If you’re a retro gamer, it’s relatively easy to create a setup that’ll give you access to countless console games (think SNES, Sega, or even Atari). However, getting that same level of nostalgic experience with PC games from your childhood is significantly more of a headache due to its lack of plug-and-play options out there.
Maingear, known for its boutique PC rigs, has changed all that, creating an out-of-box desktop computer designed to handle blockbuster AAA games from the ’90s. The catch is that it’ll cost you a pretty penny.
Photo: Maingear
Getting Better with Beige
Wallace Santos started Maingear back in 2002 with a simple philosophy: build gaming PCs the way custom car shops build hot rods. That meant hand-assembly, premium materials, and zero compromises on performance. Over two decades later, the Warren, New Jersey-based company is still doing exactly that, just with a lot more horsepower under the hood.
The Retro98 is the latest evolution in Maingear’s nostalgic sleeper PC series, and it’s basically everything you wanted as a kid but couldn’t afford (and possibly still can’t). Built around the SilverStone FLP02 case, this thing looks like it belongs in a 1998 CompUSA showroom, complete with that unmistakable throwback beige finish, a working turbo button to toggle between max and slower speeds, and even a power-lockout key to prevent accidental startups during maintenance. The front I/O ports are hidden behind the Maingear logo panel, keeping the period-correct aesthetic intact.
Photo: Maingear
More Than Just Skin-Deep
When you pop the side panel, you’ll find premium components, even at the lowest of the four tiers available. The base configuration runs an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB of Kingston Fury DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB Gen4 NVMe SSD. From there, you can climb the ladder to increasingly ridiculous specs, topping out with the Retro98α — a limited-run beast featuring a Ryzen 9 9950X3D, RTX 5090, 64GB of RAM, and 4TB of Gen5 storage. That flagship model also gets an Alphacool custom open-loop liquid cooling system with braided “ketchup and mustard” cables.
Photo: Maingear
Built Like They Used To (Except Better)
Following the brand’s “One Man, One Machine” ethos, each Retro98 is hand-built by a single technician in the U.S. and stress-tested before it ships. You get a bloatware-free Windows 11 installation, clean cable management, and lifetime support from Maingear’s in-house team.
The LED fan-speed display on the front adds another layer of period authenticity, though it’s monitoring components that didn’t exist when beige towers ruled the earth.
We should mention that this unit is hardware-only and doesn’t come with any gaming titles. However, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any setup that can handle the likes of Half-Life or StarCraft as easily, if at all.
Photo: Maingear
Spec Sheet
Model: Maingear Retro98 / Retro98α
Chassis: SilverStone FLP02 (Retro Beige)
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K to AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 to RTX 5090
Memory: 32GB to 64GB Kingston Fury DDR5 6000MT/s
Storage: 2TB Gen4 to 4TB Gen5 NVMe SSD
Operating System: Windows 11 (bloatware-free)
Dimensions: 9.13″W × 19.45″H × 18.58″D
Weight: 35 lbs (standard) to 50 lbs (α model)
Limited Edition: 32 standard units + 6 Retro98α units
Pricing & Availability
The Maingear Retro98 starts at $2,499 for the base RTX 5070 configuration, with the mid-tier RTX 5080 build at $3,499 and the RTX 5090 variant at $4,999. The ultimate Retro98α with its open-loop cooling will set you back $9,799. Only 38 units total will be produced, so if you’re after one of the most distinctive gaming PCs money can buy, you’ll want to move fast. They’re available now exclusively through Maingear’s website.
Maingear Retro98 Gaming Desktop
Maingear just dropped the Retro98, a limited-edition gaming PC that looks like it stepped out of a 1998 CompUSA catalog but packs modern powerhouse specs like an RTX 5090 and Ryzen 9 9950X3D under that beige exterior. Only 38 units are being made, with prices ranging from $2,499 to nearly $10K for the top-tier watercooled model.
