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Most PC cases keep the main chassis relatively close to the desk or floor, but a growing number of new designs are doing something much more fun, yet practical, with the space underneath.
Our favourites deliberately add a gap that gives the case a floating effect. Others take a simpler approach and raise the whole chassis on a stand or base. Either way, manufacturers are paying much more attention to the underside of your PC.
The new designs are definitely about style, particularly as panoramic glass cases have become more popular, but there’s a practical side to floating cases too.
Opening up the lower part of a build gives manufacturers new ways to get cool air towards one of its hottest components: the graphics card. Some designs can also keep the PSU’s airflow separate from the main component chamber.
Of course, not everyone wants to DIY a new build, so for anyone who would rather buy a complete system, it’s worth checking out our guide to the best gaming PCs.
Why are PC cases starting to float?Panoramic cases, often called fish-tank cases, have become increasingly popular, often replacing conventional mesh panels with extensive glass. While glass makes it easy to see your new CPU cooler’s built-in display, it does mean manufacturers need to take a fresh approach with airflow.
One of the most distinctive new designs is the floating style, where the lower part of the case is deliberately separated or recessed so the main body looks like it’s suspended above the base.
The Cougar CFV235 is one of our favourite examples. Cougar separates the PSU cabin from the main component chamber, leaving an open section between them that becomes part of both the case’s appearance and its ventilation. Our colleagues over at Tom’s Hardware highlighted the design’s 270-degree airflow when the CFV235 was unveiled, with air able to enter the floating section from several directions.
The DarkFlash Floatron F1 creates a similar visual effect in a different way, suspending the main chassis above an extended base that draws air in through the bottom and sides. The look certainly caught the attention of our friends over at PC Gamer at Computex 2026, where it was described as “sort of ugly but also sort of neat”.
DarkFlash Floatron F1 caseDarkFlashDarkFlashDarkFlashMore are coming too. MSI showed its MPG VIXTA 300R Airflow PZ at Computex 2026 with a 75mm (3in) recessed section beneath the main chassis. PC Gamer highlighted its “innovative floating base design”, which gives the case substantially more clearance underneath for incoming air.
Hyte also showed the upcoming Y50 RGB, which it describes as having a floating base and stepped internal floor. Tom’s Hardware noted its relatively affordable price, showing that this style is beginning to reach cheaper cases too.
The floating look can also help airflowThe empty or recessed space underneath isn’t only decorative, and it’s a key way to bring air into the lower part of the PC.
Exactly how that is achieved varies from case to case. The Cougar CFV235 turns the open section between its two chambers into a large ventilation area. DarkFlash feeds air through the bottom and sides of its raised base, while MSI uses the space beneath the VIXTA as part of its lower intake design.
So while the implementations differ, the space underneath is deliberately designed as part of the intake path.
This setup can be particularly useful for graphics card cooling. A GPU normally sits towards the bottom of a case, so cooler air entering below it can take a relatively direct path to the graphics card.
MSI MPG Maestro Vixta 300R PC caseFutureMSI MPG Maestro Vixta 300R PC caseFutureMSI MPG Maestro Vixta 300R PC caseFutureFloating-style optionsThese are the options to consider if the floating look is the priority, with both using the space beneath the main chassis as part of the design.
This is our favourite option if you want the full floating look, with its main chamber visibly separated from the PSU enclosure below.
The F1 uses an extended base with a thinner support column, which hides the PSU, making it a standout option for compact M-ATX builds with good airflow. It's a brand new case, and currently we can't see it in stock, but we've included it here for when it does become available.
A raised base can achieve something similarYou don’t need the full floating style to get some of the same airflow advantages. Many manufacturers take a simpler approach and raise the entire chassis using a stand or customised legs.
The Phanteks Evolv X2 offers wrap-around glass, but raises the base to help feed a bottom-to-top airflow layout.
The Tryx Luca L70 uses a 40mm (1.6in) X-shaped base to increase the clearance beneath the chassis. Tryx also showed a smaller Luca L50 at Computex 2026 with a bottom fan bracket that can sit flat or be angled towards the components.
These cases can still look partially suspended, but structurally the whole chassis is raised on a purpose-built base.
That extra clearance can be especially useful if the PC sits on the floor, because it keeps bottom intakes further away from carpet that might otherwise obstruct airflow.
Raised-base optionsThese cases lift the whole chassis to create extra clearance for bottom-mounted fans and intakes.
The Luca L70 sits 40mm (1.6in) above an X-shaped stand, with room for up to three 120mm or 140mm bottom fans.
Phanteks raises the chassis above its base and supports three 120mm fans underneath as part of its bottom-to-top airflow layout. It also scored 84% in PC Gamer's review, which praised its distinctive design and chimney-style cooling.
Does a lower intake actually improve cooling?The graphics card is often a major source of heat in a gaming PC, particularly at the high end, and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090, for example, has a total graphics power rating of 575W. If you’re building around one of the models in our guide to the best graphics cards, cooling it effectively becomes particularly important.
If you’re adding or replacing case fans, PC Gamer’s guide to the best PC fans is also a great resource.
Testing by PC Gamer and Tom’s Hardware suggests lower intake can make a difference, although the result depends on the rest of the case design.
PC Gamer gave the Corsair Frame 4500X 80% in its review and found that adding three bottom fans lowered its GPU temperature by 4°C.
FutureFutureFutureFutureFutureTom’s Hardware’s review of the Montech HS02 Pro similarly praised its focus on GPU cooling. The case, which is designed around three bottom intake fans, delivered the best GPU temperatures of the four cases in testing at the same noise level, while also allowing the graphics card’s own fans to run slower than in any of the competing cases.
There’s an important catch, though. Montech’s GPU-focused layout was less effective at cooling an air-cooled CPU. Your CPU cooler matters too, and Tom’s Hardware has a regularly updated guide to the best CPU coolers. Fan speed, dust filters, radiators and other internal obstructions can also change the result.
The tests support the broader idea rather than any one case style: getting cool air into the lower part of the chassis and directing it towards the graphics card can improve GPU cooling. A floating-style or raised-base design can make that easier, but neither guarantees lower temperatures on its own.
Bottom airflow doesn’t require a floating caseOther manufacturers are tackling the same airflow challenge without raising the case at all, using several different layouts to free up or make better use of the space below the GPU.
In a conventional layout, the PSU usually sits along the bottom of the chassis, often beneath a shroud. That occupies space that could otherwise be used for a larger floor intake or fans closer to the GPU. Moving the PSU into a separate chamber, towards the front or to the top gives manufacturers more freedom to use that lower area for cooling.
One approach is to put the PSU in a separate side or rear chamber. The Antec Constellation C8 ARGB separates the CPU and GPU from the PSU and drives, while the Corsair Air 5400 uses a dedicated chamber for the PSU, cables and storage. Lian Li's O11 cases use a similar multi-chamber approach.
AntecOkinosAntecCorsairAnother option is to move the PSU towards the front. The Antec Flux M does this so the bottom can be opened up for a large mesh intake and fans beneath the GPU. The Okinos Air Cross and DeepCool's CL6600 take a similar approach, with the CL6600 also separating its 360mm radiator into an upper chamber.
A third approach is to put the PSU at the top. Fractal Design's Torrent Compact combines a top-mounted PSU with expansive base intakes and support for up to three 120mm or two 140mm bottom fans. The newer Hyte X50 and X50 Air use a top-mounted PSU canopy to open the floor for what Hyte calls Cold-Floor Cooling, with support for up to three 120mm fans beneath the graphics card.
Other cases improve lower airflow without relocating the PSU. The Montech HS02 Pro builds its cooling around three intake fans in the floor, the Antec P30 Air puts two reverse-blade fans on top of the PSU shroud and feeds them through a lower-side intake, and the NZXT H5 Flow RGB 2024 supports two 120mm fans in the lower section to feed air towards the GPU. The Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini V2 instead angles its bottom fan mounts upwards by 10 degrees.
Floating-style cases are the most visually obvious part of the trend, but the bigger shift is manufacturers redesigning the lower part of the chassis around graphics card airflow, whether that means relocating the PSU, separating cooling hardware or simply finding better ways to direct cool air towards the GPU.
Other bottom-airflow optionsThese are our picks if improving lower GPU airflow matters more than getting the full floating look.
The P30 Air puts two reverse-blade fans on top of the PSU shroud beneath the graphics card, with a large lower-side mesh intake supplying them with air.
The Air Cross moves the PSU towards the front of the chassis and uses two 120mm reverse-blade fans beneath the graphics card to create a direct lower intake path.
The CL6600 moves the PSU towards the front and uses two 120mm reverse-blade bottom fans beneath the GPU, while a separate upper chamber houses its 360mm radiator.
The C8 ARGB comes with two 160mm reverse-blade fans in the floor, feeding cool air directly towards the graphics card from below.
The Air 5400 pairs three 120mm reverse-rotor bottom intake fans with dedicated ducts designed to channel that incoming air through the GPU chamber.
The H5 Flow uses a more conventional chassis layout, but supports two 120mm fans in the lower section to feed cool air towards the graphics card.
Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini V2 Flow
Lian Li angles the bottom section upwards by 10 degrees to direct incoming air towards the GPU, and the Flow version comes with three bottom intake fans already installed.
Hyte combines a panoramic showcase design with room for up to three 120mm or two 140mm bottom fans. We gave the closely related original Y70 Touch 4.5 out of 5 in our review, praising its airflow despite the extensive use of glass.
Lian Li's glass-heavy showcase case offers extensive support for cooling beneath the graphics card and was named Best Case in the 2026 TechRadar Australian PC Awards.
Full spoilers immediately follow for Lanterns, up to and including episode 4.
Lanterns episode 4 has premiered on HBO Max — and we finally know who among Rushville's population is the Manhunter.
After weeks of speculation, the DC Universe (DCU) TV show has lifted the lid on one of its two biggest secrets to date. Of course, the other is who killed Hal Jordan in Lanterns episode 1, but that's a conversation for another day.
So, who has the Manhunter been disguised as? Why has Rushville's townsfolk being keeping them safe from prying eyes? And what will Jordan and his Green Lantern protégé John Stewart do next? Activate your power ring, and let's dive in together…
Lanterns episode 4 confirms Zoe is the ManhunterWell, that puts the proverbial cat among the pigeons... (Image credit: HBO Max)That's right, Zoe Macon, the wife and enigmatic benefactor of Rushville ranch owner William Macon, and John Stewart's love interest, is revealed to be the Manhunter.
Zoe was one of three characters I predicted to be the extraterrestrial android in my Manhunters in Lanterns explained article, so I'm absolutely counting that a correct guess on my part.
Wait, hang on: wasn't Zoe killed when her pick-up truck was obliterated by a giant red lazer after she slept with Stewart again? It certainly appeared that way, but there was always something off about Stewart's incredibly muted reaction to her death. That's something Jordan picks up on before the end of the HBO Max show's latest entry, too, so Zoe clearly walked away from that attack unscathed.
Some viewers thought William Macon was the Manhunter (Image credit: John Johnson/HBO Max)There are other telling signs in episode 4, titled 'The Weenie', that indicated that Zoe was the Manhunter.
For one, after Stewart and Jordan are captured following their botched infiltration of Macon Ranch, William tells them that Zoe not only nursed him back to health after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but also cured him of said disease.
Sure, the high-tech, alien equipment that Stewart and Jordan find in one of the ranch's compounds will have helped to treat Macon. Nonetheless, someone would need to operate said equipment — and, frankly, Macon wouldn't be able to use it if he was as sick as he implies. Alongside her clear medical expertise that far outweighs the scientific knowledge that humanity possesses, Zoe would be the only one capable of using this technology to save Macon's life, and subsequently earn his trust and unwavering devotion to keep her secret safe.
Stewart and Jordan's investigation leads them to a high-tech slaughterhouse (Image credit: DC Studios/HBO Max)That's not to say that Lanterns doesn't try and distract us about Zoe being the Manhunter. Indeed, the DCU Chapter One TV series' fourth installment attempts to further pull the wool over our eyes when Jordan and Stewart investigate Zoe's apparent demise.
With Sheriff Kerry Kane's help, they learn the lazer satellite manufacturer is Atlas Inc. Primarily a slaughterhouse firm, Atlas is owned by someone named Hector Hammond, who partnered with William Macon 30 years earlier to develop innovative technology to refine and improve the meat processing industry. Hey, Macon is a cattle herder, so it makes sense that he'd go into business with someone like Hammond.
Anyway, when Jordan and Stewart pay Hammond a visit, the latter seems to confirm that Macon is the Manhunter. Of course, this is a massive fake out designed to throw us, Stewart, and Jordan off the scent over the Manhunter's real identity. Luckily, Jordan sees through the façade and, after an incredibly tense stand-off that almost sees Hammond activate another of his weaponized satellites to annihilate Stewart's parents, Jordan forces Hammond to reveal the truth about the Manhunter's true identity.
What'll happen in Lanterns episode 5?Hal Jordan is surely gunning for Zoe in next week's episode (Image credit: DC Studios/HBO Max)Very few people know the answer to that question — and, predictably, those that do aren't going to spoil anything ahead of time. Even so, Zoe being outed as the Manhunter raises plenty of questions heading into the sci-fi crime drama's next episode.
Considering Will Macon has been the main beneficiary of Zoe's help, why is Rushville's entire population steadfast in its desire to maintain her secret? Have they all been aided or manipulated by Zoe, too?
Furthermore, what's up with Stewart agreeing to help Zoe fake her own death? And, now that Jordan knows Stewart lied to him about Zoe and left him trapped in a crashed car, will Jordan take matters into his own hands and take on the entire Nebraskan town alone?
What will John Stewart do in Lanterns' fifth episode? (Image credit: HBO)Alternatively, if Jordan and Stewart somehow make peace with each other, and if they take the fight to Zoe and the people of Rushville, how much are the latter willing to risk to sacrifice to defend their home? Lastly, how will Antaan and his alien brethren, who want revenge on Zoe after she committed mass genocide on their home world, factor into all of this?
I'm certain we'll get answers to the above when Lanterns' fifth episode debuts on HBO Max, aka one of the world's best streaming services, on September 13/14.
Right now, one thing is clear: if Jordan and/or Stewart plan on killing Zoe, they'll have to do so while she's in human form. Remember, in episode 2, Antaan told Stewart that Manhunters are easier to execute as humans. Slaying her before she takes her true form, or builds herself a new body if she's critically injured in the fight to come, then, is the only way to end the threat for good.
What do you think will happen in episode 5? Let me know in the comments. And check back in with me when Lanterns' next chapter has been released for a breakdown of its biggest talking points.
- Invoke Studios head Dominic Guay says Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons has "deep-cut" inspirations from the tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG)
- He adds that the game will still have a mystery for new and experienced Dungeons & Dragons players
- Guay says, "We wanted players coming fresh, with no knowledge of D&D, to kind of figure things out as they play"
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons draws much inspiration from the tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), but Invoke Studios head Dominic Guay says the game will still offer mystery for even experienced D&D players.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, Guay discussed the many "deep-cut" D&D elements Invoke applied to Warlock, such as monsters, items, and spells; he also touched on the game's setting, Darkon, a realm within Ravenloft's Domains of Dread.
Players can explore Darkon's open world and uncover its secrets in the classic D&D way, which will take "tens of hours," confirming Warlock isn't a 100-hour campaign.
"There have been books written about it. Some of it is deep cuts, but it's still really good material we tapped into," Guay said, but explained that it didn't want to create a D&D game whose world experienced fans are already familiar with.
"We don't want to create a game where if you know D&D, you're like, 'Oh, I know everything,'" he said. "We want players to live that mystery of figuring out, what's that place, what are the rules of that place? So a lot of players are familiar with Ravenloft, which is another Domain of Dread, and that'll give them some insight into some of the things happening.
"But we wanted players coming fresh, with no knowledge of D&D, to kind of figure things out as they play."
Guay also confirmed Warlock has many D&D tropes, whether that's finding a secret door or dodging a trap, suggesting the game will be authentic to the TTRPG.
"We're doing these things in a way that's trying to replicate the feeling, but in real time without rolling down dice or doing these kinds of things," he said.
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is slated to launch in 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.
You probably have tens, if not hundreds of passwords floating around across all the online accounts you use every week. In fact, the average person has over 150 passwords. It's not easy to remember them all, making it more attractive to keep them simple and similar - but that can lead to a serious chain of account theft.
That's why password managers like Keeper exist. They generate strong passwords and store them passwords in a secured vault to keep them safe from hackers and prying eyes. They even autofill your credentials to make logging in to your account faster and easier.
Keeper has cut prices on its personal, family, and business starter plans by up to 50%. Keeper regularly scores highly in our reviews, and includes great features across Personal, Family, and Business plans.
Get up to 50% off Keeper plans
Keeper is offering 50% off its Personal and Family plans, making it even more affordable to secure both personal and household accounts. The Family plan covers multiple users with five secured vaults, making it perfect for shared accounts without the hassle of mixing browsers and reusing passwords.
Keeper Business Starter is discounted by 30%, and is an excellent choice for small teams looking for a credentials control platform without the complexity and hassle of enduring an enterprise rollout. It includes centralized management, secure password sharing, and role-based access, cleanly organizing your passwords without unnecessary complications.
The full terms and pricing are available on the Keeper site.View Deal
Why we recommend KeeperOur Keeper review highlights the platform's zero knowledge architecture and device level encryption that helps keep your password vault secured against unwanted intrusions.
Where Keeper really shone was in our usability and convenience testing. We loved how Keeper uses biometric security to access your vault, rather than requiring a master password with each log in. By using a facial scan or fingerprint to verify that its actually you accessing your vault, it adds a fast but secure method of verification to ensure its you, and not a nefarious actor.
For households, the Family Plan includes five private vaults, allowing you to quickly share Wi-Fi or streaming passwords using Keeper's shared vaults.
The Business Starter plan covers 5 users, covering an unlimited devices, shared team folders, user activity reporting for IT admins, and a free Family Plan for every team member.
These discounts apply to the first year only, so the value is highest for new customers or anyone switching from a monthly plan. After that, pricing goes back to standard rates.
- Microsoft reports phishing campaign using ASCII smuggling to bypass spam filters
- Attackers insert invisible characters into keywords, tricking filters and AI agents
- Defenders should normalize Unicode tags and flag unexpected invisible code points as suspicious
Cybercriminals are using the “ASCII smuggling” technique to make sure phishing emails pass security filters and land in people’s inboxes, experts have warned.
ASCII is a character encoding standard that turns characters and words humans can read into numeric values that computers can understand. It can also be used to create characters that aren’t even displayed on the screen (essentially “invisible” ones) but can still be read by the machine.
In a new report, security researchers from Microsoft found crooks are abusing this fact to distribute phishing emails. Most email providers offer solutions that filter out spam emails. These filters look for certain keywords and phrases, such as “funding”, “credit”, “loan”, and similar, and automatically send such emails to the spam folder.
Ongoing campaignBy adding a set of invisible characters in the middle of these keywords, the attackers can break them apart and thus “confuse” the filters.
While the human sees the word “funding” in their email, the security solution is seeing something like “fun[a long string of characters]ding”. This technique has been adopted from prompt injection attacks, where crooks would use ASCII smuggling to deliver malicious and invisible prompts in the emails.
Therefore, when a victim asks their AI agent to summarize the email, it ends up working on a prompt that could be anything from extracting sensitive data, to deploying malware.
Microsoft is saying the campaign has been ongoing for months, and while it peaked in February 2026 with more than 2.3 million emails every day, and has been in decline ever since, it remains active to this day. In early February, Microsoft observed a cluster of almost 150 sender domains, all themed around finance. These domains accounted for almost all (96%) of all the spam emails Defender for Office 365 flagged under ASCII smuggling.
Defending sounds relatively simple, though. IT teams should normalize Unicode tag characters and other invisible code points before applying any keyword detection. They should also consider all unexpected tag-block characters as suspicious.
Via BleepingComputer
When I receive an Earfun product to check out, I can usually count on it being way better quality than its price would suggest. And with the brand's gadgets seeing some solid discounts in the Labor Day deals, you can get an opportunity to enjoy them too.
In particular two of the brand's devices, both of which I've reviewed, have seen some discounts that you can't miss. And they're both pairs I'd consider buying if I were looking for something in the sales.
If you want a pair of over-ear headphones, then the Earfun Wave Pro is calling out for you. It's now available from Amazon for $59.99, down from $79.99, and we gave these cans an almost-perfect 4.5/5 review back when they launched in 2024. A new model called the Wave Pro X just launched, but they're pricier, so these older headphones are still easy to recommend.
People who'd rather use in-ear earbuds should look to the Earfun Air Pro 4, as you can get the white model for $68.37 at Amazon, which is 24% off from their $89.99 asking price. These earbuds were feature-packed (perhaps too much, as I said in my review), but they're great value for money. The newer Air Pro 4 Plus are better, but they haven't seen a discount, so I'd be happy settling for the non-Plus models.
If you see something else from Earfun discounted, we can recommend the brand; I've used them plenty beyond the standard review process. Just check out to see if we've reviewed it, because some of the brand's products are fantastic, and others are just 'good'.
• See every Labor Day deal live now at Amazon
Today's best Earfun dealsWave Pro: was $79.99 now $59.99
It doesn't seem that Amazon's ever sold these over-ears for cheaper than $59.99 before, making this a great sale. You have to be an Amazon Prime member to enjoy the discount, though.View Deal
Air Pro 4: was $89.99 now $68.37
If you're interested in picking up these earbuds, bear in mind that only the white model are fully discounted. The black versions are available for $10 off, but the blue pair aren't discounted at all.View Deal
Not quite the cans or buds for you? We've got a roundup of the 9 best headphones/earbuds we've seen in the Labor Day sales that's broader.
Also, don't forget to check our more general Labor Day tech deals roundup with 70+ deals on appliances, TVs, laptops, fall must-haves, and more.
And above all, have a lovely day — and enjoy the music!
Shop more of today's best Labor Day sales- Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
- Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
- Appliances: up to $1,200 at Samsung
- Best Buy: 60% off appliances, TVs, laptops & more
- Casper: up to 30% off mattresses
- Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
- DreamCloud: up to 60% off mattresses, 66% off bundles
- Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
- Lowe's: $1,000 off appliances, patio & tools
- Nectar: up to 50% off mattresses, deals from $349
- Saatva: up to $625 off luxury mattresses
- Samsung: up to $2,000 off 4K, QLED & OLED TVs
- Target: 45% off clothing, tech & furniture
- Walmart: 58% off back-to-school, furniture, & clothing