With MSI,Asus, and multiple case makers announcing products based around motherboards with connectors shifted to the back, it’s starting to feel like this will be the PC-building trend of 2024. But prebuilt PC maker Maingear hasowned the patent on this tech since 2011, and the company is attempting to standardize it, starting with its name: Maingear Rear Connection, or MG-RC. And for now, at least, its partners are MSI and Phanteks.Maingear says that moving the connectors and cables to the motherboard’s backside improves the system’s interior aesthetics while reducing air turbulence and making assembly easier. Having built a system around MSI’sProject Zero motherboardandMAG Pano M100R PZcase, I can confirm that’s true for the most part, though I wouldn’t say it’s a massive improvement on all fronts. you may read about myProject Zero build experienceto learn more about what’s different in terms of the assembly process.Of course, Maingear isn’t just announcing the MG-RC name. Here atCES, it’s also launching a pair of desktops that leverage MG-RC and products from its partners. The first, Maingear Zero, is a system using the same panoramic glass MSI case mentioned above, as well as MSI’sB760M Project ZeroMicro ATX motherboard.
The company says the Maingear Zero will ship with Nvidia’s new RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card, starting on January 24th. This will be a limited run offered on the company’smaingear.com/dropspage, with the company noting that previous drops have sold out in less than two weeks.
The second system, dubbed NV9: Zero Concept, uses a versionPhanteks' NV9 casethat’s been updated to support MG-RC and a stepped-upMSI Z790 Project ZeroATX motherboard. The NV9: Zero Concept system will ship with an MSI RTX 4080 Super GPU and an Intel 14900K CPU, along with a large 420mm Phanteks AIO cooler.
The system will also feature an LCD display, which looks to be thePhanteks screenthe company was showing off in prototype form atComputexlast year. It’s designed to be mounted in various places inside or outside your system. The integrated screen is a first for Maingear, according to its press release. But cases like theHyte Y70 Touchand even the 2018-eraiBuyPower Snowblindhave proven there’s a market for in-case displays.Maingear says the NV9: Zero Concept will be available directly from Maingear, starting sometime in Q1 of 2024.
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After a rough start with the Mattel Aquarius as a child, Matt built his first PC in the late 1990s and ventured into mild PC modding in the early 2000s. He’s spent the last 15 years covering emerging technology for Smithsonian, Popular Science, and Consumer Reports, while testing components and PCs for Computer Shopper, PCMag and Digital Trends.
