An ATX chassis that's stylish, breezy, and easy to work with

For as long as I can remember, I've had love of all things tech, spurred on, in part, by a love of gaming. I began working on computers owned by immediate family members and relatives when I was around 10 years old. I've always sought to learn as much as possible about anything PC, leading to a well-rounded grasp on all things tech today. In my role at PCMag, I greatly enjoy the opportunity to share what I know.

Looking for an attractive ATX case with ample airflow and RGB bling that makes building easy? MSI's MPG Gungnir 120R should be at the top of your list.

Unless you build numerous systems or upgrade your desktop PC on a regular basis, a computer chassis may seem like nothing more than a pretty box to mount components in. This has led some tower case vendors to design cases that have lots of visual flair but end up being downright difficult to work in. Personally, we value a case's ease of use over its aesthetics, but give extra points to those that manage to juggle both aspects well. Not every case hits this mark, but MSI nails it with the $119.99 MPG Gungnir 120R. It's not an ideal case for large triple-fan water coolers or jumbo Extended ATX (EATX) motherboards, but otherwise it's a standout.

When you're not explaining to your friends that "Gungnir" is the name of Odin's mighty spear, you'll be receiving compliments on the case's eye-catching design. It looks clean and attractive with just the right amount of flair. Overall, the chassis is relatively simple, with an all-black frame and no distinguishing features apart from a distinctive front panel.

The front of the case is composed of steel mesh with two pieces of tempered glass attached. The glass panels on either side of the front panel are separated by a strip of perforated steel that runs down the middle. At the top and bottom, the mesh forms triangles that point toward the center and an MSI logo that lights when the system is powered on.

The rest of the chassis is standard fare, with a left panel made of tempered glass and the right side, top, rear, and bottom constructed of steel with perforations to let airflow through. To my eyes, this makes the chassis instantly recognizable without being too edgy. The lack of plastic also helps the 120R feel more premium than some other cases.

MSI equipped the MPG Gungnir 120R with four 120mm Addressable RGB (ARGB) fans, three in front and one at the rear, that connect to a light controller. The latter is connected to a button on the case's front panel that lets you quickly and easily switch between lighting patterns. The controller can also be connected to a compatible motherboard for control via software.

The case's front panel is quite good, though it could be better still. USB ports are ubiquitous on modern PCs, and I'm not fully satisfied unless a case offers four USB ports plus a card reader all accessible from the front. MSI gives you three front-panel USB ports, two being USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports and the third a faster USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 port allowing up to 20Gbps of bandwidth.

USB Type-C ports are common on front panels nowadays, but not many support the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 spec, so MSI earns kudos here. Alongside these ports are dedicated headphone and microphone audio jacks, power and reset buttons, and the aforementioned LED control button.

The MPG Gungnir 120R was designed to hold ATX motherboards, and the main area around the motherboard mounting tray was left empty to make fitting boards into place easy. MSI also left a vast cutout in the center of the motherboard mounting tray that helps make installing cooler brackets from the rear side far less painful than usual. Several smaller cutouts are set around the tray for cables to pass through.

The cutouts to the immediate right of the motherboard are covered by rubber, which helps to hide the other side of the tray from view. This helps create a cleaner-looking finished build, as that side is usually jammed with cables running every which way, and the rubber masks them. The other cutouts don't receive this treatment, but they're located in less visible places, such as at the very top of the board.

MSI opted for a fairly standard storage configuration inside the Gungnir 120R. There are two 2.5-inch mounting brackets set directly behind the motherboard mounting tray, and a drive cage at the bottom of the case that can hold either two 3.5-inch or two 2.5-inch drives. Storage is far from being a standardized aspect of cases, but in recent years I've seen more cases with this exact bay configuration than with any other.

To be clear, I'm not saying this is a problem—not many builders use more than four storage devices, and now that M.2 SSDs are common you could easily fit considerably more than that in here. I simply mean that when it comes to storage, the 120R is neither particularly lacking nor ahead of its competition. One highlight I will mention is that the chassis uses a tool-free mounting system for the 3.5-inch drives, which is always welcome. I wish more case makers would do the same.

MSI shipped one of its new MAG CoreLiquid C360 water coolers to use for this review, which you can see in the photos of the finished system build. Though the cooler is fairly quiet and looks nice with a set of three ARGB fans, I wouldn't personally recommend this combination.

Why not? The Gungnir has room to install a total of six case fans. One can be placed at rear, two on top, and three up front. This means the only place you can install the MAG CoreLiquid C360 is on the front, where three fans come already installed. As those fans are one of the big reasons to buy this case in the first place, I'd suggest instead that you opt for a 240mm water cooler, which you can add at the top of the case without removing of any of the installed fans.

Another reason not to use a 360mm water cooler: To install a cooler of that size on the front panel, you must either remove the drive cage from the case or slide it aside, so the big radiator can extend downward into its cavity, as you can see above. This can be done by removing a screw that holds it in place from below the motherboard mounting tray and removing an additional four screws from the bottom of the case. After you install the cooler, all these screws will need to be reinserted into different holes, which makes adding the cooler a chore.

Worse, if you opt to keep the cage in the case after moving it over, you may find you no longer have room to install your power supply! This happened to me with my build—the case can hold PSUs up to 250mm in length without the hard drive cage installed, but a rough measurement shows the available space drops to about 170mm with the cage in the position closest to the case's rear. That wasn't enough for the EVGA SuperNova 750 B2 power supply I tried to install first (its length is 180mm).

There was enough room for me to slide in a smaller Corsair ATX PSU, though it was a tight fit too, and in hindsight it would have been easier to install the power supply before moving the drive cage. The PSU needs to be inserted through the right side of the case, and any cable you install beforehand will also get in the way, so if you do decide to move the cage and not remove it, you definitely want to install the power supply first.

Fortunately, this issue does not extend to graphics cards; there's room for up to a 340mm card inside the case. Most large air coolers will fit without issue, as well, since there's 170mm of vertical clearance for those.

Once you have everything installed, a number of preinstalled cable ties under the right panel help guide cables neatly to where they need to go and hold them in place.

The MSI MPG Gungnir 120R is a tower case that in many ways seems to have it all. Some people will definitely prefer to spend less than $119.99 for a case and more on key components like a processor or GPU, but if you're looking for a modern, attractive case this MSI is an excellent option.

Its biggest demerit is its slightly limited cooler support, as some enthusiasts would like to be able to install two 360mm water coolers. But that's a niche concern, and there are other cases that pander to those customers. The 120R isn't your best bet if you want to install half a dozen hard drives, either, but otherwise it should work well as either a gaming PC or productivity machine. The four preinstalled fans are sure to generate plenty of airflow for most buildouts, and that can only help performance. And its looks, while attractive, aren't so gamer-centric as to disqualify it as a sober work system.

Looking for an attractive ATX case with ample airflow and RGB bling that makes building easy? MSI's MPG Gungnir 120R should be at the top of your list.

Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

For as long as I can remember, I've had love of all things tech, spurred on, in part, by a love of gaming. I began working on computers owned by immediate family members and relatives when I was around 10 years old. I've always sought to learn as much as possible about anything PC, leading to a well-rounded grasp on all things tech today. In my role at PCMag, I greatly enjoy the opportunity to share what I know.

I wrote for the well-known tech site Tom's Hardware for three years before I joined PCMag in 2018. In that time, I've reviewed desktops, PC cases, and motherboards as a freelancer, while also producing deals content for the site and its sibling ExtremeTech. Now, as a full-time PCMag staffer, I'm focusing on reviewing processors and graphics cards while dabbling in all other things PC-related.

Read Michael Justin Allen's full bio

PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

© 1996-2022 Ziff Davis. PCMag Digital Group

PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.