When Teenage Engineering announced this case, we had some concerns. It has almost no room for a modern graphics card (even this tiny RTX 3060 is bigger than Teenage Engineering suggests), the airflow seemed a bit suspicious and the “think twice, bend once” warning on assembly guide made the construction process look like high stakes. Some assembly required. Image: Teenage Engineering People who have built systems in the case since then say that bending and airflow are not huge problems, but they have also discovered that holes do not come prefabricated. This means that screwing on them can be a time-consuming forearm workout – not exactly the experience you would expect with such an expensive piece of kit. (Quality Mini-ITX cases range from under $ 100 to around $ 200 – but are usually pre-assembled). On the one hand: practicality. On the other hand: you can turn on your computer by turning a switch. (I do not judge, a “cool” power button is what sold me in my first computer case.) Image: Teenage Engineering With all that said, Computer-1 is undoubtedly a fashion statement, something that cannot be said for the relatively simple boxes that most computers call home (there are, of course, exceptions). And while there may be better ways to spend $ 200 on an orange flat panel computer case – the Playdate designed by TE with the Panic also looks quite fun and stylish – you have no other choice if you definitely need a computer case that looks inspired by the Half-Life HEV suit. Just be prepared to spend a lot on something you have to bend and make yourself. beauty does not cost cheap.
