Before Cyber Monday deals disappear for another year, let me tell you about one of the coolest bits of hardware I tested in 2023. During the Summer, I took on the task of building my very first gaming PC from scratch. Now, for a Hardware Editor, that felt like a right of passage, but it didn't make the idea any less daunting. What made things even scarier was the fact that I decided to do things the hard way, and build a small form factor gaming PC.
While tiny wee PCs have been gaining popularity since the PS5 and Xbox Series X showcased what sort of power can fit inside a smaller chassis, case designers have certainly had their hands full. The problem is often that cooling is always more difficult in these smaller computers. It's difficult to keep air flowing through a tiny space when all these hot components are in each other's personal space.
This is, at least to my knowledge, the first-ever ITX (small form factor) PC case that can fit a full-size AIO cooler inside it. Thanks to a really clever inverted design, it can also fit a giant graphics card in it – yes, even the RTX 4090. All the while, three frontal in-take fans help cool air flow across your components and make sure your machine doesn't spontaneously combust.
Should you buy the Corsair 2000D Airflow?
Building an ITX gaming PC is no easy task, and I was shocked at how the Corsair 2000D Airflow continued to make it an easy process. Besides cable management, which is always going to be a struggle in smaller cases, this allowed my hands and arms plenty of room to reach in and operate on components – and that's a rare thing in this realm of PC building.
Not only do you need a smaller motherboard with this type of PC but you need parts that will work with it and parts that are small enough to go in your chassis of choice. With the 2000D Airflow, I didn't need to be that careful, because once I wrapped my head around the fact that the motherboard would be mounted on the left-hand side as opposed to the right, the jigsaw started to make sense.
The power supply, rather strangely, mounts to the top of the case. That might sound like a nightmare in the later stages of a build, but because all of the outer panels click on and off without tools, it's easy to access everything. The reason the best graphics cards can fit inside the case is because their bulk fits in vertically, as opposed to horizontally, as they typically integrate into the best gaming PCs. If you do opt for a full AIO cooler, these can be mounted vertically onto the right-hand wall.
Annoyingly, there's no transparency here for you to show off flashy RGB components. That said, the entire surface is made of mesh, so if you do have lights twinkling within, they create a really nice color effect from the outside. It's also worth noting that the slightly more expensive RGB version of this case (which comes with three RGB frontal fans) is also on offer for Cyber Monday, and can be found at Best Buy for $139.99.
Corsair's side-brand Origin even used a slightly modified version of the 2000D Airflow for its Chronos V3 PC, which my colleague Phil reviewed earlier in the year.
For more on Cyber Monday gaming deals as the countdown ensues, check out the links below.
More of today's best Cyber Monday deals
- Amazon: Up to 75% off games
- Best Buy: Bundles live with free games
- Walmart: Save on games & accessories
- Dell: Laptops starting from just $699.99
- GameStop: Get $50 off Meta Quest
- Target: Record lows on games
- Microsoft: Up to $60 off Xbox
- PS Portal: Check for stock at Amazon
- PS Wallet: discounted codes at Amazon
While there's still time, check out the best Cyber Monday Nintendo Switch deals, Cyber Monday Xbox deals, and Cyber Monday PS5 deals.
