want to look at on or under your desk for the next few years and beyond? Whether your PC goes on top of your desk is also a big factor in deciding case size. However, there's some more technical gubbins to be aware of here.

First is motherboard support. There are a range of sizes of motherboard, but they're standardized. That means if a case says it supports a size, you shouldn't really run into any issues. The sizes, from largest to smallest, are:

E-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX

The good news is that most PC cases that support, say, an ATX motherboard, also support the smaller motherboard sizes too. So M-ATX and Mini-ITX should fit just fine.

One other thing to consider with motherboards is whether you plan to use a new technology often called Back-Connect, or BTF. These motherboards, made by MSI and Asus, stick the connectors on the rear of the motherboard for a neater look. It's a good effect, too, though you will need a case that explicitly supports this sort of set-up.

The other things to consider when sizing up your PC case are PSU size, GPU size, and cooler size.

When it comes to PSU size, most are built to the ATX standard and most cases fit these. However, there are the SFX and SFX-L standards for smaller, usually Mini-ITX builds. You can usually check whether a case supports a certain length of PSU in the product specifications. Generally, it's a non-issue.

GPU size is a simple check: just measure your GPU and check whether your case can fit that. Again, a case's product page will usually cover this. Some cases are more limited than others in this regard, so it's definitely worth checking with today's huge graphics cards.

Cooler size matters whether you're buying either a liquid or air cooler. For a liquid cooler, you need to check whether there's room to mount a radiator of your chosen size inside the case. Ie. a mounting point for a 360 mm radiator close enough to the CPU for the cooler's tubing to reach. For an air cooler, you need to make sure your case supports the height requirements of the cooler. You don't want to install everything only to find your tempered glass side panel hits the top of your CPU cooler.

The good news is, most ATX compatible cases are made with making this all pretty straightforward. They leave more room than most will need, so providing you're not going over the top, you're likely going to be just fine.

This utterly mesmerising beehive PC desk build took six months of painstaking labour and hypnotically simulates the bittersweet rise and fall of bee colonies in real time

Jeremy Laird — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:32:33 +0000

"I've always admired bees, so I thought I'd build something that not only looks like a hive, but actually simulates one." So says YouTube channel Full Stack Woodworking, which set out to build a desk that simulates a bee hive. A simple enough concept, but let's just say this one spiralled a bit. And then some.

This incredible desk contains 74 hexagonal frames, 44 of which house 37 active RGB cells. Each multi-layered cell can display its status via perspex inserts and multiple LEDs (via Hackaday). Between the cells are pathways along which the bees travel, again with RGB lights.

All told, there are 3,745 LEDs. It's all controlled by software that Full Stack Woodworking also built. And the resulting bee hive simulation is utterly beguiling. But hold that thought, because this labour of love deserves describing.

This is a hugely complex desk build. Just making the top layer of the cell frames from African hard wood was an incredibly involved process, requiring several steps to prepare uniformly thin strips of wood ready to be laser cut.

Full Stack Woodworking worked three sessions a day making the top hex frame layer—before work, after work, and before bed. And it took 25 days to get all 74 frames done. That's just for one small part of one element of this desk.

Inside each cell, an acrylic rod is used to transmit light and is glued in place by hand, all 1,628 of them. The cells are then filled with clear epoxy and sanded flat so the epoxy is level with the wood frame. The hex frames are built up of several laser-cut layers. In total 222 different operations were used on the CNC machines in getting the frames flat and all the same thickness.

Full Stack Woodworking

Of course, the LED lights needed custom-built PCBs with LEDs below each hex frame, plus another 130 PCBs for the bee pathways. To control all this, Full Stack Woodworking put together code in Python to run the hive. There are rules controlling each bee, including a queen laying eggs in empty cells. Attendant bees get food from storage to feed the queen. Nurse bees feed the eggs and after a certain number of days, they "hatch". Forager bees leave the hive to gather food and place it in storage cells. Bees age and progress through different roles.

All of this is simulated with the various RGB LEDs. Each cell has an LED which activates when active and in use. Multiple colours from a second RGB LED indicate the cell's status and bee activity. The pathway LEDs likewise are RGB-lit to indicate the type of bee in transit.

Getting back to the physical build, the surround for the desktop neatly interfaces with the edges of the hexagonal frames and itself was fiendishly hard work. But of course, once the surround was in place, the hexagonal frames no longer fitted. So each hex frame had to be numbered and hand tweaked to achieve the final fit. Lining paper was used as spacers to standardise gaps between frames. Crikey.

Next up, holes for the LEDs below the cells were individually drilled out by hand using the guide and punch method. That's all 3,720 holes, including the pathway LED holes between the frames.

Then it's more light-conducting rods for the pathway holes, again fitted by hand, more clear epoxy over the top of those rods, more multi-stage sanding and levelling. Then it's time to fill those thousands of holes from below with round and square acrylic pegs, before they too are sanded back.

The bottom structure for the desk including mounting for power, cables and the Raspberry PI was the next step, all built around an old IKEA desk's metal frame. Again, all of this had to be custom-fit to the complex hex frame layout.

Full Stack Woodworking

Next, spacers to sit below the hex frames into which the PCBs with LEDs slot were made. Oh and 130 spacers for the bee pathway PCBs, too. Then final sanding and polishing for the top side, 180 up to 4,000 grit, followed by a special epoxy polishing compound to achieve an almost glass like finish for the cells.

After that, it was on to wiring up all the electronics for the 44 active frames and 130 active pathways. That involved about 700 solder connections. Ouch. Frankly, the above is just some highlights of the incredible build process which took over six months.

The final result is a beguiling, organic display of bee hive activity. The simulation seems to run in something approaching bee real-time. So, almost as much patience is required to watch the hive develop as it took to build the desk.

Full Stack Woodworking says, "there is so much bee behaviour in real life that is complex and fascinating, distilling this into a simulation can never be more than a simplified copy. However, watching the hive at work is hypnotising."

On that we wholly agree. Each run of the simulation is different. Sometimes the hive prospers, sometimes it dies away quickly. It's all a thoroughly charming distraction from the usual daily onslaught of information overload and well worth a watch.

If anything were to convince me to try out carpentry it would be this gorgeous DIY mini walnut PC case housing an Asus ProArt RTX 5080

Jacob Fox — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:26:38 +0000

Every now and then I consider picking up a new handsy hobby. But I have a friend who tried to get into carpentry and after witnessing the struggle I don't think I have the patience. But then I spot something like this custom wooden ITX PC case and I start to reconsider—you know what, maybe, just maybe.

Then I watch the full video and what goes into it and my brief glimmers of hope are dashed once again. Give me a screwdriver and a GPU and I'll get it seated and settled right half of the time, but you should probably keep me away from spinny sanders, delicate wood files, and certainly giant CNC machines.

The creator, MXC Builds, says they'll make the 3D digital files available for (paid) download soon, though it will surely be a niche market ready to take on such an intricate project even with the CAD files and the YouTube video to guide them.

The finished product is a dinky walnut chassis that houses an Asus ProArt RTX 5080, the latter being the inspiration for this DIY chassis. But the actual build process seems far from easy.

It involves an inordinate amount of precise measuring, sawing, laser cutting, flat planing, wooden groove-cutting with a CNC machine, metal cutting with a CNC machine, screwing, masking, gluing, waxing, and tons more I don't have the right respective verbs for.

And probably the scariest part: even this veritable artisan crafter makes some mistakes that require correction. There are little issues to iron out such as bowed wood requiring a clamp while gluing, but most shockingly, partway through, one of the machines breaks and smashes up the wood. The solution? To size up and slot another piece of wood into the chipped portion and somehow, by some carpentry sorcery, make it look pretty seamless.

There are tons of other impressive little touches to the build, such as little holes drilled into the frame to put tiny magnets in. These are then aligned with magnets on a custom cover plate that hides the 240 mm AIO water cooler. The edges are all chamfered, and even the motherboard cooling shrouds are given a little love in the form of spray paint to keep things nice and muted.

The end result is a gorgeous dark walnut sandwich-style build, ie, a build where the CPU and PSU and so on are on one side, and the vertically mounted GPU is placed behind them, on the other side of the dividing plate. This allows for a rather dinky and clean ITX build, especially with the wooden covers hiding the cables and cooling.

Once the case is built, the actual tech has to be crammed in there. This is all put together on the dividing plate which then slides down into the chassis. Cables are then plugged in and the vertical GPU is fixed with a custom two-piece bracket locking mechanism.

MXC Builds @ YouTube

The Asus ProArt RTX 5080 is the centrepiece—at least, on the one side of the case—but in addition, this build features an Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF with eight P-Cores, 64 GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1 TB Crucial T500 SSD, and a Be Quiet! Silent Loop 3 240 mm AIO cooler.

I'd have liked to see 2 TB of storage in there, but that's me being incredibly picky. And MXC Builds notes that they don't think a 240 mm cooler can properly cool the Core Ultra 7 265KF when at full load. But thermals and volume seem okay at "gaming" load, with the CPU hitting 80 °C .

Hopefully MXC Builds has the files up for download soon—if not, their Stealth Wood build is somewhat similar. It'll only be for those happy to get to some intricate woodworking, though. Myself, I'll probably have to stick to something more mildly wooden like the Fractal Design Terra.

Havn BF 360 PC case review

Jacob Ridley — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Almost one year on from its first-ever PC case, Havn has returned with something new. The Havn BF 360 isn't quite as flashy as its bigger sibling, the HS 420, but it's every bit as brilliant.

The Havn BF 360 is available in either black or white, and I was fortunate to be able to test both colourways for review. Great news for you, dear reader, less so me moving around my small, now very cramped, office. While I am a fan of the white HS 420, the black version is the better-looking of the BF 360 options. That's mostly down to the front panel. Both versions come with speckled, textured front panels—the thing that lured me to these cases when they were first displayed on the Computex showfloor—but the lighter panel looks a lot better in contrast to the black shell.

The Havn style introduced with the HS 420 is still going strong with the BF 360. A style that's very appealing to me, personally, with rounded corners and long vents for increased airflow through the front and top panels and down the rear of the chassis. Havn has even handed me a diagram of all the various prototypes it worked through for where it put the supports for these vents and how it landed on the final design for optimal airflow, so if you're a real nerd, you can check that out below.

There's no venting on the back panel on the BF 360, which is a shame as that was one of my favourite design choices for the HS 420. Though I heard someone describe it as air conditioning-chic and now I can't unsee it. Hey, I like it, Havn—don't listen to 'em. It's a popular design, too, but the BF 360 doesn't lose much for the lack of it. It's a very good-looking case with that same all-over vibe of its bigger sibling, minus the large wrap-around panoramic window.

Havn BF 360 specs

(Image credit: Future)

Size: Mid-tower
Dimensions: 515 x 254 x 522.6
Weight: 14.79 kg
Fan support: Up to 7 (3x top, 3x front, 1x rear)
Fans included: 2x H18 + 1x H14 (Flow version) | No fans with standard version
Front IO: USB 3.2 (Type-A) x2, USB 3.2 (Type-C) x1, audio jack
Radiator support: Up to 420 mm (top)
GPU clearance: 410 mm (length)
Colours: Black/white
Price: $180/£170/€190 (with fans; Flow), $160/£140/€160 (no fans; standard)

I suppose the standard layout is almost noteworthy in itself today. With a slew of fishtank-style cases on the market in recent months and years, this is much more your traditional mid-tower with front-to-back airflow. In the interests of airflow, it features a sloped PSU shroud helps direct airflow from those front fans toward your graphics card. And, again, I have Havn's nerdy numbers if you want them.

One thing the pictures don't get across quite so well here is how wide this case is. I think it's only immediately noticeable once you spot the PSU and see how much room is on either side of it. Room for just about anything you could want to throw in there: a liquid cooler up to 420 mm, a GPU up to 410 mm, an air cooler up to 195 mm—the lot.

(Image credit: Future)

You have two options here: the BF 360 Flow with fans for $180/£170/€190, or the BF 360 without fans for $160/£140/€160. Havn says the US pricing could still change due to import restrictions but that's what it's saying right now.

Havn

The Flow version comes with two H18 (180 mm) fans up front and one H14 (140 mm) fan in the rear. These come preinstalled and connected to the built-in fan controller around the back. There's also room for up to two further 180 mm fans up top. The H18, H14 and smaller H12 (120 mm) fans are sold separately if you want to go down that route, though only the H14 and H12 are sold in both black and white. The H18 are black only.

I've tested the H12 in my usual fan tests for our best PC fans guide and they're pretty impressive units, with good airflow throughout the range (up to 2100 rpm) and reasonable noise levels. Since the larger fans can shift a lot more air at lower speeds, I'd recommend the BF 360 Flow with these larger fans included.

Future

The BF 360 includes bracket that fits into the front of the case to fit a range of fan sizes, whereas the Flow version doesn't include this. That might be a bit of a pain down the line if you ever want to ditch the unusual large fans for something more normal. Personally, I'd like to see Havn shift over to including this as standard on both models, especially as this case isn't exactly what I'd call cheap.

I initially tested the BF 360 with a liquid cooler, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid Core II, paired with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D. However, I decided to test out a few configurations using an air cooler (Arctic Freezer 36) and a pair of H18 fans provided to me with the case. Havn recommends having the more forward of the two top fans as an intake, and the more rearward as exhaust, and it once again provided me with all the data to back it up. But since this is one of the things I can test with my own equipment, I tried all the options to see what made a difference to my CPU and GPU (RTX 4080 FE) temperatures.

Future

Here are the results, taken as averages from Frameview during three runs of Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition at 1080p:

No fans in the top position: 58°C GPU / 59°C CPU
Two H18 fans—one intake, one exhaust: 56°C GPU / 55°C CPU
Two H18 fans—both intake: 59°C GPU / 55°C CPU
Two H18 fans—both exhaust: 56°C GPU / 60°C CPU

With the two fans as intake, the GPU seems to suffer as all the airflow whizzes in and back out overhead. Whereas setting both fans as exhaust tends to pull all the cool air out of the case before it hits the CPU, leaving it heating up unnecessarily. The best for balanced temperatures across both key components is with the front fan set to intake and the rear set to exhaust, as the prophecy foretold, which seems to keep the airflow scooching past both the CPU and away from the GPU without issue. That matches what I was told would happen by Havn, but hey, it's nice to have the figures to prove it myself.

I also checked what sort of impact those front fans would have when set to max speed. I knocked around two degrees Celsius off the GPU temps doing this, though I'd probably not recommend it for the extra noise. These are pretty quiet fans on a standard fan curve set in the BIOS, however, so there is some wiggle room to increase speeds without harming your earholes.

Future

Lastly, I tested the airflow inside the case with the front panel on and off. The front vented panel is magnetically attached and very easy to remove (warning: don't pick the case up by the front panel; it will end in tears), and is a single unit including the wider vents and finer dust filter. With it installed, I measured 2.4 m/s from atop the RAM sticks. With it removed, 2.8 m/s. That's pretty average—not too bad.

All together, airflow doesn't appear to be sticking point for the BF 360. You don't need the extra top fans in there to get the most out of it, either. As I found, stick a liquid cooler in the top spot instead and it'll run just fine with admirable temps across both CPU and GPU—averages of 55°C GPU and 51°C CPU with the aforementioned Cooler Master chip chiller in Metro.

Future

As for cable management, Havn has once again rolled out the red carpet on the BF 360. It's sorta like bowling with the sides up—you cannot mess it up. The wide channels running all around the rear of this case, combined with the sliding cable tidies on the rubber grommets, make for an easy time of cable management. There's plenty of room underneath the sloped PSU shroud, too, and part of that is how the 3.5-inch bays are slapped to the side of the motherboard tray rather than stacked under it. There are two, each holding two 2.5-inch drives or a single 3.5-inch drive, and removable with a single thumbscrew.

On the more visible side of the case, the graphics card support bracket swings out on an adjustable arm to meet your GPU. I did end up getting a bit stuck with the USB 3.0 header here, which is unfortunately placed on my Gigabyte test board, but I'm nonetheless impressed with the support bracket itself. It's highly manoeuvrable with just a single thumbscrew and stays put under pressure.

Future

Buy if...

✅ You want heaps of airflow without all the noise: The large H18 fans used on the BF 360 Flow are great for shifting lots of air across the components inside this case, with help from the scoop on the PSU shroud. Add a few more H18s up top and you're laughing.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want a compact case: Looks can be deceiving, and the BF 360 is not as small as you'd think compared to the chunky HS 420. It is pretty heavy, too.

Shifting around the BF 360 is easier said than done, however. Havn has it down as weighing 14.79 kg for the case alone. My test build weighs in at 23.6 kg—a true heavyweight. But that doesn't really dampen my opinion on the BF 360 all that much.

With unconventional good looks and a clearly well thought out design, the BF 360 has a lot going for it. As to whether I recommend you pick one up, that's down to pricing.

As mentioned up top, you can expect to pay around $180/£170/€190 for the BF 360 Flow with fans included. I'd generally recommend this version if you were otherwise planning to buy separate fans anyway, just as you won't get a much better deal than the sizeable H-series fans used here. Though it's worth considering what else that sort of money can get you. Even looking only to the cases I've reviewed personally in recent months, there's the Arctic Xtender at $200/€200. Or the Asus ProArt PA401 for $130/£120. Or the Phanteks Eclipse G400A for $110/£85. Or the Corsair Frame 4500X just launched this week for £120/€140. Not all of these are as pretty or premium as the BF 360 but you're not short on options.

I guess it comes down to whether I'd stuff my PC into the BF 360 and be happy with it, and the answer to that is most definitely, yes. I'd prefer the HS 420 as my main rig for a showcase build, though the Havn BF 360 makes a lot more sense for the more minimalist PC builder. On a more personal note, I'm just happy to check out a premium case that isn't a fishtank design.

Hyte X50 PC case review

Jacob Ridley — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

From a company that specialised in plastering its cases with anime characters, the X50 is, somehow, its most ostentatious PC case yet. Let's just say it has a look, a strong look, and one crying out for an equally flashy build within. There's more to this case than a gaudy form; it's well suited to housing a pretty powerful PC in pink. If you don't mind paying a pretty penny—okay, I'll stop now.

Available in Snow White (white), Pitch Black (black), Wild Cherry (red), Taro Milk (purple), Strawberry Milk (pink, as reviewed), and Matcha Milk (green), it's actually a pretty tough decision to choose between them all. To make your decision all the more difficult, it also comes in two variants: with a glass side panel (X50) or without (X50 Air). Oh, and the milk options come with little round feet, while the rest feature long, flat feet—decisions, decisions.

Nailed at $160 in the US, the X50 is not the cheapest case around, especially for the lack of any included fans. It is a little cheaper outside of the US, however, to the tune of around $10 or the local equivalent, as Hyte is still wrestling with price disruption from tariffs. The company had largely dropped prices back to pre-tariff pricing earlier in the year, though some cases remain inflated, and the X50 is seemingly one of those affected.

The X50 Air is considerably cheaper than the X50 for its perforated side panel, to match the front and rear side, at the equivalent of $120 worldwide or $130 in the US.

Hyte X50 specs

(Image credit: Future)

Form factor: Mid-tower
Dimensions: 51.3 x 25.7 x 51.7
Motherboard support: Up to E-ATX
Max GPU length: 430 mm
Max CPU cooler height: 170 mm
Fan support: Up to 3x 140 mm (front), up to 3x 120 mm (side), up to 3x 120 mm (bottom), up to 1x 120 mm (rear)
Front IO: 2x USB 3.2 (5 Gbps) Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) Type-C port, audio jack
Storage support: 2x 2.5-inch, 1x 3.5-inch
Price: $150 (worldwide, equivalent to), or $160 in the US; X50 Air $120 (worldwide, equivalent to), or $130 in the US

The X50 is not hugely price competitive with other similar sized chassis. The cases that Hyte has cherry-picked to compare it to include some amount of fans pre-installed, such as the Lian Li Lancool III or NZXT H7 Flow, whereas the X50 does not. So that's an added cost here. I can go one further with the cases I've personally reviewed in recent months, such as the Phanteks Eclipse G400A at $110 and Asus ProArt PA401 at $130—both good-looking cases with fans included for less—or the Corsair Frame 4000D at $95 with no fans included but a much lower price tag.

You can pick up colour-matched fans from Hyte, specifically the FA12, available in a handy four-pack for $40. I have eight of these in Strawberry Milk for testing, or $80 worth. They perform pretty great in terms of pure airflow through the rpm range, which means they're easy enough to tune to lower speeds and noise levels with a fan curve while maintaining admirable performance. You're going to want to do that, too, as they are pretty loud at top speed (which is only a tepid 1500 rpm).

Future

Onto the case proper, and it's a fairly small chassis by today's standards. I measure it at 51.3 x 25.7 x 51.7 cm (H x W x L). Definitely desktop-sized if you wanted to store it in plain view atop of your desk, which seems likely with a case so bulbous and, er, I wanna say eye-catching?

There's a gorgeous curve to the windowed side panel on the X50, reaching from the side panel, up and over two thirds of the top of the case, stretching all the way over to the IO panel with two USB 3.2 (5 Gbps) Type-A ports and a single USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) Type-C port. This panel slides up and off—the rear panel works the same way—which keeps the exterior of the case clear of any screws. You'll want to keep a cloth close by to get rid of any fingerprints on the glass, however, as you will likely have to handle the glass to get it fitted back into place.

The front panel has a perforated finish and only gives way slightly under pressure. Altogether, it feels really solid, as does the rest of the case, thanks to some clever venting on the rear IO that Hyte calls 'Louvered Blade Ventilation'. The front panel also doubles as a dust filter, which is to say, there's no filter underneath. Dust should be collected on that outer surface, meaning it likely only needs a quick wipe down every so often, though I've not had the case for long enough to really test it out for myself.

Future

This front panel reduces airflow to the innards (with front-mounted fans) by around 0.6 m/s—which is a somewhat significant amount but not totally unusual for a case in my own testing. The same reduction applies to the rear side panel, too, which is important if you plan to stick any fans besides the motherboard.

This case has plenty of room for fans. We're spoiled for choice. There's space for up to 3x 120/140 mm fans in the front of this chassis, 3x 120 mm to the side of the motherboard, and another 3x 120 mm in the bottom. The bottom also includes a magnetic dust filter attached to the outside of the case. Then there's 1x 120 mm in the rear for exhaust.

For my test build, I opted first for what I thought would be the most beneficial layout for airflow: three intake fans in the front, three intake fans in the bottom, and one exhaust fan in the rear. Though, being such a good guy, I've also tested other likely configurations. Here are the results:

Average temp | Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition | 1080p
	GPU (°C, average)	CPU (°C, average)
Front/bottom intake	60	66
Front intake only	62	66
Side/bottom intake	61	66
Side intake only	62	67
Bottom intake/side exhaust	61	66
Bottom intake only	60	67

After the sixth test with near-enough the exact same results, I called it. You can't really go too wrong here, as nearly every config landed me within a few degrees of any other. Though for a smashing appearance, I'd argue for three intake fans in the bottom, three to the side of the motherboard, and one as exhaust out the rear. It's just a shame Hyte doesn't sell reverse versions of the FA12 fans, as it'd look a lot better with all the fans facing inwards. The backside of the FA12 is pretty ugly, which is a shame for a case so prepossessing.

There's no room in the top of the case for a liquid cooler's radiator, as that's taken up by the power supply. You're better off mounting it to the side of the motherboard, which isn't too far to go for most liquid coolers in this compact case, with the fans exhausting out of the back panel.

Future

I can see why Hyte has chosen the top-mounted PSU here, as the case would have to be made wider to make room for one in the rear chamber or risk cutting off height to the CPU cooler, of which mine only just fits already. Though I'm not a huge fan of the end result. It feels pretty retro, which isn't out of character for the case, but it also blocks a good part of the windowed side panel and feels a little out of place above the motherboard. Maybe if the lower edge was more rounded to give a floating appearance I'd be more into it?

That said, the main issue with this approach is cable length. The Corsair RM850x PSU I'm using here has a native 12V-2x6 connector that only just reaches from the PSU, round the back of the case, through to the front, and then underneath the graphics card. And you really want this connection to be secure and, if possible, not at a weird angle. I couldn't really manage that here, due in part to the length of my cable and also the position of the PSU.

Future

Buy if...

✅ You can't stand a boring black box: I get it, cases can be pretty dull, and this is one way to have something that stands out without any RGB lighting.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want the best value: With no fans as standard, you could save a pretty penny (there I go again) on an admittedly more boring-looking PC case.

Hyte includes plenty of velcro straps to tidy up cables in the rear of the case, with extras included in the box. There are no cable management channels, however, and the approach is a bit minimal compared to some modern cases. The cables are covered up with excellent colour-matched rubber grommets leading to the front-side of the case. All except the cutout below the motherboard, which looks a bit slapdash as a result.

The X50 might be cutesy and compact but it offers wide compatibility for cooling and components. In that sense, it's not form over function like some eye-catching alternatives. But it's not objectively pretty, either. I've asked around our team and it fell a bit flat, even with the members of the team that enjoy some of Hyte's weebier cases. But you might be more susceptible to its charm than any of us.

The Hyte X50 dares to do differently in a world of pretty plain boxes that let RGB lighting effects do all the heavy lifting for them. It's the antithesis of most cases today: bright, colourful, retro, and rounded. I feel like some builders will be very into it, but most won't. It could be stunning as a part of a wider themed cozy desktop, or it could look out of place alongside more serious kit. It seems to be a perfect base for modding and further personalisation, but that depends on who gets their hands on it.

Corsair Frame 4500X review

Jacob Ridley — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Fishtank cases are everywhere. They must sell well, as every brand is scrambling to release more of the things, Corsair among them with its latest release: the Corsair Frame 4500X. Though some cases are more in the fishtank style than others, Corsair's latest is most definitely right there, with an unobstructed glass panel that transitions elegantly from the side to the front of the chassis.

The Frame 4500X isn't about modesty. No fishtank case really is. You can't hide anything with a window quite this large onto your PC's components. It's a great way to showcase your build, however, and the Frame 4500X wears it well. I've shown a few people this case since building a PC into it for testing, and it quite literally has the wow factor (both people said 'wow' out loud—very satisfying).

There's also a flowing design to the vents, sweeping from the rear of the top panel and down to the front of the side panel. This helps let the case and cooling solution breathe, but, very importantly, helps keep the non-windowed side of the case exciting and more of a match for the windowed side. You'll find the usual Corsair 'Y' pattern stamped into the metal frame elsewhere on the case—the rear expansion slot covers, fan grill, PSU shroud… it's everywhere.

The rear of the case contains plenty of straps to contain cables. That includes straps down the rear of the case, namely for the CPU power cable, which helps to keep my test build tidy under the small rear panel on the Frame 4500X.

Frame 4500X specs

(Image credit: Future)

Size: ATX
Dimensions: 500 x 467 x 248 mm
Style: Fishtank
Variants: RS-R ARGB (3x RS120-R ARGB fans) | LX-R Link (3x iCUE Link LX120-R fans)
Colours: Black/white
Price: RS-R ARGB £120/€140 | LX-R Link: £170/€195

Corsair has solved one of my bigger issues with the last case I reviewed in this case lineup, the Frame 4000D. It has reduced the flex to various parts of the case. Notably, the PSU shroud on the Frame 4500X offers far less flex than the one found on the 4000D. It's still using thin metal sheets stamped with that 'Y' design, but flex isn't such an issue on the Frame 4500X. That's good to see.

Following in the Frame 4000D's footsteps, the Frame 4500X offers the so-called 'Infinirail' system for mounting different radiator and fan sizes in the top of the case. It's a neat solution featuring a sliding rail that can be shunted around to fit your cooling solution. Though it is smart, I do think simple mounting holes work just as well. Corsair has adopted those on the Frame 4500X, too. The side mounting position offers room for 120/140 mm fans without Infinirail, though if you choose to put 140 mm fans here, it will make for trickier cable runs, especially for the chunky 24-pin motherboard connector.

Future

Corsair has been pretty generous with cable cut-outs for various sizes of motherboards (including those with Back-Connect). That said, it'd be good to see some grommets or clever channeling used to help keep these cables out of sight. The front panel connectors are all bunched together into larger tubing, which is a little more visible than I'd like, and to get the cables into the tubing, someone at the factory had to tightly wrap what should be a fairly flat USB cable into an awkward position. It works, anyways.

On the front panel there are two USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and a 3.5 mm combo jack. There's a power switch, illuminated in white, but no reset switch. It's a good amount of ports and won't be an issue for any modern motherboard, though the lower position of the IO is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. It's best suited to keeping your PC on your desktop, which I almost never do, though I can see why someone that does might find it useful. I'll give 'em a pass, but something to consider if you're going to stick this under your desk.

Corsair has a few options for the Frame 4500X: with RS-R ARGB fans for £120/€140, or with LX-R Link fans for £170/€195. I have the latter option for review, which includes an iCUE Link System Hub installed at the rear of the motherboard tray.

Future

You'll save a bit of cash with the LX-R option versus buying a triple-pack of LX120-R fans from Corsair: a set of three usually costs £85. So, it's not a bad shout if you do want to go the whole hog and put iCUE everywhere, as I recently did for a PC build. Though I'll make the same complaint as I did then: you need a spare PCIe power connector to use the System Hub, which can be an issue when your graphics card already requires three of them, as many AMD graphics cards do today. This is notably still an issue even if you buy one of Corsair's own power supplies, which often come with only three 8-pin power connectors in the box—odd.

Future

Something to think about when purchasing either model of Frame 4500X is what you're going to use as an exhaust fan. You could go the cheap option and use any 120 mm fan you have to hand or buy something budget like the Arctic P12. But if you want to maximise the iCUE Link effect, you'll need to buy another LX120 (non-reversed). Those cost £35 a piece, or you can 'save £20' (Corsair's words, not mine) on a dual-pack for £70. What a wonderful saving, cheers.

It's a tough one, as if you're spending this much on the LX version, you might as well go for the full iCUE effect with the extra exhaust fan and compatible liquid cooler. Then you actually benefit from the total ecosystem and singular app control that Corsair offers. Though you need to tack on at least the cost of another iCUE Link fan, ideally an LX120, to do that. Just feels like a miss not to include this in the box and charge slightly more overall.

Future

Moreover, I'd recommend installing three more LX120 fans for the best cooling in the Frame 4500X. Let me explain why.

For a lack of front panel mounting on a fishtank case, your graphics card and other components have to make do with indirect airflow around the bend. That, or you use a chimney-like layout, as some do, such as the Phanteks Evolv X2 or NZXT H9 Flow RGB+. The Frame 4500X offers a similar solution, if a little less gracefully. There are mounting points for three 120 mm fans at the bottom of the Frame 4500X—two on the PSU shroud, one sitting at the bottom of the case—and while they're a bit clunky to install and limited for airflow, they do help lower temps.

All my tests were carried out using an RTX 4080 Founders Edition and Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

So, with no fans in the bottom of the case, during an extended run of Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, the RTX 4080 reached an average temp of 58 °C.

With three LX120-R fans installed in the bottom of the case, in this same test, the RTX 4080 reached 54 °C.

Future

A four degree difference is nothing to be sniffed at. However, the actual benefit to frame rate in this instance is pretty minimal, at a mere statistically shaky 1 fps.

Those four degrees came at the cost of £85 worth of fans. That makes this case and cooling combo, as I have it set-up for testing, and not including the Cooler Master MasterLiquid Core II, a £290 investment. That's as much as the NZXT H9 Flow RGB+, which comes with the equivalent of seven fans as standard—six of which are 140 mm. And that's our pick for the best high-end PC case.

Buy if...

✅ You want to show off without spending too much: The RS-R version of the Frame 4500X is a great way to get a fishtank build that looks top-notch without burning cash. That said, you can easily get dragged into dropping your life savings on iCUE accessories if you're not careful.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want the best cooling performance: With the addition of three extra case fans in the bottom of the Frame 4500X, it's certainly better on thermals, but that's expensive, and other cases offer more direct airflow for less.

So, the Frame 4500X isn't necessarily an awesome deal if you go for that iCUE Link option. Though, Corsair, like NZXT, offers a cheaper model. The RS-R version is not only more affordable to begin with at £120, a really good price for a fishtank case, but you could fill out the entire chassis with the same fans for £55. Not bad, not bad at all.

Corsair also gets a pat on the back for the packaging used here. No styrofoam that breaks and disintegrates into hundreds of tiny specs that my cats traipse around the house for weeks after. No, just black foam that stays together and sturdy enough to use to transport the PC at a later date. Also Corsair includes the accessories for the Frame 4500X within a small, compartmentalised plastic tub, much like the Arctic Xtender, and I'm totally here for it.

So, with some of my monetary gripes with the LX-R model and the cost of cooling, I do think the RS-R version has some real value. The Frame 4500X doesn't look any cheaper than many fishtank cases out there, and yet it is. At £120, it's tough to beat, and even with the added and likely necessary expense of £15 for a matching exhaust fan, it's still a touch more affordable than the Arctic Xtender (£150 in the UK). I prefer the Arctic for its tinted, almost mirror-like finish and five included fans, but it's close. The Corsair has the quality and finish of a more premium case compared to some under $100/£100.

So long as you don't let yourself get pushed by Corsair's marketing machine to spend double on flashy iCUE Link accessories, this is a darn good buy.

Asus ProArt Case PA401 review

Jacob Ridley — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 15:44:37 +0000

The ProArt range is designed for professional creators, not PC gamers, and I take that to mean Asus thinks PC gamers have no class. I can already hear the Asus representative tapping out an email to me now, so, let me clarify. This is a classy case, and, whether it's aimed at pro creators or pro gamers, one that many should consider for their next build—but not without some caveats.

The initial draw of the PA401? Real wood. You know you've made it when your PC case was once alive. Each of the slats over the front intake on the PA401 is made from (sustainably sourced) ash with a glossy finish. So glossy, in fact, the grain is far less noticeable compared to the Fractal Design Terra or North. It's almost indistinguishable from plastic unless you're right up to it. Personally, I like it. The understated wood effect fits with the diminutive design across the rest of the case. But other members of the PC Gamer team thought it needed a little more pizazz.

Altogether a simple case to build into, the ProArt stands out for the smaller details. The ProArt logo on the PSU shroud that peeks out from under the tinted tempered glass, or the line scrawled on the upper edge of the case, "Power Up Your Imagination". Yes, it's pretentious, but I grew up in the Tumblr hipster era, I've a high cringe threshold.

With room for an ATX motherboard, there's no need to downscale your build to fit it into the PA401's timber-framed hull. Though it's not too large. That's good news if you want to keep it atop of your desk, rather than under it. At 412 x 225 x 503 mm, you needn't worry about whether it will fit atop of your desk or neatly under it, as it should be fine in most spaces, but not so much if you want to stuff it with the most powerful components.

ProArt Case PA401 specs

(Image credit: Future)

Dimensions: 412 x 225 x 503 mm
Support: ATX
Radiator support: Up to 240 mm (top, front)
Fan support: Up to 2x 140 mm (top), up to 2x 160 mm (front)
Max CPU cooler height: 160 mm
Max GPU length: 315 mm
Front IO: 1 x headphone / Microphone, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type C
Storage bays: 2 x 2.5-inch, 2 x 2.5-inch/3.5-inch combo bay
Price: $130/£120

There's limited space in the front and top of this chassis. With two 160 mm fans provided and preinstalled in the front, there's little room leftover for anything larger than a 240 mm radiator in the top. With a Ryzen 7 9800X3D in my test build, that's not a problem, but you might struggle to keep a 13/14th Gen Intel chip at a reasonable temperature without beefier cooling. Still, for the sensible builder with sensible aspirations, it's more than capable—just know you're giving up some upgrade potential down the line.

If you're a fan of mechanical switches and often chastise modern car manufacturers for ditching tactile buttons, I've great news. The PA410 is covered in wonderfully tactile buttons for a variety of purposes. On the front, a switch to lock the power button. There's a flip-switch to change between max and auto (curve) presets on the integrated fan controller. The side panels on either side pop out by pressing a button on the rear, and even better, the tempered glass side panel button is lockable to prevent the panel falling out by accident when moving the case around. I like the tactile buttons a lot.

Future

What's more, on pressing the button to release either side panel, the panel won't come crashing to the ground, it only falls open by a smidge. From there, you can lift and remove. Reinstallation is as easy as slotting the bottom of the panel and pushing the top into place until you hear a click. You can remove the tempered glass side panel with enough force even without unlocking it. As for how I know… I didn't realise there was a lock and ripped it off before disengaging it. Good news, it's fine, lock still works.

Despite a fairly straightforward design in the rear of the case, there's ample cable management options. For starters, there are cable management hooks on the outside rear of the case, which you can use to tuck away any unruly cables. Though inside, they're of a more basic variety than we've seen on some cases lately, notably the clever Havn HS 420 or generous Arctic Xtender. There's no gulley or channel to run cables through. Instead, three extremely large velcro straps to keep everything in place. A bit of a miss on the right-hand side of the case for the lack of velcro straps for the CPU power cable and any rear fans, but a few zip-ties get the job done.

Future

A fan controller is conveniently placed at the top of the case, above the three straps, which makes connecting to a motherboard's topmost fan headers easy. It has room for five PWM fans total and requires a single SATA connection. That's controlled by the aforementioned fan speed control on the front panel.

It's a bit of a squeeze to cram all the power supply cables in between the PSU and HDD cage, but no more so than many other cases, and you could remove the cage for a lot more room. There are a couple of spots for 2.5-inch drives on the rear of the motherboard tray if you need 'em, anyways. One thing to be wary of is the 315 mm maximum GPU length here. It's doable with some large modern cards (I tested with the Asus Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC Edition 16GB GDDR6), though many RTX 5080/RTX 5090 models are too large. I've checked quite a few and the only obvious option is the ProArt RTX 5080 from Asus. Funny that.

Future

Buy if...

✅ You want to build a PC in your Victorian study: The dark finish and classy design make this a perfect fit for the PC gamer who lives in the Clue mansion. Seriously, though, it's a good-looking machine—one of my favourites this year.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want to build a high-end gaming PC: Not only does this case have limited room for a graphics card (length-wise), it also has only limited support for a radiator. You can't fit a 360 mm radiator in here, for example, which is largely required for a truly beastly processor these days.

For cooling, Asus provides three fans in the case as standard: 2x 160 mm intakes in the front, and 1x 120 mm exhaust in the rear. These are ProArt-branded, DF1603212RFMN and DF1202812RFLN, and run at 1400 rpm and 1600 rpm, respectively. They reach a reasonably high volume at full whack; I measured them at around 63 decibels on my sound meter. Though one issue I ran into in testing the fans is how huge an impact the front panel/dust filter has on the airflow from those front two fans. I measured an airflow of 2 m/s with my anemometer inside the case and the front panel completely removed. That dropped to just 0.7 m/s with the front panel in place. That's one of the largest drops I've ever tested.

On completing my test build in the PA401, I took a step back and thought to myself, 'this is the best build I've done all year.' Admittedly, I might've been distracted by the dark, moody appearance of the PA401 filled with gold and orange components. In my subsequent time with the case since I've slightly changed my tune—in as much as other cases do the core functionality better with fewer restrictions. Though the PA401 isn't style over substance. It's stylish, sure, but it's also very easy to build into. It lacks options for cooling to be wary of before purchasing, especially if you're planning a high-end build, to which it's probably a no-go. But if that's no biggie, this is a proper good-looking chassis.

You can grab the ProArt Case PA401 for $130/£120. That's not a bad price for a good-looking case, especially considering the three fans, fan controller, and clever design. Though you could spend less on a more complete chassis in the Phanteks Eclipse G400A with room overhead for future upgrades—it just depends how much the PA401's devilish good looks are worth to you.

Rather than buy a brand new PC case, one Redditor elects to make their own out of Lego-style bricks

Jess Kinghorn — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 10:27:23 +0000

PC gaming is an expensive hobby. I know, stop the presses, right? My point is, once you've decided your non-negotiables—the expensive bits of kit worth your money—what do you do about everything else? Simple: Get creative.

One thrifty Reddit user did just that, sharing their DIY PC build featuring both a $60 1080p OLED panel and custom-built housing using Lego-style bricks. Known as Choi, the creator revealed they'd never even touched Lego before attempting the project. They told me that while shopping online, they were looking for something cheap to push the total value of their basket over an amount that would qualify for a discount—and that's when they spotted the bricks.

Electing to translate their own answers from Korean into English via ChatGPT, Choi told me, "Once I received them and started building, I thought, 'This is fun!' That’s when I wanted to try making a PC case with it. I’m not a Lego expert at all—just a beginner who started less than a year ago."

As such, there was a lot of trial and error. "I worked on the monitor, keyboard, and main body separately as modules. I don’t remember the exact time, but altogether it took more than a month and a half," said Choi. "I’m the type who can’t stand it if the build isn’t sturdy or if the monitor screen ratio isn’t just right."

But Choi wasn't just taking to the bricks for the first time; this was their first DIY PC build period. They wrote, "It was actually my first time assembling a PC myself (I usually only used prebuilt PCs), so I asked a lot of questions in Korean PC communities."

Choi, OkDebate6649

They also say that though their build has a distinct throwback look to it, they weren't using any particular machine as a point of reference. So the Apple logo on this distinctly Windows machine? That's just a bit of fun. Choi explained, "People say the overall shape reminds them of the Apple II, but it wasn’t meant to copy anything specific—it’s my own creation."

Choi has also made a number of other creations using the same bricks, including a "retro Commodore-style monitor case," as well as "a desk clock combining an old iPhone 6, and an audio deck shaped like a radio." They would like to keep building, but don't currently have any future projects planned.

As for the PC that started it all, here's the biggest twist—the rig in question was never intended to primarily be a gaming machine. It turns out Choi's main gaming machine is, in fact, a console. "I only play games on PlayStation, so I didn’t need a dedicated GPU," Choi explained, "The build is a simple office PC with a Ryzen 5 5600G and 16 GB of RAM."

Choi, OkDebate6649

Choi's brick-by-brick PC housing is not only charming, but a timely reminder that, as with any hobby, everyone's got to start somewhere. It can feel uncomfortable making an initial foray into something creative—but there's little stopping you from making those first steps in style.

The many-chambered PC cases at Gamescom really showed up my old banger of a chassis

Jacob Fox — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 10:39:43 +0000

There's nothing like a gaming and tech expo to show just how behind the curve you are. At least, that was how I felt coming away from Gamescom last week. Perhaps surprisingly, though, what made me feel most like this was seeing all the new PC cases, whether they were part of pre-builts or standalone.

Case in point was the Corsair Air 5400. Our Jacob Ridley covered this case back at Computex. It essentially splits the chassis into three very distinct chambers: one for the main components, one for the CPU AIO, and one for the PSU and cables.

The front AIO section is completely separate from the rest, barring routing for the tubes, and perhaps most interestingly, the front area has transparent plastic funnels to, well, funnel air up and over the components using the Venturi effect.

Future

Apart from the more 'experimental' (let's say) parts of this build, the bulk of it isn't revolutionary for 2025. It's far from the only case to have a completely separate chamber for the power supply, for instance—just ask the Havn HS 420 VGPU or Asus Prime AP202.

While dual-chamber designs aren't new, triple-chamber ones like this one are. We've seen it with the humongous Geometric Future 9, but it's very much a circa 2025 phenomenon. And here's me with my shroudless Fractal Design Define R4, a case so old that I can't even find an official product page for it. Dual-chamber designs still seem pretty snazzy to me, so consider me mildly shook by triple-chamber ones like this.

Apart from the Air 5400's clever cooling gubbins, what impressed me was how easy it seemed to be to open it up and shimmy things about. Andrew Ditchburn, the Corsair rep showing me this case, was fitting and unfitting parts left, right, and centre with surprising deftness.

Give me 20 minutes and a screwdriver and I might be able to approximate the same with the R4… kinda.

All this makes me a little more excited for my next full build, whenever that might be. Probably the least favourite part of PC building, for me, was getting everything aligned and screwed into the case and looking just… okay, at the end of it. Heck even the best budget PC case, the Phanteks Eclipse G400A has a PSU shroud. Oh how times change.