TAIPEI—If you’re looking for an edgy new desktop PC case, or just scouting for manufacturer trends, Computex is the place on the planet to be. Retail brands and OEMs are out in force showing off their wares to distributors (or, perhaps, other parties for rebadging), and the sheer number and variety of chassis is just staggering. If you're a practicing PC DIY-er, it’s PC case heaven, a sort of in-person Newegg and Amazon combined, with a dash of Alibaba thrown in too.
What we mean by the latter: In the US, you won’t be able to buy or find every cool case that we saw. Some are destined for sale only in other geographies, such as China. But let’s take a quick visual tour of some of the top models we set eyes on that you can expect to buy later this year.
In Win 309
Our pick for top-end high-end case of the show, the 309 wins for sheer novelty. More than 100 discrete LEDs on the front face of this ATX case can be programmed to show an infinite variety of designs: the time, animations, patterns, text messages. In Win’s own "Glow 2" software allows for the customizability (and also provides plenty of presets).
Lian Li Odyssey X
A new Lian Li flagship, the modular Odyssey X lets you build out the case in a horizontal or vertical orientation, thanks to the modular nature of its panels. The central panel is a spectacular hinged door that can be opened in either orientation. You can install the chassis in Performance (i.e., better airflow) mode, or the spiffier-looking vertical Dynamic mode shown here.
MSI MEG Sekira 500X
MSI re-enters the case market in grand form with the 500X. The size is monumental (it takes up to Extended ATX boards), and the chassis will ship with the three huge (200mm) addressable-RGB fans you see here, as well as another 120mm aRGB spinner, and likely will retail for just a bit over $200. Tons of drive bays down below, a removable tray for easy radiator installs, and glass all around make this a truly deserving pick for building out a titanic flagship build.
SilverStone Lucid LD03
Also shown as a prototype at CES 2019, the Lucid is derived from the company’s classic SilverStone Fortress FT03 “trashcan” chassis. Here, though, this Mini-ITX case has maximum visibility to the interior, thanks to glass all around, and keeps things cool via efficient vertical airflow. It makes use of SFX power supplies to clear enough space inside for room for your components to breathe.
MSI MEG Alchemy 700X
MSI touts this as "the world’s first curved gaming case," and we can’t argue. Reminiscent of the top models in Thermaltake’s Core P series of wall-mountable and showcase chassis, the 700X is a huge commitment of desk space but guaranteed to afford maximum viewability for your components. Better step up your RGB game, and no cheaping out on parts! There’s no hiding a ho-hum motherboard or video card here.
Cooler Master H100 Mini-ITX
You might call this a big little case. It’s for Mini-ITX motherboards only, but the front panel features a single huge 200mm fan and lots of mesh to maximize airflow, and the case can take a full-size ATX power supply; no need for a specialized, pricey SFX supply. The chassis also has a carry handle up top for easier portability. Best of all may be the pricing, though: around $70.
SilverStone Alta S1
SilverStone tends more toward the compact and elegant in PC cases, so the Alta is a bit of a departure. Designed for the biggest motherboards on the planet, this Extended ATX behemoth of a case features a hinged side for a huge tempered-glass panel and room for anything you can throw at it. The motherboard orientation is 90 degrees rotated off the norm, so the cabling exits the case top and you can see your video card or cards through the front panel. It’s SilverStone’s response to the vertical video-card-mounting trend (in which the thermals are often disadvantageous), but with airflow in this case done right.
Lian Li O11 D XL
This is simply a larger version of the company’s spectacular O11 Dynamic, which has won accolades for its maximum-visibility, glass-box design and even rated a special Razer-co-branded version. This one, Asus ROG certified, has more space for liquid cooling radiators and reservoirs. It was once again designed in cooperation with master PC overclocker Der 8auer.
SilverStone Fara V1
The Fara is all about the front face. The side is a nice enough tempered-glass panel, but the real appeal here is the surprisingly sturdy-but-delicate-looking front mesh that’s sculpted to give the case a very distinct personality. The mesh also affords excellent intake airflow and simply looks spectacular with SilverStone’s RGB fans behind it.
Lian Li LanCool II
The LanCool II earns its spot (and won our pick for best mainstream/budget case of the show) thanks to a bunch of aspects: a spectacularly lit rainbow-RGB front panel, and twin hinged glass panels on either side, with the right-side one backed by some wonderfully clever cable-hiding trays, visible here. They make that side of the PC look as clean as any we’ve seen. (It’s one of the few cases on the planet that merits having a glass panel behind the motherboard.) And last is the price: for under $100, the LanCool II looks to deliver a ton of value.
Deepcool Maccube 550
First shown as a prototype at CES 2019, the Maccube doesn’t have much to do with Macs, but it is a clean, spectacular-looking case with a handsome side panel and a unique long bar grasping point across the top of the tempered glass, a bit reminscent of a luxury-appliance handle.
In Win Yong
In Win always brings a luxury chassis to Computex, but this year’s tops them all: each one is one of a kind. With Yong, inspired by the concept of the chrysalis, of which no two are alike, In Win will allow shoppers willing to fork over the...wait for it...$4,000 with the opportunity to design their own case and have In Win manufacture it for them on an industrial 3D printer. The final product takes 12 hours to print, and also requires meticulous painting and finishing.
In Win Alice
Now your PC can change its clothes. We’re not sure we’d adopt this one for our own, but Alice deserves a place on the list for sheer originality. Built with a light plastic frame for easy transport, Alice (inspired by “Alice in Wonderland,” likely the early/unpublished version of the tale in which Lewis Carroll has her as a PC modder) lacks conventional metal case sides. Instead, stretchy fabric hugs the frame and lets you outfit your case with different designs as the mood fits. The addition of interior lighting, in some arrangements, made Alice remind us of a paper lantern.
XPG Battlecruiser
XPG, the gaming brand of storage veteran ADATA, is entering the PC case market with a handful of gaming-minded models. The Battlecruiser is the eye-catching-est of the lot, with glass on front, top, and sides. It’s abundant in other ways, too: loads of 2.5- and 3.5-inch drive bays, support for mobos as big as Extended ATX, and mounting positions for fans galore. (We especially liked it in its seven 120mm-fan configuration shown here.) You also get a built-in aRGB controller.
Be Quiet Pure Base 500
Last is quite the opposite from most of the above: a maker of premium cases moving into a more budget-friendly space. Plain as this chassis may look, it's designed for a special purpose, as the company's name, "Be Quiet," might suggest. Coming in several colors and side-panel configurations for under $100 each, the Pure Base 500 distills down Be Quiet's successful Pure Base 600 and presents an affordable case designed for silent running. Several of the new Pure Base's sides are backed by dense sound-deadening material, and the top panel (also a soundproofing part) is removable depending on how deep your need is for absolute quiet.