After reinventing its flagship MG-1 gaming PC range earlier in the year, Maingear is today announcing the re-launch of its Zero product selection. The original Maingear Zero Ruby has sat atop our best gaming PC list since I tested it, so I've been heavily anticipating the arrival of a refreshed version.
But let's back up: what is the Zero range? Born out of the arrival of Project Zero motherboards a few years back, these PCs route all of their motherboard cabling around the backside of your case, keeping cable clutter to an absolute minimum, and allowing the PC's components and lighting to do all the talking.
The new family of Maingear Zero PCs takes that even further, opting for a chassis with full panoramic tempered glass (4mm thick) panelling with a seamless curve to allow all your PC's components to be visible from all angles.
“At MAINGEAR we design every PC from the inside out, and with the Zero we asked 'what if we let the hardware speak for itself?'" said Wallace Santos, founder and CEO of Maingear.
"That's what Zero is about... zero distractions. We've hid the motherboard cables, removed obstructions by upgrading to fully panoramic glass, and focused on making every component and your collectibles feel like they belong in a display case. It had to look just as good powered off as it does turned on, regardless of the specs", he said.
As is expected in the current PC market, however, these new Zero PCs don't come cheap. In fact, the Maingear Zero Ruby has been retired as a mid-range option, giving way to new class names filled with current-gen CPU and GPU pairings.
- Zero | Emerald: Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. Starting at $2,799.
- Zero | Platinum: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. Starting at $2,999.
- Zero | Sapphire: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. Starting at $3,799.
- Zero | Elite: AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. Starting at $4,099.
- Zero | Amethyst: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Starting at $6,199.
- Zero | Champion: AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Starting at $6,499.
If that fine-dining menu of component pairings doesn't work for you, full custom configurations are available for gamers who want ultimate control.
The revamped Zero range could also be huge for anyone who wants to show off their favourite collectibles inside their PC. The launch edition of the Zero will come with two custom Maingear display stands, a figurine stand and a brick stand that snap into the chassis floor without screws or tools, placing collectibles inside the chassis alongside the hardware. The Zero’s active airflow keeps everything inside cool and dust-free. Display stands will also be sold separately if you miss out on one of the launch versions.
Those launch editions may be extra alluring since they come with a curved panoramic OLED screen thanks to the inclusion of a TRYX Panorama SE AIO cooler. This screen is obviously fully programmable for you to set whatever looping video, GIF, images, or stats you want.
If those prices above seem steep, you can also pay flexibly, thanks to Maingear's financing program, which fittingly comes with zero interest.
Before my review of the original Maingear Zero Ruby, the brand's marketing director told me that Maingear's CEO, Santos, had pitched the concept of reverse cable motherboards to manufacturers years prior to MSI's Project Zero boards hitting the shelves, but the idea didn't seem possible at the time, and thus didn't take.
In light of that, I'm glad to see Maingear doubling down on cable-free prebuilt machines, because it provides a premium look that's seldom seen. In fact, I can't think of any other brands that are willing to go to this kind of length to provide that premium look to customers, and Zero motherboards are hard to come by in prebuilt markets outside of custom configurators.
For more on PCs and components, check out the best CPUs for gaming, the best graphics cards, and the best RAM for gaming.
