Corsair’s new case has a 14.5-inch touchscreen on the side. I don’t get it

I’ve been building computers for the better part of two decades. And most of them look like little avant-garde refrigerators. I don’t do RGB, and I definitely don’t do screens on the inside. So my immediate reaction to the Corsair Frame 3000D LCD RS ARGB is…well, to take a deep breath after saying that name. But my second reaction is to cringe at the tablet-sized touchscreen on the side.

Not to yuck anyone’s yum [editor’s note: he’s absolutely doing that, what a hater], but at least with a Xeneon Edge touchscreen on the front of the case you can make a claim for utility. If it’s on the side, even if the case is on your desk, how are you going to actually get anything done with that touchscreen without reaching waaaaay over and tapping stuff? You’d have to angle it towards yourself…which I guess makes sense if the point of your desk setup is to show off $800 worth of RGB RAM sticks. But my point here is…what are you possibly doing on the 2560×720 screen bolted to the side of your PC that you couldn’t accomplish more easily with that screen sitting on your desk in front of your keyboard, which is already an option?

Hell, what are you doing on that little mini screen that wouldn’t be better served by using your mouse and keyboard to operate your PC, with the one or more displays you already have on your desk? Am I crazy, or am I just getting old? Please don’t @ me, fellow kids, that was rhetorical.

Corsair

Aside from the side panel with that screen mounting kit, the Frame 4000 LCD RS ARGB is otherwise pretty similar to Corsair’s existing Frame 4000D, with support for 360mm radiators on the front, top, and side, with a maximum of 13 120mm fan mounting points and compatibility with motherboards that have rear-facing connections, like Asus’ BTF series. The case and screen combo is a hefty $400 USD, currently shipping on Corsair’s US store.

But if you already have a 4000D or 5000D case, you can upgrade it with a side panel that fits in the screen, according to KitGuru. I have to admit that’s really cool…though between the $40 panel and the $250 Xeneon Edge touchscreen, you’re most of the way there in terms of price. But the screen now comes in Atomic Purple with a matching desk stand (which you should absolutely use instead of strapping it to your PC), so I am obliged to gush over it.