You can build your own PC. It isn’t that hard. The time commitment may be too much for some people, but the end result is normally more compelling since you know what went into it and what may inevitably be upgraded. Custom PC makers like Maingear have to dig up some compelling reasons to sell a more expensive tower. You can already tell by the photo above there’s a big reason you might opt for the Maingear Apex Rush before another PC. Your ultra-expensive tower could look like a piece of art, as long as you treat it right.
The last Maingear desktop I reviewed, the MG-1, was a conscientiously built, customizable PC that looked too much like something I could have pieced together, at least judging from the exterior. Inside, the tower was far better than that thanks to its screw-in GPU bracket and cable management that would leave even the most demanding IT professionals nodding in approval. The interior was inlaid with a strip of RGB lights that offered a subtle internal glow. It was the kind of slapdash DIY project anybody building their own PC could have easily accomplished.
Maingear Apex Rush Artist Series You could spend way less just by building a PC yourself, but I doubt it would be nearly as pretty and well-put together as a Maingear Apex Rush 4 Pros Artwork makes the PC truly unique
Stable build
Excellent cable management
Performance for high-end gaming Cons Premium on top of PC parts
Glass art can be scuffed
Not a lot of front or rear I/O
When Maingear first announced its Rush PCs at CES 2025, the company’s CEO, Wallace Santos, told Gizmodo they attempted to create a desktop that truly looked unique, hence the special “Artist Series” designs that push a unique case while offering an internal design with everything gamers have come to expect. This design doesn’t come cheap. My review unit, packed with the top-end AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, 2TB storage, and all the special cooling apparatus blaring RGB lights in and around the case, costs $4,325. That’s $1,000 more than the previous generation MG-1 which contained a high-end Intel 14th-gen CPU and an Nvidia RTX 4080 Super. GPU The Artist Series costs an extra premium above the units without the unique art.
If I try and create a very similar PC using ordered parts, I can build something for closer to $2,600, and that’s without seeking discounts. You’re paying Maingear for the hassle-free experience. At that price, the Apex Rush should be the last PC—for gaming or not—you’d buy for a long, long while. The MSI Pro B850-P motherboard has enough RAM and PCI-E slots to make upgrading easy. But then, you can find many other, far cheaper desktops with similar components for under $3,000, like a specced-out version of the Cyberpower PC Gamer Supreme. Will the beauty of your case last that long? Depends on whether you’re willing to shield your case from any blunt instruments or cats who would use your PC as a launchpad for your windowsill.
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