Maingear has released a new series of gaming desktops known as the Retro98, which flawlessly matches the appearance and feel of those old 1990s PCs while packing a lot more power. Built to a 2026 specification with top-of-the-line hardware, each machine comes in a plain beige SilverStone FLP02 tower casing, complete with the boxy shape, rough plastic texture, and front-panel detailing that once dominated bedroom walls and basements.
The old-school turbo button is just where it should be, allowing you to turn up the fans to maximum speed. An LED display indicates the temperature, and there’s a key lock to protect prying eyes from meddling with the power controls. And if you look closely, you’ll notice a slew of modern ports underneath the Maingear logo: two USB-A 3.2, one USB-C, and a headphone jack.
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The fake drive bays at the front, on the other hand, bring back the nostalgic memories. You get a top part that looks like 5.25-inch optical bays, followed by a 3.5-inch floppy slot, both of which are simply for show but are perfectly placed to remind you of the days of inserting a disk and waiting for the access lights to flicker. Inside the case, Maingear went all out with vivid, ketchup-and-mustard coloured sleeved wires, a conscious reference to the days when power supplies were wrapped in such vibrant primary hues. To top it all off, each item is handcrafted by a single technician in New Jersey, thoroughly tested, and guaranteed for life.
The Retro98 portfolio includes four different models, each limited to a small number of units. The Retro98 | 5070 is the entry-level model, priced at $2499, and features an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card. This also includes 32GB of Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-6000 RAM, a 2TB Gen4 NVMe SSD, a 360mm AIO cooler from Maingear’s epic series, an MSI Z890 motherboard, and a 650W power supply with Windows 11 Home.
You can upgrade to the Retro98 | 5080, which costs $3499, and install an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU and an RTX 5080 GPU. The MSI X870E Gaming Plus WiFi motherboard is slightly more expensive, but it includes an 850W power supply to keep everything working smoothly. The Retro98 | 5090 is the next step up, costing $4999 and including an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor with an RTX 5090 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage as standard, as well as a 1250 Watt power supply.
The Retro98α is the most expensive model, priced at $9799 and limited to only six units. It features an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, RTX 5090 GPU, 64GB Kingston RAM, and a 4TB Gen5 SSD. It features a bespoke Alphacool setup with two radiators (360mm and 240mm) and six Chrome Apex Stealth fans to keep things cool. The ASRock PG X870E Nova WiFi motherboard is a high-end model, featuring a 1600W Titanium-rated XPG PSU and Windows 11 Pro preloaded.
Only 32 standard Retro98s and a few alpha variants will be produced, so act quickly; sales will begin on January 29th, 2026, only through Maingear’s website, and once they are gone, they will be gone forever. The Retro98’s entire design is based on the 90s SilverStone case, but Maingear has adjusted everything to meet today’s current gaming demands, from airflow to cable management.
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