iBUYPOWER embraces the 30-series in its 2021 PCs with its updated Element CL build

iBUYPOWER Element CL Pro — (Image credit: iBUYPOWER)

Custom gaming PC maker iBUYPOWER announced a cool upgrade to its Element CL range, and a new Revolt 3 PC case at CES 2021 as indicators of things to come in 2021 for the PC maker.

There are plenty of announcements coming out from this year's CES event but sometimes you can find some gems in the lower-key or perhaps underrated announcements. And that's exactly the case (no pun intended, but I'll take it) with these two.

The competition for best gaming PC is likely to really heat up this year as we see more and more prebuilt machines house the 30-series GPUs from Nvidia, and the 6000 series GPUs from AMD - the best graphics cards you can get.

That's why the Element CL Pro is being adapted this year to house the beastly 30-series cards along with a few other tweaks to ensure everything goes smoothly. And in essence, this hinges upon is iBUYPOWER's custom liquid cooling system, which remains at the forefront in supporting users who want the latest and greatest GPU in their prebuilt beast. The distribution plate, custom tubing, and fittings - all custom made push to fit, super-satisfying elements - remain while the Pro will feature a new water block for the GPU as well as four new 120mm fans to add extra cooling capacity.

A cool finish to this change or adaptation is that those who bought an Element CL with a 20-series card will be able to obtain a kit from iBUYPOWER that will help them swap out their existing GPU to a 30-series as and when they get one. Nice.

Pre-builts have shown to be a successful and attractive means to buy an RTX 3070 or buy an RTX 3080 in any form in the past few months, so a PC built around those cards is going to be welcome, and incredibly attractive in 2021.

iBUYPOWER Revolt 3 MK3 — (Image credit: iBUYPOWER)

In more underrated news, the custom PC maker also announced the latest addition to the Revolt case series. Now, you might have to be really into the building, crafting, and modifying your own gaming PC to get excited about cases but the Revolt 3 MK3 is such a neat and tidy bit of kit that I couldn't help but be a tiny bit excited about it.

Part of that is because it's a small form factor, compact case built to go on top of workspace surfaces or desks; what with a lot of us turning to gaming PCs to use for work and also transforming home offices to work-and-play setups, 2021 really could be the year of compact PCs and this is such an example that will help maintain quality gaming experiences, without an enormous footprint.

There are neat touches and developments everywhere, from cable management on the underside directing all wires to the back of the case, a perforated front - which will sit just in front of the GPU, positioned in an upright position, facing forwards - and a very neat hinged door that houses the fans. Elsewhere, a handle is built in the top for extra portability as and when that's necessary, and a cute little accessory or headset holder can pull out from the top. All in a box that's not much bigger than a an RTX 3090 card - it's been built around that size to ensure it can hold the biggest - and coming in black or white color options means it's a welcome, and neat (I really can't overstate its neatness) addition to the PC case sphere.

Prefer your powerhouses portable? Check out our guide to the best gaming laptop here.

Rob is the Managing Editor of sister site, TechRadar Gaming, and has been in the games and tech industry for nearly a decade. Prior to a stint as Gaming Editor at WePC in 2023, Rob was the Commissioning Editor for Hardware at GamesRadar+ for two years, and was on the hardware team for more than four years, since its inception in late 2018. He is also a writer on games and has had work published over the last nine years or so at the likes of Eurogamer, RockPaperShotgun, PCGN, and more. He is also a keen golfer and reviewer of golf watches and tech, and a qualified landscape and garden designer, the latter enabling him to be an expert on the virtual landscapes and environments of games.