EVGA's Monstrous DG-87 Chassis May Actually Deserve 'VR-Ready' Status

At CES in January we saw EVGA’s concept for a new case, but at that time it didn’t have a name. In the meantime EVGA has been pretty quiet about the chassis. Now, at Computex we know more. For example, it’s called the DG-87, and while EVGA didn't blather on about this case being "VR-Ready," it's actually ideal for a high-performance living room VR machine.

The case is huge. We’re not sure about the exact dimensions, but the fact that it has enough room behind the motherboard tray for two 3.5” hard drives should at least tell you something (yes, two thick 3.5” hard drives, not just SSDs). It is made of steel, plastic, and has an acrylic side panel.

Whereas most cases are meant to be oriented with with their length perpendicular to your monitor, the DG-87 is meant to be oriented in line with it, which is also why the front I/O and fan controls are actually on the side of the case. It’s a little unusual, but imagine if you’re using this PC in a living room for VR: placing it with its longest side against a wall gives you more space to walk around, therefore reducing the odds of running into it with room-scale VR.

The interior of the case is also very spacious, offering room for E-ATX motherboards, four dual-slot graphics cards, and a large enough PSU to power all that, not to mention a handful of drives. The front and rear (or should I say, left and right?) of the case have intake and exhaust fans respectively, however, the rear (or where the rear I/O is placed) has the fans behind it, pulling the air through. This gives a very clean aesthetic, hiding the rear I/O entirely. The exhaust also pulls the air through the graphics cards, which EVGA claims helps cooling by a fair margin.

The front I/O of the DG-87 is all but ordinary also. There is a three-zone fan controller with a display that shows the duty cycle of the selected zone, and there is a “K” button, which sets all the fans to 100 percent and overclocks the system. If you’ve got EVGA’s Precision X software installed it will run the graphics card at its highest boost speed, and you can even configure it to overclock the CPU. Front I/O connectors include the usual pair of HD audio jacks, two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, and a USB Type-C port – ideal for a VR setup.

Because the case is built to be used on both a desk and a living room floor, EVGA also placed extra power and reset switches at the top of the case along with two USB 2.0 ports, alleviating the need for you to get on your knees to switch the system on if you opt to keep it on the floor.

EVGA did not specify when we would be seeing the case on store shelves or what it would cost, but the unit does look like it's nearing its final design, so it won't be too long.

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