MainGear goes all-in on ‘invisible’ PC cables at CES

Last year one of the big trends at tech trade shows was what we dubbed “the War on Cables,” new designs for desktop PCs and components that helped you route power and data cables out of sight for a super-clean build. Only a few of those products actually made it out by the time that 2023 wrapped up, but at CES 2024, Maingear is doubling down on that idea. The company is partnering with both component maker MSI and case maker Phanteks on the new “MG-RC” (rear connection) system, which almost universally routes interior cabling to the rear of a case.

In two new desktop designs, the Maingear Zero Drop and the Maingear NV9 Zero concept, the company is featuring MSI’s Project Zero motherboards. These reverse-mount power and data connections at specific points on the motherboard, which combined with specially-placed cutouts on the motherboard mount, allow you to access nearly every power and data cable from the rear or underside of the case. The Zero Drop uses the MSI B760M Project Zero motherboard while the NV9 Zero has the Z790 Project Zero board.

Press shots show off the Zero Drop with an all-white MSI MAG Pano M1000 PZ case with a wrap-around window, showing the Project Zero motherboard and its insanely clean interior. Only coolant tubes going from the CPU cooler to the radiator and a single power rail sneaking up from the PSU bay to the GPU show any kind of cabling at all — everything else, from the fan cables to the front panel connections, is hidden. The Zero Drop will be available in limited quantities starting on January 24th.

The NV9 Zero is a similar build, this time in all-black in a more readily available Phanteks NV9 case, a favorite for system builders who love showing off interior components thanks to its power supply bay hidden behind and above the motherboard, making way for huge arrays of fans and radiators on the top, bottom, rear, and back side. This build is even more clean, though MainGear wants you to pay attention to the LCD display mounted to the rear of the case, just behind the exhaust fans.

The NV9 Zero Concept, despite the name, will be sold to gamers in a customized build in the first quarter of 2024.