This Powerful New Gaming PC Is a Retro Delight
I’ll let you in on a secret: I may write about PCs for a living, but I haven’t built or bought a new computer in almost a decade. I just don’t play graphically demanding games as much as I used to, but Maingear’s new Retro95 gaming PC is finally ready to break that streak.
Harking back to an era when I played a lot of demanding (for the time) games, the Maingear Retro95 looks like it’s running Windows 95 instead of Windows 11. Housed in a SilverStone FLP01 — a retro-style case that started out as an April Fool’s joke before becoming a full-fledged product last year — the Retro95 looks ancient, but it’s more powerful than any machine in my apartment. With up to an Nvidia RTX 5080 graphics card, current-gen chips from AMD or Intel, and up to 96GB of memory and 8TB of storage, this is the epitome of a hibernation build (and yes, it runs Microsoft’s latest operating system).
But it’s the looks that make me question whether it’s worth hitting the “buy” button. The case is beige, a perfect nostalgia color, and features vintage-style Noctua fans to complete the look. It can be positioned either horizontally or vertically, and regardless of orientation, it has adorable rounded feet to rest the computer on. Overall, this PC feels like an antidote to all the rainbow lighting and bold graphics that adorn modern gaming PCs, which I find myself liking much less as they age.
But perhaps the best part is the drives. There are two dummy drives on the front of the case, but they’re there for a reason. The lower one has USB ports, while the upper one has a full-fledged DVD drive. Physical storage media is almost never used in PCs these days, but the ability to eject discs ensures that the Retro95 will be able to play your retro programs, rather than just pretend to.
The price is also quite reasonable, but there’s a catch. Starting at $1,599, it’s in line with other pre-built RTX 5080 gaming PCs , so you get some extra retro style without breaking the bank. Unfortunately, Maingear is only making a limited number of these models. The company hasn’t said how many Retro95s will be sold, but according to a press release, “once they’re gone, it’s game over,” and (according to the company’s website) there are “no reruns” and “no second chances.”
That’s not surprising for such a niche product, but perhaps even more disappointing is that you have to buy the accessories yourself. While Maingear’s marketing materials show the Retro95 mounted underneath a bulky old CRT monitor, complete with old-fashioned speakers, a mouse, and a keyboard, the purchase only includes the case itself. Frankly, it would take a lot of effort and expense for Maingear to sell retro hardware like this alongside a new computer, but be prepared to spend a fair bit of time on eBay if you really want to complete the look of this PC.