When people thinking about a gaming PC, they imagine a large and bulky desktop. In most cases, this is true. However, companies such as Alienware, iBuypower and others have come out with small form factor gaming PCs. Now, there’s a new project on Kickstarter called Taku, a stylish PC monitor stand and high-end PC case.
Taku is a design by CRYORIG but built by Lian Li. For those of you who know computer hardware, you should know Lian Li already. They make high quality computer cases. They may not be the flashiest, but the quality of the cases are hard to beat.
This case will support a mini-ITX motherboard, SFX power supply, 1 x 3.5” HDD and 2 x 2.5” HDD/SSD and more importantly for gamers, a dual slot graphics card up to 280mm in length.
Within the last several years, motherboard manufacturers have come out with a selection of ITX motherboards targeted to gamers. Also, in terms of the graphics cards, this case would certainly handle a high-end graphics card and SFX gaming power supplies are also abundant now.
If this case had come out a few years ago, your selection of components would be slim. But now it seems you have a lot to choose from.
The one issue I have with this case is that almost all gamers I know use multiple monitors. They all have at least 2 monitors and a few have gone with a triple monitor setup. If you were to use this case as a monitor stand, you would need something under the other monitors so that they are the same height.
If you’re a gamer with a single monitor, then I’m sure you have a fairly large, 28”+ monitor, if you’re a serious gamer. If that’s the case, then this monitor stand case would work for you.
Another issue with gaming PCs is the noise of the fans as you are gaming. When you have a desktop that you sit on the ground next to your desk, it’s farther from your ears and so the fan noise isn’t as loud. The desk itself will block some of the fan noise. You’ll still hear it, but it’s not right in front of you.
With this case, it’ll be right in front of you so when the fan of the graphics card and CPU spin up, you’ll definitely notice it. Also, since it is a small case, you’re limited in CPU cooler options. Due to this, odds are the fan you’ll have on the CPU will be smaller and when the CPU heats up, the fan will spin up faster and louder than if you were to have a bigger CPU cooler, which won’t need to spin up as fast.
Because the motherboard is an ITX board, you’ll be limited to your expansion cards. Once you have your graphics card plugged in, there’s basically nothing left you can plug in. There’s quite a few gamers out there that would go with an SLI or CrossFire setup, which is basically two graphics cards linked together for better performance. Sorry folks, only a single graphics card will work here.
The case is definitely stylish and good looking with the different color options and I wouldn’t mind using it as a case for a standard PC system so that I don’t have a large desktop sitting on the ground or taking up a large amount of desk space. But, I don’t think I would use it for a gaming PC. I’ve got too many drives and expansion cards to fit into this case and it wouldn’t work well with my multi-monitor setup.
If you’re interested in this case though, head over to the KickStarter page and pledge your support!
