A new desktop PC case aims to combine the style of a Mac Pro with the flexibility of a custom Windows rig.
Dune Case is a $200 PC enclosure with a cylindrical design. It supports Mini-ITXmotherboards, along with a standard ATX processor, Mini-ITX graphics card, and SFX power supply. The case, which comes in metallic black or gold, weighs 5.7 pounds, and measures 10 inches tall by 8.5 inches in diameter.
Aside from just looking more impressive than a boxy desktop, the Dune Case’s design supposedly improves circulation. Cool air comes in from the bottom, where the power supply mount splits air into separate CPU and GPU chambers. A case fan blows out hot air through a lid at the top.
Other specs for the case include dual 2.5-inch hard drive mounts, four USB 3.0 ports, two 3.5mm audio ports (for mic and speaker), dual HDMI or DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, and ethernet.
Now for some words of caution: This is a Kickstarter project, which is aiming to raise $130,000 by March 16. (As of this writing, it’s a little under halfway there.) While the makers claim to have stress-tested their design with four prototypes and computer simulations, they haven’t actually shown any video evidence of a fully working PC. They also provide no information about past product experience, except that their team includes “a professional designer and quality manufacturing partner.”
In other words, one might be skeptical about stuffing hundreds of dollars of PCcomponents into this case without a little more evidence of it working. If you’re undeterred, the makers of Dune Case claim they’ll start delivering the product in July to Kickstarter backers.
Why this matters: Assuming the product does work as advertised, it would be a refreshing alternative to the often dull array of Mini-ITX cases. While we’ve seen somePC makers crack the mold with fully built systems—MSI’s recently-announced Vortexbeing one example—the cost savings that come from custom builds could help take the sting out of the case price itself.
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