The biggest beneficiary for all these new desktop PC parts that seamlessly route power and data cables to the rear is, well, PC builders like you and me, who’ve been waiting a long time for an oh-so-tidy build. But if you just can’t wait for some of the parts shown off at CES for the last two years, Maingear is ready to sell you a pre-built with them already installed. Sure, the Zero Drop desktop won’t bring you the fun of assembling all this cutting-edge tech yourself…but at least it looks pretty.
The Zero Drop is the first of this series, combining an MSI Mag Pano M1000 PZ white enclosure and the Project Zero B760M motherboard, which in tandem allow all of the major power and data cables to be routed behind the motherboard. The build is rounded out with an Intel Core i7-14700K processor cooled with a Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360L AIO cooler, the latest RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory, and 2TB of PCIe 4.0 storage. The power supply is an 850-watt MSI MAG A850GL.
Maingear
Maingear
Maingear
The all-white build is certainly a stunner, using its wraparound tempered glass to show off the clean components inside. Note how the shrouded power supply and side-mounted intake fans give you an uninterrupted view of all those glorious electronics. The effect is only somewhat hampered by the power rail going to the GPU (which at least one MSI competitor is already working hard to hide) and the coolant lines for the radiator.
The limited stock (only 50 being made) of the Zero Drop is available to order now on Maingear’s website for a hefty $2,499. If you miss out on the initial sale, don’t worry: Maingear has already announced at least one more build with a similar rear-running cable system, The NV9 Zero Concept, based around a Phanteks NV9 case. It’ll be available sometime in the first quarter of 2024. And of course, you can always wait for these components to come to retail and build your own.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.