Why you’ll love it: The
MSI Trident X proves that you don’t need to sacrifice space for power.
The Corsair One is already small at only 12 liters, but the MSI Trident X is even smaller. With an internal volume of only 10 liters, the Trident X is one of the smallest gaming PCs on the market, making for a suitable console replacement or high-powered media center. It’s cheaper than the One, too, at around $2,000.
It has a long, slender chassis, outfitted with RGB accent lighting. On the front, there are three light bars with individual controls that you can adjust using MSI’s software. There’s also an RGB light strip internally that shows off the graphics card, as well as an RGB ring around the CPU fan. All of that lighting is shown off, too. MSI has a vented side panel that slightly exposes the graphics card, as well as a tempered glass side panel for the CPU cooler.
Because of that design, the thermals are quite good. The power supply, graphics card, and CPU all have vented grilles directly above them, allowing air to move throughout the system. The tempered glass side panel is slightly raised, too, allowing air to freely move into the case and cool your components.
The specs aren’t as high end as the Corsair One, but at around $1,500 less, the tradeoff is worth it. With an Intel Core i7-9700K, Nvidia RTX 2070, and 16GB of RAM, the Trident X can easily handle modern titles, including any VR gaming or 4K gaming that you might want to do.
Furthermore, most of the components are the same parts you could buy off the shelf. The motherboard and graphics card are both retail versions of MSI boards, meaning you can always upgrade the Trident X down the line.
Pros: Compact, solid specs, beautiful case
Cons: Difficult to upgrade
Buy the MSI Trident X on Amazon for $1,979