MSI MAG Pano M100R PZ Cases
The MSI has silently started selling their MAG Pano M100R PZ cases, with retail listings now in Taiwan. They are also identified as black and white (optional) cases with a fish tank-like transparent style and support for motherboard back-plug on sale in China at JD.com. Looking at prices abroad, US customers should expect to pay around $100 for these new PC cases.
The aquarium-style cases are also sometimes referred to as ‘270-degree glass window’ style cases and appear to be a trending design. The promotional images from MSI make it easy to understand the appeal of such a case, filled with color-coordinated components (see top image). The MSI MAG Pano M100R PZ is available in black or white and, to get you started, MSI has equipped both with four ARGB fans and a controller.
Looks aren’t everything, and under the hood, the MAG Pano M100R PZ cases have some practical touches that are worth mentioning. Likely the most important design feature here is suggested in the name – ‘PZ’. Yes, this is a Project Zero case and is compatible with MSI’s and other brands’ back-plug motherboards. These motherboards make for a clean build, with all the messy cabling easy to hide behind the motherboard tray.
The specifications state that the case supports “M-ATX (with support for rear connection) / ITX”. People interested in full-size ATX builds with backplug or not will have to look elsewhere. Whatever type of motherboard you install, MSI has left 33 mm of space for cable management behind the tray to hide wiring.
The next noteworthy modern specification we want to draw attention to is the standard graphics card support. This system can accommodate graphics cards up to 390 mm, and we are now more certain than ever that preventing GPU sag is extremely important. Many of the best graphics cards are bulky and heavy.
Other things about the MSI MAG Pano M100R PZ case that we would like to highlight include the four included ARGB fans (3 front, 1 rear) and fan controller, as well as an easily accessible USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C connector among the front I/O connectors section.
This is quite a spacious case for Micro-ATX at 440 x 235 x 405 mm / 17.32 x 9.25 x 15.94 inches, so decent maximum compatibility numbers are not a surprise. The complete specifications can be seen in the data sheet below.
The MSI distributors are selling this case in Taiwan now for TWD$ 3,190 (white) and TWD$ 2,990 (black), which is about $100. We do not have release details or prices for Western markets at the time this article was written.
The trend of making desktop PC cases more akin to fish tanks has been observed before. At Computex earlier in the year, we saw Lian Li diving into this design, Hyte might be one of the leaders of this trend, and MSI also showcased a MAG Vampiric Project Zero with a 270-degree panoramic glass window – alongside their appropriately equipped motherboards.
A few weeks ago, we were guests of Cooler Master and were informed by the product managers there that aquarium cases are a growing trend they see for 2024, along with new cases being compatible with back-plug motherboards. It seems that MSI may have jumped the gun with the release of the MAG Pano M100R PZ case.