Building a gaming PC is kind of like building a hot rod–sure, the parts that make the car go fast are important, but if you’re going to spend all that time on it, shouldn’t it look cool, too? As such, PC gamers who build their own systems love to look for the PC case that fits their aesthetic. Computex, the annual computing convention held in Taipei, Taiwan, is where PC case-makers go to show off the chassis they’ll be selling throughout the year. Some are purely cosmetic, while others put function over form, but many are fascinating. It’s important to note that, due to the international trade situation caused by U.S. tariffs, the availability of some new computing items is in question. That said, here are some of the cases we loved from the show.
Hyte X50 Air
Hyte has become a prominent name in PC cases in the last couple of years, and the X50 Air makes it easy to see why. With its rounded edges and unique color options–lavender, matcha, pink, and red to go with the standard black and white variants–the design language calls to mind the iMacs of yore.
In the interview with Gamers Nexus in the video above, HYTE Product Director Rob Teller explains just how hard it is to put an airflow-friendly mesh onto a curved surface, as they’ve done with this case. He shows off a variety of failed test models, including one with metal so soft that it began to rust in a week and another where the edge of the mesh acted more like a “tear here” perforation line. The end product, though, is a truly unique-looking case with gentle curves inside and out.
This case isn’t available quite yet, but HYTE has a bunch of other great cases already on the market, such as the Hyte Y70, which offers a number of fun colorways, including the pink one pictured below, but with fewer curves. This one retails for $239.
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Silverstone FLP02
The case makes for an interesting blend of retro aesthetics with modern adaptations. The inside of the case is spacious enough to fit beefy GPUs and AIO coolers up to 360mm. The front of the case features one USB Type-C, two USB Type-A ports, and a combo audio jack hidden under a magnetic flap, as well.
But it also makes use of standard features seen on those old PC cases. There’s a working lock on the front of the case that locks the power button. The Turbo button, used to overclock old CPUs back in the PC stone age, will now allow you to manually crank up your fan speed. The front of the case also has space for three 5.25-inch drives. The floppy disk-style dummy pieces can be left in place if you’re one of the 99% of PC gamers who hasn’t used an optical drive in more than a decade (not scientifically verified), but you can indeed slot 5.25-inch optical drives into those spots, if you like.
The original ultra-retro FLP01 was a very popular case for Silverstone, and the company told Tom’s Hardware that it plans to make a lot of these cases to keep up with demand. The FLP02 will retail later this year for $220 in the U.S. If you’re looking for another retro case, there isn’t really anything like it on the market except for SilverStone’s FLP01, which the company has a hard time keeping in stock. The SilverStone FARA 514X, priced at $129, is another ATX mid-tower-sized case with plenty of room and a more modern design.
Cooler Master MasterFrame 360 Panoramic
PC builders are no strangers to building aesthetically-appealing PCs, as cases have featured tempered glass panels for decades, but recent innovations have brought us things like fish-tank-style cases and curved glass corners to really show things off. If you’re really confident in your building skills, though, you can show off to the world with Cooler Master’s MasterFrame 360 Panoramic, which offers a continuous view into your PC case from the front and both sides. You’ll have to manage your cables carefully if you want to make the best use of this chassis.
There’s also a variant of the MasterFrame 360 Panoramic, called the AK Mods X Bounce, that puts a stage on the front of the case, backed by an LCD screen. The idea with this variant is to let you put something there–Batman, Sephiroth, Hello Kitty, or whatever your favorite action figure is–and then give it an animated background to stand in front of. We’re expecting lots of cool mods to come out of this particular option. Cooler Master has not yet revealed availability or price, however.
It seems we’ll be waiting a bit for the MasterFrame 360 Panoramic, but Cooler Master’s MasterFrame 700 will do an equally good job of putting your PC on display to admire, albeit without the curved glass. We’re betting it’s less expensive than the 360 Panoramic, too, at $191.