Holographic PC Case Lets You Think Outside the Box

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By Avram Piltch
last updated

Showcase PC's Solo and Dual Hologram cases project 3D images.

Showcase PC Hologram PC Case
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

There are so many ways to bling out your gaming PC: copious RGB lighting, custom-colored coolant and even LCD screens that sit atop your RAM. However, the PC industry has never seen this before: a PC case that projects moving holograms out of its sides.

Showcase PC's "Solo" and "Dual" Hologram PC cases show either one hologram at a time, which projects out of the glass side panel or two, with a second coming out of the top, respectively. The holograms are created by 3D hologram fans that have 224 LEDs on the blade and spin fast enough to fool the human eye. 

We had a chance to see the Showcase PC Solo Hologram Case and Dual Hologram Case in action at the company's CES 2022 booth and came away impressed with the quality of the images. From a UFO to a knight, an anime character and a man's face, all of the animations had a unique 3D appearance that made them seem like they were floating outside the chassis. They had relatively little flicker and seemed quite bright.

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Showcase PC Hologram PC Case
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

One downside we noticed, though, was the size of the 3D projection mechanism. While the fan blades weren't overall large, the base module that spins them takes up a fair amount of real estate.

Showcase PC Hologram PC Case

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The 3D LED fan has 8GB of internal storage for holding animations and there's a remote control for changing them. However, in a briefing, company reps told us that control via Wi-Fi could be coming in the future.

As for the case itself, it's actually an NZXT H510, a popular mid-tower case that usually retails for around $100. Built to compete with the best PC cases, the chassis supports mini ITX, micro ATX and ATX size motherboards while delivering USB Type-C and Type-A ports on the front panel. It has a max CPU cooler clearance of 165mm and a maximum GPU length of 381mm.  The front panel can take up to two 140mm case fans while the top supports a single 120 / 140mm fan and the rear can take a single 120mm spinner.

Due out in June of 2022, the Solo Hologram PC Case is available for pre-order on the Showcase PC website now for $299. The Dual Hologram PC Case is slated for December 2022 and available for pre-order for $449. The company also builds PCs to order so you'll be able to choose these cases for a prebuilt system.

Avram Piltch
Avram Piltch
Avram Piltch is Tom's Hardware's editor-in-chief. When he's not playing with the latest gadgets at work or putting on VR helmets at trade shows, you'll find him rooting his phone, taking apart his PC or coding plugins. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram developed many real-world benchmarks, including our laptop battery test.
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2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Colif
    looks at complete lack of air flow. More in the "case is meant to look pretty, not actually help cool PC" category of case design.

    if the fans used to create the hologram could also be used for cooling, and weren't flush up against glass, then maybe I could see a use for them.

    But no, its just like this

    OupiPZybyBE:3
    All looks, no actual purpose.

    I realise its a prototype but I still see a backwards trend.
    Reply
  • Geef
    We all know the first thing someone with a bunch of friends over is gonna do to make them laugh is load a video of a hot female pole dancer or something goofey like that.
    Reply