Who says that a PC case has to be square, sober…or even practical? At Computex 2025, the annual mecca for desktop-PC tech, the usual PC-case players torched the rulebook and paraded out their best and most creative efforts for the coming year. From hyper-retro beige boxes with fake floppy drives to curvy, candy-colored showpieces, this year’s crop is all about personality, not just specs. Read on for our 15 faves from the show. You’ll find something to like, whether you’re just browsing, seeking maximum airflow, after ultra-minimalist vibes, or curious about a case that opens with…a magic wand? (Yeah, we saved the craziest one for last.)

The Best PC DIY Gear of Computex 2025

Hyte X50: Curvy and Colorful

Who said a PC case had to be a box, and black? Or have straight lines, or a regard for “ordinary” colors? Hyte’s innovative X50 chassis is a real rule-breaker, with a bubbly, rounded look, and seven color options that include tasty ones like matcha, strawberry, cherry red, and taro (the purple shown here).

(Credit: John Burek)

The X50 is not just surface style, either. Hyte designed the case to optimize airflow throughout, with hot-running components like the power supply set so that they push their hot air outside of the case. The left side can be outfitted with a curved-mesh panel, or a 4mm-thick side panel of laminated acoustic glass that looks high end and helps keep the noise down. And the design of the rounded-off front panel is impressively stiff. (Hyte reps emphasized the manufacturing trial-and-error that went into making sure the front face would be sturdy.) Hyte projects the X50 will be $149 for base models (the glass version will cost more), and while it has not yet issued a release date, it should appear before the end of the year.

(Credit: John Burek)

Corsair Air 5400: Three Chambers of Cool

This large case from Corsair will give your PC abundant ventilation to help its high-end parts stay cool. (The name, and concept, are a throwback to Corsair’s classic Carbide Air 540, a pioneering dual-chamber case.) This case divides into three chambers versus the more traditional two.

(Credit: John Burek)

You’ll still install most components into the large main compartment on the left. However, you’ll also find a second dedicated cooling area for the CPU’s radiator, and a third on the bottom of the case for cooling the graphics card and motherboard. The second zone is the most interesting, and is what sets this case apart. Mounted up front, your liquid-cooling radiator vents directly out of the case’s right side, which features the wide-open vertical gap you see below…

(Credit: John Burek)

That’s a design innovation that we’re surprised we haven’t seen before. The third compartment, meanwhile, holds the power supply and 2.5-inch/3.5-inch storage devices, so this is where most of the cables that connect your PC parts will live. An abundance of swing-open access doors give this chassis a premium feel, too, and we were impressed by the clever use of brushes, much like little brooms, in place of the usual rubber grommets to line the cable cutouts. Corsair has no price or release date for this case yet, but we’ll be looking out for it

InWin DLite: Sheer Elegance at a Lower Price

The DLite case from InWin, our winner for this Computex for Best PC Case, is a lower-cost, but still stunning, version of one of its most memorable recent cases, the Dubili. (The name’s a pun on “Do Believe.”) The DLite (or “Dubili Lite”) takes a lot of the original’s design cues and adds some style of its own. It retains a deeply premium look, with clean, sharp edges defined by prominent aluminum paneling and a big slice of tempered glass on the left. (It would be hard to find a case more unlike the Hyte X50 above than this one.)

(Credit: John Burek)

The case has 10 total fan-mounting locations and a striking front mesh panel that diffuses the RGB effect. This arrangement will make keeping the system well-ventilated a breeze, while adding a welcome dash of color. InWin estimates this case will be in the $150 to $200 range; the heavy-aluminum original was in the mid-$250s.

(Credit: John Burek)

SilverStone FLP02: Beige Is Back, Baby!

This one’s a sheer nostalgia play. SilverStone drew inspiration for its FLP02 PC case from the early days of the personal computer industry–the classic beige box that defined the PC revolution. A comfortable fit for a late 1980s or early 1990s office, the FLP02 can hold modern components and accept motherboards up to ATX.

(Credit: John Burek)

The system also has a bank of 5.25-inch drive bays that masquerade as a stack of floppy drives. The levers on the faux-5.25-inch drive covers release the panels for removal. (Since it’s 2025, this case, sadly, has no real floppy support, but you could mount a later-period CD or DVD drive in here.)

(Credit: John Burek)

At least the case provides all the modern connections you would expect, including a couple of USB 3.0 Type-A ports and a USB Type-C port hidden behind a discreet flip-down panel on the case’s front. (Admirably, SilverStone commits to the bit here, hiding them and keeping the visible ports legit for their time.) The case even has the requisite 1980s-style raised-bubble sticker on the front face, here with SilverStone branding.

(Credit: John Burek)

Lian Li Vector V200: LCD-Screen Bling on a Budget

We’re still agog at the low price of this particular chassis; it might be the best-value new model from the show, if it holds. Lian Li went all out with its Vector V200—not only is the chassis surrounded by tempered glass, giving you a clear look at your components, but it also has a nifty LCD installed at the bottom of the case, shining through the left panel.

(Credit: John Burek)

This 8.8-inch LCD can work as a hardware monitor for your system or play custom animations. Switching between these modes is quick and easy, courtesy of the nifty front panel, which features premium-feeling capacitive-touch “areas” rather than the usual physical press-buttons for things like power on/off. The Vector V200 will launch this September for a shockingly low $119.99, quite the coup considering the nifty integrated display.

(Credit: John Burek)

Cooler Master Qube 500 Core: Build It Like It’s IKEA

We’ve always liked the Cooler Master Qube 500. It’s a flatpack PC case that you put together yourself from panels, screws, and frames, like a little piece of IKEA furniture. (We’ve built several PCs inside these cases, including one in the unique, pastel Macaron color.) So we were really happy to see a new Qube at Computex 2025. The Qube 500 Core has a fresh color scheme, as you can see, in beige with orange highlights, and it features the same swappable panels and pegboard-style design of the original Qube 500.

(Credit: John Burek)

What’s new here since the original Qube? Apart from the color, it’s the growth in 3D-printable accessories that you can churn out to accessorize your Qube. With printable headphone hangers, carry handles, alternate feet, and much more, this is a PC case for the creative and the curious.

(Credit: John Burek)

InWin Tactix: Workstation Muscle, Gamer Looks

InWin positions the Tactix as a chassis for PC workstations, but most stodgy workstations never had it so good. This case allows for some real installation flexibility, considering how visible the interior is; that flex even extends to its support for twin power supplies, three separate mounting points that can take 360mm radiators, and nine PCIe slot positions.

(Credit: John Burek)

That twin-PSU feature could come in handy considering InWin also is releasing, alongside its latest cases, a new power supply model, the IW-1650W, meant solely for powering graphics cards. (It has four 12-volt connectors, intended to juice up the latest high-end RTX cards for demanding AI applications.) Even if you decide to use the Tactix just for an ordinary PC build, it’s no slouch in terms of appearance, and it has unique-looking twin grip handles up top.

(Credit: John Burek)

Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition: Two Airflow Icons Join Forces

Stoic but highly regarded Noctua has been spreading its wings over the last few years, doing co-branded initiatives with a variety of stalwarts in the PC-component industry (among them Asus and SeaSonic). Whether on GPUs, power supplies, or cases, it has leveraged the unique, well-recognized look of its fans (which have their origins in the company’s industrial roots) and the promise of their industry-leading air-cooling performance. One of its latest efforts is with Antec, in a Noctua-flavored adaptation of its airflow-optimized Flux Pro.

(Credit: John Burek)

This version promises both extreme airflow from the case-design side of things, paired with the highly efficient, engineered fan cooling that Noctua is known for. Plus, where else are you going to get a chassis that’s perfectly design-tuned for Noctua’s signature carmine and beige?

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(Credit: John Burek)

Geometric Future Model 9: A Skyscraper for Your Components

What do you call a full tower case that’s clearly more than “full”? We have to assume the “9” in the Model 9 from relative case newcomer Geometric Future is on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “big as a house.” This model’s not quite done designing yet, but at almost 30 inches high, it’s too big and too imposing to ignore.

(Credit: John Burek)

Geometric Future cooked up this confection from steel, aluminum, and tempered glass, and it stands apart for sheer numbers: 13 possible fan positions, three 360mm radiators, five 3.5-inch (or 2.5-inch drives), and that NBA-qualifying height spec. No pricing or availability for this model, but we suspect you won’t be able to miss it when it arrives; it’ll have to show up in a crate.

(Credit: John Burek)

(Credit: John Burek)

Cooler Master Cosmos (2025): Sponge Case

Cooler Master’s familiar flagship case is getting an aesthetic refresh. The Cosmos, like its namesake, is nothing if not enormous and intimidating. It has always been unmistakable for its sheer size and imposing demeanor—huge, and propped up on rails that make it seem even taller. It’s a megatower that’s equipped for the biggest possible multi-radiator, massively cooled extreme builds. The biggest changeover this time around, though, isn’t about the gigantic interior, but the exterior: the option for a couple of utterly unique front faces.

(Credit: John Burek)

One’s gold and grainy: A Cooler Master rep noted to us that the material is actually a huge inlay of nickel-coated sponge. That makes for an interesting combination of permeability and a nonstandard, random-looking pattern. The other, equally intriguing, features a pattern of Cooler Master logos interspersed with silver bits. No pricing or availability yet on this one, but if earlier models are any indication, you’re in the $500-plus zone here. 

(Credit: John Burek)

Cooler Master MasterFrame 360 Panoramic: Glass for Days

“Fishbowl” or “aquarium” PC cases with glass on two sides (or two sides and the top) have become so popular over the last few years that they are now almost something of a cliche. Cooler Master’s 360 Panoramic, though, is the latest in its MasterFrame series of cases, and it takes the trend just about to its logical extreme.

(Credit: John Burek)

The Panoramic features curved glass on the front, left, and part of the right panels, maintaining only the absolutely essential bits of solid panels for mounting your PC hardware. Your planning and cable-management skills will be put to the ultimate test given the peak visibility of this chassis’ interior. 

Cougar OmnyX: Making Cables Disappear

Here’s an interesting approach to cable management that doesn’t involve reverse motherboards or other such limiting complexities. The OmnyX rotates the motherboard 90 degrees, with the I/O ports situated at the case’s bottom. (Case makers’ more typical rotation schemes of this kind have the ports exiting the top of the case.) Here, you end up with a vertically oriented GPU standing on its narrowest edge, and your power, peripheral, and display cables exiting from the bottom rear of the case, in a neat arrangement for controlling those cables.

(Credit: Matthew Buzzi)

The lower, opaque portion of this case is a big pedestal containing a big enclosed cavity great for internal cable hiding. The pedestal elevates the main motherboard chamber, which is exposed for all to see.

(Credit: Matthew Buzzi)

We also appreciate Cougar’s clever cable comb that keeps the exterior cabling in line…

(Credit: Matthew Buzzi)

Lian Li LanCool 217 INF: Big Fan Energy

LanCool is Lian Li’s budget-leaning brand, but nothing about the 217 INF looks cheap; indeed, it’s among the coolest-looking budget cases we’ve seen in years. This bold, brassy tower updates Lian Li’s original 217, which had wood trim, and pushes it into ultramodern territory, with RGB trim, a subtle infinity-mirror effect, and two huge 170mm ARGB front fans on the front face, with prominent grilles. (There’s also a 140mm ARGB fan in the rear-exhaust position.)

(Credit: John Burek)

The whole effect is something like a modern reinvention of a classic 1970s cabinet speaker, but with sleek lines and RGB. It also supports Lian Li’s wireless control scheme for tweaking the lighting. Expect it in October for $119.99 for the black version, or for $5 more in white.

(Credit: John Burek)

Thermaltake View 390 Air Future Dusk: Giving Off Violet Vibes

Every year, Thermaltake designates a new color scheme or two that it will produce only within that specific year for its gear. That includes PC cases, and one of 2025’s designated hues is what Thermaltake is calling Future Dusk. It’s a sort of subdued deep violet of the kind we’ve seen from no one else.

(Credit: John Burek)

It’s an excellent complement to the View 390 Air, which is a maximum-visibility tower with a curved-glass aspect to the side panel. You can do reverse-connector motherboards in here for the cleanest-possible case interior, and the View 390 supports vertical graphics card mounting, too.

InWin Chronomancy: Simply Spellbinding

We saved wildest for last. Only a few samples of the Chronomancy will ever see the light of day, as it’s one of InWin’s special, super-limited-edition Signature cases that it tends to produce every Computex. This year’s effort is an anniversary edition, a 40-year “happy birthday” card to itself.

(Credit: John Burek)

The case commemorates past memorable InWin designs from its four decades, and in the sample shown off at Computex, features a large, curved-acrylic panel with representations of some of those cases.

(Credit: John Burek)

The word “chronomancy” refers to time and magic,  and in this particular model, the latter is literal to the point of being maybe a little too on the nose: Waving a special wand (which has its own spinning RGB cradle) triggers the case to rotate open, revealing a striking vertical design inside. Another wand gesture closes it back up, or opens the rear panel.

(Credit: John Burek)

(Credit: John Burek)

This chassis is a tall, thin showpiece, and while this model will forever remain an aspirational item for most, don’t feel too bad; the representative we spoke to noted that probably no more than 50 will ever exist. Get in line.

About John Burek

Executive Editor and PC Labs Director

I have been a technology journalist for 30-plus years and have covered just about every kind of computer gear—from the 386SX to 64-core processors—in my long tenure as an editor, a writer, and an advice columnist. For almost a quarter-century, I worked on the seminal, gigantic Computer Shopper magazine (and later, its digital counterpart), aka the phone book for PC buyers, and the nemesis of every postal delivery person. I was Computer Shopper’s editor in chief for its final nine years, after which much of its digital content was folded into PCMag.com. I also served, briefly, as the editor in chief of the well-known hard-core tech site Tom’s Hardware.

During that time, I’ve built and torn down enough desktop PCs to equip a city block’s worth of internet cafes. Under race conditions, I’ve built PCs from bare-board to bootup in under 5 minutes.

In my early career, I worked as an editor of scholarly science books, and as an editor of “Dummies”-style computer guidebooks for Brady Books (now, BradyGames). I’m a lifetime New Yorker, a graduate of New York University’s journalism program, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

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About Michael Justin Allen Sexton

Senior Analyst

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had love of all things tech, spurred on, in part, by a love of gaming. I began working on computers owned by immediate family members and relatives when I was around 10 years old. I’ve always sought to learn as much as possible about anything PC, leading to a well-rounded grasp on all things tech today. In my role at PCMag, I greatly enjoy the opportunity to share what I know.

I wrote for the well-known tech site Tom’s Hardware for three years before I joined PCMag in 2018. In that time, I’ve reviewed desktops, PC cases, and motherboards as a freelancer, while also producing deals content for the site and its sibling ExtremeTech. Now, as a full-time PCMag analyst, I’m focusing on reviewing processors and graphics cards while dabbling in all other things PC-related.

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