Computex in 2026 is a bit of a downer. Even though there are new CPUs from Intel and Nvidia — yes, Nvidia CPUs, it’s a big deal! — the ongoing RAM crisis has put a huge damper on things. But Taipei remains the center of the PC nerd world for a few days every summer, and one of the absolute best things about Computex is the array of wild, wonderful, and just plain weird PC innovations on display in Asia. And fortunately, this year was just as radical despite the ominous overtones.
This article is not about the best PC hardware of Computex 2026 — hit the link for that. This is a celebration of the glorious over-the-top PC gear you can only find buried deep in Computex’s crowded halls. Let’s dig in!
It slices, it dices, it’s a sword in a case
Corsair had plenty of conventional PC gear to show off at Computex. But the most eye-gouging eye-catching showpiece was definitely this sword PC, built to apparently to show off the company’s Shugo artisanal RAM DIMMs. Does it make sense to put a full-sized, RGB-laden cyberpunk katana on top of a PC case? Of course not. But you have to respect the audacity…or at least look at the pretty lights. This is almost certainly a one-off, don’t expect it on a store shelf anytime soon.
My PC case smells of lilacs
The Montech Ten is not a new design. But the newest version of this SFF enclosure adds a little bit of wood bling…including a little removable puck held on by magnets at the top. It also allows you to mount intake fans on the bottom and output on the top, the better to disperse the scent of essential oils throughout the room. If this case doesn’t appeal to you, maybe it would make a nice gift for a certain PC gamer in your life. You know the one.
MSI’s new OLED monitor with triple mode power
Hersteller falls nicht anders angegeben
OLEDs are awesome, but they aren’t for everything. But MSI is hoping to make it so. At Computex the company announced a new flagship 32-inch, 4K monitor that can handle 360Hz at full resolution. That’s respectable, but if you step it down to 1440p, you can increase the speed to 520Hz — much faster than I can acutally use in competitive gaming. But if you’re more leet than me, you can step down to 1080p for an incredible 680Hz. This triple-mode setup is great if you want a monitor that can handle cinematic single-player games, movies, multi-player competition, and everything in between.
Look at them handheld guts!
The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is one of the first handheld gaming PCs to come with Intel’s new Arc G3 processors, the company’s alternative to AMD’s Ryzen Z series. But it’s not the only one, so maybe MSI felt that it needed to show off a little more. They let Adam check out the insides of this thing with a full device teardown. Hell yeah.
The original Ryzen X3D returns
Foundry
It’s only been four years since the Ryzen 5800X3D opened up a whole new world of performance for PC builders. But now it’s getting a tenth anniversary re-release — okay, the anniversary is technically for the AM4 socket and platform. That older standard with its lower-cost parts is still around and kicking, and possibly more relevant than ever now that no one can afford DDR5 RAM anyway.
Help me, AIO CPU cooler, you’re my only hope
Tryx
Alright, I tend to think that flashy screens on the inside of a desktop PC are pointless. But I’m not made of stone. A tiny, see-through, flickering hologram that lives inside my computer tickles my nerd heart. Tryx, which I am assured is not just for kids, has one to show off. This 360mm unit uses what looks like a variation on the old “Pepper’s ghost” trick — the same thing that lets me see through my teleprompter when I’m making video shorts — so it’s not a true hologram. But that being said, it can output sound directly to your speakers via the motherboard, and interface with Giphy. It’s an ADHD dream come true.
But wait, there’s more!
That’s it for this roundup, but Computex weirdness knows no bounds. My earlier coverage is full of oddities I couldn’t resist writing up — check ’em out!
