[ad_1]
TAIPEI—With a disproportionate number of PC case makers based in Taiwan, the Computex trade show is the world-premiere center and tastemaker for desktop PCs. In our four days on the show floor last week, we browsed, eyeballed, and were briefed on countless PC chassis: some derivative, some innovative. Here are the 15 best ones to look out for in the upcoming year. (See also our guide to the best PC DIY gear from the show.)Fractal Design Mood
(Credit: John Burek)
Fractal is well-known for its Scandinavian design aesthetic and especially for its North series of cases, featuring wood slats and other arboreal highlights. The company brought a pair of new cases to Computex (not to mention, its first entries into the headset and office-chair categories, the former of which, Fractal Design Scape, won a Best in Show from us). The more intriguing of the two cases is the Mood, a fabric-covered PC enclosure designed to fit into modern home decor.
(Credit: John Burek)
This pillar-style case is all about vertical airflow, with a 180mm fan covering the entire top and a one-piece outer housing that slides readily off the top of the chassis frame. It can take up to a 280mm radiator inside. The fabric, stretched over the outer cover, comes in charcoal or grey shades. Expect it later this year at $149.99.Corsair Obsidian 9000D Airflow
(Credit: John Burek)
The Obsidian 9000D is a Goliath among PC cases, replacing the equally towering 1000D tower from some years back. At the Corsair demo suites we visited at Computex, the 9000D sample we saw was built out with two entire PCs inside–one on a full-size board on the motherboard tray and the other using a Mini-ITX board near the case bottom. Plus, the interior uses a rail system for maximum flexibility when mounting fans and radiators. Corsair calls it Infinirail, and it lets you install fans at the optimal position for the hardware you have installed, including in side by side rows up front.
(Credit: John Burek)
Other highlights include elaborate perforation up and down the front panel and an imposing row of USB ports along the top edge: four Type-A and a pair of Type-C. No pricing has been shared just yet.Framework+Cooler Master MainBoard Reuse Case
(Credit: John Burek)
This isn’t a PC case for typical system builders but for laptop recyclers. If you know the Framework Laptop, you know it’s made up of parts that can be easily upgraded or changed out as needed. But what to do with the old bits—especially the motherboard? The Framework+Cooler Master MainBoard Reuse Case lets you put the guts of the 13-inch Framework Laptop into a compact vertical chassis, turning it into a nifty, semi-transparent mini-desktop to rejuvenate that old hardware.
(Credit: John Burek)
Like on the Framework Laptop, the case has bays on the underside that accept Framework’s I/O port “expansion modules.” These bits let you swap around the ports for custom port arrangements and multiple networking options. You can get this special case direct from Framework for just $39.InWin Infinity
(Credit: John Burek)
Veteran PC case maker InWin typically uses the Computex PC show as a showcase for an outrageous PC chassis that its designers have been working on special all year. Tradition held at 2024’s Computex with the InWin Infinity, an over-the-top PC case that towered above all other towers at the show. It has a stunning 180-degree U-bend of curved glass over the top.
(Credit: John Burek)
At the press of a button, the entire chassis mechanism opens up like a convertible or a set of jaws, with the curved-glass portion dropping to the left and exposing the interior. Only 50 of these kinetic cases will be made, and pricing has not been set yet. But count on it falling into the “If you have to ask…” category.Thermaltake Ceres 350 MX
(Credit: John Burek)
The Ceres 350M is a mainstream-priced new series of PCs with an anything-but-mainstream selection of colors. Thermaltake has been experimenting with nonstandard colors for a few years (see our reviews of the company’s Thermaltake View 270 TG ARGB in Matcha Green or the CTE E600 MX in Hydrangea Blue), and the Ceres is the boldest leap yet. Look for models in those green and blue hues, plus Bubble Pink, Bumblebee (yellow), black, Snow (white), and Racing Green.
(Credit: John Burek)
The case isn’t all about the colors alone, though. You get two interchangeable front panels with the chassis–of tempered glass and perforated mesh–in the box; you can switch them out as your build requires. The case supports back-connector motherboards from Asus and MSI. Preinstalled, you get two 140mm RGB fans and one non-RGB, but you can install 360mm AIO radiators up front and 280mm up top. And in a nifty touch, Thermaltake offers an extra-cost circular 2.1-inch LCD panel that you can mount on the lower right of the case’s left panel. It looks like a ship’s porthole; on it you can display system information or play back GIFs and animations.Hyte Y70 Touch Infinity
(Credit: John Burek)
The original Hyte Y70 Touch’s signature feature was a striking 4K screen on its canted front edge. And it was a victim of its own popularity–Hyte could not source enough of these special thin screens to keep up with demand. The new Infinity version of the Y70 Touch is called that, in a tongue-in-cheek way, to indicate that you’ll actually be able to buy this one for the foreseeable future. Things have changed because Hyte now uses a 2.5K vertical screen that’s more readily available. The resolution may be lower, but the company says the pixel density is still good, and the brightness and contrast are much better.
(Credit: John Burek)
This is a full ATX case that comes with vertical GPU mounting hardware preinstalled for maximum graphics-card visibility. Also, you can get it in new colors. The lineup is now “milk”-themed and comes in Snow (a milky white), Blueberry Milk, Strawberry Milk, and Taro Milk. All will sell for $379.99 each, and Hyte will also offer the new 2.5K screen alone for $199.99 if you bought a version of the Y70 without the screen.Be Quiet Light Base 600 and 900
(Credit: John Burek)
The “fish tank” style of PC case, with glass on two or more sides, was all the rage at Computex 2024, but few featured anything but the standard tower orientation. You might call the Light Base a “fish tank with a difference.” The Light Base 600 and its larger kin, the Light Base 900, give you a choice. You can situate the Light Base models like an ordinary tower, or flip them on end to turn them into stereo-receiver-style horizontal “desktop”-orientation cases. Easy-attach feet support whichever orientation you like; it’s a few twists of the wrist to reposition them.
(Credit: John Burek)
The 600 case supports ATX motherboards (including models with backside connectors), two 360mm radiators, and a 12-position ARGB hub for massive air cooling and lighting control. An upgraded LX version has four of the company’s good-looking ARGB fans. You can get the Light Base 600 in white or black; both feature a smart-looking light strip girding the edges next to the big windows. The 900 model is largely similar but for some different radiator support, Depending on the model, pricing should be a bit above or below $200.Montech HS01
(Credit: John Burek)
This case stands out for sheer value, which is the market that Montech lives in. (The company is all about classy-looking budget gear.) The HS01 looks like it costs well more than its $99.99 MSRP. You get six RGB fans and a slick-looking metal exterior in black or silver-grey.
(Credit: John Burek)
The bottom panel of the case has an unusual design, a recess within which you can mount three fans or a three-fan radiator. (The case can house up to 11 120mm fans or a radiator up to 360mm.) This ATX case supports vertical GPU installs, and a bit of LED trim traces around the lower portions. It should roll out in Q4 of this year.Super Flower Zillion Direct
(Credit: John Burek)
Super Flower’s curiously named Zillion Direct is an unassuming chassis from the outside, but its compilation of creature comforts is only evident when they are pointed out to you. Among these is a graphics-card support bracket that you can slide from front to back on a track, letting you keep the bracket portion from obstructing your particular GPU’s fan.
(Credit: John Burek)
Also, a small platform in the front bottom of the case can be tilted downward by up to 45 degrees to redirect airflow coming from the bottom fan on the front of the case rather than having it blow directly into the power supply channel and be diffused by all the cables there. Attractively outlined fans with RGB trim on their frames complete an unusually user-friendly chassis, which should come in at just over $100.Geometric Future 01 Foldable
(Credit: John Burek)
This odd bird, from relative newcomer Geometric Future, is a Mini-ITX case that folds and unfolds around your mainboard. The panels are a rubberized metal, and you build your compact PC inside before doing a touch of origami and flipping the panels up around the innards to complete the housing.
(Credit: John Burek)
It measures 3.2 by 8.1 by 8.2 inches (you can lay it flat or stand it on end), and it includes a 200-watt proprietary power supply, dubbed the Guitarra, running down one edge. (That precludes it from use with a discrete GPU, but there’s no room for one in the box, anyway.) No pricing or availability data was available just yet. (See our reviews of the Geometric Future Model 4 King Arthur and Geometric Future Model 2 The Ark.)SilverStone Alta D1
(Credit: John Burek)
Talk about flexibility–the Flamingo above has nothing on SilverStone’s Alta D1, a reduced-footprint tower that can hold a ton of gear inside its many modules. Changing out drive cages and rearranging this Alta just to your liking is the name of the game, with the brackets on the left side allowing for a host of fan positions (up to six 120mm or four 140mm) or radiators up to 360mm; the front panel has one 180mm fan but supports two, and can even take eight 80mm fans in a double-column bank.
(Credit: John Burek)
A 5.25-inch drive bay will host a pair of your favorite old-school optical drives, or its space can act as a housing for a second power supply. And that’s only the start of all the places and ways you can reposition the modules in this case, which is designed for workstations or servers. The metalwork and engineering are superb.Cougar AirFace Eco RGB
(Credit: John Burek)
We reviewed Cougar Gaming’s DuoFace RGB last year and came away reasonably impressed with the value proposition of a case with two swappable front panels included. The newer AirFace, meanwhile, settles on just one, changing things up with a striking perforated front face fronted by cone-shaped inlets.
(Credit: John Burek)
The case has a pair of oversize 180mm fans behind the face up front for massive intake airflow. The chassis delivers vertical GPU support, though the necessary riser cable is extra. You can also move around the front-panel ports module for optimal placement. Expect the AirFace in white or black versions at $109.Cooler Master NR200P MAX V2 BTF
(Credit: John Burek)
This case works specifically with Asus’ BTF (Back to the Future) motherboard and card designs. Here it’s been designed for a special version of the GeForce RTX 4090 that Asus offers, called the Strix GeForce RTX 490 BTF Edition. This card has no power connectors on the top edge but instead feeds power through a special connector on the bottom edge, needing no power supply cables. As a result, it can be built into a design like this, which makes the card look like an intrinsic part of the case.
(Credit: John Burek)
The chassis uses an ATX power supply, a Mini-ITX motherboard, and a custom 280mm all-in-one cooler that works with the chassis. The side panels feature snap-on pins, and the whole body is designed to assemble a striking BTF system easily.SilverStone CW04
(Credit: John Burek)
SilverStone looks to be the last man standing in classic home-theater-PC (HTPC) chassis. The HTPC, a computer you directly attach to your home theater, was all the rage in the early 2000s but was killed off by streaming sticks, streaming services, and game consoles that usurped some of their features. Still, SilverStone has released a long-overdue new model in its Crown HTPC line, the CW04, for the hard-core adherents.
(Credit: John Burek)
Decidedly retro, it features a flip-down, case-wide thin front door that covers the ports; the cover has dampers that make it open buttery-smooth. The CW04 is enormous–it measures over 17 inches square and 9.4 inches tall. But it can hold boards up to SSI-EB/Extended ATX, as well as 360mm radiators on top and left. Five front USBs and a combo audio jack round out the feature set of this unusually shaped chassis, which features an aluminum front panel and a steel body.Thermaltake AX700
(Credit: John Burek)
This case model from Thermaltake is simply a Leviathan, even for a Computex show that showed a resurgence in very big cases. The need for AI local processing has brought back the idea of multiple graphics cards–often, workstation cards–being installed in parallel, so space and cooling needs shoot upward to match.
(Credit: John Burek)
You’ve got support in the AX700 for up to XL-ATX on the motherboard side, and you can even host a 420mm radiator. The big deal here, though, is the sheer support for old-school hard drives: you get an immense 18 bays for drives down the system’s center and around the back. The AX700 bays comprise several banks of modules, and you can remove or rearrange them as you see fit to accommodate other hardware around them.
Get Our Best Stories!
Sign up for What’s New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
[ad_2]
