What do you get when you cram an RTX 4090 into a ’90s shell? Well, if this Nvidia GeForce Garage project is anything to go by, you get a gnarly sleeper gaming PC that looks like it should run Windows 98. The custom build in question looks exactly like a rig from over 20 years ago, but its shiny new guts won’t force you to stick to the computer game classics.
The best gaming PC builds often live within fancy new cases, and there’s a good reason for that. For starters, premium graphics cards are now almost the size of a PlayStation 2, and the extra space and compartments will enable enthusiasts to better manage cables and avoid creating a spaghetti monster. Does that put us off wanting tiny, beige towers to make a comeback in 2023? Absolutely not, and Nvidia seems to be experiencing the same retro cravings.
On the latest episode of GeForce Garage, host Dwight Lackmann transforms an old eMachines desktop tower into a monstrous RTX 4090 rig, all while preserving its 20th-century aesthetic. The crafty builder also pops an Intel Core i7-13700K CPU, 32GB RAM, and a 2TB SSD inside the ageing case for good measure, so it’ll make short work of the latest Steam games with everything cranked to 11.
Whether it’s intended or not, Nvidia’s eMachines sleeper machine actually looks a bit eerie. Brewing away at the centre of its cramped innards is a custom EKWB water cooler loaded with metallic purple fluid, and it almost looks like a monster from a Goosebumps episode. I’m not saying I think this PC is going to suck players into Doom for realsies, but it certainly feels like something you’d see in a ’90s horror show for kids.
Rather than simply ramming expensive parts into the eMachines chassis and hoping for the best, Dwight subtly modifies the bottom of the case to include huge exhaust fans, which in turn helps the RTX 4090 lodged at the bottom breathe. The AIO cooler also uses a 3D-printed bracket that adds some space between it and the power supply, but everything else seemingly fits into the shell without a hitch.
Dwight rounds off the episode by sharing some benchmark info, and the stealth system can churn out 120fps in The Witcher 3 all while keeping internal temps at 70°C. An incredible feat when you consider the limited internal space, but you could scale things back and use a cheaper card like the RTX 4070 Ti, provided you’re dedicated enough to put together a similar system for the sake of nostalgia.
GeForce Garage is off to a strong start, so we’re eager to see more creative builds from the channel over the course of 2023. If you’re itching to see more right now, check out this custom Doom BFG gaming PC, as it packs a punch and looks like it could blow up planets.